Out of the box... into the circle.

Today was one of those days that I decided to work on cleaning up my apartment. It tends to be the "catch all" for anything I need to get out of the public areas of the Inn and quickly becomes cluttered... As I often do, I found myself throwing all kinds of miscellaneous things into a box to be sorted out later. (Actually, I have several boxes for sorting.) The only thing that the objects in these boxes have in common is the fact that I don't know what to do with them. There's no obvious home for these things in my apartment, so I've bundled them up and will eventually unpack them and try to them fit in, or throw them away, or pass them on to Goodwill... one day, I'll deal with these things as seems fit.

Sometimes I think this is the way the Church deals with people. We don't know what to do with them so we put them in a box and hope that eventually we or they will figure it out. There are many people who I believe get the box treatment; people I think of as being "on the fringe" when it comes to the circle of fellowship in the Church. I'll speak to the issue from my own personal experience as a single person in the "married Church". 

I am convinced that the married Church doesn't know what to do with single people, so they lump them all together and call it "Singles Ministry." In general, the only thing that really ties everyone in the group together is their marital status. Very little consideration is given to the details of individual lives that make up this group. They are single. Shouldn't that automatically qualify them to be in the same box together? 

Here are just a few of the many details that work together to make up the group of people the church likes to call "single" - We have never been married, or are divorced, or are widowed, or are separated. We are in our 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. We have never had children or are single parents or are "empty-nesters." We are gainfully employed or are unemployed or are retired or are on disability. We hope to marry (or remarry) someday or we have no interest in getting married (or remarried) or we just plain hope for God's best whatever that may be. Our family lives nearby, or far away, or we have no family at all. We are content with the life we live or we are disillusioned because we had hoped for something more. We are unique. 

The fact is, as a single person, I don't want to be lumped into a box with other single people. I want to be able to get out of the box that the Church has designed for me and get into the circle of fellowship. The church is full of circles of fellowship and it is generally well understood who belongs in those circles. My challenge to the Church would be to widen it's circles by learning to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, in its approach to ministry. My challenge to myself is to learn how to be an educator and advocate for people like me who often feel like we're on the fringe. My challenge to anyone who feels like they are on the fringe is to take action; be bold to find your place, rather than fretting because you haven't received a personal invitation. 

As I mentioned earlier, there are many people who may feel like they are "on the fringe" for one reason or another. They don't have a sense of belonging. They can't figure out where they fit in and the Church is ill-equipped to help them figure it out. Do you have a circle? Can you stretch that circle wider to help another in the body to find his or her place? Who do you know that might feel like he or she is on the fringe? An important note: fringe people are NOT mission fields. They are people who want to know that they matter in the Kingdom of God. They are people who want to know that they are of value to the body of believers. They are people who want to be shown that they do, indeed, have a place where they fit into the Church.

^"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf." ~1 Corinthians 10:16-17

^"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

Will you be voting this November?

Recently a friend on facebook raised a question that I've also contemplated: If you don't fully support the platforms of either candidate, should you vote? Based on replies to this question, as well as some feedback unrelated to this facebook dialog, I've come to the following conclusions:

• Our right to vote is a gift from God. He has used our government system to give us that right.  "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." ~Romans 13:1
•  NOTE: Don't be tempted to leave the decision "in God's hands"... He moves through His people.  "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." ~James 2:17
• Our freedoms as U.S. Citizens (including the freedom to choose our leaders) been defended by men and women in the military for years. We disrespect the sacrifice of many when we do not use our freedoms. Voting is one way that every citizen has "freedom of speech" and we need to let our voices be heard. 
• Voting for the "lesser of two evils" is still an important action. When we fail to do even this, we have increased the likelihood of the "greater of two evils" being in power. We whittle away a little of the evil and press on with prayer, in hopes that God will be merciful to our sin-filled nation. 

 So, even though I'm having a hard time being fully supportive of candidates in most of the positions up for election this year. I will pray for and research the candidates. Then on November 6, 2012 I will get out and vote with my best possible conscience. I hope you'll join me at the polls.

The Journey from Restless to Rested (Ps 107:4-9)

"Some wandered in desert wastelands finding no way to a city where they could settle" v4

To say I've moved a lot would be an understatement. At one time I could say "in 27 years I've moved 27 times." I wandered from place to place, town to town, state to state. I changed jobs, schools and, even friends, like I was changing my clothes. And like my clothes, I could never find the right fit. It didn't fit my personality, my preference, my style... When something didn't suit me, I tossed it aside, donated it to goodwill, and moved on... "Surely the next shop will have something more to my liking," I thought.

"They were hungry and thirsty and their lives ebbed away" v5

Oh, yes. I was hungry and thirsty... but not for physical food. Certainly I've had more than my share of that. My hunger went deeper than any physical nourishment. I needed something else. Still I fed my hunger with that which cannot satisfy. I drank stagnant water from a rusty cup and pretended that it quenched my thirst.

In the midst of all this, I somehow knew that "the Lord, He is good and His love endures forever." (Ps 107:1)

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress." v6

I hit a lot of walls as I journeyed through the maze of my life. At every turn, my Heavenly Father was waiting for me to ask for His help. Each time I asked, He answered. The key became this: Keep on asking!

"He led them by a straightway to a city where they could settle." v7

When I finally reached the point of surrender, I listened to the guiding voice of my Savior and He led me to a place I can now call home. I'm always mindful of the fact that this is not my home [ah, someday - heaven!] but for now, I am in a place that is as much like home as it can be.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." v8-9

Although it has taken me a long time to surrender to the Father's love, I'm so blessed to have done so. Nothing can satisfy me like Jesus! He is daily pouring out His unfailing love upon me. He has satisfied my thirst with Springs of Living Water and filled my hungry heart with blessing upon blessing. Praise His name!

Life is far from perfect, but it sure is a lot closer when I "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love endures for ever." 

Encourage one another

May I introduce my sweet friend, Virginia? I've known her name for a long time, but have gotten to know her over the past year. We meet together weekly for fellowship, reading and prayer.

I cannot begin to tell you the ways that she has blessed me with her words of encouragement and her prayers. I have learned to pray more meaningful prayers because she models it for me. Her heart is so full of love for Jesus!

One of the consequences of being single is that you don't have anyone to say "how was your day, Dear?" Virginia fills that gap for me. Every week she is eager to hear about my week past and the week ahead. Often she challenges me in regards to my physical care of myself. (It's nice to have someone who will do that.) She encourages me in my work and reminds me that I should learn to ask for help when I am clearly too busy.

Together we area able to share our joy and sorrows, laughter and tears. There is great joy in seeing a smile on the face of this precious woman of God. 

I thank God for bringing us together during this season of our lives. In His great wisdom, He knew that we would be good for each other.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..."

~1 Thessalonians 5:11

A leap of joy

I love this picture! How wonderful to leap into the strong arms of the one you love and know that he loves you, too. To know that you are in the arms of one who will always love you, always protect you, always provide for you.

I look at this picture and think how wonderful it will be to leap into the arms of my Savior someday. Know that He has been my everything and that I can express my great joy in this way.