"Show Me!"

It was the morning of March 16th, 2014, as I sat in the back seat of our black mini van on the way home from the Minnesota National Open. After a long week, everyone was tired, and nobody really felt like socializing much. Kate fell asleep in the back seat next to me, Beth got out her iPhone, and Christine started to edit photos she had taken at the tournament, as our moms talked quietly in the front of the car. 

Restlessly, I gazed out my window, thinking about the tournament. Hearing Emily's name on impromptu final breaks...... hanging out with Maria Andrews all Saturday....... going to church with Caroline and Sarah...... running across campus at night like nobody was watching....... great conversations with Bailey........ fun cafeteria memories with my club and Lincoln........ watching Michael and Noah rock their apol rounds...... trying to stay warm on a bench outside with Sarah and Jenae......................

"Hey, Hannah, I have those books for you!  I think you're gonna like them, this one's super cool."  

I shuffled around in my backpack until I found it. The title was printed in bold, blue letters across a matted white background:

"Rediscover Catholicism", by Matthew Kelly

I opened up the first chapter, expecting to learn more about the differences between Catholicism and my Evangelical Free Protestant denomination. But I found something much different:

" 'THE CRY FOR HELP'

.... In reference to the well-known fact that [Mahatma] Gandhi read from the New Testament every day and often quoted the Christian Scriptures, a reporter once asked him why he had never become a Christian. He answered, 

'If I had ever met one, I would have become one.'

In his own way, Gandhi was saying, 'Don't tell me - show me!' revealing his yearning for an example of an authentic life."

Ever since that morning driving home from the Open, my mind won't let go of this quote. 

This world longs for something that we have. At some point in their lives, everyone is forced to ask a simple question: "Why am I here?"  or  "What is the meaning of life?"  God created each man with an innate desire for more than just life on its face value. 

Christianity has what they need.

The problem is, all the majority of people see of Christianity is Christians themselves.  And most Christians do a horrible job of representing the Christian faith. 

One of the apologetics topics for Category 4 (Salvation) is:

Analyze and respond to the statement, "I don't think I want to be a Christian, as Christians are hypocritical, intolerant and judgmental." -Anonymous

This question is probably my favorite topic out of all 5 categories, because I think it's true. We, as the modern church, have done little to further the name of Christ and have greatly damaged His name in the eyes of the world. And I can say that, because I'm one of the worse. So often, I'm more focused on me than anyone else. I'm rarely willing to give up my free time to serve others, I never rejoice in suffering, I ignore the people I want to ignore, and only love the people I want to love. So often, I find myself more excited over a successful shopping trip or a winning debate round than I do over hearing something from God. I find myself more dissatisfied with my appearance in the mirror at times than I've ever felt over the laxness in my spiritual life. 

And the world watches the whole thing.

Our lives are like a story..... and we're not the only ones reading them. Others around us are constantly watching the way we handle circumstances, the way we love, the way we rejoice, and the way we LIVE.

What do they see?

If you've ever seen someone truly living even just a moment of their lives in the light of the cross, you know how incredible and radiant that kind of lifestyle appears. I've seen it in one of my best friends, sitting across the room from me absorbing every word of our apologetics Bible study. I've heard it over the phone in the voice of my adopted "big sister", as she asked how I was doing with a real, personal interest. I've absorbed it as I looked deep into the eyes of a spiritual encourager of mine and saw the passion of Christ raging in them as we talked about Jesus. 

And every time I see it, I pray...... God, let that be me. Let me care on that level. Let me live like that.

What if the world had been able to meet some of them?  What if a hopeless searcher had been able to see, and hear the love of God through us?

Where do we start?  Ultimately, I think it's different for each person, but it all stems from the same place. 

It starts on our knees. 

When was the last time you found yourself there?

Starts with One

7 billion people. 7 billion dreams. 7 billion lifestyles, personal ideals, habits, goals and hearts.

And you are just one. You can't touch each of those billions of hearts. We are weak, we are small, we are powerless. We are:

1

out of 

7,000,000,000

And He calls us to change the world.

