new but OLD.

Ever since we were children we are told stories. Some true, others fairy tales. I myself would rather hear about the true ones, on the contrary I would rather tell the fairy tales. I was reading a story today and it will be up to you to determine if you think it is true or not. Some of the ideas below are related to the book Sex God written by Rob Bell on pages 80-84, please read to identify common ideas. The verse that is of particular interest is found in Ephesians 4:28.

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. "

If we take this idea of stealing into consideration there are different aspects that attract people to do so. Usually, but not always stealing begins because there is a desire to have something, but not having a legal way of obtaining it. For example a family has no money and is hungry, so a family member steals a loaf of bread. While this even is occurring there are different aspects that are experienced by this individual. First, decide that this action must take place. Second, develop a plan. Third, involve the necessary people. Fourth, set up the event. Fifth, carry it out. During step five, the action process, this individual is experiencing of an adrenaline rush. Six, reap the benefits.

Paul is the writer of Ephesians and he is writing to the saints of Ephesus. He is telling a thief not to steal, not go through any of the steps above, and to replace all of them with a job. Why would a thief do this? They don't have to work and eventually if they become good enough they can make a great living stealing what others have worked so hard to obtain. Where would their motivation to stop come from? Punishment? Being caught? Morals? Paul is calling for these individuals to stop their dishonest trade for an honest one. This not only seems ridiculous, but also not very practical.

If we continue to read this request it becomes even more unlikely to occur. Stop stealing. Get a job. Now help someone else. Really Paul? Yes! And what is even more interesting is "doing an honest work with his own hands." Why does Paul point this out? He points this out because it is HUGE! Think about how many thing you do with you hands. Some good, others bad. However there is always the potential for good. Doing bad things using your hands usually does not result with a good outcome.

For example, a father who hits their child. The father may gain a sense of having power, while the child is not only physically harmed, but made to feel inadequate. This is an extreme example, however it paints a clear image of the effects of choosing to do bad with your hands. An example of good, as a young child you are at play the majority of the time. Accidents often happen during this time frame and injuries are a result. The child begins to cry. Their parent's adrenaline level raises wondering what is wrong. The child will run to their parents arms for comfort and healing. They need their parents to care for them. The mother or father sweeps the children into their arms and kisses the scraped knee and the child finds comfort. Then runs off again.

Both examples used involve children and their interaction with parents. Children do not hide their emotions. In this we can learn a lot from them, but only if we pay close attention. The child from the first situation is suffering to make their father feel good. In order for the father to accomplish his desire, he sees it fit to abuse his child. If you were to approach this parent and tell him to hug his child instead, what do you think his response would be? Would it change after he knew the effects it was having on his child? What if the father received the help he needed? Could he then change his behavior? What would it take for the father to stop? In relation to the verse, Paul asks for this father not only to stop abusing his child, but also to change his habit to benefit his child.


Jumping back to the example of the child who scraped their knee and went to their parent for comfort. The child is at play. This is natural. The parent's greet their child with open arms. The child receives comfort and continues their play. Both the child and the parent have benefited from the situation. The child received the comfort and love they long for, while the parent feels useful and productive. One child walks away harmed, the other healed.

Paul, makes this point clear using jobs as an example. Identifying similar characteristic with children can help us to see these problems in our own lives. As a thief there is a specific adrenaline rush, alongside the need for something that is a driving force. As a child the need and desire for love which often directs their actions even if the child is completely unaware of this. Verse 28 tells us to stop stealing, find a job, do something useful with our hands, replace stealing with helping others. Ultimately it is asking us to stop being selfish and help those in need. Replace a bad adrenaline rush with a good one. Replacement is KEY! Another thing that is clear in this verse is to stop something, but to REPLACE it with something else. It is extremely difficult be use to an adrenaline rush, but when there is nothing then what? Where does the thrill come from? That is not what Paul is saying to us. We need to figure out where our six steps are taking us, and what is giving us our rush. What is fulfilling our desires? These desires should be that of the parent who opens their arms and shares their love to their child. Both individuals involved benefit from the situation. It is helpful. Satisfying. An adrenaline rush. Finding what drives your soul and being present to experience it. BE PRESENT. Replace the bad with GOOD.

