i have some really great neighbors who have been teaching me a lot lately about hospitality and the gospel. i believe that having an open-door policy is the way God wants me to live my life now, and in the future. to do that, requires a lot of work–keeping the house cleaned, being mindful of my schedule, and i like to have snacks for guests, so making sure i’m organized in that regard is a huge deal.
the past few weekends i’ve entertained a lot of people. international travelers, a tea party…lots of home cooked meals for friends, etc. last saturday i was cleaning my house for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and i sat down and began to dwell on how tired i was. “it’s just not fair. i work so hard.” ha! such junk.
in the middle of my pity party, God began to tell me some things. He told me that i wasn’t finding joy in the things i was doing. He told me that if i really valued this idea of hospitality and the gospel, and having people in my home to love on, then there was SO much infinite joy in mopping and scrubbing the bathtub.
whaaat?
i admit i didn’t completely take this lesson to heart at first and ended up taking a fat nap saturday afternoon, rather than completing the task before me of a clean house…but last night when i finished up, i asked God to help me honestly find joy in organizing the closet and folding my remaining laundry. and you know what? i was completely energized. so much so, that i tackled the reorganization of my pantry. it was awesome!
sunday at soma, jacob preached on rest. i can’t help but recognize how these things go hand in hand. joy and rest. the truth is most of us ARE consumed with our own weariness and rest. just like i was thinking, ‘woe is me…i have to do more dishes because i’ve had twenty million people over…” i loved the example of…we work 40 hours a week an come home tired, so we then veg out on the couch and watch a tv show about work for two hours. ha! it’s so true!! we try to find rest in the wrong thing.
he went on to talk about how if we took a poll on, ‘what would you do if you knew it was your last day on earth?’ that most of us…maybe ALL of us would choose to do created things. going to six flags, eating a steak dinner. those things aren’t bad—but invite your heart to consider what Jesus did. He spent time praying in the garden with his Father, putting the task at hand into perspective, and getting courage to do what He was called to. i believe he had rest and joy by not participating in creation, but relying upon and spending time with the Creator.
we are too often reliant upon broken things to fix us. jesus says, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest.” every time i read those words, a wave of relief washes over me. it’s not about me. it’s not about a seven step plan, or a magic pill that’s going to fix me and make me better. it’s about sufficiency in only Christ. true rest comes from Him.
in his next breath, jesus goes on to say, ‘take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for i am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” i know this is absolutley where i miss the mark. i try to keep my yoke on, or carry both of them, meaning that i try and find strength and might in only myself. and man…it sure is tiring carrying around this yoke. really tiring. (why do i do this, when i don’t have to?)
let us change our perspective from an earthly one to a heavenly one. and even while we are still doing the same things, the same job, the same chores…we find rest and joy when we seek the kingdom first.
kristy is one of my dearest friends here in austin. i was totally honored to be able to shoot her engagement pictures with her ever-amazing fiancee, caleb. huere are a few from the laundromat on 29th street. i realize that there are lots of kissy-pictures, but they were my favorite! :)
Filed under: general goods
Today, thousands of Muslims everywhere will begin what is to be considered the most important month in Islam. Considering we live in a religiously diverse city, chances are hundreds of fellow Austinites are preparing as well. It’s called Ramadan, a month-long observation of fasting. For the next 30 days, Muslims will refrain from eating, drinking, and sexual activities from dawn until sunset.
So what makes this religious observance so important to Islam? Ramadan is a “purifying” month; a chance for Muslims to ask forgiveness of sins and “cleanse” themselves before Allah (the Arabic name for God). At the end of the day, they will break the fast (called “Magharib” or sunset). Usually, families will gather and have a meal called “Iftar,” usually serving dates and a special milk drink. By doing these good deeds, a Muslim will make themselves a more worthy person; more likely to one day participate in heavenly rewards.
To give you a little bit of history, Ramadan is believed to have been the month where the first few verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The exact timing of Ramadan changes yearly, according to the solar calendar. Most countries will wait for the official beginning of Ramadan to be proclaimed by the religious authorities in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Muslims vary in how strict they act during Ramadan. In some countries (like Oman, for example) Muslims will not even swallow their spit during the day. If a person is not able to participate in the fast (like those who are very ill or elderly), they can “repay” by paying the cost of Iftar for those less fortunate or by hosting a dinner. Women who breastfeed during Ramadan can fast later during the year.
At the end of the month, Muslims will celebrate Eid Al-Fitr (literally “celebration of the breaking of the fast”). It can last for three to four days and is a celebration of feasting and visiting family. Gifts are purchases, new clothes are brought, and there is a celebratory feeling in the air.
