Month: September 2015

Pierce the darkness with light.

On By MJIn Biblical Application, ThoughtsLeave a comment

 

For a moment, or rather just a few moments, the world seemed to care about the moon and story it had to tell. In case you weren’t aware, this past Sunday was the super moon lunar eclipse. It was nicknamed “blood moon” as well, as it was allegedly a prophecy for the end times (I don’t buy that part of the story). Whether you’re a sciency sort of person, a religious person awaiting the coming of Christ in the appearance of the blood moon, or someone who just wanted to see what the fuss was about, a lot of the world, waited and watched the lunar eclipse. Here are a few of my pictures from the night…I missed a few phases of the eclipse, I missed most of the red reflections of light (hence the nickname of “blood moon”). Clouds were in the way. We’ve had rain off and on and I just didn’t think I would get to see any of the eclipse. Actually, I was disappointed because I love astronomy- constellations and the incredible depth of mystery around it all. Staring into the night sky is easily among my favorite things to do pretty much ever. After checking outside to see the moon, I decided to grab my camera, you know, just in case.

DSC_0019

The clouds blocked a lot of the moon. Even when I checked on the phases of it, often it was hindered by clouds and was pretty much a moon like any other night. Or at least, it wasn’t anything worth fussing about.

 

But I continued to watch it sporadically and see if anything changed.
DSC_0001

Still….so many clouds. I tried to capture the ending of the eclipse as best as I could. Between the clouds and my amateur photographer skills, it wasn’t the best shot. It was still so incredible to experience. I mean think about it, the world almost collectively watched the moon and regardless of location, the moon was present. It doesn’t mean that clouds, storms, buildings, or something else hindered its presence. The visibility was just blocked.  Not only were so many people watching the moon, people were going at it on social media posting pictures. If I may be honest for a minute…I get so sick of poor quality pictures. I know I am not professional photographer, but I know enough technique and have enough skill to spot good pictures or, in many cases of social media, bad or outright terrible ones. But nothing bothers me more than people posting either their own or someone else’s poorly or obviously photoshopped picture and claiming it to be either a masterpiece or declaration of truth. Its a fraud. I am all for using editing software and even photoshop, but please, for all that is good and beautiful, stop with the terrible photoshops being passed as fact. I saw people posting pictures of a bright red moon sitting on the horizon of the Mount of Olives essentially peering over the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem. Not only was the moon placement incorrect, the size and color were both terribly wrong, and quite obvious. But then there were other, less obvious, frauds that had so many people believing its validity. And though many were deceived by these frauds, we still will declare to the world, that we don’t like fake…

After my attempt of catching the eclipse mostly failed, I went inside my townhouse to read and watch some Netflix. I like evenings because I like the quiet and reflective nature of them. So after some binge watching, junk food, and Facebook, I unplugged a bit. At this point it was about 2 in the morning. Silence. Part of why I love the silence of the night is because I like to go outside on a porch, balcony, in a backyard, or wherever I am, and pray, reflect, then listen for what God has to say. When I stepped outside, I was taken aback for a moment. I thought there were new street lights or something because it was so unusually bright. I quickly realized something: I got to see the finale of something incredibly beautiful while the world slept (or in reality the Western Hemisphere). The moon was brighter than I had ever seen. It was big and bold and perfect. The clouds were gone. The sky was clear. And it was lovely.

I stood at the backside of my apartment building and fence just smiling in awe of such beauty. The darkness was gone. The night lit up like it was the day. And then something came to my mind, I believe, a whisper from God.

Pierce the darkness with light.

