Who Demonstrates Unfailing Love

Have you ever done something that is a little out there? You know that one part of your life, one group of friends would be all for it and the other part of your life, the other group would be completely against it and even question your worth or your relationship? Is what we do making up what we are worth? Do you ever think that if you were truly following God and living like Jesus would you have made that decision? Nothing we do can separate us from the love of God and yet just one word or action can separate us from the love of a friend or the respect of someone you look up to. So what does this effect have on our faith? We grow up thinking one thing and then one day something breaks that belief completely. Our faith grows or stagnates or decreases by the decisions we make and the people we are around and look up to. So where is my faith at? I make weird decisions. My faith in God must be weird. How is God going to use the weird decisions I make? All I know is that I have faith that God will use me no matter what I do or say, He can be praised in everything and that’s what makes me hopeful that I’m not a useless case!

So one night I was kind of feeling down being bombarded with "mind-junk" (mind-junk is selfishness, laziness, stress, and a deep need for Jesus) and it was clogging my actions and relationships and just made me want to fall in bed and stay there a while escaping from my problems. Well I decided after talking with Lee that I can't stay like this so I get my Bible out and start reading the chapters in 1 Corinthians for Bible study. As I was doing this I was praying that God would just love me for the failure I am and that He would come close to me and really heal that broken part of me. Well as I was doing this I got a text on my phone from Lee, at this point I thought for sure it would read "Why are you acting like this you are being stupid and childish and I'm done with you for the night." (sometimes I get anxious when I get a message from Lee or when he talks to me because I know I've been acting wrongly). Well instead it said "Open your door". I was taken aback. I didn't deserve to be surprised but instead condemned for being selfish. As I opened the door all I could do was cry because there was a heart torn out of paper with a smoothie on top of it. At that moment all I could do was thank God for His LOVE for me!!!! "Thank God, that was Lee's doing" you are probably asking yourself, at that moment I needed to know just how big God's love for me was and He used Lee to do just that. I felt a weight lifted off of me. God threw Himself into my life and really gave me the peace I had needed and it's all because of Lee's selfless smoothie! The times I feel the most useless God reminds me that I'm not especially through those amazing people in my life!

This past week for Bible study we read 1 Corinthians 1-4 and I grabbed onto a verse I read and I'm using that to memorize and sort out lies and truths in my life.

"But those who wise to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings righteousness and justice to the earth, and I DELIGHT in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!" Jeremiah 9:24

This verse has been an eye opener especially about how I should be the most proud about knowing and believing in God and also that He delights in showing His unfailing love!!!! I have seen His love a lot this week as I have been searching for it through the memorization of this verse.

What's the story morning glory?

As you walk in you look up and see stars and glitter painted in the walkway. There are boxes of food against the wall and then you turn a corner and there is where everyone else is. You look to your right and there’s a guy sitting behind a table of merchandise as you wonder how “ethical” that is. As you look around for a seat you notice on towards the front so you walk by rows of metal chairs to find steps people are sitting on and pillows on the floor where you can sit if you would like. The worship band starts up with a couple of songs and then goes into a prayer. Where at the end they say “and bless this food as nourishment to our bodies”. For sure, you have no idea what’s happening and thinking that’s a new way of praying for the sermon. The thought of the words God has laid on the speaker’s heart as nourishment to us. But then you realize there’s a meal for all who have come, so everyone gets up and grabs a plate of food to eat before everything gets started. Then they start playing Outkast, Everclear, and “Gangsta Paradise” songs to fellowship and eat by. After about an hour a woman stands up and starts telling everyone the announcements of the week and reminds all that there isn’t enough money to keep this place going so she encourages all to bring friends and family and help support and to buy a t-shirt from the man behind the table to help support. She also introduces the speaker. The speaker talks on Mark 5:21-43 the stories about the woman who has been through 12 years of bleeding and the death of a religious leader’s daughter. The speaker talks about how the stories are told in a certain order for a reason and how they both show the ways we come to Jesus. The bleeding woman had to work to get through the crowd and had to have faith about what would happen if she touched Jesus. She sought him out and followed Him no matter what happened. On the other hand the religious man’s daughter did nothing but Jesus still came to her. These are ways we come to Jesus in our own lives. Some seasons Jesus fights to get to us and we do nothing and then other seasons Jesus is hoping that we will get off our couches and work to get closer to Him. He loves us and will do what He can to get to us. (Side note: so at Bible study we were talking about 1 Corinthians 1-4 and two of the guys started talking about how we live for Jesus. One talked about how He has already done everything for us so we don’t really need to do anything because it will all work out if we focus on Jesus. The other guy talked about how we need to do things to show Jesus to others and that if we can do enough our faith will grow. Kind of like this story about Jesus in Mark. Alas I believe there is a halfway mark between us and Jesus. What are your thoughts???) After the speaker finishes, there is communion and a note that it is gluten free! Then there are more worship songs and a benediction to have a blessed week. Then they blare “Love Addict” as people help clean dishes and the building and also help stack chairs. The people you see around are pierced, tattooed, a different race, fat, short, skinny, tall, wearing stylish clothes, wearing video game clothes, clean, smell weird, a biker with a long beard wearing leather, a young blonde girl who loves to play with that biker, there are old men, teenagers, an older couple dressed up for a night on the town, the speaker had a Mohawk and a fork in his belt. It was a huge mixture of backgrounds and life experiences. This was church. The church I came to experience. How was IS God working in downtown Denver? (What a mind-frame I’m in thinking “was” is how that sentence should go!) What IS God doing in my life, in my thoughts, in my relationships?

