"You must not be a Christian"

Let me preface this post with a disclaimer.  This post is solely about my experiences and my views.  It is in no way a comment on your views, your church, or your experiences.  There is no need to get offended, try to change my views, or convince me that I am “wrong” and you are “right.”  I hope and pray that you are learning the same things in your church that I am.  I hope that my experience in other churches is not yours, truly.  However, I can only speak to my experiences and beliefs.

I often find myself defending my “liberal” Christian views, especially as they are tied to my political thoughts.  Often times, I have found myself questioned on whether I am even a Christian or more like accused of not being a Christian at all.  Literally!  People have said things such as, “You must not be a Christian” or “You need to go read your Bible more.”  Recently, a friend posted a meme on Facebook about how Liberal churches basically welcome you and don’t expect you to change or something along those lines.  At the time, I breezed by it, but it has stuck with me.  So, let me tell you a little about what has happened as I have attended “liberal” and “progressive” churches and as I have spent more and more time reading the Bible.

·         I have never felt more convicted of my personal sins than I have in liberal and progressive churches.  I have never been pushed harder to do more, be better, help others, or be the church more than I have in these churches.  This is mostly because the churches I have attended in recent years put a HUGE focus on our sins as Christians and our failures as a Church.  Therefore, rather than feeling like the pastor is focusing on someone else’s sin, I know, ever week, he or she is speaking about me and what I need to do, where I need to ask forgiveness and where I need to change.  Just this week we were reminded in church that Jesus went out to the people.  He didn’t wait for them to come to him and were reminded how badly we need to do that same thing in this broken and hurt world.  We are constantly told that we do not get to check our Christianity at the door and that our job is to continue to be the church every time we walk out those doors.  My church has taught me that when I draw a line between “us and them” I am sinning.  Period.  No discussion.  God loves “them” just as much as me.  He is not on my side.  He loves ALL his children.  If I perpetuate hate, I am working in DIRECT opposition to God’s will.  That is sinning in a pretty big way peeps!

·         I have never felt more EMPOWERED than I have in liberal and progressive churches.  I am constantly reminded that I am one of God’s children; I am one of his representatives here on earth, and put here to do his works.  I have the amazing ability to serve as an example of God’s grace and love to the people on earth, whether they are believers or not.  As a matter of fact, that is what I am supposed to do.  I (and my husband and children and friends and every other individual on God’s green earth) have the ability to CHANGE THE WORLD, by loving God and showing that love to others.  Little old me?  Able to change the world?  That is pretty powerful stuff.

·         About the whole “You need to read your Bible” thing.  I have spent more time reading my Bible in the past few years than ever in my life.  In preparation for my recent trip to Israel, I read all four gospels in a few weeks.  Sometimes, I read a chapter and analyze it.  Some days, I read it like a novel, as much as I can soak in at one time.  Have I read and studied every line and every word?  Not yet.  However, I can tell you this for sure.  The more I read, the more I realized I am commanded to love people.  I am commanded to do God’s will.  I am commanded to treat others respect and help those that are in need.  Just in the four gospels, we are commanded these things repeatedly.  Over and over, we are commanded to love your neighbor as yourself.  Not just love them, but love them as much as you love yourself.  In Mark 22, a scribe asks Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”  Jesus answered, “The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then in Matthew 25, Jesus says, “"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”  In these verses He lays it out clearly that we are to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, show hospitality to the stranger, clothe those without clothes, and visit those that are sick or imprisoned.

So, in response to every person who questioned my Christianity or who told me to read my Bible.  I did, I do, I will continue to.  As such, I cannot leave my convictions outside the polling booth.  So yes, my religion, my church, and the Bible all have the same result, a more liberal me and I am okay with it.

Re-boot

When I started this blog, it was with the goal of completing a full Bible study lasting 365 days in which I would read The Bible cover to cover.  However,  as is known to happen, I got distracted.  I did not do a great job of building time into my schedule to make sure I got in my daily reading.  I could give a hundred reasons why...school work, kids, deployment, moving to Germany...blah blah blah.

However, the past few weeks, I have done a better job of making that time in my schedule.  I still end up missing some days and having to do double reading, but I am trying and making improvements.  What can I say?  I am a work in progress for certain.