The Beauty Within

So this past weekend I went on a woman's retreat at Lost Canyon Younglife camp. I wasn't expecting to get much out of the weekend because of past experiences at various retreats and the cold shoulder I often receive for being different. Of course with this attitude God decided to intervene and change me. On the second day we were given just over 2 hours to participate in prayer stations and spend time with God. I have to admit I did not participate in any of the offered areas and didn't want to be around anyone. Instead I grabbed my journal and Ipod and headed off camp to hike a near by mountain.
I have been up at Lost Canyon countless times and always see this mountain that is always taunting me to climb it. And every time I come up with an excuse. But not this time. I treked through the mud from the melted snow, then had to figure out how Ugg boots were going to grip on snow/ice.


After I few slip ups I figured out it was going to take a lot more concentration on where I place my next step then is I had on proper equipment. As the hike progressed the climb became extremely more technical. Mapping out my every move to avoid falling off the boulders and causing an avalanch. As I gained in elevation there was an increase in the amount of snow and the depth at which the ground was located underneath it.

At this point in the hike I have realized now that my boots have zero traction, my jeans are soaked, I should have brought climbing gear, spikes would have become in extremely handle, and I could easily run into trouble fast if I wasn't careful. Walking turned into bouldering which then turned into falling up to my waist through snow. Every step was a potential hazard. I feel through and the snow came up to my waist. Using a near-by tree I had to pull myself out, while being careful not to lose my boot or fall in deeper. After pulling myself out I emptied my boots of snow and decided to gradually gain altitude by slightly angling my path instead of going straight up the mountain. After a few more snow mishaps I eventually reached the summit and found a place to sit and journal.

After removing my boots and attempting to dry out my jeans I decided to disconnect from everything and turned off my ipod. The view was magnificant and beautiful beyond words. I sat in awe as I began to realize that God created everything, including myself. The breeze was cold and the wind picked up. I continued to sit in silence and observe the beauty God has created for us to live in.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 1:27

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

God created everything that I was able to see. He created me. I am made in his image. He sees me and says I am good. The beauty I see in God's creation of the earth is what He sees in me. Such a simple concept, yet we miss it daily. God loves us, He created us exactly as He saw fit, and He is pleased in us. Not because of anything we have done or can do, but simply because He created us and loves us.

It was getting cold sitting at the summit with no shoes on. So I put my still wet boots on and hiked down into an area sheltered by rocks from the wind. The wind was picking up and I could hear it through the trees. To the right was a forest of healthy trees. To my left was a 30 ft tree that was dead and ready to fall over.
The wind passed through the forest and the alone dead tree equally. Making noise and causing movement. This reminds me of the Holy Spirit. Although we cannot see the Spirit we can feel it, are moved by it, and can see the effects of it. The trees on my right were a live and were beautiful to look at, while the one tree by itself on my left had nothing left to offer. All the leaves had fallen off, it provided little shade, and was ready to fall down. Despite all of these things the wind still made noise and caused movement.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

As we would consider this tree dead and useless, it is beautiful and useful to God. Although we are like this single tree and can't do anything helpful on our own and people look at us as going nowhere. God sees us completely different and will use us anyways. The world views us one way and God insists on using us and declares us as good in another way. Our beauty and purpose are defined by our creator and He just happens to be The Creator. He made it all and saw that it was good.

Truths:
We are made in God's image.
He created the world.
He saw that the world and we were good.
He sends his Holy Spirit into our lives to guide us.
Although we cannot see the spirit we can see its effects.
We cannot see wind. We can see the effects.
Something that is dead, can still be useful.
Although we mess up and are dead, God fills us with His Spirit and makes us whole again.