Skittles

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15

A while back I took one of my cousins to a high school football game and she asked for some money to buy candy. I handed her a five dollar bill and off she went to the concession stand. When she came back with a package of Skittles®, I asked, “Casey, can I have a few Skittles?”

She looked at the candy, then looked back at me and said, “No!”

Casey didn’t understand several realities. One, I could have physically taken those Skittles away from her. Two, I was the one who actually bought them for her. And three, if I had wanted to, I could have bought her so many packages of Skittles that she couldn’t have eaten them all.

We all have Skittles. Some piles are big, some small, but God has given us all some Skittles. You may have never thought of your possessions, money or talents as gifts from God, but they are. So when God asks you for a few of your Skittles in return, what do you say? Because your answer often reveals the truth about your relationship with him.

Don’t hold on tightly to what God has given you. Instead, recognize the reality that God has blessed you. And discover the blessings that return through a life of generosity and obedience.

The Next Step:

• Make a list of your “Skittles” — your talents, possessions, finances, etc.
• Evaluate your attitude toward those things. Are you willing to share them with the one who gave them to you?
• Ask God to help you develop a better understanding of your possessions, and to realize that God is still the owner of everything.

Needless Needs

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31-32

We’ve all heard of high-profile celebrities donating large amounts of money to charity. And in our minds, a $1 million gift to a charity is an enormous gift—something many of us can’t imagine. Yet, the generosity we see in those times pales in comparison to the generosity of God. We cannot even fathom the generous nature of our Creator!

That is the point of this passage in Romans 8. If God willingly gave his only Son for you, what would he possibly keep from you?

We all have areas that we are tempted to worry about. And during those times, the evil one is doing his best to get us to doubt God’s provision for us. But when you realize the power behind God’s generous gift of his Son, you will begin to see that God has a plan to provide for all of your needs, no matter how big or small we may think they are.

A Prayer for Today

Dear Father, It is so easy to get caught up in the worries of life. Please help me to trust in you and your promise to me that you will give me the provisions I need. Thank you for the generous gift of your Son, the greatest blessing I could ever receive. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

Live Upside Down

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor...

James 2:5-6

As we go through life, we can tend to look at things from a certain perspective. This is especially true when deciding on what and who are truly valuable.

Leaders are viewed as important; servants don’t matter. If someone is rich, we jump at the chance to assist them with the hope of impressing them. But if someone further down on the socioeconomic ladder is in need, we go out of our way to avoid them.

James tells us that we’ve got to turn that thinking upside down. Throughout the gospels, Jesus talks about an upside down kingdom. He says that if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you have to be willing to become a servant. If you want to be strong, become weak. If you want to be first, be willing to be last.

Do you jump at the chance to rub shoulders with the boss, yet neglect the opportunity to help a fellow coworker? Remember, when it comes to seeing things from God’s perspective, it’s not about the position of the person, but the position of your heart that enables you to think upside down.

NEXT STEPS:

• Evaluate your motives: who are you rushing to help today?
• Take a step back. Be last instead of first. Serve someone else instead of expecting to be served.
• Ask God to change your perspective to begin thinking upside down.

Counts and No-Counts

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
James 2:1

Most of us, at one time or another, have had mental lists of the people we like to hang out with and those we don’t. And everyone, it seems, falls into one of two categories: the counts or the no-counts.

Some of us would prefer to rub shoulders with the wealthy, while others have a tendency to resent the rich. But no matter what our socioeconomic status is, chances are that we have found ourselves on both sides of the list—the judging side, and the side that’s being judged.

In the verse above, James says that this type of attitude is a sin. It does not honor God, nor does it help us become a mature and authentic follower of Christ.

Jesus never showed favoritism. He sought the downtrodden, the prostitute, the tax collector, the sinner. Why? Because we all need a Savior. And because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection being for all people, God is adamant that we reflect the same attitude. Everyone is equal and everyone is to be treated as a part of the royal family of God.

Shut Your Mouth

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

Proverbs 1:5

Have you ever been part of a one-sided conversation? The other person talks and talks, slowing down only long enough to catch their breath before rambling on some more. Through all the words, what that person is really saying is that they don’t know how to listen.

Being a good listener starts with closing our mouths and opening our ears. And that’s also how we should approach our communication with God. God has a myriad of ways in which he can communicate with us, so we should listen first to what he has to say.

Whether it’s through his Word, the Bible, or through the counsel of a wise Christian friend, you can hear God—if you’ll just take the time to listen. And when you hear what he has to say, you’ll discover the very words that can change your life.

Getting Past the Lure

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.
James 1:15


Temptation is deceptively disguised. Just like the bait used by fishermen to entice their catch, temptation looks good—at first.

When we’re lured in by sin, we don’t think about the sting of the hook. So often, we just take the bait because we don’t see where that temptation is leading us. Yet, in this verse, we are clearly cautioned about where this dangerous path leads.

Sin has its kicks. But it also has some serious kickbacks. Don’t allow yourself to fall for the evil one’s trick and think that you’ve gotten away with something. Time always reveals the truth and brings sin and its consequences to light.

