Crazy Love: Chapter 5

The more I read this book, the more I want to shake the hand of Francis Chan. I've been reading it one chapter a time, giving myself time to really soak in & stew over what each chapter is about for a few days before going on to the next chapter. I love that there are things I've felt & believed for years that someone has finally put into words for me. There are things in the book that make me want to stand up & cheer....other things that bite a little.....other parts that make me want to shove the book in someone's face & say "See???". (Hello pride, my name is Liz.)

Ironically, a friend of mine is reading another book that she's been talking about on her blog the last few days. It's called "Radical". When I first read that title, it does me the same way it does you. Being called 'radical' always makes us Christians cringe doesn't it? Radical has been given such a bad rap in our society. Radicals do crazy things, they live weird, they act freaky. Right?

Or do they?

As a teen, I was on fire for Jesus. I see my daughter leaning more that direction every day & I am excited to see that 'charge Hell with a water gun' sort of enthusiasm grow. Most Christians have had a time when they were super "on fire". During that time, we were probably all considered to be pretty 'radical', but we didn't care! How is it that somewhere along the way we decide being 'on fire' is weird & we need to tone it down, darn it!?

As I read today's chapter in Crazy Love, I couldn't help but hear echos of what my friend's been posting about the "Radical" book on her blog. There are lots of similarities with that book & this chapter. Today's chapter is called 'serving leftovers to a holy God'. Here are a few of the especially powerful parts I enjoyed & a few comments from me.

*Revelation 3 talks about how God will spit out those who are lukewarm. Mr. Chan points out that there is no gentle interpretation of the words 'spit out' in the original Greek. It actually refers to wretching, gagging, choking & vomitting.

Ouch. Go back & read my post on last chapter's Profile of a Lukewarm person.

*Jesus's call to committment is clear: He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling themself a Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.

*Let's face it. We're willing to make changes in our lives only if we think it affects our salvation. Can I divorce my wife & still go to Heaven? Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Am I a Christian if I'm having sex with my girlfriend? If I commit suicide will I still go to Heaven? If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ, will he really deny that He ever knew me? These questions demonstrate that we're more concered about going to Heaven than loving the King.

How many times have I heard new believers & young people ask these very questions? How often do we lean nearer to these sorts of questions every day? Can I watch this one TV show & still be a Christian? Will He still love me if I get high this one time? Aren't we all limit-pushers?

*Which is more messed up -- that we have so much compared to everyone else or that we don't think of ourselves as rich? That on any given day we call ourselves 'broke' & 'poor'? We are neither of those, we are filthy rich!

For a family who lives paycheck to paycheck, this one is a statistic that is always hard for me to grasp. I absolutely know that I'm richer than some people, but to think that we actually have more than the MAJORITY of the world is a little astounding.

*Does God get a scrap or two because we feel guilty giving Him nothing? A mumbled 3 minute prayer at the end of the day when we're half asleep, 2 crumpled up dollar bills thrown into the church's fund for the poor.... *God is holy. In Heaven exists a Being who decides whether or not I take another breath. This holy God deserves excellence, the very best I have.

I thought those two (above) fit together nicely. Which one do I give Him daily? Which do you give Him?

*Our greatest fear as individuals & as the church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things that don't really matter. --Tim Kizziar

amennnnnnnnnnnn

*Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are.

Love this!!

*Most of our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have....but the fact is that NOTHING should concern us more than our relationship with God.

Father, help me to instill this in my children every single day.

*If given a choice between our 'stuff' and God, most of us hope we'd choose God. But we need to realize that how we spend our time, what our money goes toward & where we invest our energy is equivalent to choosing or rejecting God.

Where are the bandaids? That one stings a little.

Ministry

As most of you know, in the spring of 2009, Larry & I left the church where he served as one of the pastors. He was originally hired as the Singles pastor, later became the Outreach pastor and finally moved to more of an administrative role. Anyone who knows us well knows how hard that transition was. Especially for Larry, but really for all of us. Stepping out of ministry was difficult, but we both knew that it wasn't permanent. We knew (and continue to believe) that our future still holds full time ministry. We're not sure when or where or how it will look, but we know we'll go back to it when the kids are all grown. For now, we are not vocationally serving in a pastoral role.

Sometimes that is sure nice. Anyone who's served in a full time ministry knows that the dynamics & politics make life difficult sometimes. Dealing with 'needy' people, always being at church early, always being at church late, always being there every time the doors are open, always being responsible for activities & people, getting phone calls at 2:00am, getting phone calls while on vacation or a date night ....it's exhausting.

