Oppression - unjust and cruel exercise of authority which limits the potential of another.

When the world revolves around “me”, 

I am too busy looking at myself to look to the good of others.  

And so, we deny each other the opportunity to experience a world where everyone matters, 

And matters equally.

The question was raised "Can oppression be avoided or diverted?" 

I struggle to envision a world, this side of heaven, with our imperfections and selfishness and pride, where oppression is avoided or diverted.  

Because people are self-seeking

And oppression is people dependent 

America, as a nation, has made strides toward this end, with the elevation of status for women and all races.  

Sadly, the idea of equality often falls short of the practice of equality.  

We are the individuals that make up the families, the societies, the nations, the world

We are the now, and 

We don't have to resign to the brokenness

For when each of us is working toward a world without oppression it will become better 

One by one we can choose to look outside ourselves

Look outside what we know to be the norm, outside our history (without forgetting it), look outside our hurts, and our pride

We can look up

And work together for a better now, filled with hope for the eternal 

Because, There is a place 

A place where perfection is King

The King knows you and you know Him

There is no oppression or injustice and peace reigns in every heart

Here we work together, not for something better, but as a part of something greater 

We're no longer blinded by ourselves, but see clearly 

It's the Savior who makes us equal

Mean Girls and the Business of Mankind

Girls are mean

I can say that because I am one

And because it's true

"You'll never know"

That's what she said to my girl, when C asked - "what's your name?"

I could tell you how genuine and kind and sympathetic and big-hearted my girl is...I know I'm biased

But she is all those things

I listened quietly as she processed from the back seat,

"At first I thought she was kidding Mom, but she never did tell me her name...and I think she was serious"

Then she cried 

And I did too

Because she's mine and 

Girls. Are.  Mean.

What if when I woke up today, and tomorrow and every day I had only one objective

One thing to cross of my to-do list

One thing to get right

Love

Love my neighbor as myself

And what if even that snotty, little, "you'll never know" girl is considered my neighbor

Love her like I love my own little girl?  Like I love myself?

Could I check it off?

Could the business of mankind be my every day?

And...

What if one thing

Could be THE thing?

What if we cared about each other the same amount as we care about ourselves?

The man pushing his cart walking up the block, the cashier at the grocery store, 

The barista, the bank teller, the co-worker, the friend, 

The Mom, the sister, the Father, the brother, the husband, the wife, the child, 

The next door neighbor, the student, the teacher, the coach, the player,  

The father-less, the home-less, the well-to-do, 

The hard to get along with, the undeserving, the one who doesn't treat you like you deserve?

The every man, woman and child of mankind 

"Business! cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again.  "Mankind was my business.  The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.  The dealings of my trade but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"..."Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down..." -- "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens

So I wonder
I wonder if I'm being the neighbor I need to be?
I wonder what my everyday would look like if I made it about this one thing?
And, I wonder what the world would look like?
If my eyes didn't look down?
If they met yours, and saw the need, the hurt, the fun, the happiness, the humanity
And what if I teach her to do the same?
What if we made mankind the business of our everyday?
What if everyone was a neighbor - A neighbor who loved?

...serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself" 

- Galatians 5:13b-14

Holding onto Hope

This body, shell, silently erodes away
Time drips down in sun and years and babies and careers and sleepless nights
Hands ache, minds are stripped of memories, hearts beat harder and strength fails
This body,
Shell
It wrinkles, wears, stretches, ages, tears and empties

Death Comes

But not just to the aging
Death, silent and sure steals the breath of the unborn, the new born and any who have once been born
It leaves holes where souls once touched and held and rocked and hugged
It's shakes homes and breaks hearts
It cares not of our willingness or readiness - it just comes

So we hold
We hold our breath, and the ones we love a little closer
We hold tightly to memories of laughter, work, relationship, card games, candy, conversation, baking,  bingo, and life lived
We grasp the now moments, holding hands, playing make-believe, whispered prayers, bicycle rides, heads resting on shoulders, creating, sharing, doing and times spent doing nothing
We hold onto hope

But what if hope isn't in the holding on?
What if hope is in the letting go?