For many believers from a Muslim background, Ramadan can be the hardest time of year. Spiritual oppression is rampant and discouragement can easily set in. Especially for those living in secrecy about their faith, Ramadan can be extremely dangerous if they do not fast alongside their family.
Author: Paige Bennett
Filed under: rad
“the one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” – galatians 6:8
my friend and former ‘boss’ (for lack of a better word, ha!), jon randles, taught me that everyone is either breathing life or breathing death. no in-betweens…it’s one or the other.
he said like birds of a feather, life breathers flock together, just like death breathers do too. in other words, if you’re looking for trouble, you can easily find it. and i think we’ve all had people in our lives at one point or another who just absolutely suck the life out of us. and we’ve also been those people too…let’s be honest. breathing death will wear you out.
on the other hand, how absolutely great is it when we are breathing life in community with others of like-mind?
tonight i had coffee with my friend tina. as described in a tweet earlier, it was filled with “satisfying laughter” and a “refreshed perspective.” i am so glad that i have tina…in a long list of others, that i share life with, who can breathe life into me, my choices, my fears, and my walk with Jesus. there’s nothing like it!
go get you a ‘tina’ and get some healing and love. in the mean time, here’s some life in the form of a pie chart, courtesy of my fav kelly bee. to all you melancholies (who adore charts and graphs)—you are WELCOME!
Filed under: community
i have written several posts here about our friends, the burks. if you’re just tuning in, they are a married couple, whom, over time have become some of my closest friends at church. they, like all of us, are fallen, broken individuals in need of God’s grace. we helped them with some rehab/treatment and just encouragement. we’ve had some wins and losses, but i’d like to tell you about a big loss that i’ve had.
a few months ago i absolutley had a meltdown. i was just tired. done. finished. with everything. turned out there was some physical stuff going on too—many doctor visits later–but i was in need of some spiritual healing too.
i’ve had several people point out to me lovingly that i was doing too much of this, and life, with my own strength. i still rail against this and bow up to it because i’m having a hard time facing this particular sin. sometimes, my wickedness and depravity is easier for me to sit in…but it’s hard when it involves people you really care for deeply. which, therein lies the sin. it’s not up to me to ‘make them better’ or even ‘jack them up.’ if i’m truly doing what God calls, i’m just an empty vessel. our friend richard tells the story of helping his dad change the spark plugs in the car when he was little. richard’s job was just to hold the old spark plugs as they came out of the car. he wasn’t really doing anything, but he was participating. that’s all any of us have to do–just participate with God.
i’m still working through what repentance looks like in this. while i just want to bury my head and close my eyes, i know that turning away from this and letting jesus change me (because he changes EVERYTHING) is what will give me life. why is that SO hard? life is awesome! even confessing all of this to kelly, just took everything i had because i don’t want to be wrong. i don’t want to be the one to have to say, ‘i messed up. i’m being a prideful punk.’
i have a lot of people in my community who care for me. sometimes it’s hard to see why. especially during these times when i act like a total brat. but i think it must always be harder on the receiving end of love. i have learned a lot about community in the past two years—i’ve seen it bring life, be a catalyst for Jesus’ work, and nuture some really amazing relationships that reflect God’s love. without community, i’m in isolation–and man does it get lonely, dark…ugly…destructive in there.
but my community cares for me because of Jesus. He first loved us. that is enough. we don’t have to earn His love, or work for it…He doesn’t love us second, and He doesn’t love us because we love Him first. He loves us, bottom line, whether we reciprocate it or not. our love to others is an outpouring of His love for us. it’s crazygood. and my community calls me out and checks in on me because they love. we have a saying that goes around soma that, ‘i care about your holiness mroe than your happiness.’ i’m really glad this is true. i honestly don’t know how people deal with stuff alone, and without discipline.
and as i finish up this post i find myself encouraged and refreshed in His love. wow! let this be a testament of confession and reflection–Jesus does change everything…even blog posts. :)
hello lovelies.
it has been a crazy long time!
i recently created a new blog to tell the story of my trip to africa this fall. check it: http://myafricastory.wordpress.com/
i’m traveling with the good folks at HELP. there’s a team of six of us (as of today, haha!) that will be adventruing in to cape town, zimbabwe and possibly zambia! YAY! i can not wait to get on the ground to put names with faces and see how we can help bring restoration to this area.
it’s going to be insane, intense, worth it, fun, sleepless and joyful.
te dua. love to you all.
Filed under: bling bling
here are a few snappy shots of our team, from the work day mentioned in my previous post.
THE richard russell:
our fearless leader, austin:
@mikejburke:
scooooooott!:
and i don’t have a picture of jacob, who was there as well…so instead here’s a picture of a rock friend that my bud nick made me. his name is mr. rock:
