I had a conversation recently that drastically changed, possibly forever, the way I approach and understand my fellow Christians. Today I want to present you with two kinds of Christians. Yes, putting people, especially faith-people in a box can be dangerous, offensive, and limiting, but we've been doing it since Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus: Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and baptized, Catholic and Protestant, Calvinist and Armenian, the list goes on and on. So bear with me.
I want to suggest that these two kinds of Christians are likely both represent in your circle of friends. They are the Gracers and the Sustainers. Let me just insert a disclaimer here that the remainder of this post is exceedingly generalized. Most people will likely find holes in it. There, now that that's done, we can move on. Open minds here, people; I'm only human and this is still learning and practice.
Gracers are the Christians who have a day-month-year anniversary for their salvation, who may or may not have been raised in a Christian home, but came to personally know Jesus later in the life, probably after making a few (or more) not-great choices, and can recall a time in their lives where they didn't know Jesus. They love the song Amazing Grace; these are the folks Jesus drew out of the pit.
The other kind, Sustainers, are the ones who have home videos of themselves reciting the NIV version of Psalm 23 as toddlers. Granted, they do fall down and get dirty occasionally, but they're the ones who were, generally, raised in a Christian home and learned their colors, numbers, and vegetables from a happy mix of a Children's Bible, Veggie Tales and the Chronicles of Narnia. For this bunch, Jesus was as real as the color orange and they cannot remember a time when it didn't feel totally natural to talk to, cry with or yell at Him.
The whole point of this post is to highlight the fact that neither one of these Christians are better, worse or on a faster track toward heaven than the other. They both have their strengths, but boy do they have their blindspots too. My recent conversation with a very close friend revealed that I am a Sustainer and he is a Gracer, which explains a lot of our discussions on faith over the last several years. Let me give you a few basic examples that this realization cleared up.
First up, missions. As a 24 year old Sustainer, I cannot understand why the Gracers in my life are all already hyped up about missions. Local, regional, global, you name it. Forget jobs, forget college, forget car payments. Gracers want to tell everybody about Jesus. As a Sustainer, Jesus is, as I said, like the color orange. He's just there and soon enough, people will figure out what they've been looking at their whole lives. For Gracers, Jesus became real to them and He still needs to become real to others. In some ways, both of us are right.
Second, prayer. Again, I'm speaking super generally here, but Gracers tend to struggle with prayer, especially in the first few months and years of their faith. Prayer for them begins with figuring out what to say and moves towards spilling your soul like David. I've noticed that Gracers, especially new ones, struggle with silence and often, listening. Sustainers, however, are usually the other way around. They've been talking to God as long as they've been able to form words so they think it comes naturally. As a result, Sustainers are often comfortable with long monologues or long stretches of silence from God. We call it worship via quiet quality time. Unfortunately, this can lead to the feeling that prayer is easy or even worse, unnecessary, a myth that this very blog is designed to debunk. By the same token, Sustainers also tend to forget about the importance of...
Scripture. Sometimes, Sustainers settle for knowing it once-upon-a-lifetime and fall back on Sunday School memorization. Then again, they might not read it as often, but they know it like they know how to drive. Gracers, on the other hand, cannot stop reading. This guy Jesus just crashed into their lives and there's a whole book about him, you guys!! Unfortunately, how you know Scripture, how you pray and how you feel about your own salvation are all good signposts, but how those beliefs are lived out can be completely different between and among Gracers and Sustainers.
So let's get a little more complicated. Aka applicational.
Fear. Sustainers are, well, Sustainers...they've seen scary before, they're almost comfortable in it. In fact, they can be a bit cocky, but they give great hugs and motivational speeches. Gracers get a little panicky because Gracers are afraid of relapse and they remember before. And that's ok. That's healthy.
Grace. Obviously, Gracers get this. In fact, I firmly believe Sustainers could learn a thing or two from Gracers, especially Gracers who have been to prison. They have a very unique view of justification that Sustainers just don't get (but angels do, because they saw a lot of it in the New Testament). A friend of mine who tends to speak before she thinks once said to a well-known local Sustainer, "You've been saved for so long, you don't remember what it was like to be broken." ... Ouch. But true.
Mercy. I'm only separating mercy from grace because, although they are similar, Sustainers tend to grasp mercy the same way Gracers grasp grace. Hey, say that ten times fast! Really though, Sustainers have seen a lot of stuff, and they've seen a lot of people through a lot of stuff, so they usually have both a confidence and a compassion towards Christians who mess up that Gracers sometimes forget about after salvation.