For those of you who may not have been around when I initially started this blog, I originally set out to read the Bible cover to cover in 365 days.  To do that, I am following The Grand Sweep by J. Ellsworth Kalas and the accompanying study guide.  It uses a combination of explaining the passages and asking short questions for you to answer to go along with the 3-4 chapters you read per day.  I like the idea that for the most part, Kalas explains, without overly interpreting for you, if that makes sense.  I don't feel like he is telling me that I should interpret the passages in a certain way, instead leaving me to draw my own conclusions. I doing this along with my KJV Bible and a NKJV Study Bible.  I do love that the NKJV Study Bible give me history and background that I often do not know, which is very helpful. However, as with many study bibles, it does tend to have more interpretation of scripture, which I don't necessarily love. 

I'm pretty sure that the last time I wrote about my study, I was still reading Exodus.  Since then, I have finished reading Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  To be truthful, Leviticus and Numbers were both hard for me and I tended to get stuck.  They definitely aren't the easiest reads. 

While reading these books, especially Leviticus, I found myself feeling weighted down by all the rules.  Some of them just didn't even make sense to a girl born in the 70s.  However, I just had to remind myself of the context of the time and the myriad of the reasons these rules would be needed.  However, as Kalas discusses repeatedly in reference to all the chapters I have just finished, the Israelites were to be set apart. Therefore, rules that may seem mundane to me, were very important to ensure that they did not slip into the behavior of those surrounding them.  

Numbers was also difficult as it tells of the time before the Israelites entered the Promised Land.  I was taken aback by how much moaning and groaning went on every single time they were met with a challenging time in their travels.  Every single time, God came through and met their needs, yet that didn't stop them from complaining and losing Faith the next time.  At points, I felt like I wanted to tell them to "Suck it up, buttercup" as we often say in our house.  They were promised the Promised Land, but didn't hesitate to complain about the work and sacrifice that it took them to get there. However, somewhere in the midst of this reading, I had an epiphany.  How often do I moan and groan myself during those challenging times?  One of the verses I see most often on everything from posters to coffee mugs is pulled from Jeremiah's Letter to the Jews being held captive in Babylon.  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jer 29:11 (NIV). It's easy to read this verse and say, oh yeah, I believe that is true.  However, it is harder during those challenging moments to keep faith that it is true.  I'm not talking about just the big challenges, either, but those daily moments of challenge.  I know I have something to work on when it comes to this issue. 

Show Me The Missions

What is important to you when it comes to finding a church? I know it is different for everyone.  Some people want a modern, contemporary church.  Others seek something more traditional.  I think for everyone, they are looking for a church that makes them feel comfortable and welcome and that aligns with their basic beliefs, which among different denominations (and even churches of the same denomination) can vary greatly.  For me, it is all about the mission work.  That is what I need in a church.  I need to see what good works they are doing in the community.  

Almost three years we have searched for a church in Washington, although I have to admit, sometimes we searched harder than others.  Also, I have to admit that I have had a hard time of letting go of my church at home, St. Luke United Methodist in Columbus. It is where all three of my children have been Baptized, where one of my dearest friends is also my minister, where I worked in the nursery as a teenager and where Dr. Brady led me through my own Affirmation of Faith at around my 8^th month of pregnancy with Lila.  I’ll never forget him telling me after the service that after he had me kneeling down at the front of the church, he thought that maybe he shouldn’t have made me kneel. I was HUGE!!!  Then he grinned and said, “But then I thought there were a few doctors in the congregation if we needed them.” However, those attachments weren’t even the primary reason that I compared all other churches to St. Luke; it was the amazing spirit of giving that was a part of that church family.  There were so many opportunities to get involved in helping others, whether it be at December First Saturday, Samaritan Fund, the food pantry or mission trips.  Now, they have even further expanded their missions to include a relationship with an orphanage, Naomi’s Village, in Africa and the support of MercyMed, a non-profit medical clinic in Columbus.  (http://www.stlukeum.com/#/outreach-and-mission/local-outreach ). 

During our search for churches here, we have visited a variety of denominations and types of churches, from huge, contemporary mega churches to smaller, local churches.  However, every time we visited, I was left feeling like Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Jerry Maguire where he is yelling “Show me the money.”  However, I was yelling, “Show me the missions.”  We just weren’t finding what we needed. So, we determined we would just keep looking. We added it to our nightly prayers with our children.  “Dear God, please lead us to a church were we need to be, where there is a spirit of giving, where we can help do your good works.”

