Respecting Another's Faith

I have Christian friends, Budist friends, Catholic friends, Islamic friends and even some atheist friends. This in and of itself is not anything specatcular. Lots of people have friends of different faiths and cultures. I've always enjoyed my diverse group of friends and feel challenged to be the best example of Christ to them that I can be. And, I've always tried very hard to respect their varying beliefs.

But recently I've found myself in conversations with some of my non-christian friends where my 'respecting' felt more like agreeing. And this made me uncomfortable.

For example, today one of my friends  was all agog that they had been given an impression of Jesus on a rose petal that 'miraculously' appeared when they were at a conference. Evidently there is a man named  Carmelo Cortez who is 'supernaturally' used by God to pull petals off of fresh roses, dip them in some kind of colored water, and then 'miraculously' divine impressions appear.

 As my friend showed her 'holy rose petal' to others  many  ooed and ahhed and were clearly mesmerized by the 'power of the petal miracle'.

And since, many in my circle of influence  look to me for prayer and encouragement they just assumed I would be equally enthusiastic.

But I wasn't.

Instead, I listened intently to my friends glowing explanation of what took place at the convention where the 'Rose Petal Miracle' occured.  Then I said  "I'm really happy for you" and "What a neat memento for you to have" but I stopped short of declaring it a supernatural phenomenon.

 As I walked away from the 'Rose Petal Group' I was overwhelmed with sadness because my friends were easily taken in by what I felt was a hoax. 

How could I have prayed so much for them and still they don't see Jesus for who He really is? I mused to myself.

But I didn't say anything. The truth is I wasn't sure what to say. I felt a strong urge to declare truth as I see it, but also realized it was important that I respect their right to choose to believe the rose petal image was straight from heaven.

So for now I've decided that  I will pray for truth to be revealed to them. And I will write truth as I feel inspired to do so. (see my SIDENOTE explanation  below) And I will keep on being their friend and keep on loving them.

Should I say more to them? I don't know. I'm still grappling with this question. What do you do when you come face-to-face with what you believe is a false belief? What did Jesus do? These are the questions I'm still seeking answers to.

I sure hope some of my readers take time to give feedback. This is one time I really need your insight....








SIDENOTE:The point of this particular post isn't  to debate the legitimacy of flashy so-called miracle workers. But because I believe the Bible is our ultimate guide I think it's important to point out that Jesus himself warned us about people who use outlandish tactics to draw a crowd presumably in the name of Christ:

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones)." (Matthew 24:24)

At least it's something to think about....

Light Enhancement

I have a friend named Vlatka who takes incredible pictures with a simple point and shoot digital camera. She's a believer, and she gets great joy out of capturing God's handiwork upclose. The ideas she comes up with always amaze me - and always minister to me.

Maybe part of what touches me about Vlatka's photos is that they transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. Vlatka has an eye for this.

I on the other hand, do not.

For example, recently, Vlatka and I went on a walk while I was on my lunch break. (What a friend she is huh? She came to meet me on my lunch hour just to walk with me!) As we walked, I was focused on chatting and well... walking.

But not Vlatka. She was enthralled with potential photo opportunities that kept presenting themselves. At first, I was a little put off because I wanted to get my 2 mile walk in, but that feeling quickly disapaited as I began to see things through Vlatka's eyes.

Take this tree branch for example:

 

I had passed this tree branch every day on my walking route and didn't think much of it, except that I wondered when the people were going to have it removed and I thought it looked kinda cool.

But Vlatka, looked at it and saw great potential.

Or this shot she also took on our walking route:

All I saw was a sticky tree. But Vlatka saw a visual message that could prick the hearts of others.

When Vlatka started emailing me her pictures with the scriptures on them, I was amazed. I asked her how she managed to do such incredible work with such a simple camera. "It's not the camera so much as the light" she responded. Then she explained to me how she had taken a s photography class about the importance of proper lighting.

 As we chatted about lighting and shadows and how to capture great pictures, we realized it wasn't the camera. It wasn't the tree, or flower or whatever, and it wasn't even the photographer that made the difference. (I could have used her camera and taken the same pictures, but without the knowledge of the effects of light enhancement, the results would have been dramatically different.) It was the LIGHT and the KNOWLEDGE OF THE LIGHT that transformed  a simple picture into a work of art.

And that's when it hit both of us, that it's the same when Jesus Christ sheds his light on us. It is when we have the knowledge of Him as the light of the world that transformation begins. Until then, we are just ordinary, balls of dirt that are not special at all. But when He shines His light on us we are transformed, illuminated, and beautiful!! Our worth, our value, our purpose are only fully realized when Jesus Christ fills us with his spirit. Because it is then that His light can fully shine through us.

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:3-5)


"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Monday Musings

Well, it's the start of another week, and although I had a glorious weekend, I'm definately feeling a little fuzzy this morning. Monday's offer the chance for new beginnings and fresh starts. So why are they often associated with dread and an extra cup of coffee?

It could be facing the weight of the week's responsibilities. Or it could be tiredness from the weekend. But more times than not, it's flipping that imaginary switch in my brain from weekend mode, to work mode.

So my prayer this morning is: "God, please transition my mind, heart, will and emotions to my responsibilities at work.Empower me to be an employee that you can be proud of. Remind me moment by moment that your holy word says 'I am an epistle, known and read of all men.'(2 Corinthians 3:4) So the reality is that I am always on display as your representative. Please Lord, protect my witness, infuse me with your joy, and help me to project your love no matter how fuzzy my brain may feel. In Jesus name. Amen"

So now, I'm going to make myself a nice warm cup of green tea and get crackin. Cause 'this is the day that the Lord hath made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!'