Finally, hope. Sustainers eat, live and breathe hope. The beautiful thing is, so do Gracers. Sustainers do it because it's kept them going, Gracers do it because it's what got their attention in the first place. No matter how many differences we see between the Christian who's been saved since crawling days and the Christian who's been saved since yesterday, they're all going the same direction. Jesus told the thief on the cross, Today you will be with me in Paradise. That thief got to the disciple's destination before they did and he'd only been 'walking' for about 20 minutes. If you're a fan of fairness, Christianity is not for you. At the end of the day, Sustainers can learn a lot from Gracers and Gracers can learn a lot from Sustainers. And at the End of Days, both will laugh about how much they didn't know.
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Thursday, 17 September 2015
We Are Every Woman.
It sounds crazy, but it took me 24 years to realize God KNOWS I'm a girl. And all that that entails. Some of us have no problem believing the God of the Universe is fully capable of handling...the Universe. But we aren't always sure He can handle our space in it. Stasi Eldredge says in Captivating that most women feel we are both too much and too little at the same time. I totally get this! On the days I feel that I am too little, God seems so big. But on the days I feel too much, somehow He shrinks. He becomes the God of the Universe Except Me. Hunger in Africa? God can handle that. Sex Trafficking in St. Louis? God is handling that. The Christian Underground in China? Just you wait til He shows us what's happening there, 'cause it's gonna be big! But me? 5'6, 140 lb. me? Nope, we've officially passed beyond His reach.
Only in the last couple of months did I learn this was completely untrue. God created the Universe. He can handle it. God also created me. He can handle Me. Because sometimes, women want...no, NEED, to be handled. And by handled, I mean held. When this life-long Christian feels gut-wrenching doubt (because that's a real thing, most of the time) she needs to have a good cry and some assurance that if she reaches out, something else will reach back to her.
When the distance between me and God seems so big, I remember that God is really good at big things, which makes Him uniquely qualified to reach across that distance. And when Grace takes hold, ladies, our only job is to hold on and not let go. But even then, God is really good at the holding part and even better at listening. He knows the place of fear and worry my words are coming from. He created the tiny part of my heart that hurts in ways for which there are no words and He speaks its language. Yesterday I was getting ready for bed and realized, Father, I haven't talked to you all day. I haven't even thought about you today. And the response was so quiet, yet so clear: Dear Heart, I haven't stopped thinking about you since you fell asleep last night. (Cue tears.)
Psalm 103: 14 tells us that He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. He knows the stuff we're made of. Emotions. Cravings. Hormones. He knows how these affect us because He put them there.
Speaking of dust, I saw an anti-fat-shaming video last week. Yes, this is a thing and yes it does have a purpose in this blog. In this video, one of the most beautiful self-identified-overweight women I've ever seen unintentionally preached the Gospel. "When you see someone on the street," she said, "Don't judge their character by their size. You don't know if they are funny, creative, depressing or nerdy based on whether or not they weigh 120, 150 or 200 pounds. Most importantly, you don't know if they just lost 120 pounds."
Listen to me, ladies. When you see a woman, any woman, anywhere, don't underestimate her - you don't know the mess in her message (Citation nod to Judah Smith). What you do know is that she's a woman. And God created a tiny part of her heart that is pumping blood, tears and dust the exact same way yours is.
God alone is the living water that makes that dust beautiful. You cannot be another woman's living water, but you can tell her how you used to be dust.
Only in the last couple of months did I learn this was completely untrue. God created the Universe. He can handle it. God also created me. He can handle Me. Because sometimes, women want...no, NEED, to be handled. And by handled, I mean held. When this life-long Christian feels gut-wrenching doubt (because that's a real thing, most of the time) she needs to have a good cry and some assurance that if she reaches out, something else will reach back to her.
When the distance between me and God seems so big, I remember that God is really good at big things, which makes Him uniquely qualified to reach across that distance. And when Grace takes hold, ladies, our only job is to hold on and not let go. But even then, God is really good at the holding part and even better at listening. He knows the place of fear and worry my words are coming from. He created the tiny part of my heart that hurts in ways for which there are no words and He speaks its language. Yesterday I was getting ready for bed and realized, Father, I haven't talked to you all day. I haven't even thought about you today. And the response was so quiet, yet so clear: Dear Heart, I haven't stopped thinking about you since you fell asleep last night. (Cue tears.)
Psalm 103: 14 tells us that He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. He knows the stuff we're made of. Emotions. Cravings. Hormones. He knows how these affect us because He put them there.
Speaking of dust, I saw an anti-fat-shaming video last week. Yes, this is a thing and yes it does have a purpose in this blog. In this video, one of the most beautiful self-identified-overweight women I've ever seen unintentionally preached the Gospel. "When you see someone on the street," she said, "Don't judge their character by their size. You don't know if they are funny, creative, depressing or nerdy based on whether or not they weigh 120, 150 or 200 pounds. Most importantly, you don't know if they just lost 120 pounds."
