In elementary school we used to have this little store on wheels that you could buy things off of, pencils, pens, paper, erasers, books, etc. Around each holiday they would have small magazines of things you could order for gifts for people (aprons and candles for mothers day, ornaments for christmas, cards for birthdays, and so on and so forth). I remember one upcoming Fathers Day I had saved up my pencil and scented eraser money and bought my dad a mug that said "Worlds Greatest Dad" My dad was so happy and so proud to get that mug, and I was so happy and so proud to be able to give it to him because in my eyes he was the worlds greatest dad. He held so many characteristics of what one small child would consider the "perfect father". When my mom left us I was about 8 years old, and up until that point I dont remember seeing my dad very much or having a close relationship with him. But when he was left as sole parent, everything changed. He learned how to cook for us (yes fish sticks and friend bologna but still). He learned how to do the laundry (yes i had pink and purple panties and socks that were once white but who cares). He owned his own business, kept up with the housework, coached my sister and I in all of our sports, never missed a game, never missed a play or choir concert, took time to do homework with us when we struggled, took us to church, and did all of the things that gives the impression of LOVE. And of COURSE it was LOVE, my dad adored us. Was he perfect? Not at all. Once we get older we realize our dads arent perfect, and sometimes it is a struggle because we have this superhero image of our dads and when they let us down, or screw up big time it can alter our perception of them forever. My dad was killed in a car accident a little over a year ago. Given ways he screwed up, times he scared me, mean words he'd say to me, times i may not have felt so loved, etc...given all of that I would give anything in the world to have him back still.
I say all of that to move on to chapter 3 in Crazy Love which talks about our relationship with God as our father. And not just a father to fear, but a father to recognize as the one and true worlds greatest dad. I know it's a hard concept, even for me, but the creator of this world LOVES me. Me? Little ole me? Yes!!! As a matter of fact he intimately knew me before I was even a thought in my mother's head.
Francis Chan depicts an image of how God wants us to love him and come to him, and it compares to that of a small child crawling up into the lap of God and hugging on him, laughing with him, crying on him, asking him questions, learning from him, and without fail LOVING HIM. If I could do that to my earthly father, despite all of his flaws, then why cant I do that to my Heavenly Father who is PERFECTION. He doesnt just love us he IS Love. One thing I loved about this chapter was how Chan put it that Jesus doesnt have to love us-he is utterly perfect and does not need us at all. But he WANTS us, He CHOOSES us! So how come it is that often times we dont choose Him?
As a continous challenge I want to extend: Getting intimate with God. I dont just want to SAY I love Him (which obviously I DO love him) but just as with any relationship I want that love to thrive and survive through the tests of time, worldy hardships, and growth. I want God to be my choice in Dad, best friend, lover, husband, mentor, teacher, etc. He should be everything to us because he IS...EVERYTHING! And it is time we started behaving that way. Not just so we can get the blessings that come from Loving God, but so we can genuinely show our father how much we love Him!
If God were our human, earthly fathers we would buy Him Worlds Greatest Dad mugs everyday. We would color Him pictures, make him surprise deserts for dinner, lay in bed at night and watch cartoons, wrestle on the living room floor, take walks with him, share events in our lives with him, take his advice to heart, kiss him on the foorhead when we get out of the car, play ball with him, listen to music with him, WE WOULD DO EVERYTHING WITH HIM and EVERYTHING FOR Him...we would want to make Him proud and show Him how much we Love Him...so why dont we REALLY do those things for God?
Showing posts with label Francis Chan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francis Chan. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Todays challenge (Extended by myself) and visions of Heaven
If you read last night's blog then you are aware that i have started reading the Francis Chan book "Crazy Love". Wow...the winds of change they are a blowin'! Last night I issued a challenge to myself (how thoughtful I am) to take today to stop and notice God's creation and to just praise Him and thank Him and NOTICE HIM in ALL I see!! Leaving my subdivision this morning I noticed a large patch of wildflowers I have never seen before! I noticed landscaping in people's yards with full bloomed flowers Ive never seen before. Driving to town I noticed beautiful Dogwood trees on the sides of the road, the most brilliant shade of purple and never even knew there were trees in this particular spot at all. I praised God for each color I was seeing, each pattern I was seeing, each new and glorious intricate design that is all for Him and His glory, I THANKED Him! I basically had a never ending conversation with God that lasted all day. I gave thanks to the clouds rolling in, to the different shades in sky, for the gentle rain we got before we got the torrential downpour. I threw my hands up in worship to the CREATOR of this earth when the storms came in and it was thundering and lightening. I could hear God crying out NOTICE ME!! And boy was I. It was such a thrilling day, seeing with new eyes, and learning so much about my KING by shutting up and SEEING what God has done!