Check this website out: www.scumoftheearth.net

My Life With YOU

Photo = Ski biking!!!!!!!!!

I’m here living the ski bum dream and watching it snow, thankful to be done with work and not standing out in the cold anymore! It’s been a while since I’ve written and I’ll catch you up on things…I’m working at Copper Mtn ski resort for the winter as a ticket checker and anywhere else I’m needed. I stand in the cold for about 5 hours a day greeting people, scanning tickets, and being the soundboard for angry customers who just found out that life isn’t fair. I get an hour long lunch break to eat, warm up, ski. Then I head back to employee housing to cook, hang out, play pool/ping-pong, watch Arrested Development with Lee, and fall asleep around 9 or 10. I’ve got to tell you it takes a special person to work winter seasonal jobs. It’s a different atmosphere than summer work. You have to be more passionate to stand out in the cold. It’s also not as laid back and seems to be all about revenue and things (like end of season bonuses) get cut if the snow doesn’t come. I do love the community I work with-the lift ops! Yes most of them do fit the stereotype of pot-smoking, hardcore winter sportsters so it’s been hard to make lasting friendships with the people I work with since our hobbies and passions are different but most people are nice and we chat some. It’s also been really great to have people come and visit, like the parents, Leah, and Chandra. I have realized just how much I really do miss the stability of seeing the ones I love often. Why are there always pros and cons to everything I do? Alas the adventure of it all overrides the lack of familiar love, so I find love in other things like people’s dogs they bring on vacation, the kids that I see daily, the regulars that know my name, my supervisor and peers, and of course Lee. It’s been so nice to have him around! As I reread “In the name of Jesus” by Henri Nouwen I was convicted that I can’t do my little adventures alone and still have a strong faith or even sanity to last through the adventure period. He talks about how the disciples were sent out in twos and how we are not made to go in this world alone! Since my parents are tied to having real jobs and not yet in the age of life where an RV comes into play, I’m hoping to convince the adventurous side of Lee to stay around awhile to find experiences we’ve always wanted to try and do them! I’m done for if he ever decides to settle down soon because after my summer in Maine I’m not going out alone again and all my friends have ties in their lives as well. Going along in life with others is a huge thing God has opened my eyes to; by a blessed talk with my supervisor who loves Jesus but lives the Christian ski bum life and not the typical “church going” life, finding people who work in different areas of the mountain that are followers, and having opportunities to build relationships with believers on the mountain. The body is everywhere but I’m usually not brave enough to acknowledge it and unite. I’ve got to stop being so passive on the subject and really use the blessing and gift of Christ’s body God has brought to me! Along with working the dream I’m also daring to try new things like ski biking and skiing double black diamonds. I hope this finds you well whoever may still be a reader of this blog and I pray the adventure of life and being a follower of Jesus is lived daily. I also pray that you realize that you are a blessing to me if you are reading this, I don’t say it enough! May gnarly days come your way.