Listen to me, ladies. When you see a woman, any woman, anywhere, don't underestimate her - you don't know the mess in her message (Citation nod to Judah Smith). What you do know is that she's a woman. And God created a tiny part of her heart that is pumping blood, tears and dust the exact same way yours is.
God alone is the living water that makes that dust beautiful. You cannot be another woman's living water, but you can tell her how you used to be dust.
Monday, 14 September 2015
Willing & Able
I realized today that I have never shared my plank workouts with ya'll, so below you will find two Neila Ray plank workouts. I try to do one of these every morning.
Key word: TRY.
The problem is not that I find myself unable to hold it for 4-5 minutes. The problem is that I find myself unwilling to do it every morning. Motivation is still a big obstacle; not just in Planking, but with Eating and Praying too.
Most days Eating is easy.
Most days Praying is hard.
And just like Planking, it's not a matter of am I able; it's a matter of am I willing.
The thing about being willing, though, is that it's still just the first step. Even if I'm willing to plank for 5 minutes, this does not mean my arms can handle it. I have to train up to 5 minutes. By the same token, if I'm willing to talk to God for 5 minutes, this does not mean my human mind won't wander. That takes training too.
Be willing.
Be willing to train.
And you will become able.
Key word: TRY.
The problem is not that I find myself unable to hold it for 4-5 minutes. The problem is that I find myself unwilling to do it every morning. Motivation is still a big obstacle; not just in Planking, but with Eating and Praying too.
Most days Eating is easy.
Most days Praying is hard.
And just like Planking, it's not a matter of am I able; it's a matter of am I willing.
The thing about being willing, though, is that it's still just the first step. Even if I'm willing to plank for 5 minutes, this does not mean my arms can handle it. I have to train up to 5 minutes. By the same token, if I'm willing to talk to God for 5 minutes, this does not mean my human mind won't wander. That takes training too.
Be willing.
Be willing to train.
And you will become able.
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
I Dreamed A Dream...
My Mama and I have known for years:
Going to sleep is like putting on a target.
We put on more Holy Armour before we go to sleep
Than when we are awake.
We learned early on,
Our Enemy was on to us.
And He's on to you, too.
He knows your weakness.
And if He can't tempt you to be bothered with it in the day,
He'll make you worry about it at night.
Dreams are infectious.
We have the least amount of control,
but when we wake
they control us as long as we let them.
I am here to tell you:
If you wake up afraid.
If you wake up nervous.
If you wake up worried.
If you wake up anything less than 100% positive
YOU ARE A RESCUED
SANCTIFIED
SATISFIED
and VICTORIOUS
CHILD OF GOD
Then your dreams are not,
I repeat
NOT
From Him.
Tonight I pray for each and every one of your dreams.
May they be covered in the joy and peace that only the Spirit can give.
And when you wake up
I hope the Devil panics.
Oh no, SHE's awake.
Judgement.
"Don't judge me."
We've all said it. And we all still do it. Somebody cool once pointed out to me that the 'flaws' we judge the most harshly in others are the ones we expect the most mercy for in ourselves. I'm pretty sure s/he was absolutely right.
Somebody else cool told me that when we say Don't judge me, what we really mean is, Don't disapprove of me. Scotty Klaudt of Zootown Church once spoke a truth that changed my worldview forever. He said, No matter what any of us say, none of us are truly afraid of judgement; we're afraid of a verdict.
You see, honey, there's a difference. Judgement is considering the situation; applying a verdict is labeling it. As Christians, the Holy Spirit imparts on each of us His discernment. When we examine ourselves (or others) and discern (or judge) an action, desire, or thought process, what we're actually doing is considering its value or truth in light of Scripture. The gift of discernment and the wise use of it are key to our sanctification, aka the process by which the Holy Spirit (not our own actions) makes us more like our Savior. Without it, we are stagnant, stationary Christians. Sanctification is a key chapter in the Grand Narrative of our salvation. If we miss that chapter, we only have part of the story and with only part of the story, we only have part of a Christian, which is no Christian at all (citation nod to Ravi Zacharia's radio broadcast last Sunday).
