Loodle

Love is a lifestyle. Daily we should seek ways to put others before ourselves, from little things like giving up a parking spot or waking up early to make breakfast for our household, or neighbors to bigger things like giving our time, talents and materials in order to make a difference. I have a special place in my heart for people in poverty. Mother Teresa's words on poverty rocked my sense of who I am called to minister to. She defines poverty as: "The hungry and the lonely, not only for food but for the Word of God; the thirsty and the ignorant, not only for water but also for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; the naked and the unloved, not only for clothes but also for human dignity; the unwanted, the unborn child; the racially discriminated against; the homeless and abandoned, not only for shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves; the sick, the dying destitute and the captives not only in body but also in mind and spirit; all those who have lost all hope and faith in life, the alcoholics and drug addicts and all those who have lost God and who have lost all hope in the power of the Spirit." My idea of who I am called to serve just got much much larger. I can find someone in need of love in everyone I meet, in every eyes I peer in to. I'm not part of a large church but I would try to get as involved as possible, showing God's love in every opportunity. Like Mother Teresa says "We can not all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love."

Love is a lifestyle. Daily we should seek ways to put others before ourselves, from little things like giving up a parking spot or waking up early to make breakfast for our household, or neighbors to bigger things like giving our time, talents and materials in order to make a difference. I have a special place in my heart for people in poverty. Mother Teresa's words on poverty rocked my sense of who I am called to minister to. She defines poverty as: "The hungry and the lonely, not only for food but for the Word of God; the thirsty and the ignorant, not only for water but also for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; the naked and the unloved, not only for clothes but also for human dignity; the unwanted, the unborn child; the racially discriminated against; the homeless and abandoned, not only for shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves; the sick, the dying

Love is a lifestyle. Daily we should seek ways to put others before ourselves, from little things like giving up a parking spot or waking up early to make breakfast for our household, or neighbors to bigger things like giving our time, talents and materials in order to make a difference. I have a special place in my heart for people in poverty. Mother Teresa's words on poverty rocked my sense of who I am called to minister to. She defines poverty as: "The hungry and the lonely, not only for food but for the Word of God; the thirsty and the ignorant, not only for water but also for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; the naked and the unloved, not only for clothes but also for human dignity; the unwanted, the unborn child; the racially discriminated against; the homeless and abandoned, not only for shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves; the sick, the dying

Love is a lifestyle. Daily we should seek ways to put others before ourselves, from little things like giving up a parking spot or waking up early to make breakfast for our household, or neighbors to bigger things like giving our time, talents and materials in order to make a difference. I have a special place in my heart for people in poverty. Mother Teresa's words on poverty rocked my sense of who I am called to minister to. She defines poverty as: "The hungry and the lonely, not only for food but for the Word of God; the thirsty and the ignorant, not only for water but also for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; the naked and the unloved, not only for clothes but also for human dignity; the unwanted, the unborn child; the racially discriminated against; the homeless and abandoned, not only for shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves; the sick, the dying

Love is a lifestyle. Daily we should seek ways to put others before ourselves, from little things like giving up a parking spot or waking up early to make breakfast for our household, or neighbors to bigger things like giving our time, talents and materials in order to make a difference. I have a special place in my heart for people in poverty. Mother Teresa's words on poverty rocked my sense of who I am called to minister to. She defines poverty as: "The hungry and the lonely, not only for food but for the Word of God; the thirsty and the ignorant, not only for water but also for knowledge, peace, truth, justice and love; the naked and the unloved, not only for clothes but also for human dignity; the unwanted, the unborn child; the racially discriminated against; the homeless and abandoned, not only for shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves; the sick, the dying

When I was a little girl my father traveled a good bit with work. I can remember trying to be on my best behavior and keep my room as tidy as possible so when he came home he would praise me and give me a small gift from his trip. I knew my father loved me and I wanted to show him my love for him. I feel the same way about my heavenly Father. I love Him so much and out of that love I want to please Him, be His hands and feet, love others the way He has loved me. If I genuinely do my best to do what He would have me do (as scary as that is sometimes), if I genuinely ask forgiveness of my sins and continuessly to grow in my relationship with Christ and my Father then I feel like nothing can ever seperate us and I can look forward to the coming of Christ.

The greastest image of abiding that I can think of is the disciple who Jesus' loved laying his head on Jesus' breast (John 13:23, 25; 21:20). It's an icredibly intimate scene of just being still and knowing that He is God. It's peaceful and comforting and overwhelming that the Creator of all would allow us to rest in Him in that way. I find that I feel this way most in nature, when quietly gazing at the vastness of the stars or the beauty of a sunset or the warmth of the ocean on my toes. These are the times when I realize how small I am, yet the God who created all of this, in all of His greatness, loves me with a love so great that I cannot begin to fathom it. There is a book called "A Long Obedience." I've never read it, but the title describes the lifestyle that I have chosen as a follower of Christ. I must never lose this sense of wonder and awe and peace and most importantly, love, that I have found. If I could sum up all that I have learned and all that I know of God in one word, it would be LOVE. That is the true sign of a Christian and of someone abiding in Christ. Anytime we fail to love as the Father has loved us we are not abiding in His love. Of course, his love for us never fades He is always waiting for us to return to His open arms when we return. And when we experience His grace and are wraped up in a tight embrace, let us take a moment to recommit to adbiding in His love forever, and sharing that love with all of his children.