What if hope is built?
Built, as the temporary heart yields to the eternal call of an eternal God on your eternal soul

Hope Fills
It fills the holes in the aching heart, it's expectant and life giving
Hope breathes and lifts, remains and sustains
Hope is built
Built as the temporary heart bows to the eternal promises of a faithful God

Disappointment?
God is incapable of it.

And what of life?
What if life that gives hope looks a little, or a lot, like dying?

Life
Springing forth from the daily death to self
Because selfishness steals
While eternity softly calls
God, The Creator
Beckons, Welcomes and Wants
God, The Son
Pursues, Gives and Redeems
God, The Spirit
Guides, Empowers and Dwells
Offering hope and peace and something more to hold onto
Because while death comes - it can not break the love of an eternal Savior
It can not unredeem what's been paid for
Or break what's been bound up in the ever-after

There is no fear
For life overcomes decay
Eternity is
And hope
Hope in this eternal, calling, pursuing, dwelling, living God
Does not disappoint

You're Entitled to Your Own Opinion (Or are you?)

You know what everyone has that's different?
An Opinon
Filtered through our own experiences, emotions, belief system, and understanding
Regardless of skin color, gender, religion
Everyone has an opinion
Politics - Separation of Church and State - Abortion - Marriage - Health Care - Sports - Parenting - Coaches - Minimum Wage - College - Homeschool - GOD - Religion - Vaccinations - Chicken - Organic Foods - Drinking - Video Games - Electronics - GMO's - Marijuana - Fast Food - Outfits - Speech - Occupations - Pumpkin Spice Anything - Coffee - Worship
The list could go on and on...

But after a conversation with a very wise friend
I've been convicted
Because this thing I have felt all my life entitled to have
I realize is not a right
And maybe it's not right at all?

Because we're created uniquely
Gifted purposefully
For the building up of each other and for unity
But opinions divide

ONE
If I've choose this One Lord to be over all, through all, in all
Alive in me
Then I choose His truth
And that's all

HE is a God of Unity and Truth
In Him there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female - we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)
And we don't get our own opinion
We get HIS
HIS Spirit
And His grace
Empowering us
Guiding us
Helping us to understand

We're not entitled to an opinion
But we have a choice

"If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15

And I choose HIM
My opinion's really not that great anyway

Driving Up a One Way Street

When in a rush, one might think of rolling through the stop sign
But the ONE WAY?
Purposefully driving into head-on traffic?
I've done it accidentally
Once, while downtown, covering the length of a block,
Thankfully, not meeting a single car

The signs are rules.
Rules
To keep us safe
Prevent chaos
Give order
Show direction

And we obey them
Without thinking
We stop
We follow the marked way
We choose the rules

But there is this movement
Even among "Christians" - against rules

Because
"The Bible wouldn't be written the same if it was written today"
Because
"It's a relationship not a religion"
Because
"The God, I know would never..."
Fill in the blank
Because
"Whatever works for you is okay for you"

We don't hesitate to stop at the stop sign
But we question if we really need to go to church
If homosexuality is still a sin
If our actions matter as much as our "belief"
If the God who gives us grace truly desires for us to live by a set of standards
If Jesus is really the only way to heaven

If we believed in the stop sign - we trusted that it was good and had a purpose
But didn't choose to stop
We would crash

And that's what we do with our belief in Jesus
We wreck it
With selfish worship
Self-proclaimed truth
Loveless actions
Careless words
And idolatry

Our God is unchanging,
And His Word fixed
Imperishable
Persevering Truth
Applicable - Emotional - Alive - A Shield - And A Sword
For all generations

It is a relationship
Rooted in love, faith, and trust
Love that drives action
Faith that forces transformation
Trust that His promises are worth our alienation
Because we love Him that much - there isn't another option
We choose to Submit - We choose to Obey
Because belief isn't enough

It's a relationship that is covered in His grace
Because
"I'm not enough"
He IS
Because
"I can't -- even when I try with all of me"
With HIM all things are possible"
Because
"I don't understand"
His ways are higher - His thoughts are higher

I don't pretend to fully know God
The comprehension of Him is beyond me
His Love
His Justice
His Power
His Mercy
His Anger
His Patience
His Goodness
His Holiness
Infinitely more than my mind can grasp
But I trust Him to be who He Says He IS
And not mold Him into something modest and small that I can understand

