As I lay me down to sleep,

Posted December 11, 2008 By Andrea and has 6 comments.

Yes I pray that you will hold me dear.

I was a dork in high school. That was one of my favorite songs. I could have only hoped to know about the Rilo Kileys or Bright Eyes of the world back then. Speaking of sleep though, I must say, it is getting quite frustrating for me that I really think God has given me some gift of communication that seems to be wasted on my time in bed. Every night this week I have come up with a brilliant idea and written about it in my head whilst falling asleep. Is it there in the morning? Oh no. Do I attempt to awake fully so that I can jot it down? Oh no. Not a morning person. Coffee and the midnight hour I love. WAking up at 5:30 so I can start working by 7? No!

I believe yesterday my husband asked, “What gets you up in the morning?” on his blog. I honestly wanted to comment, umm…. life? nothing else. Period. I know I have to? In the morning there is little joy for me. Coffee. Check. But even that I would count as essential and not pleasurable.

In the evening, however, there is intense opportunity, a certain romance, my mind alive with soe sort of creativity. I am convinced God made me this way! I really need to start taking notes… Is this a common problem?

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Categories: Personal
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Do you have it all together?

Posted December 10, 2008 By Andrea and has no comments yet.

Some of you may know that Andy and I write for a new webmag called CaffeinatedFaith. Great, because the people over there are not only gifted but also really wanting to live out their lives giving their gifts to Christ. Today I have posted there. And believe me, I don’t have it all together. Check it out (and  be sure to look at some of the other awesome posts)!

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Categories: Spiritual Reflections
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A battle for justice?

Posted December 9, 2008 By Andrea and has 3 comments.

The call to justice is now, not tomorrow, not next week. It’s not a faint cry, it is not even a far off dream. It is a purpose, it was a calling when Jesus left this earth and it is now a weeping that is begging to be heard. How long have let our selfishness or patriotism affect this calling Jesus has placed on all of our lives? In many instances I hate the word deserve, because it implies that some people do and some people don’t. I never deserve more than my brother or sister, just as they never deserve more than me. Further, I am not the judge to be angered or condemning of them. But I am to speak up and out for the calling I have been given. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will inherit the earth….
Blessed are those who seek justice, for they will be satisfied
Matthew 5

Believe me, I know the Sermon on the Mount has been overrun, misused, misunderstood, and at the same time ignored over the years. There is also much more to it, but these are the verses that stick out to me, the ones that amazed me were there, when I first realized myself in the image of God. I have read more than one book calling for an army of peacemakers, as Gandhi once dreamed of. It seems a distant cry from the state we are in now. To very loosely paraphrase a Shakespeare quote I admittedly read in a Brian McLaren book “War is exciting and palpable to the human sense, in its shadow peace seems rather mundane.” Looking around, it seems this statement is true. Non-war times have been few in the history of man. It seems that sometime throughout hisotry there has been a need for a battle somewhere. A battle of ideals quickly turns to innocent blood shed. Perhaps what we are looking for are people who live their ideals, without sucumbing to the draw of ignorance or demeaning language. When Jesus said to pray for your enemies, I don’t think he meant while we were simultaneously bashing them whether rhetorically or physically. Too often peacemaking is confused with apathy or inaction. Believe me, if love is an action then look around, justice most assuredly is, so why aren’t we acting more? Sitting from our cozy chairs sipping our hot coffees, we can push ourselves. Every action does make a difference, and our comfort might soon become a memory better left in the past.

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Categories: Social Justice, Spiritual Reflections
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Mother Teresa Says (Mondays)…

Posted December 8, 2008 By Andrea and has 1 comment.

Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet…

To keep the joy of loving God in your heart, and be able to not only keep it there but share it with others is indeed a task. Yesterday I sat in church and was overwhelmed by all that I have not thanked Jesus for in the past few months. We were singing “Praise God” as an ending to Amazing Grace and I was like WOW, I have not even stopped to think about how God has overwhelmed my life, I have been so consumed with figuring it all out, I think that in that I perhaps kept some joy from being able to get in there. and work its way out.

How do I see others when I cannot see myself?

I get fired up. A lot. But not joyful a lot. Why? It is easy to inundate ourselves with all that can be fixed instead of all that people are doing. I don’t know how to ignore some statements that are made to me, and I don’t know if I am supposed to. What I do know is that sharing that joy includes doing so with everyone, even those people who might say to me “Those illegal immigrants get everything” or “I deserve this because I work hard” about something superfluous. Perhaps they just haven’t met the God that I know, or perhaps they have been hindered from seeing that in all his glory he sent Jesus to save us and then send us to do works many Christians might find unimaginable. Whatever the reason, I cannot let that get in the way of my joy, lest I forget everything Christ has done to set me free.

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Categories: Personal, Spiritual Reflections
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Have a little Compassion…

Posted December 5, 2008 By Andrea and has no comments yet.