Luckily, God did hear our prayers. A friend of mine from high school just recently moved up here and is an associate pastor at a Methodist Church in a nearby town.  It is a bit of a drive, but I felt like maybe it was a sign that we should visit.  The first time we went, we felt welcomed, engaged and immediately got a glimpse of some of the church’s mission work.  The next Sunday we attended, it was the stewardship sermon and man, did we get to hear about what they were doing in the community and given an opportunity to get involved in a ministry that we both feel so strongly about, helping the homeless in our community.  YES!!!

Of course, you know that saying “Be careful what you ask (pray) for.”  I have had to giggle about that several times lately.  At Protestant Women of the Chapel, yesterday, our group program was on mission work.  Much of our morning was spent studying Matthew 25.  Two of the parables, “The Parable of the Talents” and “The Parable of the Sheep and Goats” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25), really spoke to me.  These parables remind us how important it is to share our gifts with others as well as take care of those that are in need. Then, this morning, in Lila and my daily devotion, “Mommy & Me, 100 Daily Devos for Moms and Their Little Girls” the topic was sharing. Our bible verses today included:  The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same. –Luke 3:11. If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? James 2:15-16. Today’s prayer was, “Dear Lord, let us find ways to help other people. Jesus served others; we can too.  We can share our possessions and our prayers.  And, we can share kind words with our family and friends, today and every day.  Amen.”

I’ve always been told to listen closely to God’s whispers, but in the past few days, I am reminded that sometimes he yells. Today, I feel like he is yelling my own words back to me, “Show me the missions.”  My challenge to myself is to make sure I am doing God’s good works, helping those in need and sharing my talents, as well as teaching my children to do the same. My prayer is that God will lead me to where I can do this best.

Does God want us to be rich?

Something has been weighing on my mind lately is the concept of whether God wants us to be rich.  Several years ago, when the Army moved us, my husband and I made a decision for me to quit my job and not try to find another one when we moved.  It was a huge leap of faith for me, as money (or the peace of mind that came with it at that time) were very big for me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't consumed with having a lot of money, but we were very comfortable in our lifestyle and I knew that relying on one income, especially when we were moving was going to be a very big adjustment.  In that time of uncertainty, it was my husband who had the Faith, who told me repeatedly that we would be okay, that God would provide and he has.  We have made adjustments and we aren't as "spendy" as we used to be.  We are still adjusting three years later, but it has been worth it and there has always been enough. We are definitely not rich, at least not in the monetary sense and that is what I am talking about.  Does God want us to be rich with money? 

So, as I am known to do, I hit up the web and Google with that question, just to see the varying opinions, and man, there are some opinions. They are varied from one spectrum to the other and each has some biblical reasoning why they think they are correct.  Then, I decided that I should just see what the Bible has to say about money myself.  I've put some of the passages that I found below, but there are many more verses specifically about wealth.

Deuteronomy 8:18

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on."

Acts 8:20

Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Revelation 3:17

You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

There were two verses that spoke to me more than all the others.  They are listed below:

1 Peter 5:2-3

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;  not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

You see, I don’t claim to be a theologian.  I am definitely not an expert.  As a matter of fact, I admittedly have to use web searches on a regular basis to find specific verses because I am not as knowledgeable as I feel I should be.  I am definitely a work in progress.  However, this is the conclusion I came to about the questions, “Does God want us to be monetarily rich?”  There is only one reason I can think of that God would want us to be rich and that would be so that we could give more, do more.  Greater resources gives us the ability to do more for others.  My question to myself (and others) is, do you share your riches?  Do you give of your gifts?  I hope that in God’s eyes, I am doing that and I strive to continuously improve.  Once again, I am a work in progress.  However, I think progress is the key.

Connecting With Our History

Time for an update:  I have finished Genesis and read through Exodus 15, which includes the story of Moses and the freeing of the Israelites.  Once again, I am moved by the fact that the greatest characters in the Bible have their moments of doubt and insecurity.  I think that is so far, one of the greatest things I am gaining from reading the Bible myself.  I am reminded that every single one of us is imperfect.  Sometimes, this is missed in the telling of the stories of the Bible, or maybe I just didn’t “get it” like I am reading it for myself.  The Bible really focuses on these imperfections and struggles, which is reassuring to me.  If the most well-known people in the Bible are imperfect, then certainly it is okay that I am as well.  I know, we are taught this in Church all the time, but I find I am connecting with the people I am reading about much more now.

