Big Whoop. Part 2

I’m actually a little surprised at myself. I in no way thought that I would be writing part 2 this quickly. I REALLY must not want to do my psychology work (someone please motivate me!!!!!!). I’m not saying that I don’t want to write about this, but I typically find other things to do-sometimes less important things, like staring at a wall (for all those that still don’t think I sit and actually stare, trust me, I do).

I also think I'm getting a little heated. I've had a lot of time to think (which may not be a good thing) over summer break, and I have got some good ideas for future posts. Caution-you may be offended. Big Whoop. I'm starting to like saying that.

As I was sitting in the surgery center this morning, listening to a woman that hadn’t worn off her pain meds yet professing her love to the nurses and everyone who passed her room, I was reading Not a Fan, but Kyle Idleman. Basically, I just want to take everything he wrote in the book and put it on here, but I’m not going to because I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. So, to prevent myself from doing so, I’m NOT sitting here with my book (don’t get mad at me for misquotes).

Originally, I was going to write this part about what it actually means to be a Christian. I may touch on that, but I may not be going in the direction you (or me) are thinking of.

Politics. There, I said it. Now, before you bring out your pitchforks and torches that you didn’t get to use last night, give me a second (or a few paragraphs). I realized that I was extremely uninformed about politics and what is going on in this election cycle when I wasn’t even sure who the Republican nominee was. I used to watch the news (Fox News) almost every morning in high school, with my cup of coffee, ready to discuss the current issues of today’s society. I used to get in heated debates over why the government should do this or do that, until I realized that I love Jesus.

So, now, when I say politics, I’m going to say Big Whoop. “But Meghan!” you may say, “You have the responsibility to care and to pay attention to current events like a concerned citizen!” Yeah, I do. I’m not saying that I don’t care if my freedoms are taken away. I’m not saying that I don’t care that abortions are legal. I’m not saying I don’t care if our government isn’t listening to its people. I’m saying that I don’t have to care. I’m saying that Christ is what I rely on and where my heart lies, not politics. I’d rather rely on the strength of Christ ANY DAY and have my hope in Him rather than in the government.

Where is your hope?

“This country is going down the tubes!” This is what I hear (more or less) from many people. I care. I don’t want the country I love and am BLESSED to be in (anyone that thinks they aren’t blessed to be here should consider going to the nut house or a third world country) to lose what it is. But I am saying that if the country would become a socialist nation under some dictator (which many people think will end up happening), I would be ok. Or, at least I hope I would be. And what I mean by that is that I hope I would have enough faith in Christ to be able to know that my hope is found in Him and things of eternal value, not the diminishing fade of the government.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from god, and those that exist are instituted by god. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing god’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. Or rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do good and you will have its approval. For government is god’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is god’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes. Since the authorities are god’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.-Romans 13:1-7

That’s a bit of a mouthful, isn’t it. Let’s analyze some of it. “Since the authorities are God’s public servants,” “for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God,” seems to me that if God didn’t want someone in power, they wouldn’t be there. Now before you all go and claim Obama is the antichrist (I will remain neutral on my view point of the man), read your Bible. Just so you know, the antichrist is not mentioned in the book of Revelation (and the whole world gasps). But, that isn’t what I came to talk about today. Don’t you think that if God REALLY, REALLY couldn’t be glorified in a situation, He wouldn’t let it happen? Don’t you think that if God REALLY, REALLY couldn’t keep the world functioning if someone were to be president, He wouldn’t let it happen.
I want to include this video. I really, really like it. It is entitled "God is not a white man" by Gungor. Just watch it, it has a lot to do with the previous paragraph. You might even start tapping your foot and singing it around the house. I describe the video as "great theology mixed with the perfect amount of cuteness." 

I really don’t give a root-tootin-holler (that’s one of my Alabama phrases for all my Tennessee friends that think I’m from a hick town) about your opinions on Obama, Romney (who I found out is the Republican nominee), or any other politician. I care-like I said yesterday-about your relationship with Christ. Do you have one? Does Obama have one? That’s all that matters. You have the responsibility to PRAY for them, not bash them for every single thing they do.
                Don’t like the president? Big Whoop.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever. This is basically a summation of why I tend not to get wrapped up in politics*. Enjoy.

"Science and politics are the two false paths for Christianity; the latter is the most dangerous because it can become so popular." - Søren Kierkegaard

Where is your hope?

*Note: if you are called into politics by God, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t think that I am telling you that is wrong. Do what He tells you to do. Please. 