I truly believe everyone has the capacity to love more, especially if we are of the belief that we are made in the image of God. One of many ways to worship is our treatment of others. Not just being nice, but loving. An action, not just a word. Tis the season to be jolly, so hopefully this includes one of you, yes just one, to make the decision today to sponsor the life of a child. To give support, hope, perhaps joy, in the life of a child who might live in a situation very different from anything we can imagine. This is Melvin, a five year old from El Salvador, a country whose name means Savior.

Name: Melvin Adrian Blanco Melara (ES7600473)
Birthday: April 14, 2003    Age: 5
Gender: Male
Region: Central America and Caribbean
Country: El Salvador
Program: Nueva Vida Student Center

Personal and Family Information:
Melvin lives with his father and his mother. Running errands is his household duty. His father is employed as a laborer and his mother maintains the home. There are 2 children in the family.

Soccer, playing with cars and running are Melvin’s favorite activities. In pre-school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities and Bible class. Thank you for your prayer and consideration in sponsoring this little boy!

Please click HERE to sponsor Melvin. Please click here to sponsor another child from Compassion.

Please remember Melvin in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.

IMPORTANT: A CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED as payment because this child has been classified “HIGH PRIORITY”. This child has been waiting more than 6 months for a sponsor. Help make a difference in the life of this child, who is anxiously waiting for a sponsor.

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Categories: Compassion, Social Justice
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Holiday happenings

Posted December 4, 2008 By Andrea and has 8 comments.

I really like movies that inspire or teach me. It has been a while since I have seen a film like this, with the very big exception of Call and Response. With the holidays approaching and down-time with the family coming on, are there any recommendations (especially for documentaries or true stories)?

Second, I have been thinking about an alternative New Year’s. Perhaps some hot cider downtown talking to people who might feel they have nothing to celebrate, or making myself available to drive people who might find themselves unable. I remember “traditional” New Years, but this year I really want to make it a time to set a standard for what the new year will be about. Not partying the night away to a bad band and cheap champagne. Would love ideas and input for this as well!

Lastly, and perhaps a little more sobering, this year is the first year my parents have not been together (in my lifetime at least). We did Thanksgiving together. I thought it went wonderfully. According to my mother, it didn’t. She would really like to do separate Christmases. Or perhaps she wants her Christmas to simply be with her family (which could be sad, they seem to strongly disagree and even be saddened by my liberal leanings). Should I go where others lead? Or put my foot down and set my own schedule of where I will be when? I don’t quite know how this works.

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Categories: Personal
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The monstrosity of having a head that is too big for you at Christmas time

Posted December 2, 2008 By Andrea and has 3 comments.

For a short time it seems that I am bent on driving myself crazy for having to have everything just like THAT. What does this mean? Just like THAT. Oh, you know what I mean, that if I cannot find the certain pair of socks that I want it IS a big freaking deal, if the dishes are not done I might be having minor heart palpitations, which will speed up to major if I see my husband’s socks left in the middle of the dining room floor when he has already walked by there twice.

In this beginning of Advent, this reflection on a season that we all realize and admit has become somewhat twisted, I really want to challenge myself to care less about these minor displeasures that I seem to magnify and instead magnify what I am doing for others to such a degree that somehow- just maybe- I will stop reciting “the real meaning of the season” (that just sounds ridiculous doesn’t it- like if it’s so REAL we wouldn’t have to say it, yet we do) and start simply continuing a growth that will leave no room for palpitations over socks. Self-important, self-induced, selfISH stress. Who needs it? Everyday of Advent, a new opportunity to help someone, care for them, care LESS about my “problems.” Haha, the mental ones you mean?

Does anyone think I should tattoo “Worry about nothing, PRAY about everything.” This is like the fourth time I’ve written about this. Obviously my Achilles heel in caring for others. UGH. And I’m so good at it otherwise. ;) Pray for me, I’ll pray for you. Not that it’s a you scratch my back thing, I’ll just pray for you! How about that?

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Categories: Spiritual Reflections
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The Cost of Being Silent

Posted December 1, 2008 By Andrea and has 3 comments.

Being silent. I think it often means there is something you’re not saying. Something you hold in, either for the benefit of yourself or others. Yet usually we find no benefit at all. Usually we find some form of loneliness, desolation, or fear.

Perhaps the cost is loss of intimacy, ability to move on or a loss of what you KNOW to be true. Last night I was depressed, probably NOT clinically, but it was one of those moments in which I felt genuinely bad about myself. I felt that somehow I had let myself down and was suffering a reversal of sorts from three simple days of “holiday eating.” Perhaps you can understand this, maybe not, but something so small (coupled with only one workout last week) changed not only my mood but my mindset. I have done so well lately- staying positive and letting myself feel full of love. Love for others, love of life, love for God.  And then suddenly it’s there, and I’m feeling like a detached failure, and with silence, it just stays inside. It’s not always a cure to let it out. It doesn’t always make everything, or anything, better. But keeping silent, doesn’t either. And I cannot revert back to the child I once was, nor can I risk the toll it would take on my relationship with my husband, God, and myself. It’s just too much.

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Categories: Personal, Relationships
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