On Earth, as it is in Heaven

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.....

It's easy to think of giving of our time, talents and treasures as us blessing God and others-- almost deserving of a pat on the back-- but in fact they are blessings from Him that we should use for His Glory. Recall Matthew 25:14-30 where God separates the sheep and the goats. The King (the Son of Man, or Jesus) of the Kingdom pronounces blessing on those who served those in prison, the sick, hungry and thirsty. He pronounces judgement on those who have not. Both group's fate is determined by a heavenly standard that the Lord desires to see on earth. In this we see eternal consequences for how we express(or don't express) loving kindness to the poor and the broken.

What if God is choosing us to be the vehicles for His will, and attaching eternal weight to the most important parts as incentive? His Kingdom is coming, and He uses us to help bring it to earth.

Lord, help us to see the things you've given us to steward through eternal eyes. You've placed eternal emphasis on the least of these, and given us gifts and talents to serve others. Help us to act as if your Kingdom is coming on earth by living and working toward your heavenly standard of stewardship and loving well. Amen.

Mercy Said No!

Image by Michael Sarver via FlickrI just held a stranger's hair out of her face while she threw up a mojito, projectile vomit style into a red bucket at Au Bon Pain.

Context: Tonight, I was meeting a friend for late night coffee when a very drunk young lady met us at the register as we purchased our herbal tea. God had been preparing me all day to meet this young lady. Montages of my disobedient past had been flashing through my head earlier that day. Freshly recalling the memories of the compromising situations I put myself in, bad choices with men, unwise use of substances for temporary pleasure, made my heart tender toward this young woman and the hundreds of other college and teenage kids rushing past the glass window of the coffee shop. The situations I put myself in did not yield this particular consequence, or many other consequences I could have been subjected to, not because I was better, or more virtuous than  this young lady, but because of the grace of God alone.

Love letter #39: The power of snail mail and a party

Image via WikipediaIn a conversation today, I was reminded of the importance of showing love through community, physical presence, and investing with relationships by spending time with one another. Much like a "snail mail" letter vs. an email, physical presence  vs. electronic presence demonstrates a different level of care and concern.

I have a Great Aunt that faithfully sends birthday, anniversary and other cards on time to our large family with consistency and a loving touch. It feels different and more special, somehow, opening her card-- especially compared to an email.

Like a card, the physical presence of someone somehow demonstrates unspoken love in the same sincere way. That old fashioned accountability and fellowship is what builds community and demonstrates a type of love and care that can not be replaced. Scripture is consistent with the theme of the importance of physical presence, and urges us to value it by keeping community and caring for one another in the assembly.

Love letter #37: Taking responsibility for what you love

'Love they neighbor as thyself (Mark 12:31)' implies that you love yourself. Sometimes that is difficult for many of us to do. Most of the time it is because we do not see the same value in ourselves that God sees in us. In fact, we are highly valued by God. Since God is Love, and love, by definition places high value on the object of its affection, He places high value on us.

Love letter #32: Love is a two way street

I came home too late last night to make my post appointment for the day. I felt as if I broke a promise, and was sad for not holding up my end of the bargain. Although last night was the first night that I totally missed completely, but it had been happening gradually: I started posting just after midnight to make my self imposed "deadline", then after 1am, and then finally last night, I missed it all together.

It seemed o.k. at first-- after all, no one really cares if I miss a day, or if I post a little later.  But I should. It is a reflection of the same slippery slope we often find ourselves in with sin. It usually starts with something that seems harmless, maybe fudging the line a little bit. It seems like everyone, including yourself, excuses your behavior because it isn't horrible, matter of fact is is expected. However, it is clearly not what you set out to do and is not meeting the standard you know you should be attaining. Then it becomes easier and easier to drift away from the place where God would have you to be.

Love letter #30: I'm adopted

Image by Guðskraftur via FlickrToday I had the privileged of being with some great people. Some were great in position, others had really interesting life stories, others excelled in knowing what to say at the exact right time, still others had made a dream manifest. Standing/sitting/talking among them, I sometimes felt my shortcomings highlighted tremendously. All in all, I was humbled to be in their presence.

After further prayer and reflection with the group I was convicted that I should also be as humbled by the presence of God (duh!).  

Love letter # 26: Love restores

“For so long I couldn’t see

How a heavenly Father could love me

If my own dad raised me with dread and insecurity”

-excerpt from “Daddy’s Girl” by
Minister Lyvonne “Proverbs” Briggs

Love letter #12: Love like you love

I want to love, like you love. Love like you love, help me love others, the way that you love me. - "Others" by Israel Houghton.

God got our attention on the way to the airport the other day. We saw a beautiful double rainbow pierce the cloudy sky. We could see the entire arc of the first rainbow, and the second gently echoed the first at the base.

Love Letter #7: Loving for real

One of my constant prayers is: 'Father, direct me, guide me and order my steps'.  In order to gain a better understanding of God's direction, I read the scriptures every morning. It would be easy to pat myself on the back for my religious piety and miss the answer to my prayer. But, this morning, I was challenged by Jesus himself.