Of course, reading about the freeing of the Israelites and the beginning of Passover makes me think of my Jewish friends. One of my first experiences I had with Jewish holidays was when I was dating a Jewish guy in high school and was invited to Passover Seder with his family.  I was in awe the entire dinner and to this day am just as in awe.  Sadly, this was my first realization that the stories in Judaism are a lot of the same stories in Christianity.  I guess prior to that point, I didn’t really have any real interaction with Jewish families or knowledge of their religion.  Passover was a fantastic experience from me.  It was so interesting to hear the story from their perspective, as the people who were freed from slavery.  The part that really struck me about Passover is how the dinner was so steeped in history. All the details were in some way related to the escape from slavery and had a purpose.  It was inspiring to see how connected to their past they were and how this special holiday was all about celebrating that history.  At the same time, it made me a little sad.  As a Christian, I don’t feel that I am as connected to the past in that same way.  We celebrate Easter and Christmas and while we do try to focus on the real meaning of those holidays, there are still so many things that we let get in the way.  Santa, presents, Easter baskets, hunting eggs and the Easter Bunny are just a few.  Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy those things, but sometimes, I wish we focused more on the rest, on the history and meaning of the holidays. I think my goal for this year will be to find more ceremonial ways to focus on the history and spend more time teaching my children the real meaning of those holidays.  I think next year at Easter, we will celebrate the Passover Dinner, as both a way of celebrating Easter, but also to teach my children the historical significance of the holiday. What do you do to focus on the real meaning of the holidays?  Are there any special ceremonies your family does? I’d love to hear about it.

Also, for the record, I still picture Charlton Heston when I read about Moses. 

Lapses in Faith and Listening More

So, I am still working my way through Genesis and figured it was time for an update. I have to say that other than the more difficult reading, Genesis reads a lot like a soap opera.  I know, I probably shouldn’t make light of it, but it does when you think about it.  There are multiple wives, men offering up their wives to other men, lying, half-truths, swindling. I know that we often talk about worrying about what our children see on TV, but I have to be honest, I wouldn’t be completely comfortable with my soon to be 8-year old reading the Old Testament, or at least the uncut version.  So, she’ll be sticking with her children’s version for a while. 

For inquiring minds (not that there are many), I have read through Genesis 33, or from Adam and Eve to the reunion of Jacob and his brother, Esau.  I have read through a ton of “begats” and I have to be honest here, I have to keep going back and forth to make sure I have all the relationships straight.  People had A LOT of children back then and with the intertwined families, I am struggling to keep up. Do they make one of those “for Dummies” readers for the Bible? I feel like I might need one.

Now, in all seriousness, there is one great lesson that I am learning through my reading.  Even the most faithful of us have lapses in faith and screw up.  Abraham (and then his son, Isaac) both showed a lapse of faith when they said that their wives were their sisters because they were fearful that they would be harmed because of their wife’s beauty. Abraham even repeated this lie. They didn’t have faith that God would protect them. 

However, these lapses in faith are in direct contrast to the total faith Abraham showed when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac and the faith Isaac showed in his father when he didn’t resist.  In hearing this story, I have always thought of Isaac as a child, but after researching it seems that the most popular thought is that Isaac was actually an older teenager or young adult.  So, with this thought in mind, it would seem that Isaac could have probably very easily resisted his father.  However, instead, he allowed his father to bind him, knowing what the end result would be.  As for Abraham, he was being asked by God to sacrifice his child, the miracle that he and Sarah had waited so long for.  He was told, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love.” (Genesis 22:2)  I think there is definitely a parallel here between the sacrifice Abraham is asked to make and the eventual sacrifice of Jesus.  Abraham and Isaac showed the ultimate Faith in God’s plan and in the end, Isaac was saved.  WHEW!  I have to say that I am glad I already knew the ending to that one. 
I have to admit, I don’t think my faith is anywhere near the level of Abraham’s faith.  If asked to sacrifice my child by God, I don’t think it would happen.  Of course, if God ever speaks to me the way described in the Bible, there is a good chance I will pass out.  Don’t get me wrong, I know I have heard his voice in decisions throughout my life and admittedly, I have ignored that voice more times that I would like to admit. I’m a work in progress…I’m working on listening more and talking less, both in my relationship with God and everyone else.  However, I have most definitely not heard his voice in the way it reads in Genesis.  Or, if I did, I was distracted by something else, probably chocolate.  The good thing is that I am working on being more faithful.  I really do try to be better every day and I truly know that I am God’s work in progress.  I am comforted by the fact that even Abraham, who is known for his faith and obedience to the Lord, also had lapses in faith and didn’t always do the right thing. It just reinforces my belief that there is Hope for me and everyone else in this world.

