Rome Trip: Days 1&2

Days l and 2 felt like the same day so I am going to lump them together.

Day 1 we were on an airplane and day 2 we landed.Once we got on the bus we went on a driving tour through Rome with our tour guide. we got off a few times to look at churches. One in particular was incredible. It was the Santa Maria. It had beautiful Bernini sculptures and was more beautiful than I could possibly describe.  

We had the afternoon free so a group of us went walking around Rome. We ate delicious food and had some great gelato!  

The next few days we will be visiting the historic sites of Rome Including the Vatican. It's crazy to think that Peter & many other people in the Bible walked the same streets I will be walking the next few days. It's so humbling and brings a sense of connection to the fathers of our faith. When I go to the Vatican I will see the spot believed to be where Peter was crucified. Wow. Amazing that what was once a place of persecution for Christians is how a tiny country for the father of the Catholic church, God does work in mysterious ways! On a funny and similar note: our tour guide kept differentiating between "Christians" and "Protestants".  You know you're in a primary Catholic area when... :)

I'm so excited for what these next few days will bring.

Calling & Purpose

Simple Thing: Calling & Purpose

This may not seem so simple. In fact it may seem quite the opposite. How can we ever know our purpose here on earth?

Good news: Jesus told us our purpose. Mark 5 describes a man who had been possessed by a legion of demons. Jesus cast the demons into the pigs which freed the man of his former possessed life. The man was more than grateful. He wanted to follow Jesus but Jesus' command to him was simple: Go and tell what mercy the Lord has shown you.

That is still our calling today.

Too often in the church the words "calling" and "purpose" are used only for those going into vocational ministry. However, being called to do something is not nearly that limited.

Recently I went to see an old family friend at his place of work: a barber shop. His haircuts are always excellent, and the conversations are always a joy.

In discussing school and careers he told me he felt being a barber was a calling for him. He has had the opportunity to not just cut hair, but also to be an ear for people who just need to talk. To him, cutting hair is a ministry to people.

See, you don't have to be Billy Graham or Pope Francis to make a difference or impact for God. Simply spread the Gospel right where you are.

"Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
l Thessalonians 5:16-18 (HCSB)

Blog on blogging from a blogger

Why hello, blog! It's been awhile.

Blogs are funny things. They are open to anyone with access to the internet. People's beautifully written poetry, thoughts, and ideas can be recorded in their blog. Similarly, people's unorganized, grammatically flawed, and unedited thoughts and whatever else may end up on a blog. 

There are so many blogs.

I don't have a figure, but if you pick a phrase and then add ".blogspot.com" to it, you are likely to come up with a blog. I just did twice and got a blog both times.

Some blogs are private. Some are just for fun. And some blogs get really big! Take the Pioneer Woman for example. It went from a food blog to a food network show.   

I'll be honest, I don't have a great takeaway from this post, but I have been scrolling through my News Feed on Facebook and seen blog after blog after blog being posted from a variety of blogs that somehow got big (like Pioneer Woman). Next time you're on Facebook, look at how many blogs you see. Are there trends in the topic?

I wonder if blogs are changing the way we learn news, what is hip and popular, and the things important to our generation and culture. What do you think?

World Communion Sunday

"World Communion Sunday offers congregations a distinctive opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith. The first Sunday of October has become a time when Christians in every culture break bread and pour the cup to remember and affirm Christ as the Head of the Church. On that day, they remember that they are part of the whole body of believers." ¹

Many times it feels like the different denominations are so divided. For instance, when you go to list your religion many places have Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc as all different religions.  However, there are moments of unity.

On World Communion Sunday, as said above, we remember that we are one body of Christ.  Today at my church I paid more attention to the communion liturgy than normal. One section struck me as beautiful for the first time.

"Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood."
- United Methodist Hymnal, page 14

Redeemed by his blood
We have been saved, bought, redeemed by His death and the blood that He shed. What response can we have to that? What can we do? Thankfulness is natural, but how can we demonstrate our appreciation?

