Living in the Everyday

So I began my internship with Plainfield Christian Church this week - and today is my day off. So, of course, I trekked to the nearest Starbucks with my macbook and headphones to listen to some Weepies while I catch up on articles I follow. I ran across this great article..

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/your-calling-closer-you-think

Karen Yates, a fellow blogger and mom, wrote her thoughts on calling, trying to answer the question we all ask ourselves

What am I supposed to do with my life?

I encourage you to read her article because I certainly can't do it justice, but I have a few thoughts to share. 

Working in ministry, I get asked about calling all the time. It's one of the first questions asked of me from the great folks here at Plainfield, at Mountain, Milligan, North Ridge, basically anywhere I go. People assume a woman pursuing a career in ministry has done some thinking on the matter.

And it's a fair question

And frankly, I have done a lot of thinking on calling.

Here's another place I've written on the matter: http://ekgentrymountain.blogspot.com/2012/10/calling.html

Yates' article, and my current 1000 gifts project, reminded me that God's calling on my life - on our lives - is to live for God every. single. day.

Ever since my semester at Mountain, God keeps reminding me of this phrase - 

You work on your character, I'll take care of everything else

Until just this morning, I related that phrase to not feeling overwhelmed in a new ministry. You work on your character, and I'll help you figure this job out and do it well.

But my ministry isn't everything else.

Everything else is everything else in my life. God is calling me to live for him every day. My calling is to focus on who I am in him. Enjoy the world God has blessed me with. As Yates put it,

"Take each day, one step at a time, one step closer towards [your] best [self], the [person] God wants [you] to be."

It's time to start living in the everyday

I wonder how people would react if I said my calling was living for Jesus...

Lessons from Islam

This semester I'm in a World Religions class at Milligan. Other than the fact that it's a night class, I've really enjoyed it. Tonight, we began our discussion on Islam.

Now, I've known a fair amount of information about this religion for a while - the Five Pillars, etc. But tonight, one of their practices stuck out to me - Salat.

Salat is the act of ritual prayer for a Muslim. Five times a day, no matter where they are and what they're doing, Muslims will stop and pray to Allah. And this isn't just a quick "thank you for this day" prayer - this is genuine communion with Allah.

Now that's dedication.

Thinking about Salat made me wonder...

Why aren't most Christians this dedicated?

I'll be the first to admit, even if I do pray 5 times a day, my prayers sound a lot more like the "thanks for the day, God" prayers. I even hesitate to offer the prayer before class.

Why is this? When did prayer for Christians become so trite?

I think we, as Christians, have a lot to learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers.

Prayer is not an act to take lightly.
Prayer is communion with our Savior, with the Creator of Heaven and Earth, with our Heavenly Parent

What would happen in our life, in our communities, and in our churches if we began to take prayer as seriously as those in the Islamic community?

Just a thought for you to ponder.

This Peculiar Thing Called "Church"

Easter

Always a busy weekend in the life of the Church.

Just a few years ago, my Easter weekend was spent in one building with the same group of people, Friday night, Saturday (all day), and Sunday morning (4 services).

This year was different - in a really good way.

Saturday night at 8pm, some friends and I went to a service at the Episcopal church in downtown JC and it was one of the most beautiful services I have ever been a part of.

Not necessarily because it was liturgical in style - and certainly on the opposite end of the spectrum then North Ridge


But because of the people.

Episcopalians, Eastern Orthodox, Restoration Movement, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals put their differences aside for 3 hours and we worshipped Jesus together. 

It was beautiful

And then this morning I celebrated the resurrection again with Hopwood and my North Ridge family. 

No matter what the label, no matter the disagreements over communion, baptism, leadership etc., we can all come together as one people and worship Jesus Christ. 

And that is a beautiful thing.

Blessed to be a part of this peculiar group of people

Spiritual Renewal Week

So we've come once again to Spiritual Renewal Week at Milligan College. And I find I'm asking myself the same question I ask each semester,

What makes this week different than any other week for us?

More SFP credit?
More music in chapel?
Extra night events?

Yes, all of those things are true. But just because we may go to a few extra events and get our cards swiped a few extra times,

does that mean we're closer to Jesus?

Are we "renewed spiritually" if we attend these things?

Maybe.... but maybe not.

Today in chapel, I realized that "spiritual renewal" starts by realizing my need to be renewed!
"Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a woman of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips, and yet my eyes have seen the LORD Almighty!"
I may be on the campus ministry team, but trust me people, I don't have it altogether. Nor do I have this following Jesus thing all figured out.

For some reason, God wants to show up in the lives of us college students. For some reason, even though we're messed up human beings who turn their backs on God everyday, God intends to show up in a big way this week. And God wants to do something incredible.

Something incredible in you and your heart and mine.

Are we ready to watch and respond?

Are we willing to be renewed?

The Absurdity of Grace

Last night we finished up a series on Ephesians in my Monday night college group. Needless to say, I've been much more invested in this particular study because I've been leading. For 5 weeks, I've immersed myself in Ephesians - trying to come up with discussion questions and interesting ideas to hopefully teach something new about this book to my peers.