Q1. (1 John 2:7-11) How does hate and unforgiveness blind us spiritually? If we have been darkened by hurt and hate, how do we come into the light? I find that I often hate who the government tells me I should hate, who the news tells me is "evil." Recently, I have discovered that these people are not evil, simply differernt from me, and my country is running around in fear of the unknown. How could I have been so blind and unperceptive of what is right and true? If I could have forgiven from the begining, I could have shared God's love with so many, and been an example of love to many more who have been sucked into the same illusion, that all of these people are terrible people. This hatred blinded me from God's love of all people, it allowed me to think terrible thoughts about what should be done to these people, in the spirit of patriotism I did not even think about personal stories and how each of these people are made good and beautiful in the eyes of God. It is easier for me to forgive if I think about the ways I have betrayed and hurt God. If someone hurts me, I know I have hurt someone else, or God, in the same way. I have no right but to be gracious with them because my Father was first gracious with me.

Q5. (1 John 2:3-6) How can we be serious about obeying Christ without become legalistic and judgmental, with a self-righteous attitude like the Pharisees had? How do love and legalism differ? How can we be serious about obedience and make love our center? I often feel that the image that Christians portray is this "legalistic, jusdgmental and self-rigteous attitude." I think it is incredibly important to retain a spirit of humility, constantly reminding ourselves how much Christ has done for us. We must be open and honest with our sin and our humanity with others, not just ourselves, in order to show them world that in our greatest weakness, Christ's light shines all the brighter. We must not set for ourselves, or anyone, a long set of rules that must be strictly adhered to, that's legalism and exactly what the Pharisees did that Jesus hated so much. But we must love each and every person, Christian or not, as if they were a child of God.

"Confession" is often used in our society as a form of entertainment: Conffessions of a Shopaholic, Taxi Cab Confessions, Celebrity X Confesses All, ect. ect. In one sense of the way the media has gotten this right. The star of the show bears all his or her wrong doings, usually in hope for a better life with a willingness to change his or her ways. Unfortunately, the media and the tabloids lack the grace and forgiveness that Christians recieve from God. Confessing our sins becomes incredibly important for a number of reasons. Simply from a mental health perspective, it provides an outlet for intense feelings of guilt and self-deprication. I believe that God wants us to love ourselves. Otherwise the law that Jesus taught us, "Love others as you love yourself," wouldn't go over very well. It's hard to love oneself when you can't stand to think about the sins that you have commited against God and man. Once we stop confessing our sins our relationship with God starts to unravel, even if very slowly. Have you ever kept a secret from your best friend or your spouse? Sometimes that secret can make you want to burst out and just get it off your chest, but fear of rejection or simple misunderstanding can cause us to keep quiet. But sometimes not discussing those little things can be easily avoided until a great pile of little things are swept under a rug that is now difficult to walk over. In both instances, you are distancing yourself from God and his will for you, to be in a deep and intimate relationship. God loves you. Again, God LOVES you! He knows that we are going to fail, just as we know that our children are not perfect and lovingly and whole-heartidly accept them when they eat a cookie when they aren't supposed to, or forget to make their bed. God wants to be near us, it hurts us to damage that line of open communication.

Although this is an incredible lesson to reexamine our personal walks in faith,to we must be careful not to lose that fellowship and grace that Jesus so aptly displayed. With this verse it becomes very easy point out people around us that aren't living "In the Light." I easily forget that each and every one of us struggle to live "like a Christian" every day. But I am joyfully reminded that those are the people who Jesus has such tender compassion and companionship with. I work in a shelter with people who are addicts, prostitutes, alcoholics ect. ect. and I often find that they have incredible faith. They recongized that they are blessed because they woke up. They praise God because they went one night without a drink. I'm amazed at how they have increased my faith and my joyfulness because they realize God's grace. They demonstrate openness and honesty when it comes to sin and celebrate the "little victories." I have been "churched" all my life. Good parents, pastors and leaders have taught me not to surround myself with "bad company" in fear that their darkness and sinfulness may rub off on me. But when I look to Jesus, his friends tended to be what society called the worst of the worst, tax collectors, prostitutes, adulterers, lepers and the list goes on and on. Jesus constantly butted heads with the people that called them "unclean." He told them first to look at themselves, perfect themselves before they judge another. Let us not be like the Pharisees or the Saducees. Let us use this lesson as an opportunity and a blessing to realize that we need to remove our own masks and be open and honest about how we are living in order to allow the Spirit to move in ourselves that we may become more like our beloved. Let us also remember to constantly look for the poverty of others that we may lift them up in loving fellowship and grace, out of their darkness.