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life

Jesus is my Gray…

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All My Life: I have admitted that I had no gray area. I was a strait forward, black and white perspective holder. There was either hot or cold. Lukewarm didn’t sit well with me, consciously. However, as I type this, I remember things that I have done in my life that didn’t line up with the Bible’s black and white. The Bible does say that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), as well as not being Lukewarm (Revelations 3:15-16). My gray area was measured disobedience.

I knew that growing up, certain things you didn’t do. Your parents, grandparents, church members, pastors, even friends shed light on the “do’s and don’ts”. The problem was, I said stuff like, “I’ll do it when I get older”. (am I the only one who will admit that?) I was saying I would live right when I got older. I didn’t want the responsibility or the challenge. (This was very bad thinking.)

I was the good girl who was made fun of for being a good girl. I tried to do things, in both high school and college, to push the envelope. Nothing permanent, but I wanted to have fun too. CAN YOU SAY BACKFIRE? It never worked. NEVER. I got into trouble with my parents, once with the school for a dress code violation, and most of all, I was disappointing my Heavenly Father. Let me also add, it was NEVER worth it. ::GRACE::

The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost never left me. They were not the intermittent gap filler for the convenience of my perspective, but my Bridge Over Troubled Water. For a new age spin on that, I submit the words of my former mentor/professor Dr. L. Alex Swan, They got into the water with me and helped me fix the waters.

I am so grateful that I wasn’t discarded because of my thoughts, actions, and consequences. PEOPLE throw PEOPLE away but GOD does not. Let’s ponder that. You mean to tell me, since the servant will never be greater than the Master, that certain flesh folks have the gall to do what the Lord will not?! Yes. I do believe once they are convicted of the Holy Spirit, they will reconsider, but I know it happens. The flesh is judgmental. It is. You can say out of your mouth, “don’t judge me” and it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the other person’s thoughts as they evaluate based on their experiences. Yes, we are all sinners, but we have not all experienced the same things. It is within THAT vein that value judgements are placed.

We have got to get better, yes we – includes ME, at forgiving and being accepting of the person. The behavior doesn’t have to be accepted. But do you remember Jesus breaking bread with the tax collectors? They were not the company that the religious leaders favored, but in love Jesus could accept the PERSON. Conversion never happens out of popularity. The greatest commandment, commands us to love God and love people. When we actually get to that…what a world this will be!

Ivy Out

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life

Agape

Often people quote 1 Corinthians when it comes to love. Today I want to talk about a Mark 15 love. Agape love. The love of God. Jesus endured what I know I couldn’t have even considered. He didn’t do it because we deserve so much. He didn’t do it because we could offer enough to pay for our salvation. As a matter of fact, WE WEREN’T A CONCEPT YET!

When you consider loving someone that you feel hurt you, maybe was mean to you, or even a stranger, think of Mark 15. Mark’s gospel account of the crucifixion of Christ. You can do it, simply because Jesus was the example. He died and rose so we could love. Amen?

Ivy Out

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life

I thought the next blog would be…

I thought my new blog would be about yesterday’s blog but I have something more important to say. 

 

You discover so much of yourself through genuine conversation with others. Difference does separate us in theory… but not in kind. We all have hearts that beat, minds that matter, and brains that function. Be the change you seek. Gandhi was on to something!

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life

Quiet

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1 Peter 3:1-7

1Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
7Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

 

During some studying today I came across this passage. IT FLOORS ME. Not that I haven’t read it before, but I am blown away by something underlined. Even if HE isn’t a believer of the word, HER behavior may win him over. 

There are a lot of shows on television that depict women as these overzealous, emotional extremists who do very little to exert or show self-control. There are males who base their impressions of a woman by what she says, but I employ women to begin showing who they are without saying a word. This is the “silence is golden” principle my grandmother used to teach me. 

It’s also very interesting with how this passage begins and ends. Verse one speaks to a women’s behavior (stemming from the word anastrophe which literally means “manner of life”) winning (kerdaino) the husband over to the kingdom. Making him a believer of the Word, of God, not by how loudly she speaks, but by the very way she lives. The beef in this hamburger is… the fact that it’s not the outer adornment but the inner beauty that holds the true value. No plastic surgeon is going to be happy with this blog. Funny thing, if I may, is realizing that our culture is asphyxiated on aesthetics that hold little value because it’s ever changing. The end of this passage, verse seven, ends with “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” 

I want to pull something out for you: Respect the weaker partner as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. The amplified version reads this way: “In the same way you married men should live considerately with [your wives], with an intelligent recognition [of the marriage relation], honoring the woman as [physically] the weaker, but [realizing that you] are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life” 

For those who would seem to thwart being called the “weaker vessel” I draw attention to the roots of the word according to Strong’s concordance. That being alpha the first letter of the greek alphabet (beginning) and sthenoō with means to strengthen. The first to strengthen… really God? So you mean like in Ephesians 5:26 when the husband is told to sanctify his wife, cleansing her and washing her with the word. This is a complete full circle for me. There is so much here that I am struggling with my verbiage so I don’t destroy the immense-ness of this passage.  To add to that… JOINT heirs of the GRACE OF LIFE.

seriously, I am on spiritual overload… then the VERY end “so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” Might I submit food for thought here:

 Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good

and receives favor from the Lord.

 

There is favor attached to the marriage union. There is a hindrance of prayer when man steps out of what he was created to do. There are problems when women attempt to verbally change a man, or live in such a way that her inner beauty is stifled.

 

Today, I grew up.

 Ivy Out

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life

Happy New Year ;) Non-Traditionally…

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WELCOME 2013… 

January has come around again and lots of people will make resolutions because it’s the traditional thing to do. BREAK AWAY FROM TRADITION! Resolutions have a tendency to be these pesky little dust collectors that people forget about by the end of the first quarter of the year. Began to make changes in your life.. and it doesn’t take January to change! 