To end my amazing day I had the oppertunity to worship at an awesome place in town. I had never been there before so initially I was nervous and kind of shaky. I have never felt like I really "fit in" somewhere, but my Spirit is screaming at me to be plugged in somewhere-to find fellow believers to interact with and share life with. I feel that is one of the next steps in my spiritual progression. After the initial nerves I felt SO at home there. The songs sung were glorifying God and His creation and fit in SOOOOO well with what I had been doing ALL DAY! The minister there touched my heart with his words, and his passion, and his relatability (new word of the day? webster? eh)...all in all it was an incredible experience. You know how when you first meet someone you meet their first impression self, and usually it takes you a few or several encounters to truly get to KNOW them? Well the few girls I had the privilage of shaking hands with tonight did not give me a "first impression self" I met the spirit inside of them. When Christ dwells inside of you then that is what people see, and getting to meet them that way I felt immediately like that place is somewhere I could fit in....even if I stand out (which I tend to) I could still find a home there.
If you read last night's blog (again) you know I had not finished chapter 1. Well I have now. The rest of the chapter shows you WHO God is (to the best of man's ability) and what Heaven is like as described by Isaiah the profit and John's as in Revelation. The description of what it would be like (again as best put into man-made language) is nothing short of HUMBLING. FREAKING HUMBLING I should say. I was blown away at my arrogance, my stupidity, my SMALLNESS. We are all UNWORTHY but because God is SO Good He STILL Loves us!! Isnt that amazing!?
The past couple of days it has been layed upon my heart the issue of "fear" (for lack of a better word). The desire to fit in because of the fear of sticking out. I have the oppertunity to meet some new girls tomorrow and just visit with them and fellowship with them and to be THROWN in FULL FLEDGED with strangers. I feel like getting past this one stepping stone could rocket launch my spiritual growth and further deepen my relationship with Christ. So all fear aside, my challange tomorrow for myself is to be FEARLESS. (and to start chapter 2 which Im sure by the end of the day will give me new challenges).
I look at it like, if we are not going to challenge ourselves to do better for God and to BE better in Christ then who IS going to challenge us? We can choose great company to walk with but inevitably the choices and decisions lie within ourselves. Will you choose fear? Or will you choose LIFE?
In Him,
Meg
To end my amazing day I had the oppertunity to worship at an awesome place in town. I had never been there before so initially I was nervous and kind of shaky. I have never felt like I really "fit in" somewhere, but my Spirit is screaming at me to be plugged in somewhere-to find fellow believers to interact with and share life with. I feel that is one of the next steps in my spiritual progression. After the initial nerves I felt SO at home there. The songs sung were glorifying God and His creation and fit in SOOOOO well with what I had been doing ALL DAY! The minister there touched my heart with his words, and his passion, and his relatability (new word of the day? webster? eh)...all in all it was an incredible experience. You know how when you first meet someone you meet their first impression self, and usually it takes you a few or several encounters to truly get to KNOW them? Well the few girls I had the privilage of shaking hands with tonight did not give me a "first impression self" I met the spirit inside of them. When Christ dwells inside of you then that is what people see, and getting to meet them that way I felt immediately like that place is somewhere I could fit in....even if I stand out (which I tend to) I could still find a home there.
If you read last night's blog (again) you know I had not finished chapter 1. Well I have now. The rest of the chapter shows you WHO God is (to the best of man's ability) and what Heaven is like as described by Isaiah the profit and John's as in Revelation. The description of what it would be like (again as best put into man-made language) is nothing short of HUMBLING. FREAKING HUMBLING I should say. I was blown away at my arrogance, my stupidity, my SMALLNESS. We are all UNWORTHY but because God is SO Good He STILL Loves us!! Isnt that amazing!?
The past couple of days it has been layed upon my heart the issue of "fear" (for lack of a better word). The desire to fit in because of the fear of sticking out. I have the oppertunity to meet some new girls tomorrow and just visit with them and fellowship with them and to be THROWN in FULL FLEDGED with strangers. I feel like getting past this one stepping stone could rocket launch my spiritual growth and further deepen my relationship with Christ. So all fear aside, my challange tomorrow for myself is to be FEARLESS. (and to start chapter 2 which Im sure by the end of the day will give me new challenges).