Disclaimer:  My levity is in no way meant as disrespect or in any other way as negativity.  It is just me.  I try to not take myself too seriously, as hopefully any of my friends reading this already know.

From Creation through the Flood

When I first started reading, I thought I might do a weekly "recap" of what I read every week.  However, I am finding that I may need to do it more than weekly.  We'll just have to see how it goes.  I have already realized the genius of doing a 365 day study, rather than trying to read through the Bible on your own.  When I have tried to read the Bible in its entirety in the past, I read a good bit each night and then end up stopping pretty quickly.  However, with this study, I am only reading a few chapters a night, so I am actually left wanting more and have to make myself not read ahead.  Also, I have to say that I am really enjoying Professor Kalas' style in leading you through.  He doesn't seem to aim to try to tell you what you should think, but just helps explain it all.  The daily response book is also a very helpful tool.  It asks questions for how the scripture impacts your life or when you have been in similar situations.  I am using the New International Version of the Bible and while it is much easier to read, the verse isn't near as "pretty" as the King James Version.  I may find myself going back and forth between versions.

As I read the Creation story again, as always, I find myself amazed.  It is just so awesome to know that God created everything.  Of course, this is also one of the things that tends to be a point of controversy between those that believe in Evolution vs. Creation.  I personally have never felt a conflict between the two like a lot of other people do.  I've never understood why people think evolution means creationism can't be true or vice-versa.  I don’t think one has to discredit the other.  Kalas says, "Science speaks increasingly of a Big Bang at creation.  Genesis tells of a big conversation.  But of course, science is talking about how, while Genesis is telling us who.“  That pretty much sums up how I've always felt about the two. There are actually many more ideas out there regarding how to reconcile the two than I ever imagined with descriptions such as, Old Earth Creationists, New Earth Creationists and Theistic Evolution and the beliefs between them vary greatly.  I think each of us has to come to our own personal beliefs on how the two mesh, or if they do at all.  I know some people feel that we must take the Bible literally, but I also know there is room for interpretation.  If there wasn't, I doubt we would have so many different denominations in the Christian religion.

A question posed in the daily response journal was, "How will my attitude toward the environment be affected if I seriously believe in God as Creator?"  Take a minute and think about that one.  If you believe that God created everything, every animal, every plant, every person, how should we treat his creation?  Are we doing it justice?  Do we appreciate it like we should?

In reading about Noah and the flood, I am once again amazed at God's power, but also about his love for us.  While it would be very easy to get stuck on the destruction and God's wrath, that isn't what I get from this scripture.  What I get is a story of second chances and new beginnings.  He wiped the slate clean and gave Noah and his family the opportunity to start over.  If he were truly a wrathful God, wouldn't he have just wiped out everyone and everything?  And then, in the end, He made a promise, to never do it again and let a rainbow be a symbol and reminder of that promise. 

The response journal for day 5 says, "Describe a rainbow experience in your life-- that is, an occasion when a time of suffering or trial concluded with a bright new hope."  What a great phrase that is, "rainbow experience."  I think it will become a part of my vocabulary from here on out.  What a great idea that at the end of any storm in our life, there is a rainbow and hope for a better day on the other side.  One day soon, I will have to write about mine, but that is a story of its own.

I kind of feel like I'm off to a slow start. I guess that is mostly because I am very familiar with what I am reading right now.  However, I am trying my best to focus on what I am reading and taking time to reflect, rather than being too anxious for the next chapter.  I am excited about continuing and all the things I will learn along the way.

Prayer from Week 1, Day 5, "When I face judgment, dear Lord, help me see it as redemption at work."