Jewish Jim

I just had an interesting conversation with a co-worker of mine, Jim*. We were sharing what we did to celebrate Easter this past weekend and he mentioned he made Matzo Balls for his family. "Are you Jewish?" I gushed. "Yes, I am" he replied. I asked to shake his hand and told him how honored I was to know personally one of God's favorites. He knodded his head sheepishly, and so I went on about how as a Gentile, I have such respect for the Jews and their special relationship with God. He seemed eager to discontinue to conversation and finally blurted out "I"m not a practicing Jew and my wife is Catholic and neither one of us go to church!" I responded with "Well, still it's an honor to know you my friend." Then we changed the subject.

In reflecting on our exchange, a sadness came over me as I realized he has no idea of his true heritage. He's a prince, the son of the King, and he's living as a pauper. And then that scripture, "and such were some of you" washed over my mind.

And so my prayer this morning is:

"Oh Gracious, loving Father of All, thank-you for giving the gentiles a chance in this world. But thank-you more for allowing me to understand who I am in You. Please awaken all those around me to the reality of their royal heritage - especially my friend Jim.Amen."

Scriptures For Further Study: Roman 11:16-18; 1 Peter 2:9; Romans 2:9-11

*Not his real name

TIME

Well, I was on vacation and it shows. I didn't blog while I was gone.

Thanks to my readers for sticking with me through my erractic postings!

I've been contemplating TIME lately. Particularly what seems to be the lack of it.

Time Management experts would say we all have the same 24 hours, and they are right. Each of us is given this most precious of commodities which springs to newness each sunrise and gasps it's last each sunset.

TIME is a gift from God and I am convinced He's deeply interested in how we use it.

And it is exactly that point which frustrates me the most. Often, I feel like I did not live up to God's expectations of how I used my TIME.

Granted, some of my time is slated for me:

• I'm at work from 7:30am to 5:00pm each weekday.


• I generally sleep from 9:00pm to 5:00am.


• I attend church every Sunday morning (2+ hours) and Thursday night (2 hours)

But what about the remaining 75 hours a week? That is the TIME that God has been dealing with me about. How I spend my 'free time' reveals much about who I am as an individual and what my priorities are.

For example, I used to spend 30 minutes a day in Bible reading, but lately it's been shaved to a mere 15 minutes - hardly enough time to 'soak in the word.'

At the beginning of the year, I started a new exercise regime and now my 45 minute morning prayer has been squeezed to 20 minutes. (Ouch! Just writing this convicts me)

So, while it's true that TIME is the same for all of us, I believe we must be accountable to God for our leisure time. And I for one, want to do much, much better with devoting quality TIME to building up my spiritual self.

What about you?

"There is a time for every thing..." -Ecclesiates 3:1

Soldier Lessons

I have a tiny Roman Soldier sitting on my desk at work. It's a visual reminder of what the Apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus:

"Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)

But all week, my little soldier has been falling over. One day, I reached for a file folder and knocked him off his feet. Another time, I set my coffee down too close to him, and he wobbled over on his side. Then today, he fell flat on his face when I rammed my desk with my chair.

Interestingly, I identify with my little soldier the most when he's lying there helpless. I understand what it feels like to be all decked out and in battle gear; ready to rumble, and then get knocked off your feet.

But this is where my little soldier and I differ. You see, no matter how many times my little soldier falls, he remains poised for battle. His arms stay extended, his sword remains drawn, and he maintains his game face.

I, on the other hand, often lose sight of the battle and start thinking of my predicament. Questions like 'how am I going to get up with all this armor on?' and 'who's going to help me?' often dominate my thoughts.

But not so, my little soldier. He somehow knows that I am going to pick him up and set him on his feet again. He trusts me; so he waits. And for some reason, this pleases me.

And it pleases God too when we trust Him enough to wait patiently knowing that soon He'll stand us upright again.

"Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. " (Psalm 37:24)

JUST GET OVER IT

I'm usually not one to have a pity party for myself. But for some reason this week I did. Maybe it was hormones, maybe it was too little sleep, or maybe it was too much me and not enough Jesus. Whatever the reason, my innerself was whining:

I don't want to stay late at work - let somebody else do it.

So-and-so forgot my birthday - how could they hurt me like that?

I never have enough time to do the things I want to do.

All this self-pity came to a head yesterday morning during my Morning Prayer time. Feeling rather hurt and wounded from the week's circumstances, I began by praying Psalm 42:5:

"Why art thou cast down o my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God..."

Thinking God was sympathetic to my plight, I told God my whole sappy tale. But after a few minutes, it was clear He wasn't buying it. Frustrated I opened my devotional book and read:

"Dew will never gather while there is either heat or wind... Many Christians do not recognize the importance of the heavenly dew in their lives..."

Ouch! Obviously, my agitated spirit was preventing the heavenly dew. The realization of this helped me to calm down and wait quietly for God's direction. Within minutes, God reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend Sally*this week.

Sally and I were discussing work related stresses with another co-worker, when she looked at us and said; "Just get over it." We tried to tell her it wasn't that easy, but she gave us a wry smile, lifted her index finger, made a hurdle jumping motion with it, and repeated; "Just get over it." We had a good laugh, and found ourselves using that simple hand gesture as a reminder to "Just get over it."

Needless to say, I got God's message loud and clear: "Just get over it."

And so I found myself with a choice. I could be miserable and keep feeling sorry for myself. Or, I could get over it, and have a good day. I chose the latter and joy flooded my spirit within moments.

Amazing isn't it? Joy is a choice. Who'd have thought? From now on, I will choose joy whether I feel like it or not. What about you? What will you choose when the next obstacle comes your way?