A Question of Community

What does your community look like? Not where you reside but the individual people you interact with on a regular basis. I confess, most of my life, my community has closely resembled me; a middle class,college educated white woman who attended some kind of religious establishment at least twice a week.

Consider Jesus’ community when he walked on the earth as man. He was a friend to the tax collector, the prostitute, lepers, the lame, the blind, the broken. He took average men, fishermen, tax collectors and made them disciples. James and John, the sons of Zebedee were nicknamed ” Sons of Thunder” . How do you think they earned that nickname? I imagine they were loud and obnoxious, constantly bickering. Peter was a hot head also, always ready to jump in for a little contact. Even walking with Christ they often didn’t understand his parables or still believed his kingdom was going to be of earthly things. After being in community with Jesus for three years, he based his ministry on those same men to distribute the Good News.

The Church has largely told the world, “when you get your junk cleaned up, come.” Jesus said, “Come, and I’ll give you the power and authority to overcome  your junk.” Are we not to be of the same mindset? Thankfully, I believe God is sending an awakening to his people. He’s raising up new prophets, teachers, healers, disciples and beautiful things are happening.

My own community changed a lot over the last two years and now includes, homosexuals, prostitutes, drug addicted, homeless and mentally challenged individuals in a mix of colors and cultures. The Holy Spirit is doing marvelous things, breaking down strongholds, healing broken places and identifying Jesus as their Savior. Some of them have started to believe it. Others aren’t sure yet. Some of them have overcome great difficulties but because of their faith have seen amazing results. I am thankful the Lord has brought each of them into my community. My prayer is I will love them each, the way my Lord does.

Take a look at  your community and ask where the Lord is leading you. Let him diversify your group. He only has your best interests at heart, so have no fear. If your life looks a little mundane, ask the Holy Spirit to bring new people to your life who will stretch, bless and challenge you.

If we are to reflect Jesus on the earth, isn’t it time we do community like he did?

Center of Influence

Our sun sits at the center of our universe. It has a HUGE area of influence. You also are at the center of an area of influence.

“Who, me?” You may ask.

YES YOU!

Most of us find our area’s of influence through family, coworkers, or school mates. Traditionally, our areas of influence were direct reflections of ourselves, with similar beliefs and backgrounds. Consider our new virtual worlds via Facebook, Twitter, U-Tube or LinkedIn, which provide us with a much larger audience via ‘shares’ and ‘likes’. Where once we knew most all the people in our areas of influence, we now find ourselves crossing lines with  people we don’t know and even people from other cultures.

So I ask you, what is your platform among your areas of influence?

Are you spreading love, grace and forgiveness or spewing out hatred and narrow mindedness?

Every time you ‘share’ something on Facebook, Re-tweet a tidbit on Twitter or Re-pin something on Pinterest, you are building your storyboard which says to the world,  “THIS IS WHO I AM”.

In several discussions with friends recently, there’s an ongoing conversation about those of us who profess to follow Jesus spewing out hatred and  insensitivity just like the world on social media. WHAT? This grieves my heart. Are we not a people set apart from the world? We are to be ambassadors of LOVE.

RADICAL LOVE.

I’m asking you to take a look at what story you’re building out in the world. Pass it through a filter of LOVE before publicly embracing it. Join me in building a community where the language we all speak is LOVE.

Crazy Makers or Merry Makers

  CRAZY MAKERS OR MERRY MAKERS How would your friends label you- Crazy Maker or Merry Maker? ‘d like to think my relationships with friends have been mutually beneficial- a reciprocal experience in which we both feel safe, treasured and …

The Toolbox Factor and the Noodle Network

Okay, girlfriends, it’s time for us to come clean with the male sex. How many male coworkers, friends or family members have you encountered with the look that says “what planet did she come from?”  We confound them, annoy them and generally baffle them. They shake their heads at us or shrug their shoulders because they have no idea how we process information that flagrantly  loses them. So here’s the truth male readers…. a woman’s brain is crackling with the energy from all her networks. Scores of information course through her mind, interconnecting and forging new roads simultaneously. For us, everything is connected- somewhere, just like a bowl of spaghetti.

My husband often asks me what I’m thinking, most often in the car. My response is often, “not much”, to which he replies, “that’s impossible, I can see your wheels spinning.”   I have no doubt he can but it’s nearly impossible for me to fill him in on the twenty things that crossed my mind in five seconds, which were all related and drove me down roads to people and places in my past or future.

In defense of the guys, they are wired diabolically opposite us. The framework of their minds look a lot like the organized bins on a tool box, things get filed away by categories. We often complain  they don’t listen to us, or get frustrated when we have to repeat things three times. They can’t help it, it’s their natural wiring. We often get our feelings hurt when they are short or don’t want to tag along to dinner with people they don’t know.

Men label their categories with the things that are important in their lives like “Friends”, “Hobbies”, “Family” and “Work” with subtitles under each one which helps them keep it all uncluttered, neat and separate.  One special box labeled “Nothing” really does exist in their toolbox and they can access it at any time. Just as baffled as they are by our constant downloads, I am just as envious of this “Nothing” box.

Several years ago at a Couples Retreat my husband and I were thrown into fits of laughter watching a christian comedian explain the differences in the way men and women communicate. I believe it’s all a beautiful plan of God, to challenge us and keep things interesting between mates, it takes a good dose of work and grace too.  For weeks after this episode I would ask my husband to take out his “Amie” box when I really needed his full attention. Several years later, I still engage in that practice.

I hope as you encounter the opposite sex you’ll stop and think about the way to best communicate with them, extend some grace. As women, we are all about community and men are more content being kings of their own toolbox. It can be a  beautiful exchange of ideas and knowledge tempered with some understanding.

I highly recommend the book, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus by Gary Smalley to further expound on this topic. We are all so delightfully wired, I hope you’ll celebrate the marvelous way God designed males and females.

A New You for 2013.

As we say goodbye to 2012 and approach a new year, this is my wish for each of you.

1) Pursue something new in your life that brings you joy.Get back in touch with your inner child and pursue a new creative outlet. Maybe it’s a knitting class, a book club, performance art, taking flying lessons or piano lessons- the point is doing something new!

If you’re like me, adding something means subtracting something. Make a list on paper of where you spend most of your time. Keep what is essential and let go of what’s not.

2) Make more time for friends who add light, laughter and love to your life. Most of us have people or things which seem to suck our energy even when they contain the best intentions. When your bucket seems empty, a good friend can be the medicine for the malady. The universe seems to shift when good friends get together in a burst of goodwill, joy and happiness.

3) Learn something new this year. Spend some time investing in your own wellbeing. Our minds are wonderful machines which like to be stretched and exercised. I encourage you to research something that interests you, read something challenging, engage in some kind of play that opens and energizes your mind.

4) Set attainable goals. This time of year, many of us make blind resolutions which set us up for failure. Goals on the other hand are measurable, written, attainable through a series of steps and designate a time limit.

For instance, I have determined to pursue a Master’s Degree beginning this summer. What are the steps I must make? a) research the monetary requirements and get the necessary finances together b) set up a meeting with an adviser c) prepare a defense d) plan my case load per semester e) register f) begin.

I’d love to have a conversation with you about your goals for 2013. As you gear up for 2013, I hope you will seek peace, practice generosity, live well and love deeply. I hope you’ll grasp life and dream BIG!