Big Whoop.

Today while I was watching A Walk To Remember, eating ice cream, and bawling my eyes out (I refuse to admit that I’m an emotional wreck, Nicholas Sparks just knows how to pull on the heartstrings of every woman in the world), I listened to Landon read 1 Corinthians 13:4 (but I will go through the beginning of verse 8). If any Bible verse were able to be exhausted, this would come in second place-behind John 3:16. It is recited in weddings, put on walls, Bibles, journals, t-shirts, and any other marketing tool Christian organizations have created. So, I’m going to talk about it today, hopefully in a new way (if not, don’t throw rotten tomatoes at me, please).

Love is patient….even when we have been waiting on someone to do something for years.

Love is kind……even when we think someone doesn’t deserve it.

Love does not envy…even when we REALLY want to be someone else.

It is not boastful…...even when we think we deserve to be able to.

It is not conceited...even when we want the attention to be on us.

It does not act improperly….even though we may just want to punch someone in the face.

It is not selfish…..even when we REALLY just want some “me” time.

It is not provoked….even when we’ve had the last straw.

It does not keep record of wrongs…even after the thousandth time.

It finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth…even when politics is really enticing.

It bears, hopes, and endures all things….no matter how tough that relationship may be.

Love never ends…..ever.

Many times, I feel as though I put exception clauses into Bible verses. “Be patient,” the Bible says. I say, “but they are getting on my LAST nerve.” “Be kind,” the Bible says.  “They don’t deserve my kindness,” I say.

That last one gets on my nerves. I do it all the time. You know what I don’t deserve? Christ’s sacrifice. But I got it.

The second greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36). Most the time, I beat around the bush, trying not to offend. Well, I’m not going to do that today. Something that has really begun to irk me in the Christian community is that we don’t love. I tweeted something the other day that I regretted doing right after I sent it. Then, I realized it was because I didn’t want to offend anyone. I got over it and said “those that are offended need to just deal and read their Bible.”

“Can we quit labeling people by their sins and start seeing them as people in desperate need of the gospel?”

I’m tired of people being labeled by their sins.

“She struggles with drinking.”

“He’s gay.”

“He is a compulsive gambler.”

“She shoplifted that one time.”

Big whoop. I don’t care. Do they have Christ? (We are assuming that these people mentioned do not have Christ. They also are no reflection of any actual person). That’s all that matters. ‘Cause guess what….the only difference between them and I is that I have Jesus and they don’t. The only difference is that I am not enslaved by the things of this world and have the eternal JOY that comes with Christ. If they don’t have Christ, then I don’t care if they are homosexual, alcohol/drug addicts, compulsive liars, gamblers, or stealers. The only thing I’m concerned about is LOVING them like Jesus does and showing them Christ.

Don’t try to change them! PLEASE! I’m going to use this saying that I’ve found recently. I might make some people mad. Don’t get mad at me, read the Bible. You’ll see that Christians are told to live differently than the pagans. The saying that I heard goes something like this: “telling me I can’t marry the same sex is like telling me I can’t eat a cupcake because you’re on a diet.”

Now, just wait a second before you get out your pitchforks and torches and form the village mob to come burn me at the stake. Though I do not support gay marriage (other people, don’t form a mob either), I don’t think trying to tell someone that them being gay is wrong is a useful tactic when it comes to evangelism (I'm just using being gay as an example). We cannot expect anyone who is not saved to live life like a Christian. I'd also say this: "telling a lost person to act like a Christian is like telling me I can't eat a cupcake because you're on a diet." 

There was a lecture series this past semester at Carson-Newman. It was entitled “The Difference Christ Makes.” Though I can’t tell you a single thing that was said that week, I do really like this phrase. The difference Christ makes is that you don’t live in the ways of the world. You are not a slave to sin. Expect people to sin. Don’t judge them for it. See the lost and sinners as people in desperate need of Christ. See the lost as people loved immensely by the Creator of the universe. It will change your perspective in life.

I find it hard to believe that people just want “tolerance.” Let’s love them. Let’s overwhelm them with the love of Christ. Let’s stop seeing people differently just because they are prone to a certain sin (just a reminder-sin is sin, no matter what it is. No sin is worse than another) and start loving them with the unconditional love of Christ mentioned in 1 Corinthians. Love your neighbor…and neighbor is everyone you come in contact with.

                I don’t really care what kind of sin they struggle with; I care if they have Christ. 

