Nåd (God's Grace)

After quite a hiatus, I have decided to start blogging again. My hope is to give a little update at least once a week.
This week so far has been a lesson in Grace. The topic has been on my mind quite a bit and I have been experiencing it in different ways.
One of my friends who has been through some tough things in the last few years, received some news this week which indicated that this tough time was not yet over. For them it may not feel good but they are able to look back at God's Grace through the tough times of the last few years.  What a good reminder for me, for all of us.
On Sunday while getting ready to do music worship, we had all sorts of set backs: Guitars that wouldn't work properly, a violin that was having issues and other items that had been left at home and needed to be feched. Throughout it all we were able to keep our heads and experience peace, which led to things working out better than I had planned. Grace.

This week in the office, even though I have felt quite unmotivated, things have gone forward and I feel more inspired than when I started.
What am I working on this week?
Well, how do I help my people do their work more effectively? One thing that I am focussing on this week is how I follow up on our meetings. To make the meetings more effective, my accountability of them needs to be better.

On a personal note, this week I have started physical training again after a break due to travel and illness.
What are you up to this week?
J

So, After 1 month in Barbados, I finally get around to writing a blog post. Unfortunately I have no pictures for you, but many things are happening.
It has been a good time of re-connecting with people these past few weeks, though I have not met as many as I would have liked. I must also confess that the rain has messed with my beach plans these last few days. However I cannot blame only the rain.
I always find it funny how when it rains it pours, both with precipitation from the sky as well as with life.
Why is it that when one is busy, one often becomes more busy, and when one has little to do, nothing much happens.
Ok... so this next month will include visits from 2 scandinavian friends, with the first one arriving today. :)
However, I still need to take it a bit easy after the weird episode on Monday.
Hopefully some photos will be soon on their way!
J

Happy Birthday to Me!

A Valborgsafton fire can be even bigger than
this one

Today, the 30th April is celebrated as Valborgsafton (Valborgsmässoafton or simply Valborg) named after a saint. (from wikipedia: 'The current festival is, in most countries that celebrate it, named after the English missionary Saint Walpurga (ca. 710–777/9). As Walpurga was canonized on 1 May (ca. 870), she became associated with May Day, especially in the Finnish and Swedish calendars.')

Cows enjoy the first day outdoors in 2012

People in many places in Sweden will set their old christmas trees on fire (very carefully) and watch the fire and sing songs and have a lovely time with family and friends.
Tomorrow is Labour Day and I will stay away from the protest and enjoy the 'red day'  (aka bank holiday) in Sweden.
Last year we went to a farm to watch the cows being released for the first time for the year. They have been indoors all winter and were rather excited to run out and play in the grass and bounce around as if they were bunnies. It was fantastic! I hope to do that again tomorrow.!

King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia

It is also the King of Sweden's (King Carl XVI Gustav) birthday as well.

Oh I also know a couple that was married 2 years ago on this day. :)
So why is this day so significant to me you ask?
Well, it is the 2nd anniversary of the day that I arrived in Sweden, not as a tourist but as a person living here. I am not an immigrant, but I do live here. So it is my swedish birthday. :)





The last 2 years have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Many good time. Many terrible times. However it has been an awesome time.
I have learnt so much about myself and others. I have learnt alot about Yahweh and Yeshua. I have met so many people that I have forgotten names and faces without meaning to.
All in all, more than all that I have seen and done, Yahweh has shown Himself to be faithful. He is my Father, and Friend and continues to shape me into someone with more potential that I could have ever had on my own.
Thank you for these years Father.
Thank you Father for the people that you have placed around me. Thank you to the people around who have chosen to be friends. Thanks for all the chicken, and the movies and the laughter and the tears and for your love.
Happy Birthday to me!

Cycling in the forest, on ice... YEAH!

Jag och cyklarna

On Tuesday 16th April, I am my friend Josia, decided to ride our bicylces early in the morning. We met outseide Willy's supermarket at 06:20 ish... and after a little trouble with helmets and gloves, set off on our adventure.
I thought that it might be nice to venture over to the forest in which there is a nice little lake and dam.
Well, this was the first real time that I had ridden my bike since the first snow in November of last year, and it was clear that I had lost what little fitness had been achieved then.
We made it to the forest and stopped to take photos by the lake that we discovered was still very much frozen.

 

Frozen lake

We then rode through the gate to the field and after walking the bikes UP the wonderful hill, we continued to ride away on adventure.
OK, so I found myself in front, as Josia was busy taking photos while riding, and turned a corner and proceeded downhill. This was a wonderful thing until I realised that there was still ICE on the trail. Maybe this is a normal thing for some people, but I have NEVER ridden on ice before!
Anyway, the ice was soft so with a reasonable speed we both managed to get by it. We proceeded a little further and realised that if we continued on our path it would take a while to get back home and we both wanted to have the opportunity to have some breakfast before going to the office. With that in mind, we turned around and went back the way that we had come.

Riding on ICE on the way back

This turned out to be even more adventurous. There was a near collision on the ice. Josia rode next to me and slowed down at the exact moment that I needed to swerve to avoid sliding across the ice. In order to avoid a collision, I stopped abruptly, and put my foot down... on ice... and then began a little slide. It was fun getting back on the bike :)
The next incident came as I found myself riding in softish sand. While trying to get to the side that was actually more solid, my front tyre slipped, became stuck and I flew off the bike. I was fantastic. The only real injury was bruising received from the pedals or handlebars.
That was one of my best mornings. It is so nice and quiet early in the morning and being out in nature is one of the best ways to start the day. Skål!

Resurrection Day Weekend

It is the first day of spring today!
Well, no one is really sure if it is, but today the little machine came and cleaned the street. They removed all the little stones from the street. These stones have been there since late November when the first heavy snow came. They make it more difficult to slip and hurt oneself on the ice covered roads, though it is still very possible.

We have had some beautiful days recently. Lots of wonderful sunshine and warmer temperatures during the day, althought the nights are still quite chilly.


 I was blessed to be able to spend the Easter weekend with some friends-like-family in another city called Örebro. It was a lovely time of rest, food, and good chats.

Here is a photo of Uncle G walking on the water after lunch at the Nature Reserve. We needed the walk after that fantastic lunch.


 

I even had the opportunity to walk on water! Well the water was frozen and covered with snow, but that is not the point. It was still a first time experience. We went to a place called Kilsberg and walked across the lake and sat on mats in the snow and the sun and ate Fika.
This was certainly a different thing for a barbarian in Sweden to do. My other first that weekend was using the carpooling web group successfully. I was able to travel by train to one place, meet someone there and then get a ride to Örebro. It was kinda cool actually. Meeting new people and seeing slightly different parts of the country.
  

There were some ladies from Hong Kong visiting OM Sweden for an outreach last week who taught me to say 'The Lord' in cantonese.



Now I am back at the office. Many people are either taking time off or travelling for work.
I am looking forward to warmer days and the beauty of Spring.
Bye, bye Winter!

Letting Go

These last 7 days have been hectic to say the least.
We hosted an event for youth on the weekend, which was rather tiring but the youth seemed to enjoy themselves.
On Sunday the main speaker spoke about forgiveness in a different way. He mentioned a friend of his, whose story I had heard before, whose wife had been murdered some years ago as a political/religious type statement. While his friend was lying on the floor (held down by officers who wanted to prevent him from looking at his wife's dead body in the next room), the friend says that he heard God speak clearly to him about the need to forgive the people who had done that, rather than holding on to bitterness.
Can you imagine, no words or revenge or comfort, but words encouraging him to forgive, in an instance when he had good cause to be bitter and angry.
What does this say to us? I often am annoyed when God speaks this way to me about smaller, yet justifiable things.
In my heart however, I know that what God is saying is best for me in the long run.
Holding onto unforgiveness and bitterness hurts us more than anyone else. It poisons our very souls, and can cause us to be less of who we were created to be.

What are you holding onto in your heart?
Is there bitterness that you need to let go of in order to truly live!

photo:
"Silhouette Of A Man " by markuso

True verses REAL

Last night a groupd of us watched a movie from 2007, called Trade.
I encourage many people to watch it though it may not be suitable for children.
There is so much happening in this world that we kinda know happens, but we don't have to pay attention to it so we don't.
Most of the time we will only pay attention to things that directly affect us.
Gary Haugen, the founder and director of International Justice Mission, says even though we know that these things are TRUE, because they are not as REAL to us as the things and people in our lives, we are not truly moved by them.
When something becomes truly REAL to us, do we ignore the pain and disgust or annoyance that they cause us, or do we "breathe it in" (as W. Wilberforce says in Amazing Grace) so that we are moved to action?

I don't know exactly what action I (one person) should take in ending this great shame on humanity, but I do know that I must do something. This horror may not be reality for me, but it is reality for over 27 million people. That is more than 27 million people who cannot enjoy the spiritual and physical freedom that I enjoy. To THIS, I cannot turn a blind eye.
Can you?

'Happy' the Orange Snowman says 

Today, January 11th 2013, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Human trafficking is described as the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. Other purposes can be extraction of organs, or tissues etc.

There are many websites with tonnes of imformation about the plague that human trafficking is on humanity. Here are a few links for you.

www.ijm.org

www.un.org

 

Also check YouTube.

There are an estimated 27 million people affected by this problem.

Campaign Orange has been about using the colour ORANGE to bring attention to the subject.
People have been asked to wear ORANGE, today.
A few of us from work searched through our closets and took up that challenge.

 












This is my first week back in the office, after moving to another apartment last week. I am still in the process of unpacking, which is always 'fun' but rewarding.
Why is it so difficult to wake up in the mornings when it is dark outside? I think that it is more difficult than before Christmas.

When my alarm rings, I have to turn the energy saving bulb by my bed on... then when I am awake enough, I turn the second alarm off and then i get up and turn some other lights on. Eventually I figure out that I need to shower and get dressed and then find myself rushing around to get out the door.

This morning before showering, I looked outside at the depressing darkness (it was 07:30) and I longed for snow to bring some brightness to the place. At around 08:30 when I was leaving the buidling I was shocked to see the strangest looking snow on the ground... and it has been snowing steadily for a little while now as well :)
I am soooooooo very happy that the snow is back, if only for a short while.

Christmas day 2012 has passed by so quickly and 2013 is almost upon us.
So much has happened in this last year and so much more will happen in the coming year as far as I can see.
Sweden is so beautiful when there is snow on the ground, that you find yourself wishing that it would be cold. It isn't so nice when the temperature is just above 0 C but so nice when it is around 5 C and the trees are covered with snow.

I was able to go skiing for the first time a few days ago which was fantastic! However on my second day of skiing, although it went well for the most part, it ended with my twisting my ankle which is NEVER a good idea.

Snow, Julbord, sliding down hills in the snow and falling in the snow, time with friends and time with God. That is how I spent my Christmas!

Dear Friends,

One day someone told me that I should ask God what He wants me to do in the time that I am still here in Barbados.

Sometimes figuring out what God wants can be interesting because it doesn't look anything like what we think it should.

I have not worked in the traditional sense, which is a bit upsetting in a way. It feels like if I have been here this long maybe I should do the normal thing and get a regular job for a while. However, though it would make me feel more productive as a person, I am not sure this is what should happen. Why? Well this time of decreased responsibility has been difficult to accept in some ways but I believe that it has been important as well. 

This has been a good time of healing both physically and emotionally as well as a good time of rest.

(If you would like to hear more about this time of healing, and the reasons for rest drop me a _____).

Music

They say that music heals the savage beast. Well I am not sure about savage beast, but I do enjoy music, so I have invested some time in becoming a more proficient musician. This has been slow going for various reasons but has been a source of great joy.

I have enjoyed being involved with the worship team at the living room which I have been able to play twice with at church recently. I also enjoy visiting a band which practices on Friday nights when I can.

I also had the opportunity to spend a little time at YWAM's King's Kids camp during the Easter Holidays. I was asked to help with the worship 2 early mornings and one evening. I think it did me more good than it did the kids. It was awesome seeing God moving in the lives of the kids and leaders as well... not to mention much fun.

Progress

At this point I only need $100USD more a month to be given persmission to leave for Sweden. God has shown His goodness in many ways, including providing possible accomodation until September, and lowering the required support amount. I will still need to raise a bit more than this $100USD in order to deal with a few needs here in Barbados I.e life insurance etc.

Thank you all for your support in prayers, finances and care. 

It has been a blessing to have so many people who want to get involved in what ever way they can, whether it be praying, or giving large amounts or giving smaller amounts (ie $20 BBD a month). Every contribution, great or small is appreciated.

At this point, I need to arrive in Sweden before Mid May, in order to be welcomed by the office. If I do not arrive then, I will have to wait until September.

Communication

I have already asked some people this question, so please bare with me.

Would you prefer to receive newsletters by email, by post, to read it online (blog) or not receive at all? Please let me know your preference if it makes a difference how you receive the newsletter.

Thank you all again for your support through the years and months.

Blessings,

Jackie

Fearless

True courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward even in the presence of fear. In the same way, a truly courageous person is not the one who does not feel fear, it is indeed the one who continues with a course of action even though their knees are knocking together.

True inner strength is not the ability to appear strong. It is not the ability to deal well with something with which you are accustomed dealing. Really it isn't.

For instance, a person who is a good communicator with good oration (speaks well) doesn't need to put much effort into speaking before a group of people. They may need to calm their nerves a bit but for them the act of speaking is probably a joyous one. Think now to what happens to a person with a stammer. I was so inspired watching the movie 'The King's Speech'. I was so inspired when a young man in church who speaks with a stammer, spoke on behalf of the young people the other day. Man what courage that must have taken for him to do that!

I think some of the most courageous people that I have met or heard of have been people who seemed weak at the time.

How often do we laugh at the person who speaks with a stammer, or been impatient with the person who isn't as quick or capable as we are?

It might not take you and I much courage to walk down the street, but what courage does it take the blind person who has to walk with a cane or a seeing eye dog down a street that they cannot see.

The trouble is, how many of us don't see them as brave? How many of us see them as inconvenient, or even stupid? 

Often, us human beings, think that because we have good things going for us (we are good looking, smart, physically sound, have good jobs, even have good morals, maybe we even give money to the poor) we are special or superior to others.

Honestly... how many times have we looked down our noses at those who are not as smart, not as beautiful, not as weathly, not as moral as we are?

Honestly... how much more courage does one need to wake up each morning and live life when you know that there is something real that makes life more difficult for you to do simple things? Probably a lot!

I had friends who struggle with something serious. The kinds of thing that people look down their noses at others for (sometimes). I have to confess that I think those friends are brave people. Why? They chose to look their 'problem' in the face and to tackle it... regardless of what others think. 

It may be time that I learn from my own fears. Learn what God is working on in my life, learn more about myself. Perhaps in doing this, I will find the courage to face the fears, and then to look at the God that is bigger than my fear. Maybe then I will find the courage, to embrace my destiny. 

J

The Parable of the Sand Dollar

The other day I went for one of my regular work out in the ocean evenings with a friend.

On that day, my friend dive down and surfaced with the shell of a sand dollar. She checked first that it was indeed dead.

She then looked at me and said, “Let's play a game! One of us throws this and the other has to dive to find it. Then the one that finds it throws it for the first one to dive down and find it.”

The sand dollar was almost flat and very thin. Though it would not float, it would sink very slowly in a gentle motion.

Anyways, the point is, we were searching for something delicate and not easily seen. The sand dollar was similar in colour to that of the sand.

Now when my friend threw it, I quickly swam towards the direction of her throw to find it. We were in maybe 15 feet of water and I was not sure if I would be able to find it if it sank to the bottom. Truefully I am not the worlds'greatest swimmer and though I can free dive a little I had no desire to be scurrying around on the ocean floor looking for this thing, while my precious supply of oxygen disappeared from my lungs. After all if I use up all my oxygen down there, I won't have any left to come back up with. Not to mention the fact that my ears were giving a little trouble to be equalised.

So with all these things in mind, I dove furiously after this little sand dollar. Fortunately it was still drifting slowly down... in fact it was clearly visible once I had submerged and I reached frantically for it before it could get away from me. “I must get it before it is too late I thought. Get it I did. Unfortunately sand dollars are quite fragile. And as I grasped it with both hands, I felt it break. It broke into 3 pieces. I was quite upset, because I realised that I had destroyed something beautiful in my attempt to not let it get away. It was at this point that my friend found a small piece of dead coral to use for our game instead. I did try to keep the pieces of the sand dollar. They spent most of the rest of the beach visit relaxing on our boogie board. Unfortunately, as we walked out of the sea, a wave splashed over the boogie board and took one of the pieces away. My plan to save the broken sand dollar to glue it back together was dashed into pieces and eventually we threw the other two pieces away.

This is not the most fascinating story that has been ever told, but it does have great significance.

How many times in our lives, in mine and in yours, have we destroyed the very delicate thing of beauty that we were looking for? (SELAH)

Perhaps we were looking for someone's heart. A heart that meant a lot to us, but maybe, we were really playing a game, or too anxious, or really not too careful, we broke that heart and eventually lost the heart.

See, the trouble isn't that we humans do not appreciate beauty or worth. The trouble is that most times, we do not know how to handle it when we have found it.

Maybe the heart that we were searching for was that of a spouse, or a potential significant other, or perhaps a good friend, a parent or a child. Maybe it was the heart of a person we didn't realise was lifeless inside. Maybe it was our own heart. Maybe it was the heart of God.

You see if I had not been so anxious to get the sand dollar before it had sank too deep out of my reach, maybe I would have actually gotten it, and kept it intact. Maybe if I had taken a second to observe where it was going, and how quickly it was sinking, maybe I could have swam closer to it and scooped it up instead of snatching at it! Maybe!

Maybe if I had greater confidence in my own abilities, or even had more skill, I could have swam after it and scooped it up more carefully. Maybe!

Hearts are even more delicate than sand dollars, and can easily be bruised, or broken.

Rather than rushing to find a beautiful heart and to keep it for ourselves, maybe it is better to observe it and see where it is going so that we can encounter it on its journey.

Rather than stopping the heart from going to the depths where it is meant to go, we can improve ourselves and our own abilities so that we can go deep with it.

Rather than snatching at the heart, maybe we can cradle it and bring it to a place were we can coexist peacefully and in safety.

The next time that you encounter a heart, that you want to keep... remember the sand dollar, understand the lesson, and be wise.

Die to Live

Have you ever felt like the walking dead?
 I have... in fact I felt that way for a long time!

At the end of 2009 I celebrated my 33rd birthday. This meant that I was 33 for most of 2010.
Someone commented one day to a friend (who was also 33) and I that Jesus died when He was 33. We laughed when they said it. But the truth is... I died when I was 33. I cannot tell you exactly when it happened but it did. No I don't mean died as in stopped breathing and having a heartbeat. I meant the person that I was died!
Ok, clearly not a physical death as I mentioned earlier… but a different kind of death. What I mean is, I had been walking around carrying all sorts of death in my body.

What death was I carrying in my body?… fear, hate, malice, pain, shame, lies, lust, pride, lack of trust in God, anger towards God, selfishness, cowardice. (I will end this list here so that no one tries to have me committed to an asylum.)

In order that I might have true life, these things had to die. Death!

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body” 2 Corinthians 4:11

I am not really sure what Apostle Paul meant, but my interpretation, or what the verses speak to me is… that  in order to have true life, the life of Christ, I have to share in the death of Christ.

See we often get all excited about new life in Christ. We get baptized and take communion and all the good things to identify with Him. However, we forget that identifying with Him means that we also identify with Him in His death.

So this death that I am speaking about has nothing really to do with me being 33 at the time. It is indeed something that everyone who is a believer must go through… at some point. We symbolize this death with our baptism service. You know they say that we die and then rise to new life in Christ… symbolized by going backwards under the water then coming up… yes alive!

(Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.) 2 Corinthians 4:16

When you is going through one of these dead periods, you learn so much about yourself and about God, if you let Him. You see the real you... and you see the real Him.

The best thing about the year of death is… rising again. This hasn’t been a one day occurrence but it feels like full life is slowly but deliberately. The cool thing is that the things that had to die have been and are being replaced, with better things like boldness, love, joy, peace, patience, etc (see Galatians 5:22 to 26)

I feel like a different person.

Truth is... I am still the same person that I have always been. I still love eating chicken and playing the guitar.

I still dislike matches, and cabbage and still have pain in my joints.

But inside… inside something amazing has taken place. Real healing!!
No I am not perfect, a lot still has to happen in my heart… I suspect it will take a lifetime. 
Now I feel like God is saying to my soul… “Wake up, and see what  I have done, and am doing!”

The cry of my heart is, “Show me Your Glory! Let Your Will be done in me!”

I encourage you to die so that you might find true life.

“For You and You alone, awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
  For the world You love, Your will be done, let Your will be done in me”
Awakening, Chris Tomlin

I Cried on the Inside

One day, I walked into a room to see one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

A young woman, 23 years old, leaning back on her daddy while sitting on their couch, listening to his rumbling voice as he read a letter from family friends to her. It was christmas day 2009.

It was a simple thing... nothing unusual for that family. Normal.

For me it was unusual. I had seen many children with their parents, many girls with their daddies. However, I don't think that I had ever walked in onto such a simple yet intimate moment between father and daughter. It wasn't her graduation day. It wasn't her wedding day. It wasn't even the day that she had returned from a long trip away. They weren't even being snuggly because it was christmas day. It was really, just another day in their house. Normal.

Why is it such a sweet thing? Well, it is an awesome thing to see a daddy with his little girl, even if she isn't so little anymore.

Isn't such an awesome, beautiful image for God as our Father.

Many of us have not had righteous God fearing fathers. Many of us don't know what it is to have a father's love. Many of us do not know what it brings with it.

What do many people know of fathers? Criticism, indifference, dogmatism (there's a big word for you!), hatred, distance.

They (the mysterious they) say that children who have not had a godly human father struggle to understand how to relate to God the Father. They say, that these people project their image of their earthly fathers onto God and struggle to have a real relationship with God because of it.

They are right! How can a person know something other that what they do know? Seriously, how could a person who has one definition in their minds of what a father is, have a different definition of God the Father?

I have to say that over many years God has been changing my view of what Father means, of what a daddy does. He has used different people, my friend's fathers to show me what fathering looks like.

He used a few directly, one in particular, to show me what it means to be fathered in an everyday sense. (Thank you Poppa!)

There has been much healing in my heart concerning the lack of a human daddy in my life. There has been much forgiveness and peace concerning that whole thing.

However, I have to say that on that Christmas day, sitting, watching my friend and her daddy, I felt like I was intruding on something special... like I shouldn't be in their space. They weren't bothered of course and told me to feel free to come in and sit in the living room with them, which I did. I left after a little while because it was so uncomfortable to be there and intrude.

I confess that I cried on the inside... I cried because it was truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I cried because more daughters should be held like that by their daddies. I cried because I knew that I would never, ever have that in this lifetime with a human father. I cried because deep in my heart I know that God the Father loves me more than my friend's dad loved her, or more than any father could love any daughter.

Today I cry, on the inside, because there are too many daughters and sons growing up not knowing the love of a good father. There are too many daughters and sons growing up with the wrong impression of God as a father because they have no frame of reference for good fathering. There are too many daughters and sons growing up rejecting God because, why would they want another father who will only regard them with indifference, or disgust. I cry on the inside because our world is quickly loosing the closest frame of reference to God on this earth...i.e. healthy, loving families.

If you have never known the love of a good father, or if your good father has failed you in too many painful ways... take heart! There is a father who knows what He is doing and He does it for His sake (Glory) yes, but also for your sake, because of how much He loves you! He gave His life so that you could have life, abundantly. There is no darkness, indifference, nor malice in Him towards you. Only love!

Perhaps it is time to stop we crying on the inside, and to cry out to Him... DADDY!

Love Is Still a Worthy Cause

I was listening to a song today called, “Does anybody Hear Her”.

Allow me to quote the chorus and bridge for you respectively. (Please see the link on my FB page for the full lyrics and video.)

“Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?”

“If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we've never even met her”

Ok... so if there is hope living in you and me... yes I mean you christian... why is the world so hopeless?

Why do we think that standing up for what we believe means looking down our noses at people that we perceive as sinners? Have we forgotten that 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us?'

We forget that the reason for Christ doing this is that it was a demonstration of how much He loves us.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Somehow... we seem to have forgotten love.

We focus so much on what we think is righteousness that we forget that Love was a greater, motivation on the part of God. Even in His righteousness and our depravity... He loved us so much... more than enough to cause Him to step down from the lofty place that He actually is in to love us.

Shouldn't we then step down from the high places that we think we are in and love others?

How do we love others? Good question.

I reckon that there is no easy answer to that one.

For a start, I think, chose not to judge people. Judge their actions sure. At some point no matter how liberal we are, we need to make decisions about right and wrong. However, because a person's actions offend me... should that person offend me? (Ok child molestation and rape is another category altogether but even then.)

