sometimes we force ourselves to fit into groups we wouldn't normally associate with. we pick up habits, change our language, wear different clothes, walk a different way, and even hate others to fit in.
then, once we're in, we're consigned to stick with the status quo or be thrust out into the land of misfits, odd-balls, and outcasts.
while our new-found clique may be counting on us to stay in, we have to break free and realize that we're all in this together. so it doesn't matter if you're a skater, jock, nerd, band geek, bully, prep, or artist. all 6.6 billion of us are part of one, major clique, and if you're not in, then you're definitely out: HUMANITY.
so stop being other people and be yourself. maybe you'll finally find what you've been looking for.
¶ 1:15 PM 0 Comments
jesus says:
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.
You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."
(Mt 5:3-12 MSG)
¶ 1:02 AM 0 Comments
27 jan – fitting in
3 feb – football! football! football!
then...
for lent, we're just GIVING UP.
10 feb – giving up chocolate
17 feb – giving up peace
24 feb – giving up your voice (OPEN MIC)
2 mar – giving up roadblocks
9 mar – giving up giving up
swing by the get connected café and get acquainted.
as you can see, on february 24th we'll be holding our first OPEN MIC, where we let you take the stage and share a poem, song, drama piece, whatever. space is limited, so sign up quickly when the sign ups are up. let us know how god is working in and through you! ¶ 7:05 PM 0 Comments
we all have a name. but who are we? we may be called one thing or another. but who are we?
many of us struggle with identity, this issue of who we are. we're not always what other people think we are, and yet we are who we are in part because of the other people we hang with.
we are mainly what we believe, what we think, what we imagine. we are what we do, what we see, what we experience. we are what we feel, how we hurt, how we heal. most importantly, and the one thing we all are, without question, is human.
we are not copies, clones, or imitations. we are each uniquely human, in our own distinct way. sometimes it takes us time to realise how we are different, how we are the same; how we stand out, and how we blend in.
it's normal to feel lost, without identity. it's then that we must examine ourselves fully, and see how we are seen by others, but much more importantly, how we see ourselves and how god sees us. then we will find our true identity, who we truly are.
how are you called?
(video by Muddy River Media - check them out at www.muddyrivermedia.org) ¶ 1:14 PM 0 Comments
we are all guilty of being on this great journey called life. it's a relatively short journey; relative, that is, to the length of history, or indeed time itself. we are in constant need of fulfilling points on our journey, of getting places, seeing things, meeting people.
some two thousand years ago, some philosophers from further east in Asia are reported to have journeyed to a place in israel (then judea) called bethlehem, to meet what they called "the newborn king." all they had to guide them on this journey was a star, which they followed tirelessly over many miles, in order to get to the place where their journey ended.
we all have long journeys to accomplish. we never know when along that journey god is going to speak to us or, more importantly, speak through us. but there is one thing for sure: if we never step out that door, we'll never know if we were needed and when.
"There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I've had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he's coming or going. I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That's it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It's God's gift."
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (MSG)) ¶ 1:20 AM 0 Comments