God wants you to avoid those consequences. But to do that, you need help in recognizing the bait Satan uses to try and lure you away from God’s plan. God is ready to help you identify the areas where sinful desires have started so you can eliminate them before they become full grown.

Prayer:
Dear God, when I face times of temptation it is easy to be short-sighted and not see the long-term results. Help me to recognize temptation as well as the full grown sin in my life, so that I can turn from it and follow you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayin For You

Father God, I'm prayin' to you for somebody,
who knows you Lord but just hasn't,
hasn't been seein' you in the right view lately,
Hear me out...

Father, I'm prayin' for a friend he and I are pretty close,
and out of all my friends for this one I'm concerned the most.
He say he readin' daily but he ain't really learnin'.
He been in church but say that he ain't moved by any sermon.
His face weak,
he ain't prayed in a week,
he wake up and just weep with his face in the sink
Lord, you gotta help my man,
I'm prayin' for him daily,
he ain't sinned but it just seem as if he goin' crazy.
He say he feelin' trapped,
can't even head up the mall
cuz every lady's half-dressed temptin' him to lust and fall.
He keep the TV off,
videos just make him feel that he ain't really nothin'
without money, girls and shiny wheels.
The other day he told me that he felt less a man
cuz he ain't have a five-year plan or a piece of land
and man it's crazy cuz his family think so much of him,
plus he got a godly wife who always showin' love for him but he's strugglin',
even though he talk to me,
I tell him what to do but he don't listen when he oughta' be.
I'm scared for him cuz there's people that look up to him,
he got some younger siblings who been changed by what he's done for them
but is it done for him, Lord don't let it be,
if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me,
is it done for him, Lord don't let it be,
if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me...

Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you
Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you...

God, his condition is worsen since we were last conversed
and I'm with him now and he ain't doin' well and this I'm certain.
He say he tryna' trust you, doesn't wanna disgust you
but he was in the mist of sinners and did not discuss you
and just today his anxiety's got the best of him,
he knows Christ but for hours refuse to rest in Him,
he's not the best of men but Lord I know he really loves you
and I can't understand why lately he's not thinkin' of you.
People trust this dude, you could crush this dude,
Father he needs more of you I pray you touch this dude,
what can I say to him?
I'm determined to pray for him
Father empty and break him I pray
you'll just have your way with him,
cuz there's a change in him and the effects are strong,
I pray you open up his heart before the next song and when he gets home,
I pray he'll open up the sixty-six book love letter you wrote
and soak it up coz he ain't hearin' You
and he ain't feelin' me
and God I know it's killin' You
because it's killin' me
and matter of fact
there's somethin' else he's concealin'
see, the person that I've been prayin' about
is really me...

Prayin' For You by LeCrae

NO EXCUSES

…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

James 1:14

Most of us don’t like to accept the blame for those moments in life when we miss the mark, when we hurt someone, and when we fall into temptation. Maybe we try to blame someone else for our shortcomings, or try to justify our actions with the mediocre standards of this world. But God doesn’t leave us the option of playing the blame game or making excuses. He holds us accountable for our actions.

Our sins and evil desires come right out of our own sin nature. It is Satan who is directly tethered to our temptation. He also customizes his schemes according to our strengths, vulnerabilities and weaknesses. And we are the ones who make the choice to give in to the enticements of this world.

If you feel like you are facing temptation, don’t let yourself get dragged away by it. Instead of making excuses, cry out to God for his help and allow him to lead you to victory.

God's Garments

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

We have all felt it—that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize a great plan wasn’t so great after all. It’s when you recognize your approach was wrong from the start. It happens when you discover you have stumbled into the wrong place and you cannot find a way out.

That must have been the feeling Adam and Eve had right after they ate the forbidden fruit. They thought they had a brilliant cover-up plan. They realized they were naked, so they attempted to sew fig leaves together as a solution. And as you can imagine, fig leaves didn’t do a great job of covering their naked bodies.

We’ve all had times when we made a situation worse by trying to fix it ourselves. When our brilliant ideas fall short, it is a great opportunity to look to God for strength and wisdom. God’s plan is always the best plan—even when we’re too proud to ask for his help.

When Adam and Eve realized the inadequacy of their fig leaves, they accepted the greatness of God’s garments. God’s covering was far more sufficient for them. So if you are dealing with the consequences of a plan gone bad, it’s time to look to God for his solution instead of trying to cover things on your own.

Allasso?

Weird name? Possibly. I like it though. For some reason, I like to look at where words come from. Many of the faith breakthroughs I’ve had happened because I more completely understood a part of the Christian faith that I had taken for granted. Words that I had heard over and over simply didn’t mean much to me. Faith? Grace? Sacrifice? Repent? I could have given you a definition of these words, but they didn’t impact my life.

I remember hearing a definition of ‘repent’ that changed the way I lived my life. It means: “To turn away. To come back.” The Hebrew word for repent, (Shuwb, which is fun to say), literally means to walk the other way. Every time someone told me to “REPENT!” I thought I just needed to say I was sorry. But this new meaning literally turned me around. If I was repenting of something, I didn’t just have to stop doing it, I had to do the opposite. Repenting for yelling at my mom meant that I had to do the opposite of yelling. I had to start speaking lovingly to her. Repenting for lying didn’t just mean I had to STOP lying. I had to look for ways to tell the truth. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this changed my life.

