Lessons from Geese?

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from geese. They fly in large flocks and honk to encourage each other during flight. They all take their strength and build energy off of the goose in the front, and when that goose gets tired then it rotates to the back where a new goose takes the frontline. They also never leave one another behind. If a goose gets injured, it will fly out of the pack…but not alone. Two other geese accompany it, and continue to stay with it until it dies or recovers enough to return to a passing flock.

Geese know plenty about unity; it is the key to their survival. The amazing thing is that they do things out of instinct—God-given instinct. It is a valuable thing to see how the Lord made the geese this way so that they were not all trying to fly south on their own. If this were the case, there would be individual geese all over the place. Many too tired to carry on in their flights and not able to make it as far south as needed for winter. Many would die just on the journey, or get lost or confused of how to get where they’re going. The divisiveness would be fatal.

Maybe as the church, we need to get to know better what unity looks like. We work to conform ourselves by the Spirit of God more to the image of Christ every day as we get to glory, but we're still people, and unity does not come as naturally to us. In 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17, Paul says, “10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

We've got to ask: with these divisions and differentiations of doctrine and practice among those who follow Christ in the church, has our purpose of sharing Christ been confused and frustrated? Others need to see the unity we can have in Him. We need to visibly align in our formation so that outsiders can see our purpose and direction in Jesus Christ.

Much love,
V

The Perfume of Friendship

It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

Yes?

Okay, this blog will be exhaustingly full of cheesy quotes, take heed.

Proverbs 27:9, "The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense." 

Mmmm, perfume and incense. Time spent in the candle section at Bath & Body Works ;)... or the perfume isle at a department store could last forever.  But Proverbs says that a friend can be more enriching. A friend should build you up in the Word, and be there to provide you with encouragement, accountability, laughs, and honesty.  Friends can make or break you.  This is why I want you to engage in establishing Godly friendships.  Scripture clearly shows that your company will reflect you and your behavior.  Studies have proved the irrefutable parallels between the characteristics of your friends with the characteristics you develop. As the old saying goes: "you are what you eat," there is a similar phrase that goes, "show me your friends, I'll show you your future." Do you believe this?  If it's true, then maybe it is wise to ask are you holding up your end of the bargain?

Do you show kindness, patience, humor, and grace in your friendships?

I want to be the type of friend who uplifts. I hope that I am a good influence. I want to be a prayer partner; someone who will encourage another consistently with their walk with God. I want to always seek the Lord for the words I say and the things I do. I do not want to talk behind my friend's backs. I want to constantly encourage and forgive. I know it is so precious to be in the Word, and to be saturated in Scripture for the sake of my friends. A threefold cord is not easily broken. With the Spirit taking the third strand in a close friendship; there are long-lasting implications.

"When you forget the song in your heart,
a friend is someone who sings it back to you."

I pray that as you read this, you can think of that someone.

Much love,

V

Important :)

Watch my vid!
It is such a big deal.
Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA9b78YPC2A


Much love,
V

Convicted?

Hello all,

Sorry friends, it's been some time. Due to lifelessness from my dear old computer, I have been absent from this (somewhat) newly-discovered blogging life. But fear not, we're back in business.

Here are my thoughts:

Today in class we watched a comedian. The link is below, please don't stare directly into the video as it will hurt your eyes.  But regardless of whether his words matched his face, he made many great points. How do you speak?  Do you mean what you say? Do you even HAVE an opinion, or do you speak as to not actually make a point?  Start keeping track--how many times do you say "I feel..." when you should actually be saying "I think..."?

The Comedian Link

I feel like we don't want to be wrong or have anyone disagree with us when we speak, you know? Just like the comic said, it'd be weird for us to declare something as actual truth and not up for debate. It seems like we just don't want to commit to a stance, and that's fine, right? 

Wrong.  I think you and I should mean what we say.  I can say that abortion is completely wrong, and I do not agree with giving anyone the option to kill an unborn baby. (yes, I said it)  I know what I'm talking about.

So. Are you convicted? Do you have a strong belief about something or someone? Good. Embrace it; the world is looking for certainty. 

Much love,

V

It's time to love

Remember your first love. Jesus loved us first, and we are to find our wholeness in Him. He is a jealous God. Jealous of what? Our love. So while you spend time with your true love, almost love, potential love, etc, make sure to dedicate a little time to really see how much our Lord loves, I am so thankful that I always have Him, my everlasting friend. Anyways, it will be worth your time.

As for the single...like me ;), here is what I say to you. I ran across a poem today from a woman in the Christian Broadcaster's Network as she was seeking the Lord in her singleness. She was asked to write a poem about being "single and happy." It just doesn't sound easy. But she said that after prayer it came to her, and so here is what she wrote:

Single, Sassy, and Definitely Satisfied
By: Patricia Young

Sitting by the telephone, hoping it will ring
I decided to call someone as my heart began to sing
Here comes that someone asking again, “when will you get married?”
I respond with a grin, “I’ll let you know when”
I cry, “Oh Lord! How long must I wait?”
He responds, “It’s not time yet, and I’m never late”
Okay Lord, I surrender all to you
He says, “You’re finally getting it my child; now get busy with what I told you to do!”
Lonely and sad at times, but joy always arise
Yes, I’m single, but I’m sassy, and definitely satisfied!

In the spot that I found her poem, Young reminded me that the Lord tells us that we are so precious to Him. He loves us and has a purpose and plan for my life, your life, and the lives of the people behind me in line at Starbucks, or at the grocery store, or at the red light.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is my goal, and I hope yours as well over Valentine's day that we look at our friends and family, but especially this weekend look at ourselves, in the same way that God does. Treat yourself with dignity, honor, and as a priceless jewel.

Much gushy-valentine's day love to you all,
V