Use today to assess yourself. Are you pleasing God? Where can you improve (NONE of us are without need for improvement SOMEWHERE)? What are you proud of? ::gratitude:: is the little g that will get ME through this year. What will get you through 2013? My big G… God is a given… 

Be Non-traditional and apply the change you seek. You’ll be better for it. Happy New Year! 

Ivy Out

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life

ebb and flow…

grace
I stopped doing things that appeased my family when I went to college. New Problem: I started doing things with others in mind. That isn’t a problem some of the time…but it can become cumbersome when it’s ALL the time. The word teaches us to please God because pleasing man #1 isn’t possible and #2 isn’t the right focus (we are to please God). The biggest issue with recognizing this, is realizing HOW MUCH I still do it. To add salt to the wound…most of the people that get considered have a big stamp across their character that reads: TEMPORARY. ::insert shaking head here::

This would be an easy problem to fix if I didn’t realize that when I do get married (date unknown at the present time) my priority after God will be my husband. So temporarily turn off this “issue” and suspend with temperance until after name change? Right? Any married or soon to be married ladies want to chime in on this?

To add to that…it’s not limited to romantic interests. My family (again), friends, business partners, mentors, I want everyone to be happy. The problem is..someone is ALWAYS unhappy. That someone used to be me, mainly. But if the “crew” (insert any group of people here) is happy, then I’ve done it again. I’ve pulled it off. Cyclical Pleasing (can I coin this?) is a problem because it isn’t realistic. I can remember asking myself several “what if” questions that had to do with MAJOR changes in my life. By the time I figured out that I was really on my earthly own with these decisions, that person had exited stage left. Most of the time it was a peaceful exit that was already in the script, and sometimes, they left with a bit of pyrotechnics. While family is permanent, most of the other folk in my life are seasonal. Long or short, seasons change. So as we march gladly out of 2012…I will begin to be conscious of these little cycles of my life. Those that don’t bring progress will be reformed or removed.

Good News Cometh: I have some awesome people around me. Some are miss-labeled…but that two is a reform process. These people have the gall, boldness, and permission to correct me, edify me, polish me, and knock out the kinks where need be to help me be a better me. Every day that I live and breath is a new opportunity to grow. I am grateful for these that take the responsibility of friendship seriously. Those who offer biased, jaded, or otherwise unwanted information to my life discourse will be muted. God chastises His children because He loves us…He also has ONE HECK of a sense of humor.

*The picture above was taken by one of my MUA mentors (Elroy McDaniel) who is also a fabulous photographer. I couldn’t see the image he was capturing at the time. I had to trust his instructions and his “eye”. When the finished product was produced I was blown away. Isn’t trusting God JUST like that? We can’t see it as we walk..and then all of the pieces fall into place and we step away from the frame and admire God’s handiwork.

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life

So called friend… I am

I am smack dab in the middle of my first Timothy Keller book. His depiction of Christian friendship has me second guessing how many of them I have had. Honestly, the journey of two people with a common goal… A common cause. In the sense of my “romantic” relationships… According to the very eye opening chapter that I read… Have I been on the same page with a “friend”? Have I allowed a true friend to call me out, correct me, participate in my sanctification without letting my emotions steer me away?

Yes, I am emotional. Yes, I am tired of them diverting me from progress. Whether defense or offense, my guard can be detrimental in silk delicate situations. They are a part of my nurturing, a part of my femininity, but they aren’t the only force controlling me. I will be the first to admit that sometimes my past has been a thermostat and a thermometer in my life. It’s unfair to the new chapters that unfold.

The more I read… The more I learn… The more I want to grow.

I will finish this book this week…for the first read. Then I will read another. Mentally open and absorbing;)

Ivy Out

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life

Merry Christmas!

Know that the greatest gift isn’t under a tree! Love on everyone you can…even the people who you think have no one. Love on THEM especially today.

 

Jesus came to save us! We can help lift someone’s spirits today!

 

Hugs, Love, Light to all today and everyday!

 

Ivy Out

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life

Pst, REAL Quick…

Have you ever re-read something you wrote…and encouraged yourself? A blog I wrote early in November told me to hold on and GROW through it with JESUS. Well… It’s what I needed to see.

 

Sometimes God deposits seed in you for tomorrow.

 

amen

 

Ivy Out

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life

RIGHT against the tide..

James 3:13 says: If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (NLT)

There is a charge for us to live differently.

I wrestled with this concept growing up because it requires responsibility. It’s not always easy to live differently when the majority around us is “living the crazy life”. It doesn’t always feel good to make the decision to swim against the tide.
I made a decision last march to be celibate after 10 years of ignoring what I knew. It has NOT been easy. It has been VERY worth it. I don’t drink anymore. That actually was easy because I have seen personally how alcohol can destroy good people. I have never used drugs, but I have seen what they do to people. So maybe I didn’t list your vice. Maybe it’s over eating, over spending, both examples of gluttony. Maybe it’s list of other things, idolatry- putting things before God, maybe it’s a mental barrier or a hardened heart. Know that #1 God still does heal. He fills empty places! #2 this world doesn’t choose God, so YOU choosing God puts you in a blessed majority. There are rewards on earth and in heaven for living a righteous life. The word calls us to be Holy because God in holy. There isn’t a pause button on that request.

Jesus was the original remix. Your past is forgotten AND forgiven in Christ. Your life is BRAND NEW thanks to the blood of Jesus! There is no hurt He can’t heal! It pays to be different! Living holy takes a heart decision and day to day progression. YOU CAN DO IT!

Ivy Out