Whatever works for you isn't okay
Unless It's Jesus
"I am the way and the truth and the life.  NO ONE comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6

It was controversial when He said it
It's still controversial today
But it's worth loosing everything for
This grace covered ONE WAY life
These grace covered rules
Keeping us safe
Preventing chaos
Teaching us
Making us complete
And leading us in the ONE WAY that matters
For eternity

Being a Parent is Hard

There are nine months of growing pains
And though it's often unrealized in the moment
The uncontrollable changes to your body are just the beginning
The governance you perceived to have
Bends to the realization that you are not in control 

Then they're born 
Or sometimes they're not

And, we fight for control
Because our ideals our dreams are all we've ever tried to see
We wrestle with our sufficiency
We question why
We doubt our dream that once glistened
Now drowned in diapers, and fatigue
Or an empty crib
And our reality is rocked,
Because it's not all that we imagined
Or maybe it is - and so we hold our breath

Then they grow
Or time wanes your emotion from their absence

And still we fight
To protect, and love, and discipline, and inspire, and guide, and encourage
But they need more from us than we can give
And they have their own will
And so
We wrestle
We wrestle with them and with our inadequacies  
We question the love we show, the guidance we give
We doubt our ability to discipline, and encourage and inspire at the same time
Though we try to hold them in our hand closed and safe
Our reality isn't this assured life we pictured
It's fluctuating
Out of our control, they are out of our control

What if there was a better reality
Where the absence of control brought deliverance
And we hold our children or their memory with an open hand
What if we could live in the place of surrender and yield the fight
How would that free us of the guilt we carry for loosing babies
What if we asked for vision instead of imposing our own
What if we quit trying to appear perfect
What if we ask for and accept undeserved forgiveness
What if we allow our best to be good enough, even when it doesn't feel like it
Because
Being a parent is hard
But it's worth it

It's worth every prayer
Every tear
Every sleepless night
Every doubt
Every mistake
Every stretch mark
Every moment of grace
Most of all it's worth trading your near-sighted dream of life
For a vision of grand design, and living surrendered

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" - Matthew 19:14

America Doesn't Keep It's Promises

The idea of America holds a promise
That life is Better
Freer
Lighter
Happier
And
Healthier

It's a promise that prompts
Prompts mom's with vision and hope
Of something more, something superior
It beckons
The promise, of a better life for the ones she loves
Her belief substantiated in her migration
Anticipating all her hard work will pay off in their reunion
Alone
Striving
Years living on optimism
Pining for them
Scrimping and Saving
Because America has promised her something

But America doesn't keep it's promises

America is just a place
Don't hear my honesty as ungratefulness
I am grateful
But this place, America, is just a place
There is bondage here
There is heaviness
There is sadness
And there is incurable sickness
America is an imperfect temporary place

And the temporary is disappointing
People
Places
Things
They will all disappoint you

But
There is One 
One who will never disappoint
One worth your belief
Your hope
Your trust
Your striving
And your surrender
One who gives truth, because it is in truth that you find eternal freedom
And when you take up His yolk - it is light
One who promises you peace a midst sadness, because He will take your burden
And He is The Great Physician, healer of souls, and weary bodies

And HE always keeps His promises

Katy Perry

Last night I cried for her
Beautiful, Talented, Influential




They say she "sold her soul to the devil"
She said she was going to "cast a spell"

And I cried
Because he is real
And he can offer the world
Fame
Power
Money
Splendor
All of the world is his to give
And when he is done with her
When she no longer benefits him
He doesn't care about her

He doesn't care

And so I cried.
I cried because she is filled with fleeting, empty things
I cried because he is using her
I cried for the world that she influences
For the girls who will entertain the idea that devil worship is just another step toward cultural popularity
Like coloring your hair blue, "finding yourself", or being hipster
I cried for the world that will only continue to get worse
And for choosing to bring children into it


I didn't cry out of fear
I am not afraid of the devil
Because he's already beaten
And all he can offer is the world

This world is temporary

We are not


So the question is - what are you living for?

Or maybe there's a better question to be asked - who are you living for?