So back to explaining this strange, strange name. Allasso literally means to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform. Youth is defined by change. Some change that you want, that you look forward to. Change: your mom used to drive you to the movie to hang out with friends. Now you actually get to drive there yourself. Good change. Other changes are harder to deal with: friends change, romantic relationships change, your relationship with your parents change, your relationship with yourself changes. School gets harder, everything gets more competitive. So, change is sometimes tough. The word ‘allasso’ reminds us of the stage we’re in, gives us comfort that this is supposed to be happening.

Definition #2: To exchange one thing for another. I can’t tell you how many times a day that I have to stop and remind myself that what I’m doing (or thinking about doing) is NOT what Christ would be doing. He probably wouldn’t gossip. When I catch myself about to do something I shouldn’t, I have to exchange what I want to do for what Christ would have me do. So ‘allasso’ reminds us that we have thousands of opportunities a day to exchange the bad for the good, to exchange our ways for His ways.

#3: To transform. All of these choices we make everyday transform us into something. ‘Allasso’ reminds us that we are constantly in a state of transformation. It reminds us that what happens on our insides inevitably shows on our outside. True ‘allasso’ isn’t a magical event that happens one day. Allasso is the product of the million little choices you are faced with every day.

Lees Chapel Youth: how would this sound as a mission statement/goal of our youth group? How would this be as a youth group name or meeting time? Allasso....

Everyone: how does this sound as a life goal and mission? hmmm...

Everlasting....

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles
-----Chris Tomlin



Today seems like one of those days that seems highly difficult for me to wrap my mind around the idea of some of the images of God that Chris Tomlin sings in this song...

I really dont know whats wrong with me today...but one thing Rob Bell says in the new movement of his book i am in is: With Pain comes Growth...

My mind goes back to this song when i think of "With Pain Comes Growth..."

When we are the weakest in our faith, our emotions, physically or mentally....we have a God that does not faint and wont grow weary!

Maybe strength does rise as we wait for our God to move. Maybe we just need to be still for half a second.....

hmmm....

Recognizing God

A man named Moses is tending to his sheep in the land of Midian when he comes upon a burning bush. He moves closer to see more and hears the voice of God, speaking to him about his people and their need to be delivered from the land of Egypt. God tells Moses to take off his sandals, for the ground he is standing on is holy. Moses has been tending sheep in this region for forty years. How many times has he passed by this spot? How many times has he stood in this exact place? And now God tells him the ground is holy?

Has the ground been holy the whole time and Moses is just becoming aware of it for the first time?

Do you and I walk on holy ground all the time, but we are moving sooo fast and returning so many calls/texts and writing sooo many emails and having such loooong lists to get done that we miss it?

-Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis


Hmmmmm....

Labels

My reading today challenged my thinking on what I label "Christian".

Christian=> noun=> a person devoted to living the way of the Messiah (Jesus).

Does the definition describe me? Does that describe my actions and the things I do?

Here are some quotes from my reading:

-Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective.

-To be a Christian is to do whatever it is that you do with great passion and devotion

-This is why it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job. If you follow Jesus and you are doing what you do in Jesus name, then it is no longer secular work; it is sacred. You are there, God is there.

This is my favorite quote:

-A church is a community of people who are learning how to be certain kinds of people wherever they find themselves, so they can do whatever it is they do "in the name of the Lord Jesus." The goal is for the church to be these unique kinds of people who are transforming the places they live, work, and play because they understand the whole earth is filled with the presence of God. God is not in one building only. Doing things for God happens all the time, everywhere!

Honestly, I love the images Rob Bell presents of the church and the Christian and how they should relate to each other. Looking objectively, I wonder if our churches...my church...is anything like that. As Christians, do we live unique lives and transform the places we exist on the name of Jesus? As a church, do we invite people around us to be present with God along with us? I pray all these are yes or become yes!!!

Chew on that...let me know what ya think....

The Explanation...

I feel the need to do this for some reason. I think it is because my memory is horrible and because my ADD is in 8th gear and i can never remember any of the good ideas that pop up in my head! And i dont like post it notes.

I also feel this is a good tool to further connect to my friends and church peeps and anyone else around the world. Hopefully it will start debates that can further God's glory in this world!

On that note: i respect all opinions on my ramblings, however....if you start to bash me and my thinking...i will no longer read your comments nor respond to them :)

I have started reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell again recently. I do this in parallel to my own scripture readings! Velvet Elvis has been such a great book! Rob writes this book in a "conversation at a coffee table" style, which helps me because i normally dont like to read at all!

However this book gets a bad rep because people a) cannot be open minded and b) take quotes from the book out of context.

You will see quotes from the book, my response and thoughts, and also some stories from my own personal walk with Jesus!

I hope this be a blessing to some, thought provoking to others, and even difficult to handle for others. I've learned that out of difficulty and confusion comes wisdom and sometimes a new way of seeing!

Love me or hate me...this is Gaddy :)