This week I finished reading a book by Dr. Gregory Boyd called "The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church". Below is an interesting and/or provocative quote from the book.
"What if the energy and resources used to preserve and tweak the civil religion was rather spent feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, befriending the drug addict, and visiting the prisoner? What if our focus was on sacrificing our resources to help inner-city schools and safety houses for battered women? What if our concern was to bridge the ungodly racial gap in our country by developing friendships and collaborating in endeavors with people whose ethnicity is different than our own? What if instead of trying to defend our religious rights, Christians concerned themselves with siding with others whose rights are routinely trampled? What if instead of trying to legally make life more difficult for gays, we worried only about how we could affirm their unsurpassable worth in service to them?
In other words, what if we individually and collectively committed ourselves to the one thing that is needful--to replicating the loving sacrifice of Calvary to all people, at all times, in all places, regardless of their circumstances or merit? What if we just did the kingdom?
This is far more difficult than merely protecting the civil religion, which perhaps partly explains why so many prefer focusing one the civil religion. Doing the kingdom always requires that we bleed for others, and for just this reason, doing the kingdom accomplishes something kingdom-of-the-world activity can never accomplish. It may not immediately adjust people's behavior, but this is not what it seeks to accomplish. Rather, it transforms people's hearts and therefore transforms society." (Pgs. 115-116)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
God Even Provides Blogs.
Ok...so I am guilty of not writing down my job this week, and forgot to blog until today. I apologize to everyone. Last night I was winding down for the night, and all of a sudden I remembered. I started racking my brain, thinking what could I write about, what has happended this week that affected me in my walk. I walked into the living room where Brad was reading something on the laptop. He told me that Carley, his little sister texted him to read a passage yesterday, and he had forgotten until just now. The passage was Matthew 6:25-34. Here it is:
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
OK, so God can text us to get the message across. I've read that passage so many times before, but I had not read it recently. I have been worried all week about how were going to pay all the bills, much less on time. How were going to get groceries, or gas. We both get paid at the end of the week, but how are we going to make it. Yesterday, I was even moaning and groaning about my clothes. This passage serves as a reminder that God will take care of us. And he has. He even graciously gave me source material for my blog.
But then I started thinking about other people in the world. I am lucky to have all that I do compared with some lesser fortunate people. I have a home, unlike the people who stay on the streets all day, and only can come in to sleep in a shelter where many others come. If I am hungry, I have food I can eat. And a closet full of clothes that are clean. I have been more than taken care of. I have been guilty of needing too much. God always seems to provide for me, but I feel like I don't offer anything to Him. I try to be a good follower, but oftentimes I feel like that isn't enough. If God is providing for me and Brad, shouldn't we turn around and provide the same for others who have even less?
There is a story that was featured on Texas Country Reporter recently. It's probably my favorite story on there (it even beats out Skipboot!) It talks about the Nubian Queen, a restaurant and lady in Austin, TX. The Nubian Queen (I forgot her real name) is a woman operating this restaurant in the lower level of her small house. She is the cook, waiter, and manager. She cooks up all different kinds of Southern and Creole food, and waits for the customers. She is busy. She told the camera that she used to be homeless, until a nice person vouched for her, and helped her buy her home. The only thing she could do for money was cook, so she started her restaurant. She also told the camera, that the most important thing she does is what she does out the back door. The camera caught homeless people and less fortunate people from the neighborhood going up to her back door, and she would give them a free meal. She said that God had provided so much for her, that all of her profits go to the back door. She didn't have the best equipment, nice, new clothes, or even a new house, but she was giving all that she had to the people at the back door. She was satisfied with not having more than what she needed. And God had provided for her what she needed in order to bless others.
If God provided for her, and she can bless others, then surely Brad and I, or anyone can be a blessing in someone's life with what we have. So thank you God, for showing us that we are not as bad off as we think we are, and that we need to provide for others as you have provided for us.
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
OK, so God can text us to get the message across. I've read that passage so many times before, but I had not read it recently. I have been worried all week about how were going to pay all the bills, much less on time. How were going to get groceries, or gas. We both get paid at the end of the week, but how are we going to make it. Yesterday, I was even moaning and groaning about my clothes. This passage serves as a reminder that God will take care of us. And he has. He even graciously gave me source material for my blog.
But then I started thinking about other people in the world. I am lucky to have all that I do compared with some lesser fortunate people. I have a home, unlike the people who stay on the streets all day, and only can come in to sleep in a shelter where many others come. If I am hungry, I have food I can eat. And a closet full of clothes that are clean. I have been more than taken care of. I have been guilty of needing too much. God always seems to provide for me, but I feel like I don't offer anything to Him. I try to be a good follower, but oftentimes I feel like that isn't enough. If God is providing for me and Brad, shouldn't we turn around and provide the same for others who have even less?
There is a story that was featured on Texas Country Reporter recently. It's probably my favorite story on there (it even beats out Skipboot!) It talks about the Nubian Queen, a restaurant and lady in Austin, TX. The Nubian Queen (I forgot her real name) is a woman operating this restaurant in the lower level of her small house. She is the cook, waiter, and manager. She cooks up all different kinds of Southern and Creole food, and waits for the customers. She is busy. She told the camera that she used to be homeless, until a nice person vouched for her, and helped her buy her home. The only thing she could do for money was cook, so she started her restaurant. She also told the camera, that the most important thing she does is what she does out the back door. The camera caught homeless people and less fortunate people from the neighborhood going up to her back door, and she would give them a free meal. She said that God had provided so much for her, that all of her profits go to the back door. She didn't have the best equipment, nice, new clothes, or even a new house, but she was giving all that she had to the people at the back door. She was satisfied with not having more than what she needed. And God had provided for her what she needed in order to bless others.
If God provided for her, and she can bless others, then surely Brad and I, or anyone can be a blessing in someone's life with what we have. So thank you God, for showing us that we are not as bad off as we think we are, and that we need to provide for others as you have provided for us.
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