Thoughts

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 20 April 2011

It struck me today when I was sitting at the doctor's office after my annual physical that I was in a room where any day a person's life could be changed forever. All it takes is for a [lump/freckle/blood level] to be not normal, and all your priorities change.

Health is really easy to take for granted (especially lately since I have been sick with a cough/cold on and off for a month or so), and it is easy to complain about aches and pains, or grey hair, or food going bad, or lack of time for hobbies. BUT today I wanted to make a point of appreciating my relative good health!

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 16 April 2011

Here is another aspect of tithing that people love to get riled up about! On one side we have the tithers: "If you don't give, you are robbing God!" "Jesus died for you, and you don't want to write him a cheque!?" "If you aren't willing to return a portion of God's gifts to you, don't expect him to continue to bless you." *angry scowls and fist shaking*

On the other side, the non-tithers protest: "We receive God's blessings by his grace, not by buying them!" "Jesus was homeless, and he was tortured to death, how do you get the prosperity gospel from that?!" "You Pharisees!" *outraged head shaking*

Read more: 10% Tithe

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 31 March 2011

I had some time to kill yesterday and decided to get a tea at Second Cup and read my Bible. I was kind of struck by Psalm 136 because every other line is the same: His steadfast love endures forever. So I wrote a psalm of my own - see above (you can click to make it bigger). Enjoy!

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 30 March 2011

Today was a beautiful day, and I spent way more time outside than usual walking to school for a meeting, walking to the plaza to get tea for my sore throat, walking back to school for class (in five minutes).
Yesterday morning I was the latest for class that I have been all semester (the problem with the 401 is the later we leave our place, the busier traffic is and the even longer it takes to get to school!), but I stopped in the seminary lounge on my way to class to fill my thermos with hot water. There was a man there about to use the hot water but he let me go because I had to get to class. As the thermos was filling up and I said thank you, he replied,

"You can only do the best that you can with the time you are given. Have a beautiful day!"

And that phrase stuck with me through the day and all day today as well, so I wanted to pass it along :)

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 27 March 2011

This is a post I wrote back in February but didn't publish because it's a hard topic. I didn't want to rattle off thoughts about suffering while I wasn't really going through any suffering and come off like a douche. I haven't gone through any suffering since then to justify publishing the post now, but having let time pass and still agreeing with what I wrote, I feel just comfortable enough to throw it out there. So here it is:

The sermon this week was about how Jesus is not a quick fix for our problems, a genie that we can make wishes on and then get back to life as usual when our needs are met. There was also a good bit about when God seems to fail and bad situations aren't resolved, broken hearts stay broken etc. and it is hard to explain without seeming trite. I think that giving meaning to suffering is something that has to come through the sufferer - someone on the outside who says "something good can come out of this terrible thing that has happened to you - God will use it for good!" very often make God out to be either very cruel or very heartless for subjecting us to misery "for his purposes." I didn't love the illustration our pastor used because it seemed to imply that God holds out on us sometimes so that we can relate to others who suffer.

But there is a nugget of truth somewhere deep in the middle of all the confusion and tension, that God does give meaning to pain. Suffering humbles us, reminding us of our weakness, and often makes us cry out for help. Sometimes it teaches us something, and that helps us find meaning in it. Most often it shapes us, whether we realize it or not, and affects our identity and our outlook on life.

No conclusion yet, just thoughts I'm processing... comments welcome.

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 09 March 2011

Matt had a hilarious encounter with a Christian woman at Starbucks the other day who told him that he should get a better car... because our current car makes Christians look bad!

I say hilarious because Matt thinks it's hilarious. I think this woman needs a Bible-smack to the jaw - I wonder how she thinks THAT would make Christians look, lol.

As you may or may not be able to see, our car's clear coat is missing in some places on the hood and roof, so our paint job is... uneven. And we have a couple dents here and there... most if not all of which came with the car. I think it's great because there is very little that could make our car look worse, so there's no pressure to keep it perfect - we can just enjoy it.

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 06 March 2011

I typed this up on my phone on Friday heading home from a friend's house. I read the book of Ezekiel this week! I don't think I ever read that whole book before... and I started into Daniel. The verse that moved me the most, that kind of culminated a bunch of thoughts from the last couple days was Daniel 5:23b, from Daniel's speech to the king who wants to know the meaning of the writing on the wall -

"You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored."

I am so moved by the depth of God's love, for me but also for much more than me, for his People, for the lost. His word drips with agony and passion; he wants to correct and draw in and enfold, but he will not force, and while the crucifixion is encapsulated in history, it is also ongoing in God's Spirit, yearning for people to be free and fulfilled, yearning to be recognized so that he can embrace, and outraged that so often people choose other things - success in a career, financial stability, beauty and popularity, "control" over our futures/choices. These things cannot see or hear; they do not respond to our devotion, our best efforts. God says, give ME those things - I not only see them, I desire them;I made you to fall deeply, satisfyingly, rapturously in love with me.

Details: Written by: Alyssa; Category: Thoughts; Published: 27 February 2011

I was really grumpy by the end of church today. The short-form, condensed, non-ranting reason is that... I'm already saved. And I feel like the last six weeks have all been the same sermon from a different text: "Get saved! It will be so great and such a relief and you'll finally feel complete. I know it's hard and scary, but you really need to do it. Today. So yeah, get saved."

I am all for preaching salvation! But if all we ever do at church is "get saved" then we never really get past figuring who is in and who is out of the kingdom, who is to blame when our prayers don't get answered even if we say Father God and Hallelujah and Blood of Jesus seven times each in all our prayers. Because maybe it's somebody who has been a member for 40 years and everyone thinks they're a Christian, but they just aren't quite. Witch hunt.

Moving With God

Baby steps of faith, hope and love

Categories

Gratitude

Tithing=Blessing

10% Tithe

Psalm 136

A Beautiful Day

Finding Meaning in Pain

Would a Clear Coat Reflect Christ Better, Starbucks lady??

Cell Phone Reflections

Sunday Thoughts

A Quick Book Recommendation