Judgmental Christian

I sat on top of a mountain
The majesty of creation stretched before me
Pairs of eyes gazed into mine
With quivering knees
A vulnerable heart
And a deep breath
I spoke
I spoke of my selfishness, my pride, my hypocrisy, my failures
Sex, Lies, Separation, Pain, Thoughts of suicide
Beside me A guy lost in porn who almost wasted everything for it
Another whose skepticism lead him into a life of alcohol, drugs and alienation
Beside them
A girl who couldn't accept her body, abused it, and denied real love
Another who masqueraded different version of self to be anyone, anywhere, fake and fractured

 All of us common
 Sharing in our selfishness
Our need for more
Lost in the lifestyles we'd fashioned
Tired And Overcome
We were lost
And in need
Ready to be found
Courageously laying ourselves down
We found freedom in surrender
Truth
Healing
Redemption
Completion
Love
Assurance
And Life

Those eyes that looked into our souls
Those ears that heard our stories
All attached to Christian

Do you know what their response was?
Open arms,
Welcoming us
As sisters and brothers
People with faults
But faults that don't define us
Or dictate our decisions any longer

And my response
Everyday I wake up next to that guy who struggled with porn and we live life together
Unencumbered by our past mistakes,
Not perfect but forgiven
And surrendered to a plan and choices that are greater than we could have imagined
The skeptic we welcome in our home every week
With perspective and patience he is a role model for our son, and teaches him guitar too
The girl who abused her body I call my mentor, and prayer warrior
The fake is my friend, She's whole and 100% herself unwavering

There is no judgement
Only the realization that our choices define us
And when you choose Christ
His love and forgiveness redeem all that you once were
And He is our definition
The ultimate filter for all choices

Who did Jesus love?
What did Jesus say?
How did Jesus live?

Jesus did not leave us a relative or changing truth
He left us a definitive truth
A rock we can build our lives on
And sometimes that means standing up for the things Jesus said
Living differently because that's how Jesus lived
Loving the unloveable because that's who Jesus loved
Being faithful and honest when politically correct would be easier and more accepted

So when you get to the end of yourself and you realize it's empty
When you're tired.
When you're ready
Ready to feel,
Ready to be heard,
Ready to belong,
Ready to be welcomed,
Ready to have peace
Ready to build your life on an immovable foundation

He is waiting
And I'll welcome you

Reality

If I told you I believed in Heaven
A place filled with perfection
Filled with the presence of God, Jesus and all His angels
A place I long for
A place I will be just as I am minus the slips, falls and imperfections
A place I fit NOT because of me
But because I am covered in the perfect sacrifice and redemption of Jesus

What would you say?

If I told you I believe the Bible is true
It's Words are life
It is itself alive and active
It is relevant
That it would be written exactly the same today as it was then
It is a weapon for us to use against the devil
And it's a letter from our Creator to us - for the revelation of His character, love, grace, and our purpose

Would you agree?

If I said that Hell is a real place
A place of eternal darkness, despair and anger
A place where the hope of forgiveness, redemption and relationship with God is forever lost
A place where the devil reigns,
That the devil is real and so are his demons
That hell is a place that the devil wants you to believe isn't real

How would you respond?

What if I told you these three things, Heaven, Hell and The Bible, will endure
Longer than this life - for they were before us and go on without us
For all of eternity
Unchanging - except for those that find citizenship there daily.
This is my reality.
But it's not just mine - it is reality
It is reality that so many choose to deny

"It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

For the Love of reality checks, truth, and striving to live in the power of eternal reality,
Me 

The Plague Of Enough

Serving enough?
Giving enough?
Working enough?
Resting enough?
Loving enough?
Talking enough?
Listening enough?
Compassionate enough?
Doing enough?

And how much is enough?


The question nags at our souls and leaves us feeling inadequate.
There is no answer for enough.
There is always more.