But then the rest of the time, we sure do miss all of those things. Larry misses teaching and serving like crazy. Our kids miss their friends and the leaders who worked with them. I miss the ladies' Bible study nights. But mostly, we miss the relationships that we formed. Because we left the church when we stepped down from our ministry there, we don't see most of those people anymore. Thank goodness for Facebook, though. We've kept in touch with a huge number of the people who meant so much to us. And once in a while we run into people out in public who remind us how much they love us. In the past few weeks, I've run into church people about 4-5 times and each time, it feels like a big hug. Hearing them say that they miss us means that we really connected with them, that we did something that effected them, that they somehow saw Christ in us. And that makes the sadness & loss we've felt the last 18 months so worth it. Knowing that we ministered to them in some way sure does make this girl's heart flutter.

Today & last Sunday, Larry's been given the opportunity to fill the pulpit for 2 friends who pastor churches here locally while they vacationed with their families. While we miss our home church, it's been awesome to watch Larry step back behind a pulpit & give a message to the crowds we've been given the privilege of joining. While the churches were two vastly different kinds of churches, the size of the crowds were about the same and both bodies welcomed us and made us feel like we were part of their family. Both churches payed Larry to preach, but I can tell you one thing for sure...he would've done it for free because he loves it so much!

One day we'll be back 'in the fishbowl'. One day, we'll come early to unlock the building & turn on the air conditioner before the crowd comes. One day, we'll organize VBS and Bible study classes. One day we'll take groups to the homeless shelter & orphanage to serve. One day we'll do it all again. What a sweet day that'll be.

I'll bet you've never ironed underwear at 6:45am in a hotel.

...but I have! Add that to my list of weird things I never thought I'd say. More about that later.

Earlier this month, I told you about this award Samuel received. Yesterday, we got the privilege to travel to our state capitol city and attend a state level awards ceremony for this same award. The ceremony was this morning. It was pretty cool.

We left yesterday afternoon about 4:15 and embarked on a 4 1/2 hour drive to Austin. We were met with a very nice (looking) room. There was a sitting area with a fold-out couch which Samuel quickly claimed. He loved it. He felt like he was staying in his own hotel room. Sadly, the fold out couch was broken, but the couch was pretty cozy, so he put his pillows & blanket on the couch & slept there anyway. Sarah decided that she wanted me to sleep with her, so Larry got a bed all to himself.

At 4:30 am the pranksters who stayed in our room last got a laugh I'm sure. That's when the clock radio alarm went off. Grrrr! I got up & turned it off, but it still woke all of us up. Luckily we were able to go back to sleep. At 5:45, I heard Sarah bumping around between the bathroom, the vanity area, our suitcase & the closet. Apparently she went to the potty & didn't quite make it in time so she was digging around for clean undies. When I woke up & realized what she was doing, I told her to just sleep commando for the last hour & we'd find them when we got up! :::yawn::: I'm not sure she really ever went back to sleep because I don't think I got any real sleep after that either. At 6:30 I gave up & got up to start getting ready. After digging through the suitcase, I discovered that Sarah didn't pack any extra undies, so if she was going to wear any today, I needed to wash & dry the wet ones. The bar soap at the sink wasn't quite what I had in mind for hand-washing my delicates, but hey, whatever. After a few minutes on top of the air conditioner didn't seem to be drying things quick enough, I pulled out the iron. I already had a couple shirts that needing ironing anyway, so I iron-dried her undies, too. ha ha!

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading out to early morning rush hour traffic in a big city. I'm glad we left super early. We arrived in plenty of time even after getting lost once. Thank goodness for local folks who can point you in the right direction.

The awards ceremony went great! We got to walk through some exhibits outside the ballroom where the ceremony took place & picked up some really cool little trinkets made from recycled products and earth-friendly stuff. Who knew that they make recycled tire key chains?

We went to a Texas history museum nearby and enjoyed an IMAX-style 3D presentation about the great state we call home. Afterward, we stopped at a drug store to pick up a couple things & then headed toward home. It was after 7:00 when we got home tonight. Whew...what a whirlwind past 24 hours!

It was a fun whirlwind, though!

And ya know...maybe on our next trip I'm give the blow dryer a shot on a pair of jeans! Or perhaps I'll try ironing a dress by pressing it between the mattresses. Hmm....what's that saying? Necessity is the mother of invention. I think a mom must've written that one!