Note: there may or may not be a second part to this post (to clarify some loose ends)

Reflection

If you know ANYTHING about me, I’m a goober for mushy gushy sentimental things. I like looking back on the past and seeing how much I have grown, what in my life has changed, what new hobbies I have created, and which ones I have lost. I like change, but I hate it all at the same time. I despise letting go. My roommate had to force my hand into a trash can and yell at me to throw things away as I began packing up my first ever college dorm room. I like looking into the past, seeing what I can learn from it, and applying it to the future. I like keeping things so I can remember them.
I guess I do that because I’m scared if I let something go, I might forget about it (precursor to Hoarders?? I sure hope not). It is a startling reality. I am TERRIFIED of forgetting the good things in my life. If I could, I would record my life so I could go back and look at the happy times. I would look at my life through my later eyes and enjoy the smiles I shared and the memories I made.
“What does this have to do with the price of eggs in China” might be what you are asking (which many, many people I have come to school with have not heard of and left them thoroughly confused, which amuses me). To answer your question, I felt like reflecting. I wanted to talk about the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly, that have occurred in this past year. Starting with graduation festivities.

Let’s start with this memory. This is one of my favorite memories in my LIFE. I love these people so much. They are my IB family. I cried with them, yelled at them, almost killed some of them, but we made it through what most people can’t say they have: IB. This day was an accumulation of two years of hard work. We left school after the most boring awards ceremony known to man, then travelled to Mi Hacienda, where we ate, laughed, and created memories. The best of which being me walking into the bathroom, spotting a cockroach, screaming, then running out with Allysa, Mindy, and Miracle, laughing and crying. Connor then responded to the staff singing “la cucaracha,” and we talked about it for the rest of the day. We went to the IB Book Signing, where I wrote the wrong graduation year, Miracle made us bawl our eyes out, and we were blocked off by a train. I got this award:

We played this game:

And ate pizza when Christian “went to get help for his French IB exam.” Then I graduated. I walked across that stage, got my diploma, and took, what I’m sure the most horrible picture was in the world, after getting a 2nd degree sunburn. I went to Orlando, went to Harry Potter World, was asked if I was OK after my picture came up of me looking terrified in the Spider portion of the ride, and was carried across a large row of people. I prayed more than I have in my entire life, and the Holy Spirit did some crazy awesome stuff. Then Super Summer happened. DUDE. It was ridiculously awesome. I cried, I laughed, I stood up in the middle of the cafeteria holding both hands in the air in silence with a few others, and tried not to laugh as I saw the confused looks of others. Then, I went to college. I’ve never been more nervous in my LIFE. I crammed all my stuff into the spacious “jail cell” and waited to see what God had in store for me.

For the record, this is probably the cleanest my room has ever been. I then made some really awesome friends, and dressed up like a shower.

I even wore a fake mustache to Wal-Mart.

Then before I knew it, I was home for Christmas. I went to Passion 2012, one of the coolest events I have ever had the privilege to be a part of.

Honestly, this past semester has been a blur (not from alcohol, I promise). I can’t remember any moments from this semester. Especially significant ones. But, a lot has happened. I know I cried a lot. I cried in frustration, in happiness, in sorrow, in joy. I cried for friends, myself, and people I didn’t even know. I cried because of misunderstandings, back-stabbings, and missing home (which I haven’t done since elementary school). I drank too much coffee, didn’t read my Bible enough, and formed some great friendships. And after all this, I am exhausted. I am too stressed, too overwhelmed, too everything. I want to be home. I want familiarity. But I want my pictures and letters to look back on. I want about 10 books to read, lots more coffee, a pool, cookouts, and friends to spend my summer with. I want to grow in Christ more, relax, and breathe the fresh-ish air of Decatur, Alabama, my home. Familiar. I’m sure, come July, I will be screaming to get back to college, but that is how life works. Or, at least mine does. I will want to return to the beautiful scenes of Tennessee, see my wonderful friends again, and make new memories. But, I will never, ever forget my past. The great things that have happened to me, the friends I have made and the ones I have left behind. I will cry when I have to let go, and I will put up a fight. Because I love memories. Because I love people. I think the verse that I have really held onto this past year, and I believe I have mentioned it previously, is Ecclesiatstes 3:1-8. It expresses, and reminds me in my impatience, to hold on, and in the right time, everything will come to fruition.
There is an occasion for everything,

and a time for every activity under heaven: 
 a time to give birth and a time to die; 
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
 a time to weep and a time to laugh; 
a time to mourn and a time to dance; 
 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; 
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; 
 a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak; 
 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

Love,

Megs.