But He came to be enough for us.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:1-2

Because He is enough
In Him, we too are enough

The plague of enough is one of the world
A world of joy stealing comparison
A world full of judgement clouding pride
And a world full of decisions made in impatience
A world of inadequate circumstances, situations and people
Who desperately need set free from themselves
And immersed in Christ

In this world
We are enough as ourselves in Christ 
Created to be in Him
Free from comparison
Free from pride
Full of long-suffering in a world that is temporary

"He has showed you what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8 

The Life of Joseph, And a Mom of Courage

The story of Joseph is complicated, filled with trials and triumphs
It is at times despairing and then hopeful
Joseph was a dreamer, a favorite, but despised, a slave, a prisoner and a ruler
His life was riddled with tribulation
But through it all God was with him

The thought of a child
Wandering - facing impossible circumstances, tests of faith and of will
It grieves my heart
I acknowledge God's sovereignty,
I don't fully understand
But I believe in His plan and purpose
I think of all the mistakes I made
And how my parents allowed me to make them
How courageous
How trusting 
How faithful they were
I can see how God has redeemed me
All of me
The mistakes, the lies
The falters in times of trial
The pain of loosing, the joy in finding the truth
I can see
How I've been refined
How I am still being refined

Yet, when I think of the lives of my children
Though I say I believe
Though I say I trust
And I want to
It's hard to open my hand and truly given these two back to Him
But faith without action is empty
The time will come when the choice is not mine to make for my children
A time when I will have to allow them to make their own mistakes
There will be a time when true faith requires the action of letting go
Believing that God will redeem
Trusting that trials refine and are the only thing that can create perseverance and hope
There will be a time when the only thing I will be able to do is let go and courageously fall to my knees
Petitioning the one who never left Joseph, has never left me
And will be an unchanging constant in the lives of the two I've been trusted with for a few short years

For the love of courage, redemption, active faith, and a constant God,
ME

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. - 1 Corinthians 4:2

I wonder....

I came across this article posted online in the Kansas City Star
Side Note: It is a sad but true reality that the majority of my news input is found on Facebook
In the above article a furloughed employee is quoted as saying:
"We didn't create the government or the programs we work on.  HUD doesn't get lots of attention, but we help keep roofs over the heads of millions of senior citizens, handicapped folks and kids."
And that's true.
This man didn't create HUD,
Neither did my father-in-law (also furloughed) create the EPA
I would venture a guess most people accepted jobs they had a passion for
Helping people, sustaining the environment.
At least I hope that's the motivation.
Caring, Meeting needs.

Typically the government and it's issues don't spur me to conversation
I would even describe myself, at times, as politically apathetic
That statement has it's own set of issues, but I'm not going to divulge those now.

We have come to this place of dependence and complacency
A place where we turn to a government, and it's programs for help rather than God.
God,
Creator of the Universe - who spoke, spoke the stars into existence
God,
Ruler over all - who establishes Kings and give authority
Who can also destroy kingdoms and establish new
God,
Who sent the true light that gives light to every man into the world
And God,
Who loved us enough to send a Savior to redeem us back to Him

Why do we look anywhere but to Him?
Because we are an impatient people
Seeking the immediate rather than the eternal.
We are a  selfish people
Prone to follow our hearts rather than search for truth.
We are a needy people
In need of redemption and faith
True faith, that dictates our actions, and limits our reactions.

And where is the Church?
Are we living the religion that is acceptable as pure and faultless?
"to look after orphans and widows in their distress"
AND "to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

We can argue regulations, people, natural consequences, justice, societal norms and math.
But are we living it?
Where is the Church?
Are we;
Devoted to the apostles teaching?
Devoted to the fellowship, and to the breaking of bread?
Devoted to prayer?
Are we filled with awe at the miraculous power of God?
Giving to to everyone as he has need?
Are we glad with sincere hearts?

Father you've not been secretive in what you desire.
Where am I?
Do not let me be deceived.
I am a piece of your church a small brick joined to the Cornerstone.
Uniquely purposed and positioned.
Am I living it?  
Is there worldly pollution of my soul?
Again, Father do not let me deceive myself - but spur me on to love and good deeds as I am called
While my body is here, may I be faithful
Faithful to live as a stranger and alien
With a sincere heart, imitating the faith of the leaders who spoke the Word of God, considering the outcome of their way of life.
The outcome is eternal.
Show me how I need to sacrifice the immediate to be the living stone you've called me to be.


Hebrews 13:7,  James 1:27, 1 Peter 2:4-10, Acts 2:42-47, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:22-24, John 3:16, John 1:9, Genesis 1:14-18, Romans 13:1, Luke 1:52, Colossians 1:16, James 2:14-18