Most of us have heard those words pretty often. I remember the first time I heard them at a speech and debate tournament. Former KS state rep, Mrs. Cheryl Reynolds, was filling some time up on the podium before the awards ceremony at the Derby Dust-Up Qualifier in 2011. Her little explanation of NCFCA's purpose and history was interesting, but the essence of what she said towards the end was what truly struck me: "NCFCA's goal is to raise up world-changers. Currently, we even have a former student who's running for a seat in government!"   My little 13-year-old heart was stirred at these words, as I pictured myself in a smart-looking black suit with a glittering red necklace and a stylish hairdo, debating America's leading politicians, and fighting for a seat in congress...... a world-changer.

Almost four years later, I can say that that li'l aspiration carries no weight. I have no plans of becoming a politician, or spending my life in the realm of suits, debate or congress. But I also have no plans of becoming that kind of world-changer. Maybe because now, I'm realizing just how big the world is.

I cannot change the entire world. Even if I followed my former dreams of running for congress, I still wouldn't have been able to touch 7 billion people. But maybe, we were never meant to.

How do you define world-changer?  Katie Davis, a missionary in Uganda, had this to say on the topic:

     "Sometimes working in a Third World country makes me feel like I am emptying the ocean with an eyedropper....  I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. ........Many days, I am still overwhelmed by the magnitude of the need ....And I look at the life of my Savior, who stopped for one."

If you've ever debated an LD resolution that has anything to do with the rights of an individual, you might've been asked the following question: "How much is a human life worth?"  Often the question didn't even need to be asked; the answer seems pretty straightforward. "Humans have inherent worth, that can't be measured in material things."  But how many of us actually live by that standard?  Do we really treat the people around us as priceless treasures with immaterial worth?  Do we ever think about the fact that, in God's eyes, one soul in and of itself..... not what that soul can do, not what it looks like, not what it acts like, not how popular it is, not how fun it is to be around, but the soul ITSELF...... is worth more than the entire material universe?

My dad used to talk about that all the time in our apologetics class. I heard it, and I was amazed by the fact that God would care that much about me. But I ignored the fact that that standard didn't just apply to me.... God saw every human through that lens. God's standard isn't that the 7 billion people on planet earth, and the trillions of humans that have lead their lives throughout history, combined, are worth more than the entire material universe. God's standard is ONE. One starving child in Africa. One victim of human trafficking. One Syrian refugee. One unborn baby. One foster child. One annoying eight-year-old who lives up your street.

In God's eyes?  They're worth pouring out your entire life over. They're worth dying for. You can take all the riches of the world, all the kingdoms, all the concerts, all the flashing lights, all the money, all the clothes, all the stars in the heavens, all the planets, all the supernovas and galaxies, all the fire and light and marvels of space, tie it all up with a bow............... and it's still not as valuable as the nine year old girl in Nepal, trapped in a slave industry she may never escape.

What if someone decided to live as though that were true?

One-hundred and four years ago, someone did. Her name was Agnes. Agnes was an Albanian Catholic, surrounded by wealth and luxury. Most of her contemporaries stayed in their comfortable European surroundings, living care-free and self-centered lives. But Agnes had a higher calling on her life. When she turned eighteen, she became a nun, and dedicated her entire life to serving God wherever He called her. She followed His voice to the broken nation of India, and down into the slums of Calcutta. Her question to God was not, "How am I going to do this?" or "How will I benefit?"  Her prayer was a simple and obedient: "How can I help?"  This woman of God had His eyes for the world. She saw the worth in one person. Mother Theresa, the name by which we now know Agnes, once put it this way:

     "I believe in person-to-person contact. Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, the person I am meeting is the one person in the world at that moment."

Mother Theresa held true to this idea her entire life. As those around her explained,

     "From the moment you were with her, there was only you and her. She wasn't looking over your shoulder to see what was happening around you. You had her full attention. It was as if nothing else existed to her except you."