During Christmas break I planned out the topic for each week and knew that last night would be about grace - focusing on Ephesians 2:1-10.

I didn't expect God to change me in the process.

Silly right? I mean, hello.... the message from this passage is just as much for me as it is for them. Just because I'm the preacher doesn't mean I'm not struck by the absurdity of the passage.

But I was

And guess what.

God's grace is absurd.

Seriously, why in the world does God extend grace to us? Why in the world does God extend his amazing grace to people who are dead? People who reject him, turn their back on him, spit in his face, and could care less about him - people like you
people like me.

Why would God extend me his grace? Why would God love me so much that he no longer sees me for who I am - a sinner - but raises me up with Christ and sees me as clean, as pure, as holy?

I mean, the amazing thing about grace is that these 10 verses are all past tense - we WERE dead - the ways in which we USED to live.

The amazing thing about grace is that even though we continue to be screw ups, God has made us ALIVE with Christ and we will forever be alive.

If that's not good news worth crying for joy over, I don't know what is. 

Amazed by God's absurd grace.

Adjusting

"How are you adjusting being back at Milligan?"

This past week multiple people have asked me this question and each time I'm not entirely sure how to respond.

"Pretty well"
"Um...not bad, really busy"
"Eh, ok....definitely miss Mountain though."

Frankly, there's a part of me that's been so busy here that I haven't had much time to think about my emotional state.

Class started and I jumped head long into a 19.5 hour semester, with a 10 hour job in campus ministry, leading a 5 week study for my college group, and student ministry at North Ridge.

Oh, and trying to find time to spend with my friends now that I live off campus.

Adjusting? I haven't had time to think about how I'm adjusting.

To be honest, this is probably for the best. Jumping head long into classes and campus ministry was just what I needed - but every once in a while it feels like Mountain was all a dream. And when that happens, all I want to do is be back.

So I guess I've adjusted well - I'm not walking around campus mopey and sad about missing Mountain. I'm present in this place - I'm happy to be here.

But I'm constantly reminding myself that Mountain did indeed happen - reminding myself to integrate the lessons I learned there into my life here. Which is partly the reason for this very blog post.

I've made the realization that my life simply cannot go back to the way it was before Mountain - Mountain Christian Church and my internship with them changed me, in many many ways. (If you don't know that story - read my other blog)

So yes, I've adjusted in the sense that I'm not struggling with being a full time student again. But I'm still working on not being the person I was before Mountain Christian Church. And so far, I'm doing pretty well :)

Eshet Chayil!

Last night, just before midnight, I finished Rachel Held Evans' book entitled, My Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a liberated woman found herself sitting on her roof, covering her head, and calling her husband 'Master.'

I know - long title - but sounds incredibly intriguing right??

Well, needless to say, ever since I heard about this book I knew I had to read it! I mean, being a female Bible major called by God into Church ministry - how could I possibly pass it up?

Evans' project was certainly a brave, yet inspiring thing to do. For an entire year, she lived out every biblical principle that applies to women in scripture...

yes, all of them - these are only some:

Sleeping in a tent during her time of the month, calling her husband "master," covering her head, maintaining a gentle and quiet spirit, not speaking in church, and of course, running her household as if she were a 50's housewife.

The most interesting thing for me is that her project pointed out just how utterly ridiculous it would be for all women to embrace "biblical womanhood" to it's fullest. But she also reminded me of traits that I should aspire to

Not because I'm a woman - but because I'm a follower of Christ.

Traits like caring for the poor, bringing justice to those that society has shunned, having a gentle and quiet spirit, and spending time with God in silence.

Not to mention - I'd like to become a better cook and learn how to sew.

Everyone who knows me well - especially my closest friends - tend to look my way whenever I enter into a conversation on women's rights, gender roles, or biblical expectations of women. And for good reason, I often have to keep my cool when someone tells me I can't preach.

Although, (side note), Evans gave me a good response for that:

"So my advice to women is this: If a man ever tries to use the Bible as a weapon against you to keep you from speaking the truth, just throw on a head covering and tell him you’re prophesying instead. To those who will not accept us as preachers, we will have to become prophets."

Evans, Rachel Held (2012-10-30). A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband "Master" (pp. 281-282). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

There were plenty of women prophesying in scripture.

But anyway, to my friends who steer away from entering into that conversation with me - not everything about "biblical womanhood" is the plague to me. After reading Evans' book, I'm going to strive to earn the name - "eshet chayil!" The Hebrew phrase meaning "woman of valor" found in Proverbs 31.
I thank Rachel Held Evans for reminding me that I can earn this name in many ways - whether it be raising a family one day, or preaching 100 sermons.

So if you're anything like me - a woman preparing for, or in, ministry - read this book
If you're a woman disagrees with me - read this book
Or if you're a man who cares at all about this topic - whether you agree or not - read this book

I promise it will be worth it