Not in the Eye of the Beholder

I love make-over shows. I don't know why or how a new outfit, haircut, and some make-up tips can change people's lives so quickly, but it does. I got a haircut last night and love it (for once). We all go through times when a new outfit, our hair or something outward makes us feel good.

Many times, attractiveness is what the world uses to judge us worthy or not. I was thinking of Jesus and how He went against even that standard. In Isaiah 53:2 it says of the coming Jesus, "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."

Hmm. Isn't that interesting? NOTHING in his appearance would attract us or make it so we desire Him. I don't know about you, but that makes me a little uncomfortable. I always imagine Jesus as looking kind, gentle, handsome even. Yet, scripture teaches that there was nothing attractive about him at all.

I think it is easy for me to imagine the disciples following Jesus when I think of him as a handsome, commanding figure. But unattractive? Wow, God knows the hearts of men. He knew if Jesus looked like Brad Pitt, people would be attracted to Jesus looks not His true power.

In 1 Samuel 16:7 it says, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

How many times do I do this to people? They are attractive, I assume they are a good person or worthy or talented, or whatever. Maybe they aren't a super-model or dress that great, but they are an amazing person of God. I need reminding of that.

(And this is a free tip for all you single people out there. Let your desire be that theperson you date/marry be that his/her character is greater than their looks. In other words, do people talk about your significant other's looks or what kind of woman/man they are? Okay, I am done nosing around!)

Disclaimer: This is not intended to say or imply that looking good, being well dressed and groomed, or attractive is evil, bad, or less holy. Simply what is your measuring stick with people--is it their appearance or their heart?

Oh, Oh living on a prayer....

Prayer is a funny thing. It is such a balance between us asking and God answering. Sometimes I wonder what things I have missed out on because I failed to pray.

That seems almost blasphemous to say that some things we do not have because we do not ask. It would be except He tells us so in James 4:2 ("You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.")

JT shares a story in his newsletter to his supporters about move-in day. He was getting discouraged because all the students he ran into were disinterested at best with the whole Christian thing. Kels encouraged him to pray for opportunities to meet key freshmen.

After he prayer for this, the very next student he approached had been praying to get involved with the BSU but had no idea how! Then just 30 minutes later he joins some of our upperclassmen who were helping move in a family.

The mom asked which organization they were with and they said the BSU. She was excited because she was involved at the BSU in Nebraska. One of our students quickly asked if she knew his mom, who was also in involved in the BSU in Nebraska. She screamed, "SHE WAS MY ROOMMATE IN COLLEGE!" and quickly hugged him.

This is a cool story no matter how you spin it, but it is a great example of how sometimes God only gives when we ask Him!

So I want to leave you with this. Pray something specific for yourself today. Ask God to encourage you through people--specific people--or in a specific area of your life--or through unusual or unique people you'd never expect and see how He answers.

I love this verse. Insert your name and see how this can encourage you....we have a great God!

Exodus 33:17 "And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

Holding on or letting go?

I was watching the news this morning, and, as expected, they were covering the Hurricane Relief Effort. One of the stories was about the steps rescuers had to take to forcibly remove people form their homes.

One of the stories showed a whole family leaving--all but one. The one older woman literally clung to her storm-and-flood ravaged house. The river of raw sewage, chemicals, dead bodies, etc flowed next to her feet. She was crying and screaming that she couldn't leave her home.

It stuck me how anyone would WANT to stay in that place. But as I thought about it, it stuck me that I have done the same thing. And people do this very same thing each day.

How many times does God come and try to rescue us from ourselves? He comes to offer living water and food that will never parish. Instead of thankfully accepting, we cling to what we consider life. We hold onto the comfortable or the only earthy things we have for fear that if we let go of these things we will have nothing.

How did that old woman know that the life she was leaving would be better than what she had? How would she know that from the death and destruction would be a new, clean home? What if, by taking that step, she wasn't better off?

I can see so many of our friends and family doing just that as we offer Christ to them. It is hard to let go of all you've ever known or had and step into a boat with a stranger. Yes, we can see from the outside the better life. We see the new, clean, safe environment that is on the other side. We don't understand why they cling to garbage--surrounded by dead--because they are afraid.

And we do it too. We cling to the familiar or the known things, and as God asks us to step out in faith, we hesitate. We hold on to what we know and look at the raw sewage and think---what if it's not better? I don't know if this new place, or job, or relationship will be better than what I have. We would rather hold on to some resemblance of "life" than take the BETTER life He is offering to us.

I was wrong to look at that woman and think she was crazy to stay. We all do it. We all--at some time or another--choose brokenness instead of newness. We all cling to old habits, old thoughts, old desires, and old relationships---even though we see it could eventually kill us. We all settle for crumbs instead of the feast. We do it because our faith is too small--too small to trust the unknown way.

"The Gate of the Year" by Minnie Haskins 1908

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention."

But now you live dispersed on ribbon roads...

Lately Kels has been talking a lot about “my life for yours.” But what does that mean? Do we really understand what this looks like?

I think we will pick and choose who we will exchange our life for. This person is worthy and this one is not. More so, it seems like this culture (or generation) is content to live dispersed—on their own. The whole idea of not needing a team or a family seems to go against the very grain of “my life for yours.”

Am I really living my life for yours? Or are we going to be little islands unto ourselves never caring about those outside ourselves? TS Elliot puts it much better….

The Question of the Stranger

Of all that was done in the past,
you eat the fruit either rotten or ripe.
And the Church must be forever building,
and always decaying and always being restored.
For where there is no Temple there shall be no homes,
though you have shelters and institutions.

What life have you if you have not life together?
There is no life that is not in community.
And no community not lived in praise of God.

