It Is Well With My Soul

I sang the old hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" with two friends for a school talent night. I had fun singing and don't get a whole lot of opportunities to do so anymore. 

I didn't realize it til after but this song is really appropriate for some family stuff I'm going through right now. My grandpa is sick with cancer right now and we don't know how much time we left with him.We are going through a hard time right now. 

But the song is a great reminder that no matter what happens, even though Satan should buffet and trials will come, still we can say it is well with our soul. Whether our lives are like a peaceful river or like a stormy sea, whatever happens, let us still be able to trust God in the midst of anything and say "it is well with my soul." 

Because out of the trials in life blessings will flow. God is good no matter what life brings. He works all things together for our good. 

So in the midst of trials, I will still say, "It is well with my soul."

What If?

What if?

What if we spent less time?

Less time arguing and sweating the small stuff,

And fighting miniscule religious battles,

Battles that are meaningless and can only divide.

What if?

What if we weren’t so concerned?

Concerned with appearing flawless,

And took off these deceiving masks,

Masks that only muffle our hurting and desperate cry.

What if?

What if we stopped?

Stopped using the Bible as a platform to judge,

And used it instead as if it was a mirror,

A mirror whose reflection is the plank in our eye.

What if?

What if we went out?

Went out to a world that’s screaming for help.

And delivered with priority a message,

A message that gives grace and new life.

What if?

What if we learned?

Learned to love like Jesus did,

And instead of spreading hate and judgment, gave love?

Love that’s incomparable, long and wide and high.

What if?

What if churches started being the church?

What kind of impact could we make,

If we put our selfish obsession to a halt,

And reached outwardly in love instead?

What if?

Going Out > Reaching Out

I have been thinking a lot about how churches tend to go about outreach lately.  Most of the time churches plan some sort of event located at their church building and their idea of outreach is to invite people from the community to come into the church for this event and then the gospel is presented as well. Outreach like this is perfectly described by the name: it’s a reaching out from the church. The church is staying at their location, and while being planted there, they are reaching outward from that central location trying to reach people and pull them in. This works very effectively for some churches. I have seen God work through outreach such as this. I am not going to say that I am against outreach like this because I believe there is a place for it and it is still useful for the church. But what I am going to say is that if your church is only reaching out and not going out, you have a major problem and you are not fulfilling the Great Commission as Jesus intended you to.

That’s a big statement I know… but hear me out. When Jesus and the disciples were reaching the world with their gospel, they didn’t find one central location, call it a church, and tell sinners and unbelievers to come to them for special events so they could then hear about Jesus. Jesus and the disciples went out into their communities and found the sinners and unbelievers and brought the gospel to them! Paul didn’t hold Sunday school once a week that he hoped unbelievers would come to. He went preaching in the populated parts of the community where people would hear his message! They weren’t just reaching out from a location they wanted people to go to. They were going out and bringing a message that people needed to hear!

One of the modern church’s biggest mistakes is that we think the best way to reach unbelievers is to invite them into church. And that does work sometimes, I’m not saying it’s wrong to do. But the fact of the matter is that many unbelievers are either too turned off by churches or too ashamed of their sinful lifestyle to be bold enough to go to the church. And because they were only given an invitation to come into the church, when they don’t do so for whatever reason, they end up not hearing a gospel message that could have transformed their life. The church should be going out with the gospel instead of just reaching out and pulling people in so they can then hear the gospel.

This can be done through door to door or street evangelism. But this can also be done through centers or after school programs or neighborhood outreaches (like Good News Club or 5-Day Clubs with Child Evangelism Fellowship) in areas or places that unreached people will be more willing to go to. Sometimes it’s done by meeting a need like feeding a hungry person and then sharing the gospel with them as well. There’s many different ways to take the gospel out from the church building rather than just inviting people in to hear it. It is unfair to expect unbelievers, who don’t know what they’re missing and have no reason to want to find out, to come to the church to find the gospel. Instead we need to take the gospel out of the church and show them what they’re missing. Having a church that’s reaching the community doesn’t mean your church is sending out fliers inviting the community to church events. Having a church that’s reaching the community means your church is involved in the community, meeting needs and going out with the gospel.

Once again, I’m not saying planning events and inviting the community to them is bad. But if that is all your church is doing, you’re missing the point. The church should be focusing less on reaching and more on going out. Because going out is just as important if not more important than reaching out. Don’t just try to pull the community in for the gospel. Take the gospel out to the community as well.