You don't have to be in a third-world country to live this kind of life. There are so many people around us, even now, who are hurting. Each one, individually, is worth more than the world. They are the image of Christ.

Getting Practical

This week, I hope you'll visit the Prayer Wall again to see the featured prayers for this week. If you feel led to lift up the victims of human trafficking with me, think about a new challenge. Don't pray: "God, please bless the women and children trapped in the slave industry."  Lock yourself in your prayer closet, and wrestle for the soul of just one. Start pulling down the roof-tiles. Spend yourself for one. I've been wrestling in prayer for one human trafficking girl for almost three months now, and it's been an amazing experience!

If you feel motivated to fight for one girl with me, I would encourage you to go all-in. You can find out more about justice for human trafficking at Tiny Hands International, which is one of my favorite sites on the topic. You can even join their official One-Girl Prayer Initiative, to spiritually "adopt" a human trafficking victim, and show your support by wearing their bracelet. I've ordered mine, and I can't wait for it to come in!

(This kind of prayer is complicated and can be uncomfortable. I'd love to talk you more about it one on one, if you want, feel free to email me!!)

Today, I still long to be a world-changer. But now I have a completely new idea of what that means. My goal in life is to have the eyes of Mother Theresa..... to be able to stop for one.

Faith - Walk in God's Promises

Faith-walk in God’s Promises

I want to talk about embracing Jesus even when the process isn't easy. I hope Jesus meets you and encourages your heart. This is a testimony of what God has been working out in my heart...

Just for a little back story from me:
I grew up in Canby, Oregon in a safe home and with a great family. We lived in that house for about seven years and then my dad's job moved us to Bend, Oregon. The Lord blessed us there more than anyone could ask for and we were so grateful. We snow skied on Mt. Bachelor every weekend, and I took horse back riding lessons with someone who really challenged me to learn to ride. Did I mention, I LOVE horses!

Then the pruning season came…

My dad was offered a promotion and my parents started praying about a move to Kansas City.  After praying for 3 months, my parents shared the news and I had mixed feelings.  I didn’t want to leave my life in Bend.
In August we moved to a hot and humid Leawood, Kansas. We didn't
know anyone, and moving to a flat place with no mountains was hard.

About three years later my family began to feel the Lord move on our hearts about another house in Kansas City, MO. It was a short sale house and we thought we could buy it and renovate it. We prayed in the living room of this home and saw our future in this home. We moved into a rental house in June of 2013, after selling our house in four days. The circumstances looked pretty good until the bank decided to send the house into foreclosure.

Before I go on a bunny trail, I want to look at the main message I feel Jesus wanted me to write.

“Don't give up on promises God has yet to answer, completely. In the midst of waiting, stop blaming Him in the pruning season of that partial promise, but draw closer to Him in relationship, instead.”

I'd like to look at this through the example of David. The bible says, David was a shepherd boy who lived in the town of Bethlehem.  Samuel anointed him and prophesied he would be King of Israel. At this time we know that Saul was not so focused on The Lord anymore.
Following Samuel’s prophesy, we know that David killed Goliath, served in Saul's courts, and became his son in-law. Things were looking pretty good for David until… Bam… The pruning season the Lord had for David arrived. Saul tried to kill his own son in law.
God had given David a promise, but David needed to be refined before he had the maturity to be King. David was soon running for his life not just for months, but for years!

But did David loose trust in The Lord? No. David prayed faithfully to God and believed that some day, God would fulfill that promise. We can see later, in The Bible, David became on of the greatest kings of Israel. He didn't avoid God when the testing got tough. I believe whether or not God fulfills the promise in the beginning, we can't give up on Jesus and we need to constantly listen to his voice.

My family and I are currently still living in the same rental house, 3 houses away from the one we have placed an offer on more than 1 year ago. We have been asking The Lord what he wants us to do in this season. We feel like The Lord wants us to pursue the house and keep pressing in for this plan that has yet to be fully fulfilled.  We are asking God for redirection, if we have not heard Him correctly.