Oh, How He Loves Us! (And Some Disney)

Instead of doing homework, like I should be, I wrote this. I figured I had been gone from the blogging world long enough and decided to make a reappearance. Please read all of it, I really believe that God has something special to say to you through this. No, it’s not through my power, but His in which I boast, so read it. Don’t read it because I’m an awesome writer (which I’m not), but read it because God has something to say to you.

Today, I was concluding the reading of John for my New Testament class when I had two revelations. The first came while reading John 12:44-50.

Then Jesus cried out, “The one who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness .If anyone bears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept my sayings has this as his judge: the word I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak. I know that His command is eternal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

This one is more complex than, in theory, than the second. The title of the passage is “A Summary of Jesus’ Mission.” This is the clearest picture of the gospel I believe I have ever heard. We use John 3:16 as out “trademark verse of Christianity” when I believe that this passage is a much better fit. John 3:16, though awe-inspiring and magnificent, as a stand-alone verse gives nothing about those who do not believe. This passage gives a clear picture of both sides of the gospel.

The second revelation I came to tears upon. Did you know that Jesus prayed for all believers? I think I vaguely did before today, but never thought about it. For those of you who have tried, how hard is it to pray for your enemies? Not the “I don’t like them” kind but the “they want to kill me” kind? It was my sin and yours that hung Jesus on the cross and HE PRAYED FOR US. HE LOVES US!! Can we just linger on those three famous words? We sing the song at all sorts of Christian gatherings, and I feel as though we understand them about as much as we don’t understand them. Let’s look at this passage: John 17:20-26:

I pray not only for these,

but also for those who believe in Me

through their message.

May they all be one,

as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.

May they also be one in Us,

so the world may believe You sent Me.

I have given them the glory You have given Me.

May they be one as We are one.

I am in them and You are in Me.

May they be made completely one,

so the world may know You have sent Me

And have loved them as You have loved Me.

Father,

I desire those You have given Me

to be with Me where I am.

Then they will see My glory,

which You have given Me

Because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.

Righteous Father!

The world has not known You.

However, I have known You,

and these have known that You sent Me.

I mad Your name known too them

and will make it known,

so the love You have loved Me with

may be in them and I may be in them.

WOAH. Seriously? Jesus said what?? He has such a powerful love for us that He prays we could know the Father. That was a foreign concept before the gospel. Having an intimate relationship with the one who loves and created us is AMAZING. We should not even be allowed to speak His name! But yet, He wants us and he is fighting for us! How amazing is that? Jesus says that He wants God to give use the love He gave Him! Have you ever seen a father truly love a son? I always imagine my favorite Disney scene ever. The one in The Lion King where Simba and Mufasa have a beautiful father-son moment and Mufasa explains the responsibilities of being king. I cry pretty much every time I see that scene.

Now, that is an earthly creation. How much more does the heavenly Father love his son? How much more does Abba love Jesus? I guarantee you their relationship is a whole lot better than Simba and Mufasa’s. Jesus wants Abba to love us like that!! Heck, I’d be fine with the precious Simba and Mufasa moments, but He loves us SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! No matter how many times we go to the Elephant Graveyard and He has to chase off hyenas and Scar, HE LOVES US. WOAH.

I just want to close with these words: Oh, How He Loves Us!

¡Me especializo en español! (I’m majoring in Spanish!)

Well, for those of you that don’t know, I am now double majoring in Church Music and Spanish. I was originally minoring in Spanish, but I couldn’t deal with the fact that next spring would be my last Spanish class ever. So, I decided that I would major in it! It will only be about an extra class every semester until I graduate, and I couldn’t be more excited. I love the Spanish language, culture, and history. That’s really my only news for now. I haven’t written anything else recently, but as soon as I do, I will post it here.

¡Adios!

Meghan

Why Do I Wait So Long to Write????

Well, here I am, approaching two months after my last blog post, and I can’t remember many details over the last several weeks. I can barely remember what I eat for breakfast on a day when I am not tired and have nothing to do, so this should be no surprise to me. But, for some reason, I always return to this place, waiting for something to come to my mind to write about. I will now pursue, as always, to inform you of what has occurred in my life, what God has been teaching me, and anything else that comes to mind.