Where I Belong

Where I Belong

Show me your love, oh Lord.

This world has so many uncertainties.

Though truth is in your word,

I’m struggling to find stability.

Wrap me in your love, Father,

My mind knows that you are always there,

But my heart is so bothered,

Fear and insecurity everywhere.

I’m trying to be strong,

Attempting to learn my identity.

Wearily pushing on,

Finding so much I don’t like about me.

But this I realize,

You have designed me with a great purpose.

I won’t believe the lies,

Because I know for me you are jealous.

And I am who you made me,

I’m fearfully and wonderfully made.

Here I am on bended knee,

Finding my stability with your aid.

So in every circumstance,

It’s in you that I find love and my place.

So when I lack confidence,

I will look back into your loving face.

Stop Jesus Juking Valentine's Day!

Christians, please stop Jesus juking Valentine’s Day! 

It’s okay, I promise you, Jesus will still love you even if you don’t call him your valentine. I hear so many Christians, every year on Valentine’s Day, justifying their celebration of the holiday with phrases like, “Jesus is my ultimate Valentine!” or “God’s love is all I need!” and the especially terrible one, “I don’t need a person! God is my valentine!”

I am by no means against celebrating Valentine’s Day. I think it’s a great day that can be used to be intentional about showing the people around you love. I just wish people would act like they do on Valentine’s Day on a regular basis (but that’s another rant for another day). But there is nothing wrong with celebrating Valentine’s Day. But so many Christians act like there is! It’s like they feel guilty for celebrating a secular holiday or something and so they try to justify it by Jesus juking it. As if they have to remind everyone else that sure, we may show love to other people on Valentine’s Day, but we especially remember how much God loves us.

Most of the time this is done by single Christians trying to appear satisfied with their singleness. “I don’t need a person to be my Valentine! I have Jesus!” I am glad you have Jesus in your life. I am glad you realize he loves you more than anyone else ever could. But for goodness sake, stop using Jesus as a mask to cover up the fact that you are clearly not happy with your singleness! If you were really satisfied with being single, you wouldn’t feel the need to constantly remind people that you don’t need a significant other anyways. You might actually feel at peace with wanting, but just waiting, for the right person to come along. Not to mention, if you want to focus on Jesus’ love, why are you only calling him your valentine and talking about how much you love him on the holiday?

It is unfair to God to use him as a substitute for someone else. God is not a substitute for a valentine. God is love! God is not the person you go to because you couldn’t find anyone else. He deserves much higher authority and respect in your life than to be remembered once a year on a holiday that makes you feel lonely. Maybe if you tried to love God as much as you do on Valentine’s Day, you wouldn’t feel as lonely when the holiday came around once a year. Don’t make God a substitute for a person. Love God first and foremost in your life and then if someone else comes along, great! But don’t treat God like a substitute! You should have a relationship with God and place him at the center of all your relationships. Don’t pencil him into your life once a year on Valentine’s Day so you can call someone your valentine. Love God and let him love you every day of the year, not just on Valentine’s Day.

It’s okay if Jesus isn’t your Valentine. Because God is so much bigger than that! He is so much bigger than a title that lasts for a day. He is so much bigger than a name that infatuated people give to someone they may not even be with the rest of their life. His love is deep and high and wide and long. Jesus doesn’t need to be your Valentine because he wants to be so much more than that in your life. It’s not wrong to use Valentine’s Day to remember God, who is love, and how much he has done for us. I am not saying that’s wrong! But don’t cheapen the role that God is able to play in your life by only focusing on his love once a year. God doesn’t have to be your valentine because he is your God! He is your father, your provider, your protector, your deliverer, your friend, your savior, your everything! And certainly, don’t feel guilty for celebrating Valentine’s Day.  It’s okay to show love to a person too. When God is at the center of your life and you are focusing on him in your everyday, you won’t feel so guilty for taking a day to focus on another person as well.

Make God your center, love him every day of the year, and stop Jesus juking Valentine’s Day!

(Also, 1 Corinthians 13 is about exercising love when using spiritual gifts. It’s a painful exhortation to the Corinthian church, please stop making it a fluffy, gooey, touchy, feely passage about loving your significant other and take it for what it is meant to be: a reminder of how to love to body of Christ every day!)