But now you live dispersed on ribbon roads,
And no one knows or cares who is his neighbor
Unless his neighbor makes too much disturbance,
But dash to and fro in motor cars,
Familiar with the roads and settled nowhere.

And the wind shall say, "Here were decent godless people;
Their only monument the asphalt road
And a thousand lost golf balls."

When the Stranger says,
What is the meaning of this city?
Do you huddle together because you love each other?
What will you answer? --

'We all dwell together to make money from each other'?

or 'This is a community'?

And the stranger will depart and return to the desert.

O My soul, be prepared for the coming of the Stranger,
Be prepared for him who knows how to ask questions.

from The Rock by T.S. Eliot

This poem hits the heart of this idea of community. Why do we huddle together? Do we care who our neighbor is only when they make a disturbance? Will our monument on this earth be asphalt roads a lost golf balls or will we have life together and let our community be in prasie to God.

What is the meaning of this city (neighborhood, MT, BSU)? Do you huddle together because you love each other? What will you answer......

The song in my heart today.....

I know posting song lyrics are not the most entertaining things for you all to read. However, this blog is much like a journal as it can be considering everyone can read it. SO this is me--what is happening to me today. This is my heart. C.S. Lewis once wrote, "Whenever you are fed up with life, start writing: ink is the great cure for all human ills..." So here is goes.....

My life the last six months has been lean to say the least. This whole Christian thing is hard and at times I have been tempted to walk away. But isn't it wonderful how God can use everything, especially disappointment and hurt, to soften our hearts toward HIm? He has opened the floodgates the last couple of days and I am learning so much I can hardly keep up.

One tool He has used is music. Yesterday's song and this one I have played over and over and over. These lyrics are from Waterdeep's Everyone's Beautiful album. But today this is my song. I feel like I am the girl thay are writing about....

"He Will Come"

Soon it will be hammered into what she calls her silly head---that she really isn't silly, but she's beautiful instead. But every time she gets a hold of something pretty-----it slips away. So she keeps hoping that someday soon.......

He will come! He will come! He will comfort all that's hardened---change the deserts into gardens. And we all will see His face. He will come! He will come! He will soften all the starkness; break the chambers of our darkness, and we'll all be overwhelmed.

She spilled her coffee in her Chevy on the way to work at 8:05. She always thought that she was clumsy, and she hated it., and wonders why--she can handle any tragedy that happens, but not little things like this. So she keeps hoping that someday soon--

He will come! He will come! He will comfort all that's hardened---change the deserts into gardens. And we all will see His face. He will come! He will come! He will soften all the starkness; break the chambers of our darkness, and we'll all be overwhelmed.

Within the world of a girl, the words she hears, they mean an awful lot . And the music in her mind when she gets older has the lyrics she was taught. And when she gets to heaven all the right things will be said. And He will look on her with favor......

He will come! He will come! He will comfort all that's hardened---make the deserts into gardens. And we all will see His face. He will come! He will come! He will soften all the starkness; break the chambers of our darkness. We'll all be overwhelmed.

All my scars will turn to fountains......All my valleys into mountains.......And we all will see His face.

He will come! He will come! He will comfort all that's hardened---change the deserts into gardens, and we all will see His face. He will come! He will come! He will soften all the starkness; break the chambers of our darkness, and we'll all be overwhelmed.

All you watchmen lift your voices. Then every boy and girl rejoices---When we'll all be overwhelmed.

Again

"If you want to know real joy in life, then be willing to let pain tutor your soul. The real prizes are never cheap." --Paula Rinehart

"Hush" by Waterdeep

When you feel like the days just drone on and on and on....and you feel like the nights are quickly gone. And on the inside your heart is gaping wide....and on the inside you feel like no one's on your side...well, I Am........I Am.......I Am......I Am

When you thought you could rest, but you found out you were wrong. And there's another need---another battle-----another one more thing that comes along. And on the inside you hear the fall but you hate the falling sound. And on the inside you can't pick another broken piece up off the ground---Well I know......

Hush little baby don't say a word. Daddy's gone and bought you a great big heaven to rest in. He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your heart. It'll give you the hope you need to get up and start .....again.

When all the things you thought you left behind are still hanging on, and everything you try to do right ends up all wrong. And on the inside everyone else seems basically fine, but on the inside even they won't let go of the dead and cling to what's alive....Well I know.....

Hush little baby don't say a word. Daddy's gone and bought you a great big heaven to rest in. He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your heart. It'll give you the hope you need to get up and start .....again. Again. Again. Again.

New meaning to the phrase "two-faced"

Well, we had a typical Oklahoma weekend. We watched about four hours of weather, as severe thunderstorms and tornadic weather swept through the state--including my hometown of Marlow! Norman got rain and some wicked lightning, but no tornados.

The most eventful part of the weekend was playing with this face converter page that Amy found. We played for hours!!! There is a link on her blog to it too, but here is is again if you want it. Click HERE to morph.

You can insert a picture and see what they would look like as another race, gender or artistic rendering. It was so funny doing some pictures. Like, David Cottle as a girl looked a lot like Lauren! And Jenny Van Dyck as a boy looked like her brother Matt. It was strange seeing Chauncey and Robert Hwang as white boys!

For best results, you need a picture where the people are facing straight ahead. Some pictures worked better than others, but it was fun. Here is an example of myself. If you have requests of people you'd like to see and don't have a picture, let me a comment and I will try to upload them soon.

Here is my orginal picture.

Here is African-American Holly.




Here is East-Asia Holly.




Here is (India) Indian Holly.



Here is MALE Holly...
Very disturbing !!!

Have fun with this....I have everyone's prayer guide pictures, so I will be busy! :)