I was convicted that I was so focused on what Jesus had in store for me, I completely lost sight of Him.  I believe God can give us a partial promise, bring us through testing, and then if it's his will, lead us into the end-zone.  But in these seasons of testing I feel that we so easily give up in God when in reality those seasons are when we need him most.  Jeremiah 29: 12,13 shows us how much we need him in every day:

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

But for us waiting has been a challenge, "God why are you doing this?!? Don't you love me?" I think it's okay to be angry, and yet not blame everything on God. He may let Satan test you, but it doesn't mean He doesn't love you. I think the best place to look is in the book of Job.

"Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.
“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1 NIV)

Wow..... As we can see, God can send pruning sometimes to test us and see if we are really holding on to Him. He is doing it because he loves us. He knows it's also the best for us.

One of the elders at my church made a video about this.  I just watched it last night and thought it really fit with this post.  I hope it encourages you!

(Bob Sorge - God Could Have Left Job Alone)

God wants us to embrace His loving arms instead of pull away, to do our best, and let Him do the rest. I find when God prunes me, I draw closer to Him than I would have without it.

So when you are giving your speeches, and God may give you the partial promise, not giving you the full promise of breaking to a final round, don't pull away from Him. Embrace your Daddy's arms. Because He makes everything okay and He sees the end of the road and vision for you even when you can't.

Just wait on his voice.           Love, Amanda

Written by Amanda Patton

Dust's Lover.

Genesis 18:27 (Abraham) Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes…”

Why did Abraham talk like that? Why don't I?

Through my life I have always been a prideful person... really, what have I ever been truly humble about? I have acted humble, or like a servant, with the knowledge that people will see... What do I do at home? What do I really act for/live for/look for/want? Praise? Acceptance? Success? Pleasure?

Today, I am not writing this to teach, but rather to confess and commit myself to humility, and I would be humbled to have you join me. I don't have a real good intro... so I am just going to dive in:

What are we to God? How does he look at us? How ought we to relate to him?

God is infinite right? He created the earth right? Well He also created dust... Genesis 2:7 says: "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

I am dust... dirt... ashes... (Essentially a worthless thing that we vacuum up), and God is... what? I can't grasp it. HE IS the "I AM". God knew we could not grasp Him, He Is God.

But how does this dust creation treat the I AM, God?

I remember I was watching Mr. and Mrs. Ludy speak at our home school conference this passed year. Mr. Eric Ludy talked about dethroning yourself, and letting God take the throne. (He said it much better than that :-) But at the time I was so blinded by my own pride that I didn't see how securely I was chained to that seat of power. I was living in a world blind to all that was around me. I thought I had given God the throne... I thought that I was one of those "Real Christians" who had given in to His will. But really? I used God; I needed to let God use me.

Harry Emerson Fosdick said: "God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done."

That is how I have treated God my whole life... like a servant... like some magic wish-granter who is at my disposal.

Isaiah 29:16 Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

I have been that dirt, that clay, that pot, meant to work for him, and yet I have made him work for me. I, the dust, have thought of myself as so amazing in a sense, that I have thrown off his kingship in my life, and made that throne very dusty, and my life the whole time has had the label of “Furthering His Kingdom.” That is called hypocritical! How can you further his kingdom while dethroning Him?

What has God’s response been to my actions? God is eternal right? He had foresight to see what humans would do to him, and yet He still created us. We mocked Him, spit on Him, dethroned Him and yet, Jesus indwelled a created body so that he could serve us to the death. We willfully turn from the path of God’s way and yet, The Holy Spirit is willing to indwell us to become our helper. All for what? Why is God this way? Why is God willing to serve me? Why did he die for me? Why did he surround me with friends like all of you who are reading this? Why did is He still willing to guide my every step?

… He. LOVES... He. Loves. me…dust…

What is love? How can I comprehend what God has done for me? Why has he done it? Why has God done this for dust? What is this love, and why has He shown it to me?

I will never be able to grasp the enormity of this thing called "love" but how can I act with what I do know?

