Priorities & Perspective (via blogsense-by-barb)

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I am a person of faith, and as such, the priorities of my life revolve around my personal relationship with God.  My love for him and the compassion and empathy I feel for others all flow from God. The fierceness of my love for my three children is rooted and tempered. In God. The tremendous gratitude and pride (not arrogance) that swells within me eminates ultimately from the throne of God. There are those who believe that faith belongs onl … Read More

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Priorities & Perspective

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"life lessons", America, balance, character training, choices, citizenship, compassion, faith, God, Human nature, Military appreciation, priorities, responsibilities, spiritual

A reflective light amidst the darkness and storms

I am a person of faith, and as such, the priorities of my life revolve around my personal relationship with God.  My love for him and the compassion and empathy I feel for others all flow from God. The fierceness of my love for my three children is rooted and tempered. In God. The tremendous gratitude and pride (not arrogance) that swells within me eminates ultimately from the throne of God.

There are those who believe that faith belongs only in a church or synagogue. I am not among them. Faith is who I am, but there are “apps” in each of our lives for that faith, places to use and apply our faith since faith without works is dead. Being an American citizen entitles me to share in the many rich choices available here. From the hundreds of varieties of shampoo to the fresh produce at the grocery to clothing, fragrances, cars, and technology. In exchange, I pay taxes and served my country a brief 3 years.

Now, my duties, my responsibilities to my children no longer include daily meals, laundry, and carpooling, so I am FREE to make other choices. Shall I join a bowling league? a Bridge Club? a local Tea Party? or lock myself within the 4 walls of a local congregation? There are a multitude of options. This is America!

America was birthed with a Godly purpose. She has grown, matured, and rebelled, just like any person. Now, she must grow up and become a mature, responsible, compassionate adult. The outcome is not my responsibility. The ultimate path of our nation is not my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, however, to do my part. It is the RIGHT place for me to APPLY my faith. It may not be for every person of faith, I suppose, but again, that is not my responsibility. I can only do my part. I am one voice, but I vow to be a persistent voice for balance, for compassion tempered by responsibility. I love my country and the people who call her “HOME.”

Does Jesus Ever Wag a Self-Righteous Finger at the World?

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"life lessons", arrogance, believers, compassion, condemnation, elitist, empathy, example, forgiveness, Jesus, love, pride

Used with permission. Stephen Sawyer http://www.ART4GOD.com

In Jesus’ brief ministry, I never see Him sit in a “safe” place. Rather, He, with one or more of His disciples, goes to the home of the tax collector, or walks to the well in midday when He knows the women will be there. Jesus mingles with the people and does not hold Himself above them. In fact, the religious leaders became upset with Him for just this reason.(Mt 11) And when, pray tell, did Jesus ever wag his finger in the face of a known sinner and tell them they’re going to hell??? Answer … NEVER! He does, however, with tears in His eyes, weep for Jerusalem and the wickedness of us sinners.

Now, think about that for a minute. Jesus is, according to Scripture, the Head of the Church, yes? The “Body” of the Church should follow the Head. If Jesus (the Head) walks down to the beach of the Sea of Galilee to gather those “called” to Himself, should the “Body” sit comfortably behind closed doors hoping for the “lost” to stumble into a local gathering by themselves?

The single GREAT reason for the general ineffectiveness of the organized Church is our unwillingness to be … like Jesus! Believers are called to be like Jesus. While Jesus never tolerated sin, it is His unconditional love that drew (and continues to draw) people to Him. He was clear in His love for sinners. He pointed out their failures gently, but boldly embraced them as individuals. No place in Scripture are believers urged to condemn sinners, yet many believers feel obligated to do just that, even in “ministry”.

Let me ask this …

What drew YOU to Jesus? Was it fear of hell or need for acceptance/kindness?

One ugly example of this error at work is visible in the way the church has judged and condemned the entire homosexual community. YES, homosexuality is sin, but it is sin just like anger is sin, and gluttony is sin, and gossip is sin. All are forms of self-indulgence, while believers are exhorted to walk in self-control, yielding even our most base needs to the Holy Spirit. This arrogance, or elitist attitude is putrid, and totally in contradiction to Jesus. It drives people away from Jesus. Bottom line is, most people are fully aware of their sin. We don’t need someone to point it out, rather, we need someone to love us enough to accept us right where we are and offer unconditional love – GOD’s love, and forgiveness. Jesus is the WAY … the one and only way, but the unique thing about Jesus is that He meets us right where we are. He knows exactly what we have done, what we will do, and what we need … He never pushes, but instead, He draws us, welcomes us and frees us to find the person HE created us to be – freely unique individuals. His love empowers us to see who we are and who He is, and gives us the desire to be like Him. It’s all about God’s love! Like a shepherd to his flock, Jesus loves each sheep (person) so much that He leaves the other 99 to go in search of the one that is lost. Jesus loves the outcast lepers, harlots, and uncircumcised enough to go out in search of them, not to rebuke them, but to love them in spite of their sin.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5: 6-8 NKJV

Dear reader, is it not after the Holy Spirit indwells us that He begins to change us into His likeness? He does not require us to be holy before He embraces us, nor does He require us to work toward perfection. He only requires us to admit our need of Him, His love, His grace, and His mercy! How dare we require more! Let God be the judge of the sinner’s heart, and let us be His hands of mercy and acceptance. Then, and only then will we begin to see the power of Christ change our sinful world.

Stop Teaching Kids to Bully! Lead by Example!

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"Buffalo Springfield", "life lessons", American Moral Character, behavior, bullies, bully, bullying, children, compassion, differences, empathy, teach, values

Bullying is not a new thing. Kids have always sought the solitary differences among them to ridicule. We dealt with it and eventually learned to fight back … nicely, of course. Problem is, the culture in the 50′s, and early 60′s was a bit gentler than today, even with the unwanted war actions.

Kids learn to bully … somewhere?

Let me ask you this: What do our children learn from TV/movies/video games … the NEWS? (Not, what do they watch) What is shown to them? Do we teach them to appreciate the differences of others? Or do we teach “If you don’t believe like me, you’re WRONG!” ?

Left v Right

Republican v Democrat,

Union, v Non-Union,

North v South,

Christian v Islam,

Male v Female

… and on and on we go in our dichotomic world. Why are there only two choices? When there are but two choices, if you don’t agree completely with me, you must be wrong. I mean, who believes the wrong thing by choice???

Grown ups must start acting like adults, and stop teaching our children to bully!

“Battle lines being drawn. Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong!

Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth 1967

Our children learn what we teach them. More specifically, children learn what they SEE and HEAR routinely. WE teach our children to either embrace the differences of others or question them. We teach our children to judge others even as we tell them not to because we teach with our behavior. When we scoff at the fat man across the street, or the short person struggling to get onto the bus, or the person who doesn’t appear as “handsome” as we might wish, we are teaching our children the ideology the produces bullying. When we sneer at the “sinner” across the parking lot of the church, synagogue or mosque we just left, are we displaying the compassion ALL major religions preach or the judgment condemned in all holy writings? It doesn’t have to be a sexuality issue! Kids have always been just plain mean! They find ANY difference reason enough to bully! Sounds kinda like our politicians, doesn’t it? Uh, behavior has to be learned some place!

Someday, just for fun, we should try to APPRECIATE our differences … just for fun, mind you! It might be too productive, I understand. We might learn to value other perspectives and maybe, just maybe, learn a thing or two. Maybe!