I look at it like, if we are not going to challenge ourselves to do better for God and to BE better in Christ then who IS going to challenge us? We can choose great company to walk with but inevitably the choices and decisions lie within ourselves. Will you choose fear? Or will you choose LIFE?
In Him,
Meg
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
God of all CREATION
So I am doing what I like to call the Crazy Love challange. (Reading the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan). Today I officially started chapter one and let me tell you, I can feel LIFE happening and GOD moving through my Spirit. Watching the videos that come with the chapter and reading the chapter (not even all of it yet) itself has made me come to what I like to call realization number one. Realization Number One: God.....is.....CREATIVE. He is not only creative He IS the CreatOR....of everything. I have never been much of a science nut but whatever side of your brain logistics or skeptics is in I think out of that side quite a bit. With having recently been saved the past few months I have never questioned of course the existence of God. I have never doubted Him as the creator. I guess though I never put much thought into creation at all. I thought God created the foundation of life, science created the next level, and then man created materials to sustain in it. Tonight I found out just how WRONG I have been. LIterally I have been punched in the face with "HELLO!!!! MEAGAN!!!! I am the Creator. I took the time to count the legs on a caterpillar, make different species of birds, put lines in this flower and not this one, create animals who can only sustain life in this specific area, etc etc" (From God).
WOW...so youre telling me the God who took the time to intricately detail every part of HIS creation also LOVES me? Loves me so much that He sent His son in human form, watched him suffer, and did this so that I could have a relationship with Him? He did that...for me? *GULP* Uh, I feel like an idiot. It's a huge humbling wakeup call when you realize how freaking SMALL you are and how amazingly HUGE God is.
Having coffee with a friend today I not only realized how huge God is but that He also has HUGE plans for my life. He has a hand in EVERYTHING that is life. The good, the bad, the ugly, the BLESSED-it ALL comes from God.
Im creating my own challenge for tomorrow. 1. To stop, Look, and WORSHIP God by choosing to see His creation for the first time with new EYES. 2. To give THANKS not just for the Good that has happened in my life but also the BAD-because God's hand is in ALL of it, and if the creator has something happen in your life then there is a REASON for it. Sometimes finding that reason could take your entire life. Sometimes, just knowing that there was a reason for it happening to begin with, you immediately see the good of bad. The purpose. The intent. And eventually....His PLAN...for YOU.
I am excited to take tomorrow to meditate on CREATION and PLAN. I am excited to finish the second part of chapter 1. And Iam excited to know that I am in a season of my life right now where I am BLESSED with the oppertunity to grow, change, and gain perspective of "Why am I here?". It has taken a hard road, and some bumps to get here but again, through the bad times there is still a plan.
God Bless
Meg
WOW...so youre telling me the God who took the time to intricately detail every part of HIS creation also LOVES me? Loves me so much that He sent His son in human form, watched him suffer, and did this so that I could have a relationship with Him? He did that...for me? *GULP* Uh, I feel like an idiot. It's a huge humbling wakeup call when you realize how freaking SMALL you are and how amazingly HUGE God is.
Having coffee with a friend today I not only realized how huge God is but that He also has HUGE plans for my life. He has a hand in EVERYTHING that is life. The good, the bad, the ugly, the BLESSED-it ALL comes from God.
Im creating my own challenge for tomorrow. 1. To stop, Look, and WORSHIP God by choosing to see His creation for the first time with new EYES. 2. To give THANKS not just for the Good that has happened in my life but also the BAD-because God's hand is in ALL of it, and if the creator has something happen in your life then there is a REASON for it. Sometimes finding that reason could take your entire life. Sometimes, just knowing that there was a reason for it happening to begin with, you immediately see the good of bad. The purpose. The intent. And eventually....His PLAN...for YOU.
I am excited to take tomorrow to meditate on CREATION and PLAN. I am excited to finish the second part of chapter 1. And Iam excited to know that I am in a season of my life right now where I am BLESSED with the oppertunity to grow, change, and gain perspective of "Why am I here?". It has taken a hard road, and some bumps to get here but again, through the bad times there is still a plan.
God Bless
Meg
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