Girls, from child hood we dream of our nights coming in shining armor. We dream of being swept off our feet onto the shinning white steed. We dream of being rescued from all unhappiness by our prince. From the time we very small, we imagined being princess, and getting married to this prince and living happily after. When we get older that dream evolves, but I think that often as we get much older it disappears as a childish fantasy. But is it just a fantasy, and why do we think that way? Why do we want a rescuer? Why do we want to be married and live happily after? Why did God make this a little girl’s desire?

Could it be that God put that dream within us, because it will really happen someday? Couldn't God have made His created beings with a specific longing for what only he could give? Love, dependability, safety... We as girls want all of these, and yet we think that they are childhood fantasies? What if God has been preparing us, since we were playing dress-up, for the most amazing, spectacular, satisfying, romantic, and beautiful love story of all time!

You were created... we sinned, were condemned to death and trials and sadness. We were locked in a cell with an evil captor, scared, sad, lonely, abandon, and condemned. We were alone forgotten, worthy of death, in a just position, when... Along came the perfect dashing night! His eyes shine with love for you. He gently lifts you out of your cell, and took up your chains instead. He loved us so much that he took on our captor in a one on one battle. He fought the evil enemy, and He emerged from the dungeon victorious! He swept us up on His steed and carried us off to his castle, and...

That is where we step into the now. Right now, as teenagers and young women, we are in His castle preparing for the greatest day yet... The marriage supper of the Lamb! The day we will be united with our Savior, our Lover, our Knight. Your dream is not a childish dream, it's not even figurative... it's real! Your knight may have come over two thousand years ago, and you may not get married for another few decades, but it still is REAL. This story really is happening!!! We are in His castle, His presence, His creation, preparing ourselves. Daily we are faced with a choice.  We can choose to go back to our captor, the Devil, in the dungeon, or we can accept what our Prince did, and prepare for Him.

As girls we like to make ourselves look good... right? We instinctively want to be a shining beauty. We want to find some earthly prince and make ourselves look good in front of him. Often we forget about our real prince in the castle, about that real wedding feast, about the real joy ahead. We need to change our focus. There is a Prince out there who is watching, who loves, who cares, and we need to try and look good in front of Him. Our duty now is to make ourselves ready for isle. Really! Your duty is to get ready for eternity. To turn Jesus' head, by mimicking the Love that He has for us.

We can’t put earthly man in front of Christ. Someday, when we are ready God will bring into our lives some man that will prepare us for Christ. Our eyes must be one Christ, and someday He may deem right that another man come into our lives who will point us ever towards the real Prince.

NCFCA is probably one of the most important parts of my life. It’s my social pool, my non-home part of school J. I have friends there like I have no where else. I have learned so much from people there, I have been encouraged, but it is also a challenge for me. There are times I find myself doing things for the wrong motives, Rejecting, even subconsciously God’s leadership, dethroning Him, forgetting my eternal Prince, forgetting that I am but dust.

NCFCA is my challenge. It is the place I need to try the hardest to be dust, and remember dust’s lover. I encourage you, as many of you get ready for this KC tournament, with speeches, and debate cases, to also prepare another way. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE DUST. Remember your lover.

So why does Christ want to marry the church? Here is the answer: Love transforms us from dust.

Christ Loved us, and gave us the ability to Love Him and others. Love transforms us from dust to  a church. Only God by His unthinkable love can transform us into His Princess! Only God’s love can give us the ability to speak at a tournament J. Only His love lets us live!!! His Love gives us the choice to follow Him. But He is willing… to love this lump of dust. Love, turn God's head, and not the world's. Let God work through you, don't try to work through God. GET OFF THE THRONE! Really! He is the Prince after all. Accept His love in humility. Love like Christ loved us. Empty yourself for Him, as He emptied all to save you.