Summer, Days 19-25 (June 15-21)

Whoops! I haven't been doing so well on keeping you up with our summer, have I? I do a lot of day-to-day chatter on Facebook. If you aren't already my friend on there, look me up!

Crazy Love: Chapter 4

The title of this chapter was Profile of the Lukewarm. Right off the bat I read that & thought "Whew...this chapter won't be so bad. I'm not lukewarm, after all." Don't ya love how God is sitting back giggling when we say things like that?

At the start of the chapter, the author tells the story of the three seeds tossed on different kinds of ground & challenges us to consider which type we are. He explains "When the seed is flung out on the path, it is heard but it's quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold; there is an appearance of depth & growth because of the soil on the rocks, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life's worries, riches & pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes root and produces fruit."

The next sentence is where it hurts. Mr. Chan says "Do not assume you are good soil." Ouch. He goes on to say that most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes out the seed because of thorns. He asks "Are you satisfied being 'godly enough' to get into Heaven or to look good to others by comparison?" Or can you honestly say that you've been transformed & changed by Christ? Mr. Chan asks the readers to consider a profile of lukewarm Christianity & see if it fits them.

I won't expound greatly on each of the items on the "Lukewarm" list, but I will share the list with you. As I read through the list, I found myself mentally checking off the things I thought I had a good handle on & wincing at ones that hit a little too close to home. Take a gander at this list and see how you measure up. Are you on fire for God or feeling pretty lukewarm tonight? I marked in red the ones that really hit me hard or struck me as being particularly well-worded & thought provoking.

*Lukewarm Christians attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "good Christians" do, so they go.
*Lukewarm Christians give money to charity & to the church so long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?
*Lukewarm Christians tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance & giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
*Lukewarm Christians don't really want to be saved from their sins; they want to be saved from the penalty of their sin.....lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.
*Lukewarm Christians are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for "extreme" Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers.
*Lukewarm Christians rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers or friends. They do not want to be rejected nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.
*Lukewarm people gauge their morality or 'goodness' by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as hard-core as so-and-so, they are nowhere near as horrible as the guy down the street.
*Lukewarm people say they love Jesus and He is a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to control their lives.
*Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their hearts, soul & strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn't really possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals.
*Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends & other people they know and connect with. There is little love leftover for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.
*Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money & energy they are willing to give.
*Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more than eternity in Heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, CS Lewis writes "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one."
*Lukewarm people are thankful for their comforts & luxuries and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the LOVE of money is." Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel "called" to minister to the rich; very few feel "called" to minister to the poor.
*Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum to be "good enough" without it requiring too much of them.
*Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.
*Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because we persist in calling this a Christian nation.
*Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so that they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens -- they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them -- they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live -- they have life figured & mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis -- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are healthy. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.
*Lukewarm people probably drink & swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren't very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong.

One of his closing statements WOW'd me. I think it will you, too!

Lukewarm & uncommitted faith is completely useless. It can't even benefit manure. (Luke 14:34-35)

Crazy Love: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of the book was not quite as overly powerful to me as the first two chapters, but I will admit I am tired tonight, so it's quite possible that I missed some of the power because of that. I think I'll go back & re-read the chapter tomorrow when I'm more awake and see what I missed. I really wanted to read it tonight, though, so here's what I got from my half-asleep stupor.

The chapter is titled 'Crazy Love', like the title of the book. The focus of the chapter was to express God's crazy, extravagant, overwhelming love for us. But like things go when trying to describe God, it's nearly impossible to really put into words (or to comprehend!) the love of God for us. The author describes the way his heart swells when his children run out into the driveway to greet him when he drives home from work, how they call out his name & smile and chase after his car until he steps out & they can reach him to hug him. He describes God's love for us as something similar to that. Only it is He who is driving in from work & it is us that He so deeply desires to have a relationship with, one where we want to run after Him & squeal His name and wrap our arms around Him at first sight. He notes Matthew 7:11 which says "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