cropped-dsc_0040.jpg

Our world is filled with so much filth. Distraction. Hate. Evil. So much darkness engulfs this world. Just like the earlier part of my evening and watching of the eclipse. The clouds got in the way of the beauty and perfection. You see, when we allow for things to pollute us and fill us with filth, we aren’t in the light. We all have sin, innate darkness, within us. It is the very reason why our world is full of evil. Its why there is brokenness and pain. But with Jesus, light has come. Jesus died to bring life. He died to redeem. He died and rose again for each of us.  As Christians, Jesus needs to be the most important thing in our lives. He must be the light within us, but it must also break forth from us. What good is it if the light in us remains hidden from the rest of the world stuck in darkness? What good is it if we have been forgiven much and redeemed, yet aren’t telling others about it? Remember when I was talking about the bad photoshops? Yeah…nobody likes a fake, and if you’re a fake Christian- a hypocrite- people will eventually catch on.  Some might buy it, but eventually frauds are uncovered and exposed. If Jesus is the light of the world, if he is “the way the truth and the life”, why are we not excited to live that out and let the world catch at least a glimpse of that light? What good is grace and mercy in our lives when we aren’t living differently or offering it to others? If we, Christians…if we, the Church, stepped up and lived as we say we believe, and let Jesus not only change us, but light up the world around us, this world would and could look very very differently. Pierce the darkness around you with the light of Jesus Christ.

 

Remember.

On By MJIn ThoughtsLeave a comment

You may not know this about me, but I like to remember dates and important events. Historically speaking. Whether it was a good day (or event) or something horrifyingly painful, I feel like I need to remember it. If there is anything that frustrates me most, apathy and lack of compassion would be on the top of that list.

Now I am not one who normally cries in movies- romance or anything. But I do cry in movies that are based on real events- movies of honor, heroism, pain, suffering, and tragedy. I cry because I see the brokenness of this world, past or present. I love war movies. Among my favorites are Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and We Were Soldiers. I love other historical movies like Unbroken, The Impossible, and Hotel Rwanda. The reason I like movies like this and why I need to watch them over and again, is because it reminds me of something that happened and the pain (or joy) someone experienced. I am not someone who simply likes to post on social media about an event. It isn’t wrong to post something to commemorate something terrible or celebrate something good. But I like to remember so I do not forget.

When September 11th comes every year (which is today as I write), I relive the horrors of that day. I watch the news from our country that dark day. I read or watch survivors’ stories. I remember my own story from that day- the sadness and fear I felt. I remember the suffering that friends of mine went through. Every year on its anniversary, I watch the movie World Trade Center, about the survival of two Port Authority cops (starring Nicolas Cage). I’ve seen United 93 and other movies about the events as well.

I do the same thing with other movies that pair with important dates. When December 7th happens, the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, I watch the movie Pearl Harbor. December 26th is a date a lot of people may not remember the same as I do, but I watch The Impossible, as it shares the miracle and story of a family that somehow was able to survive the tsunami in 2005, the tsunami that nearly wiped out Asia Pacific. To honor our freedom for Independence Day, I’ll watch The Patriot. The timeframe in between Memorial Day and July 4th, I like to have a sobering reminder of freedom, the reminder being in watching the mini-series Band of Brothers, about the 101st Airborne Division, specifically following a group of soldiers from training camp and D-Day to VE Day. If I ever need a reason to push through difficulty, loss or overcome difficulty, I like to watch movies like We Are Marshall or North Country. I want to remember things, but I want to be inspired as well.

It may seem silly to you and that is honestly okay. But to me, this is so important. I want to be broken for this world. I want to remember tragedies and not let myself because calloused and cold to them. I want to be broken by suffering and pain. I want to be reminded of the things that have been overcome- war, death, injury, genocide. I want to feel something because I need to feel something. I believe deep in my core that this is something God put inside me- this deep empathy and ability to be broken for other people but also rejoice and be excited with other people.

God’s heart breaks for brokenness.

I think we sometimes, myself included, want to blame God when things go wrong and might be painful, uncomfortable, or in the case of many of the dates I listed above, out right terrible. God is the creator, but he gave free will. Out of that free will, people have the choice to do great or terrible things. When these things happen, I want to have a heart that weeps for others. I want to have a heart that is reminded of pain and sorrow, but also to hope. Regardless of the actions of others, I want to be the kind of person that sees people the way God sees them.

Nothing about this post is like my normal- with a call to action or a challenge. Instead, it is me sharing my heart, to you. I guess, if I will give a challenge, it is this: life will bring both good and bad, to you and to others. But you have a choice in your response. Don’t live your life pretending those things don’t matter. Don’t live your life ignoring the cries of others. Don’t blame God. Don’t quit trying. If I have learned anything from consistently watching these movies and others throughout the year (many falling on important anniversaries), it is to allow myself to feel something and to be moved to action, hope, love, and care, but to also inspire others to do the same. History- whether world, country or personal- should never be forgotten. It should be honored, remembered, and, if anything, a reason to continue to push through and strive on.