Philippians 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mimic that Love. We are dust, dirt and ashes, yet He considers us useful to serve his purpose. The only way to bring ourselves out of dust is to love: to be empty. I have been compelled to consciously change the whole way that I relate to God. I want to be God’s slave after what I have realized about God’s love for me. After all, it’s either being a slave to my flesh, sin and the world, or to the amazing, loving, beautiful God.

So what does it mean for us to Love God and others?

1 Corinthians13:1-8, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never fails;"

Love is what makes us useful to Him. Love created us, Love saved us, Love still helps us, and love is now being offered to us. Take it; use it; share it. Love is part of God, God is Love. Love is what brings us up from dust. Love is what we can use to prepare for eternity. If we could Love we would be perfect... So Love! It will remind us that we are dust, it will delight our Prince.

Genesis 18:27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes…”

~ Kathryn

 

Why Did I Say That?

Words. They're so confusing, aren't they?  They can build people up, tear them down, change lives, and ruin them. They can send the right messages, send the wrong messages, and send unspoken messages by what's behind them.

And as NCFCAer's?  We use them a lot.  Tournaments are all about words..... the words we communicate to the judges, the words we tell ourselves before our rounds, the words we use when we talk to other competitors in the hallways in the hangout area, and the words we use to say good-bye.

Words are dangerous things. James compares the tongue to a rudder of a ship.... it's small, but it controls the entire direction of the ship. If the rudder doesn't follow the map, the whole ship is lost.

Words don't seem like a big deal. We use them so much, that, often, we don't even think about their full weight. But I think we've all felt the power of words, too. There are things people say that they don't even think twice about, but they enter our minds in a much different way.

I think the most confusing thing about words is that we never know how they're going to enter into another person's mind. How do we control it?  How do we know whether or not our words are going to encourage someone, or not help at all?  How do we know if a word of mutual support will strengthen someone, or cause them to think the wrong things?

It all comes down to another idea in the book of James: the words are only a result of what's on your heart. As humans, we can't guarantee that what we say will come off the right way when they reach the ears of others. We're not responsible for them; we're responsible for us. If your heart is in the right place, you can trust God to deal with the results. But where is your heart when you speak?

Words can be beautiful, and they can be deadly. I've brought people down further than I can imagine, with some of the words I've said. Words can't be made beautiful if they're of the world. The words of this world can never bring anything truly lasting, other than discouragement, pain, and distractions.

But Christians aren't supposed to be of the world. What if our hearts were actually of God?  Wouldn't it follow that our words would be, too?

I don't know how many of you remember the Council Bluffs tournament in 2012. Maybe it was just another tournament for you, maybe it was one of your best, and maybe it was your very first. But for me, it was possibly the most discouraging tournament of my life. Having done fairly well in the 2011 season, I guess I'd let my hopes get too high for 2012. I didn't break in LD that tournament, and I was crushed. I watched as one of my best friends excelled and ended up winning the whole tournament, as I sat quietly in the audience, trying not to cry, and hating myself for being so jealous. But, after awards, as I was standing in the foyer waiting for my ride to be ready to leave, Noah Stewart came up to me, and started talking to me. I was pretty uncomfortable, since I'd never talked to him before......and it definitely didn't help that he had nine medals hanging around his neck. ;)  But as I was getting ready to leave, he said, "Hey, by the way, congrats on Regionals last year!  That was awesome!"  I guarantee you, he doesn't remember saying that. But, two years later, I still haven't forgotten. It's so amazing how God can use words!

Last week, my beautiful "Spy-girl" sent me these thoughts she had written. I think it's so important to guard our motives, and make sure our hearts are in the right place, and I think these words sum it up perfectly:

Why did I say that?

I remember learning in my college communication class that people are constantly communicating with each other - whether or not they want to. At first I didn’t believe it but now I realize that its true. When you yawn, laugh, itch, talk, ignore, and sleep you are sending messages to others. But interestingly enough the most complicated form of communication is the most direct one: words. Anyone can learn to read your body language. Most people pick up on at least a part of that body language automatically. But words, although seemingly simple, have a hidden side to them. How often have you wondered if someone “really meant it” or what they were doing when you call and they say answer “nothing much?” 