Mr. Chan talks about having a daily quiet time (Bible reading, prayer). He talks about being taught to do this as a child, but having always done it into adult hood only sporadically & mostly out of guilt that he "should be doing that", but out of a desire to do it. That describes me to a "T". As a kid, I know that we always discussed it in Sunday School and at church camp, there was always a built-in quiet 15-20 minutes where the whole camp was supposed to get on their bed & spend some time reading & praying. I remember always laying there, staring at my open Bible while my mind wandered into game time or a million other fun things that were coming up in the day. I had no idea WHAT to read or how to have a quiet time. It just didn't come naturally, so as I got older & had no one watching me or expecting me to do it, I just stopped. It wasn't until I was married & becoming a mother that I began to desire & hunger for a time with God every day. I don't doubt my faith in all those in between years, but I know that having a quiet time just wasn't something on my radar for a long time & I survived on whatever I got at church on Sunday morning all week. Several years ago, I remember going to a ladies' retreat & sitting there during the praise & worship time with tears running down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed with grief that I wasn't spending THAT KIND OF TIME with my Savior every day. I wanted to be that intimate with Him all the time, but it just didn't seem to work. Like Paul describes in Romans 7, I desperately wanted to do what I knew was right (spending that time with God daily) but my flesh made it so difficult. It was so much easier to sleep late or veg in front of the computer or read a novel or watch TV (or anything else!) than to sit down & read my Bible. And yet, over and over, for several years, I'd come before Him in a moment of worship & beg forgiveness all over again..."I'm still not doing it God. What is wrong with me??". Again & again I would commit to Him that I'd sit down & do it, you know...starting tomorrow.

It wasn't until a couple years ago that I really got into a habit of working it into my daily schedule and focusing on it. I decided to start at Genesis 1:1 and read through the Bible one chapter at a time. I know it's not chronologically accurate that way, but in my typical OCD fashion, it was the only way to do it. It wasn't long before I was in the habit of having my quiet time and really missed it when I didn't do it. When a day rolls around that I don't read my Bible & pray, I long for it. I ache for the days to get back in gear so that I can fit it into my schedule again! And that's exciting to me!

But what's more fun is realizing that God is on the other end of that excitement, standing in His 'driveway', watching me run toward Him squealing His name....and He's smiling, holding His arms open for me, too!

Finish the Sentence

1. My uncle once: had a book published.

2. Never in my life: have I enjoyed diet soda.

3. When I was five: I started Kindergarten in Mrs. Carter's class.

4. High School was: 16 years ago.

5. I will never forget: my wedding day.

6. I once met: a cute boy who talked to me in song titles & flirted from across the pizza restaurant kitchen. :) I married him a few years later.

7. There’s this girl I know who: reads a lotttt. (She's my eldest child.)

8. Once, at a bar: {Sorry folks, I've got nothin'.....I don't do the bar scene.}

9. By noon, I’m usually: hungry.

10. Last night: I stayed up late. I should go to sleep at a decent hour tonight to make up for it.

11. If only I had: loads of money to spare.

12. Next time I go to church: I will be at the church where Larry's filling in this Sunday. Can't wait to see him preach again. Gosh I miss that.

13. The Octomom: looks a lot like Angelina Jolie.

14. What worries me most: losing my kids in some freak accident.

15. When I turn my head left, I see: my popsicle wrapper.

16. When I turn my head right, I see: my cordless phone.

17. You know I’m lying when: Umm....I don't know. I never watch myself lie.

18. What I miss most about the eighties: the music & rockin' clothes. :)

19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be: Juliet. I'm a hopeless sappy romantic, so that seems to fit.

20. By this time next year: I will be nearing by 36th birthday. But shhhh...don't tell. That's closer to 40 than 30.

21. A better name for me would be: She who laughs a lot.

22. I have a hard time understanding: soooooooo many things in life.

23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: be completely confused by math & history.

24. You know I like you if: well, nevermind. I can totally act like I like someone when I'm gritting my teeth & screaming inside. ha ha....you'll never know, will you? :)

25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be: my husband.

26. Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferraro: are a bunch of random names thad don't seem to be connected to me. Am I missing something?

27. Take my advice, never: brush your teeth immediately after drinking orange juice (or vice versa). Gag...nasty taste!

28. My ideal breakfast is: room service.

29. A song I love, but do not own is: Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes".

30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest: you live here instead of passing through.

31. Tulips, character flaws, microchips, & track stars: are again, some random things thrown together.

32. Why won’t people: just think like me? Sure would make things easier for me. (wink)

33. If you spend the night at my house: you better bring a bed....we don't have a spare.

34. I’d stop my wedding for: an emergency...but it better be a good one.

35. The world could do without: so many things!

36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: lick the belly of a rat or a snake or some sweaty gross stranger.

37. My favorite blonde is: Krissy Snow. Who's with me?

38: Paper clips are more useful than: strings when it comes to holding papers together.

39. If I do anything well, it’s: writing.

40. And by the way: if you repost this on your blog, let me know so I can come take a peek.