That we may be for the world the body of Christ
Live like He did. Do this in order to show others how amazing He is that others might know Christ personally as well.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ
And so, we all commune together to share in remembering this glorious event.

So, brothers and sisters, remember that we are all one body. Go out into the world and be the body of Christ because you have been redeemed!

Happy World Communion Sunday!

Faith

Simple thing: faith.

Sarah laughed.
Zechariah doubted and become temporarily mute.

It seems so hard to have faith. Doubt is a much easier route, such as with Sarah and Zechariah. Surely it's not simple. There's so many things to consider! Namely, it's hard to put your faith in something you can't see. In fact, the idea is crazy, right?

Think about a traffic light for a moment. Imagine you're in the protected left lane and it turns green. How do you know those cars coming towards you are going to stop? How do you know their light is actually red? Faith. A whole lot of faith.

Faith in God is kind of the same way. Sometimes it seems dangerous, but we know from experience it works. My brother is going to be getting his driver's license soon. As a driver rather than a passenger, he doesn't have much experience to trust the system. Instead, he has to trust his teachers - our mom and dad - who do have experience. Again, our faith in God is like this.

Ultimately, you must decide to have faith on your own, but listen to those you trust. Watch their lives. What makes them different? Often, it is faith. Let your peers and mentors be a beacon to you.

Let me add, this is not faith in some distant, removed deity. It's a faith in a God who came to us as one us, Emmanuel. He understands you as your Creator and as a human. He died and broke the curse of death by rising again. He did it for you. This is the God I put my faith in. I hope you will too.

Trust

Simple thing: trust.

"Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don't be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows."
- Matthew 10:29-31

"Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.
5 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me."
- Psalm 139:1-5

God knows us completely. He knows even the details about us that we wish he didn't. Still, he loved us enough to die and still loves us to this day. Psalm 139 continues on to say, "This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it."

Rest in this "extraordinary knowledge" and trust that if he knows you this completely, he is worthy of your daily trust. For if he is eye is on the smallest sparrow, don't you think he watches over you? Rest in his peace and trust in Him each new day.

Good News

Simple things: good news.

It's hard to keep it a secret, isn't it? When something really good happens you want to tell all your friends. Matthew 9: 27-31 tells the story of Jesus healing two blind men. He sternly warns them, "Be sure that no one finds out!" What do they do? They go out and "spread the news about Him throughout the whole area." I know Jesus told them not to, but I can hardly blame them! This happens repeatedly in the gospels. 

Sometimes a preceding factor of good news is obedience. 2 Kings 5: 1-19 describes the commander's of Israel's army being healed of a skin disease. It wasn't quite as straightforward as you might think, though. Elisha the prophet told him to "go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean." Oh, but Naaman, this commander, got angry. Why dip in the Jordan? Why not another river? Why does he have to do this at all? Couldn't Elisha heal him by the wave of a hand? In the end, he did as he was told and was grateful.  He tried and tried to give Elisha a monetary gift for his healing which brought such good news to Naaman. However, Elisha would not accept them. Still, Naaman's joy and thankfulness at this good news is clear. He even put his faith in the God of Israel alone.

So why did Elisha have him wash in the Jordan 7 times? Why does that even matter? Doesn't that sound a little superstitious? Maybe it is more than the act itself. Rather, asking him to wash 7 times in Jordan tested his obedience to a prophet of God, and further, to God himself. 

Good news is a wonderful thing and hard thing to keep a secret. Fortunately, we don't have to keep the Gospel a secret! Often, good news first requires faith and obedience. Remember today that the best news our world has ever received is what Jesus did for us. Even when you can't find any other good news in your life, know that the gospel of Jesus Christ, and more importantly the person of Jesus Christ, is with you always.  Let that good news permeate your life through obedience so that all the world may know what Jesus did for us.

Note: All scriptures from Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).