Today has involved a lot of communication with words for me. I messaged my friend to say hi, I called my cousin to figure out a time to work on homework together, I talked to me family about a million things I can’t remember, and I had an online chat conversation with a friend miles away. (Oh, the wonders of technology. Sometimes you can’t remember if you said something face to face or through a computer screen.) I did a lot of communicating today but then I stopped and asked myself this simple question: Why did I say that? I didn’t ask this because I had said something I regretted, or something completely out of character. My communication was completely ordinary. But why did I say the things I said? Its an important question to ask yourself. Because I am starting to realize that in God’s eyes its even more important why you said something than what you said. 

I can’t speak for guys, but one of the first tip offs that a girl has a crush on someone is that she will be constantly bringing that guy into everyday conversation. It doesn’t matter if you are talking about the price of chicken, your aunts birthday party, or the current oil crisis, she will find a way to bring whoever that special someone is into the conversation. Although she may think she is sneaky, it soon becomes pretty obvious what is going on. She wants to talk about this guy and she has a reason for bringing him up - but what is that reason? Is she trying to glean information about him from others? Is she hoping that flattering remark will get back to him through the grape vine? Or is she truly so obsessed with the guy that everything reminds her of him? I don’t know. I think it varies from person to person. But I do know whatever that girl’s motivation for bringing a certain someone into the conversation is: it matters. It matters because ultimately why we do things is going to determine what we do. It matters because your hidden motives of what you say, realized or unrealized, will influence the effect those words have. It matters because God looks at the heart. 

So often I will worry about if I said the right thing. Did that comment come off the way I meant it to? Is it appropriate to tell a guy that? What if they misunderstood me? But when it comes down to it what we say is not as important as why we say it. People will misunderstand you all the time. But if you are striving to honor God through your words, and your intentions are correct, you will know in your heart you didn’t do anything wrong. Do you best to communicate honestly with the right intentions and let God manage the rest. 

Think back to the last thing you said. The last message you sent. The last phone call you made. 

The important question is not what you said. The important question is:

Why did I say that?

MARVELous

I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love a good superhero movie. There's something about the idea of being able to have victory, and strength, and courage like that that draws us in. Something about knocking the enemy forces down with one kick or a quick flame out of your hand, that energizes our hearts.

I think superheroes are awesome. And, surprisingly to some, I've been able to draw a lot of parallels between the lives of some of Avengers, and Christianity. This is fun stuff. :)

The Li'l Guy

Steve Rogers was the first "Avenger". He was the li'l guy in boot camp. He was the one that nobody thought would amount to anything. He was a squirt, and his commanding officers knew he'd never be able to fight.

But Steve had a strong heart. He didn't have the body of a fighter, but he had the spirit of one. He had courage, kindness, integrity and emotional stamina. He was knocked down by people twice his size, and his response was a simple: "I could do this all day!"

Nobody thought Steve could amount to anything. But one scientist believed differently. Steve was a li'l guy. REALLY little. His helmet didn't even fit. But this scientist didn't look through the typical eyes of the world. It reminds me of the story of David in:

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Saul, the former king, was tall and strong. David, on the other hand, was the li'l guy. He was so insignificant from a worldy standpoint, his father hadn't even bothered to bring him out to show Samuel. He was too young to fight when his brothers went off to war with Saul against the Philistines.....and the helmet didn't fit him, either. But God looked at the heart. And only David was brave enough to stand against the uncircumcised Philistine who dared to blaspheme the armies of the living God.

Steve Rogers wasn't always a little guy. This scientist eventually convinced one of Steve's officers to let him enter an experiment, in which whatever was inside you got a lot bigger. Not only did Steve's heart get bigger, but so did his body. He, like David, was made strong.....to give.

But neither David nor Steve were given a chance at greatness right away. Instead of going out and fighting Nazis, Steve got to become "CAPTAIN AMERICA" and stir up fundraisers for the troops. David had proven his valor in battle. He had single-handedly stood up and defeated the giant that an entire army had shied away from. And his new job was?  The king's harp-player.