Since my last post, I have successfully completed my first semester of college (yay!!!), almost completed my first Christmas break of college, gone to Passion Conference-and I am so blessed because of it-and done a whole lot of nothing. Christmas break has been more of relaxation than those in high school. In high school it was always consumed by writing Internal Assessments-something for IB for those that don’t know-and my Extended Essay. I always read books, which I have done this break, but this time for pleasure, and focused on the next semester of school. This time around, I am almost reluctant to see the break go. I absolutely love Carson-Newman, but I love my home too. Unfortunately, it has taken my nineteen years to figure that out. I knew Decatur was special, but I never knew how special until I left. Don’t get me wrong, Decatur can be the #2 most boring place on earth, right behind Jefferson City, but it is the people that make the place, not the other way around. My friends, even though most will go away to college, are still found here. But I know that it is not the time for me to be in Decatur. As mentioned several times at Passion, we have seasons in our lives:

“There is an occasion

for everything,

and a time for every activity

under heaven;”-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I will be at Carson-Newman on Wednesday because that is where God wants and needs me to be.

Trying not to repeat myself completely from the last post, I would like to reiterate how BLESSED I am. Really, I am. For some reason, God has been pounding that into my head over the last few months. Even though life has its trials and hardships, I am still blessed.

I’m trying not to ramble, but I have one more thing to share. This is also a slight confession on my part, but more of a revelation. God has given me a strange ability to explain things in a way that makes sense to people (I know I confuse people a lot, but when God illustrates something for me, I, fortunately, share it with clarity). Recently, especially after being at college, this “ability” has taken a hiatus. Until very recently has this remained. On the way back from Passion, I was told many things. One of which is that the body of Christ is a quilt. Just as one would not dismember a patch from a quilt, we don’t need to dismember the body of Christ. This can come in many forms. Whether critiquing worship services, college ministries, or people, when you tear apart a quilt, it no longer serves its purpose- to give warmth. Just as a quilt cannot work separately, the body of Christ cannot function dismembered. Fans of a sports team- I am taking no allegiances at this time- do not cheer against one member of the team during a big game, but rather build them up. How much more important is the goal of Christ than a sports event? Much, much more, I say.

So, I have one last thing to add. I’m asking you to pray for me. I’m asking for you to pray Ephesians 6:19-20. I have no specifics at the moment, and am not at liberty to say, but I figure that this passage will cover everything and more.

“Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.”-Ephesians 6:19-20

In Christ,

Meghan

Blessings in Abundance

I am blessed. I am blessed for so many reasons. I am blessed because I have life. I am blessed because I ate today. I am blessed because I have friends. I am blessed because I have family. I am blessed because I have clothes. I am blessed because I am sitting in a college dorm room right now (procrastinating I might add). I am BLESSED because right now, I have a copy of a Bible right next to me, in my native language, not a few pages because I had to share it, and on my shelves I have 4 more Bibles.

It is for these reasons that I am thankful. I am thankful that God has blessed me beyond measure. I am thankful that I have Christ. I am thankful that He has put me in a country where I have countless resources to further my knowledge (not satisfy) about Him and spread the gospel freely. I am thankful that I have the opportunities, though I don’t always take advantage of them. I am human, therefore I mess up. I mess up lots. I don’t pray when I should, I don’t read my Bible when I should, I don’t stand up for Christ when I should, and I definitely don’t always give thanks like I should.

In this season of Thanksgiving, I felt like I should remind myself about why I should be thankful. This is as much, if not more, for me as it is for you. I feel like I need to use this time to remind myself of my blessings. So here is a list of reasons why I am blessed, and it is certainly NOT exhaustive.

1. I am saved by the power of Christ Jesus. Yeah, it sounds good. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. “-1 Peter 1:3-5.

2. I have the ability to write this write now. I have a computer, I am literate, I live in America.

3. I have a family that is there for me. Both of my parents are actively involved in my life and for this I am grateful.

4. My friends are the most amazing people ever. Hands down, they are some of the most encouraging, honest, godliest people I know. For this reason I am blessed beyond measure. “We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers.”-1 Thessalonians 1:2

5. I have a Bible. I cannot express to you how blessed I am to have the ability to read God’s Word whenever I need it, want it, or whenever He wants me to (this does not mean I do it though). When people are in other countries literally dying to get their hands on a book I have lying next to me at this very moment, I cannot help but feel blessed.

I feel the need to say that this list is not exhaustive. I have so many more blessings in my life such as my home church, the education I received and am receiving, clothes, literacy, food, cars, health, safety, and so much more. I encourage you to, over the next few days, write down a list of things you are thankful for. Write down things that are blessings, even if you don’t feel they are.

Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.-Ephesians 6:24

Meghan