Charlie. 

On By MJIn Biblical Application, ThoughtsLeave a comment

Sometimes, we need to just stop… just for a moment, so we can see a bigger picture. Sometime we can be so busy. Think about it. We rush around to our own drumbeat and rhythm. On our way to work. Maybe it’s on your way to school. Maybe on your way to yoga or the gym. You might be rushing out the door with kids after a frazzled morning. At work, you might be overwhelmed with the insanity of a deadline or major project. In college, you have papers due, midterms and finals and an assortment of other assignments.

Life is crazy.

But does it have to be crazy? Does it need to be something that is so incredibly exhausting to the point where we miss life happening right before us? I had a moment yesterday. It’s been a tiring week so I was excited to sleep in until 8:30 or 9am. The coffee shop I work at has been insanely busy to the point where I’ve missed breaks and been on my feet for 8 hours straight. As I awoke yesterday, I saw a text asking me to come in for work early. I started getting ready for work thinking I’d be able to get there maybe 45 minutes to an hour early, instead of 2 hours early as requested. On my way out the door, I felt ready for what I figured would be another crazy day. I got in my car, with some worship music in the background, I began to pray- talking out loud to God. It may seem crazy but it’s a normal thing for me. I’ve been asking God for moments and opportunities for him to speak to me and show me things… little daily lessons. A few moments like that have happened lately and I’ve been wanting God to show me more. I wrote about one here on a previous blog.

Then something happened. I approached a busy intersection with the red light on my side. As I slowed to a stop I saw an elderly man walking with a cane across the street pulling a rolling suitcase. I was sad for him wondering where he was headed. The direction he was going would have him walking up some hills along a busy road in 95 degrees. In my heart, I knew I needed to pull over and see if there was something I could do. On an off chance miracle (or God ordained moment) he was heading to the Goodwill less than a mile from my store. So in a quick moment and choice, I decided to let him get in the car and I’d drive him to his destination. On our 10 minute drive, he shared a bit of his story. He’s 86 and diagnosed with liver cancer and has an inoperable tumor with 3 hopeful months to live. I’m unsure if he is currently or formerly homeless. Either way, he seemed to have a big story to tell.

When we pulled up to Goodwill, before he got out of my car, I asked if I could pray for him. I prayed for him- for God’s provision, understanding, and healing- but ultimately for God’s will to be done.  He then went on his way and I drove back toward my store. What I realized in those few minutes is something I wish more of us, especially Christians, could understand. Are we too busy to miss a moment or opportunity God has placed before us? Are we too rushed or too distracted to see God in the everyday? In the little moments? In the mundane? In the bustle and hustle of life, are we seeing what God is doing now? With Charlie, I got to hear his story, only in part, but I still was able to hear him, which I gathered he hasn’t been able to share in a long time. Are we willing to go out of our way for someone who can’t or won’t do the same? Are we willing to sacrifice for others, make time for others, or be uncomfortable for others?

Christians, we need to be in a place where the world sees Jesus in us. Jesus was incredibly intentional in everything he did. He chose to regularly go out of his way for others. He chose to regularly choose people in the midst of a crazy schedule. Jesus chose to help those who couldn’t do anything in return. Jesus taught his disciples that loving people, especially loving them where they were at (spiritually or physically), was the foundation of his message of the Gospel- the Good News. I’m not asking you to go do something extreme. I’m just simply challenging you to not miss God or the opportunities he places before us because we are too busy, too comfortable, too lazy, too distracted or too rushed. Maybe, just maybe, if we all could love our neighbor as ourselves, love people regardless if they can or will do anything for us, this world could look a lot more like Jesus.

The few moments like this over the past month have been moments that have spiritually challenged me to strive to actually be more like Jesus, instead of just saying I believe in him or love him. Whether its opening a door, picking up a stranger, paying for the person behind you, praying for that random person at work, or anything else, be sensitive and discerning to what God might possibly be saying to you or asking of you. It might be simple. But it might just be worth it.