When we learn to separate people from their actions maybe then we will be able to take the steps towards them to help them heal, change, grow.

Another way is to chose not to make assumptions about people. We are all guilty of this one... I do it all the time.

We decide that because of how they are dressed, where they are from, their speech, their B.O, their teeth, their car, the school that they attended or what their parents do for a living, that we know who they are. Shall we make efforts to get to know people for who they really are, so that we may love them?

Shall we choose to love people even with their... peculiarities.

Shall we decide not to attach scarlet letters (see the 'bridge' of the song and note at the end) to people in our minds?
Shall we decide to hold to our beliefs and morals in and with love?

The “Scarlet letter” is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

In the book a young woman, named Hester Prynne falls pregnant while her husband is out of the country and refuses to reveal the identity of the baby’s father. For her, crime, she is forced to wear a scarlet coloured cloth in the shape of the letter ‘A’.

Relational Relitivity

Life is interesting isn't it?The way that people do things and think now is so... different from how things were done in the past.One huge example is in relation to jobs, employment. 
My mother's generation in this lovely island seems to be the generation where a huge section of society pulled themselves out of poverty.Many people in my mom's generation became teachers and nurses and civil servants etc. They were more educated than their parents and would eventually have better, higher paying jobs than their parents. My mom's generation tried their best to achieve some kind of educational qualification after secondary school so that they could have a profession. They would find a job in this profession and many stayed in that job until mandatory retirement. The thought of changing professions would not even occur to many of them. That was just how it was.
My generation is a bit different. My generation also tended to aim for some nice qualification to lead to a nice, hopefully nice paying job. However some of us have discovered after a few years that the job that we have wasn't... fulfilling, so some of us tried to find something more rewarding to do with our lives. I suspect that this happens alot in western countries.
 My generation is crying out for fulfillment in their employment. People long to find something that gives their lives meaning as well as brings home a paycheck. One of the growing trends is to discover who you are, especially among christians. It seems that as more believers find out that God has created them for a purpose, they want to figure out what that purpose is (in the specific sense. , lol)So we do the wonderful personality trait tests, and the how we learn tests, the love languages tests and the strengths test, and all sorts of other tests. We are pleasantly pleased to find out there are reasons why we think and do things the way that we do. (HURRAY) We find out that we really aren't that strange because there are others who think and act like we do, and so we set out on a quest to live the abundant life that Christ died for. (wonderful)
 Here is the thing... why do we only apply our individuality in who we are to what we do?What I mean is, we take what we have learnt in all these test and try to figure out what work we should do. Why don't we apply the test to our relationship with God.
 Confused?? Good. 
 We have ideas of what it looks like when a person is a good christian. Well dressed, tidy, prays for 15 minutes every morning and before each meal. They are excellent and instinctive at managing their money. Their children are the most intelligent and most talented 2.5 kids around. They have the coolest jobs and always seem to have life in control. They have no problems, quote scripture on a dime, and lead the most disciplined lives around. They have daily quiet times, and always seem to have a bible near to them. They tell everyone that they know that they are believers and run from the mere thought of every sin. Many of these people do exist and are wonderful people... but what about the rest of us who aren't like them.Seriously, I forget to read the Bible sometimes... often. No, developing a routine won't help. Yes, maybe I am indisciplined... but then maybe, I am just me. Perhaps I need time to process the things in the Bible that I have read for a while. Maybe I am the kind of person who is much better at open conversation with God than at praying for selected amounts of time in specific places. Maybe if we teach people in discipleship how to figure out THEIR relationship with God, it would be better than trying to teach people what A relationship with God looks like.Are we like the woman who thinks that her husband doesn't love her because he doesn't say it that often, even though he comes home to her every night and always helps her with chores and spends time with her? True that husband will need to learn to say the words to her, but she also needs to develop a relationship with him that is based on who the two of them are, not what Hollywood says they should be.

 
Yes we should read our bibles and pray regularly as well as doing other things. However, should we beat ourselves over the head because we aren't as excited about some things in our relationship as some people are.
 Maybe we need to develop our own relationship with God based on who we are, and who He is, not what someone else's relationship looks like.
 Just a thought....

N.B This was originally posted on my FB page as a note.