What I'm trying to say is that judgement is more important to our spiritual, emotional and physical health than we care to admit. It's essential. Discernment is essential. Balancing what we see in others and ourselves with Scripture...is essential. And the beautiful fact is, when we balance what we see and feel against the real truth of Scripture, we'll discover that we're not comparing our faults, flaws or shortcomings to a list of rules. We're comparing it to what always, ALWAYS comes between the Christian and the Verdict and that's Grace. Hear me very clearly, dear friends: Judgement is essential not for making us 'better' Christians, but for receiving the grace that always accompanies it for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I want to take this thought one step further for us girls. Especially for women (I can't speak for men), I completely, totally, 100% believe that the Christian's discerning eye is turned more often towards ourselves than to others. We are our own worst critic, ladies. And what's the Christian lingo for that? Conviction. When we sense something 'bad', or 'unholy' or 'imperfect' in ourselves, we often feel a sense of something we call Conviction. And like Judgement, we tend to take a leap from Conviction to something more final: Condemnation.
BUT WE DID IT AGAIN!!! DID YOU SEE THAT?! WE MISSED GRACE!!!!
Paul tells us in Romans 8 that there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Do you see it, ladies? When we examine others and ourselves, we have a tendency to skip grace both times. I said before that characteristics we judge harshly in others are the ones for which we demand the most grace. But I think as women, the opposite is also true; the characteristics we judge harshly in ourselves can be the ones we most easily forgive in others. And in both cases, we miss the grace that is desperately needed. In both cases, we miss the very thing that judgement was passed in order to reveal.
For Christians, the truth of grace HAS to win. Matthew West's song Grace Wins spells this out beautifully:
There's a war between guilt and grace.
We are fighting for a sacred space.
And I'm living proof
Grace wins every time.
The most beautiful part of this chorus is that the war isn't between grace and sin, it's grace and guilt. As humans, sin is inevitable. As women, guilt is most often self-inflicted. And as Christians, grace ALWAYS comes before the Verdict.
We've all said it. And we all still do it. Somebody cool once pointed out to me that the 'flaws' we judge the most harshly in others are the ones we expect the most mercy for in ourselves. I'm pretty sure s/he was absolutely right.
Somebody else cool told me that when we say Don't judge me, what we really mean is, Don't disapprove of me. Scotty Klaudt of Zootown Church once spoke a truth that changed my worldview forever. He said, No matter what any of us say, none of us are truly afraid of judgement; we're afraid of a verdict.
You see, honey, there's a difference. Judgement is considering the situation; applying a verdict is labeling it. As Christians, the Holy Spirit imparts on each of us His discernment. When we examine ourselves (or others) and discern (or judge) an action, desire, or thought process, what we're actually doing is considering its value or truth in light of Scripture. The gift of discernment and the wise use of it are key to our sanctification, aka the process by which the Holy Spirit (not our own actions) makes us more like our Savior. Without it, we are stagnant, stationary Christians. Sanctification is a key chapter in the Grand Narrative of our salvation. If we miss that chapter, we only have part of the story and with only part of the story, we only have part of a Christian, which is no Christian at all (citation nod to Ravi Zacharia's radio broadcast last Sunday).
What I'm trying to say is that judgement is more important to our spiritual, emotional and physical health than we care to admit. It's essential. Discernment is essential. Balancing what we see in others and ourselves with Scripture...is essential. And the beautiful fact is, when we balance what we see and feel against the real truth of Scripture, we'll discover that we're not comparing our faults, flaws or shortcomings to a list of rules. We're comparing it to what always, ALWAYS comes between the Christian and the Verdict and that's Grace. Hear me very clearly, dear friends: Judgement is essential not for making us 'better' Christians, but for receiving the grace that always accompanies it for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I want to take this thought one step further for us girls. Especially for women (I can't speak for men), I completely, totally, 100% believe that the Christian's discerning eye is turned more often towards ourselves than to others. We are our own worst critic, ladies. And what's the Christian lingo for that? Conviction. When we sense something 'bad', or 'unholy' or 'imperfect' in ourselves, we often feel a sense of something we call Conviction. And like Judgement, we tend to take a leap from Conviction to something more final: Condemnation.
BUT WE DID IT AGAIN!!! DID YOU SEE THAT?! WE MISSED GRACE!!!!
Paul tells us in Romans 8 that there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Do you see it, ladies? When we examine others and ourselves, we have a tendency to skip grace both times. I said before that characteristics we judge harshly in others are the ones for which we demand the most grace. But I think as women, the opposite is also true; the characteristics we judge harshly in ourselves can be the ones we most easily forgive in others. And in both cases, we miss the grace that is desperately needed. In both cases, we miss the very thing that judgement was passed in order to reveal.
For Christians, the truth of grace HAS to win. Matthew West's song Grace Wins spells this out beautifully:
There's a war between guilt and grace.
We are fighting for a sacred space.
And I'm living proof
Grace wins every time.
The most beautiful part of this chorus is that the war isn't between grace and sin, it's grace and guilt. As humans, sin is inevitable. As women, guilt is most often self-inflicted. And as Christians, grace ALWAYS comes before the Verdict.
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