Eventually, though, both of these men's potentials were discovered....and heroes were made.

In your own strength.....

What happened to Captain America was pretty cool. Step into a machine, inject a little chemical, go through a little pain, and......... surprise!  The perfect recipe for a war hero!!

Decades later, Bruce Banner decided this was what he deserved, too. So he tried to imitate this scientific masterpiece in his own strength. The result was............well...........far from desirable. :)

For three hours in The Incredible Hulk, Bruce fights to rid himself of this monster he created. He's being hunted by the US army, so they can protect the public from this massive green monster that Bruce becomes whenever he gets angry.

David was a great king. And he had a massive empire. He was able to do great things for God. And his grandson, Rehoboam, wanted that, too. There was just one little problem.......he wanted to do it without God. In his own strength, he tried to rebuild and expand the kingdom of David and Solomon. But it was all in his own strength. Unlike David, he wasn't a man after God's heart. God's heart couldn't matter less in his life. He tried to do it on his own, and the result was........ An Abomination.

"If you try to imitate in your own strength, you will become a miserable replica. But if you let the power of God overtake you?  Suddenly, it all works." 
                                                                                                                     ~Eric Ludy

The Impenetrable Heart

*Drum roll*......................IRONMAN.

If you've seen any of the IronMan movies, you'll know that Tony Stark isn't exactly the most upstanding guy on the block. But the story of his heart is pretty cool.

When Tony Stark goes to an American base to display his latest weapon, things don't exactly go as-planned. After he's almost killed by Afghanistan soldiers, Tony receives a new object on his chest from a brilliant German scientist. His chest is filled with shrapnel from the encounter, and he can't remove it on his own. That shrapnel is constantly trying to get into his heart, and overtake it. There's really only one thing that's keeping him alive: A heart of light.

This new heart was created to replace the old one. To do what it always wanted to, but never could. I love this image of the heart....mostly because, it reminds me of my heart.

My heart was attacked by destruction before it even started beating. My chest is full of a shrapnel that I can't remove on my own. And every day, that shrapnel tries to get to my heart. To kill me.

And every day, I let it.

That shrapnel enters my heart because I say it can. I give it access. I don't always want to. But in my own strength, I can't stop.

Which is why you have to stop trying to imitate in your own strength.

There's a heart of light out there. One that can do everything that your old, sinner's heart couldn't. One that can keep the shrapnel away from the sacred, and protect it. One that can give life to a dead heart, and defend it. One that can turn it outwards, and let it start seeing the broken world around it......one that can open your eyes to the shrapnel flinging itself at the world, instead of just the shrapnel inside you.

On this side of the cross, that heart of Light is available.

I say it's time for the real heroes to stand up and grab a hold of it.

The Calling: A reflection on my heart

Think.

A simple word, the spark of a greater

thing. It leads me to speak,

but only after I have counted out the words

which I will use. And then to act,

for what is thought without an ultimate goal?



But what is my goal?

An end towards which I strive … I think.

But do I truly strive if I never act?

Can it be that I do nothing greater

than constantly spew out words

which have no meaning, every time I speak?



And when I speak,

I’m sure they do not guess that this could be my goal -

to impress the judges with my words.

Little do they think

that this is not much greater

than an act.



I don’t want to keep up this lonely act.

How I wish I could do something more than speak,

that I would push myself to something greater,

and find myself a better goal.

But instead I only think,

and sometimes put my thoughts into words.



Inside my head, there are so many words.

How much easier it is to talk than act,

and how much simpler to think

than to speak.

But God has given me a goal,

and I know he will give me strength to become greater.



In search of something greater,

by God’s grace, my words

will be used to further His own goal,

and lead me to commit the act

which I have been so eager to speak

about to others. Maybe now I’ve truly learned to think.



How much greater it is to act once I

have paused to think, and considered how the

words I speak will further God’s glorious goal.



By Magali Laporte