An interesting weekend…

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Well, I was unable to spend “Father’s Day” with my father, as I live 8 hours away. I will be going home this Friday, however, so we’ll spend time together then.

A few of my favorite memories of my Dad:

* Traveling all over the Western United States for boat racing…

* Being so proud of his amazingly beautiful paint jobs of boats, cars, go-karts, etc.

* Watching NASCAR, NHRA and other racing events on Sundays, after church.

* His quirks (many of which I have as well)…always made me laugh…

* How he loved to wake me up on Saturday mornings, knowing that I wanted to sleep in.

* Learning about automotive maintenance and repair from him (before my auto-shop days)

* Watching him hold and play with our rabbit, even though he “never wanted one.”

* Knowing that he and I were so much alike, that he’d understand my ideas.

I just realized that most of those have to do with racing in one way or another, LOL. That is why racing is so fun for me, I think, because it was always something we did with Dad (Mom participated, but I don’t think she “loves” it like he does). We are by NO means a red-neck family. Like my Dad always says about racing: “It’s something to do on the weekends.”

Since I couldn’t be with family, I spent the day with two women who are like family to me. I drove down to Orange County to spend time with two of my roommates from my semester in D.C., because the three of us became very close while there. One of the girls, Katie, just moved to So Cal from Ohio last week, and it was so awesome to talk to her. We have a lot in common as far as health problems go, so it was really good to dialogue with her about the difficulties in life.

We also discussed French Anti-semitism with her roommate, Mary, who is a Messianic Jew. I had NO idea that things were so bad in France…no idea. She wrote her senior thesis on this topic, and will be sending it to me sometime so that I can read it and learn more about it. According to the New York Times, there has been a “spectacular rise” in anti-semitism in the past three years, and these acts have been committed by Muslims…and according to Mary, the Jewish community fears another holocaust. It was incredibly astounding to me, and also amazed me that the press hasn’t been picking up on these things, or at least not reporting them (not that I give the media much credit or respect). If any of you know more about this, please let me know. It breaks my heart to know that this people group is once again being persecuted in such horrible ways.

Just in case anyone is curious, my shingles are looking better, LOL. It’s been a week now, and though the medicine isn’t cooperating very well with my stomach, it is keeping the virus under control. Praise the Lord!

More to come in my series about the Church…more thoughts this weekend, just need to put them all together in a logical pattern. 🙂

Musings on the Church as it stands, Part I

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This is post #1 of a series regarding my own musings on the Church, evangelism, and Christian culture. To begin, I’d like to simply post a passage from Paul Marshall’s book “Thine is the Kingdom”, because it is among the many I have read today that sparked an interest in my mind.

I’ll be discussing ideas from theologians such as Lesslie Newbigin, Stanley Hauerwas, and other respected minds as I try to express my own personal frustrations. In all that I will write, please understand that I am by NO means exempt from these things. I am just as much at fault for being too wrapped up in “Christian culture” and secluding myself from the realities of the world (I attend a Christian university, which tends to be a “bubble” of sorts). These are just my musings, ponderings, my journey to discover how to be a Christian in a post-modern world.

As always, I’d love for this to become a “conversation”, and it is open for comments. I’d love to dialogue about these issues, as they are becoming increasingly important. It seems to me that the church (using the term “Church” as a general statement–I realize that there are exceptions, of course) is becoming more separated from the world as time goes by. In brief, I believe that when the Bible mentions being in the world but not of the world, it doesn’t mean to create our own “religious club.” Rather, I think that we should be following Christ’s example in reaching out to the world, meeting them where they are, meeting their needs…but most importantly, just loving them. Not trying to change them, not trying to push our beliefs on them…just loving them, and allowing Christ to transform their lives as He desires.

So here is the passage from Paul Marshall…

“Our task as Christians is, in principle, to do everything in a Christian way that can be done by a human being—from what we eat when we get up in the morning (if we have anything to eat) to what clothes we put on, to how we get to work (if we have any work), to what we work at, making what, for how much, in what sort of conditions, to how we vote, how we engage in research, how we understand the news, how we relax, what we do with and for the poor, and so on throughout the livelong day. In all these activities we are called to be new creatures taking our place as the stewards of God’s world, being servants of our neighbor and proclaimers of the good news of Jesus Christ. In all of them we are to learn what God calls us to do or, in other words, to see how redemption in Jesus Christ can bring healing and redirection. We are to proclaim and to show in our lives that Christ is Lord over every part of life. Just as every part of life is affected by human sin, so all parts of life can be renewed and redeemed by Jesus Christ. That is our only solid hope for families, factories or politics.

True Christian social action is always evangelistic work, for no area of life is ‘neutral’, supposedly immune from the effects of sin and the reach of redemption. We do not act merely on the basis of Christian ‘principles’ or ‘morality’, we are to act as witness to Jesus Christ. All areas of life must be linked to new life in Jesus Christ. In turn, true Christian evangelism is always social action because it lives and proclaims what is good news in each area of life.

Through the gospel God calls a new nation, a new people, a new humankind into being. As men and women turn to Jesus Christ in real, concrete, repentance from sin and, by grace through faith, are restored in God’s favor, they begin to live out the healing and restoration of Christ’s redemption and take up their Christian responsibility for the direction of human life and culture. Evangelism is, in a way, the recruiting process for this life whereby people come ‘on board’ for service to God’s kingdom. Evangelism calls people to repentance and to a restored and renewed love for God and, through that love, to a new life of service to our neighbors. This is the Christian life.”

Paul Marshall, Thine is the Kingdom, p. 37-38.

One more thing…

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The quarter that Californians chose
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I was just informed that the quarter that Californians picked as our state quarter has been replaced. The state officials gave us the opportunity to vote on a quarter, and now they are taking matters into their own hands. If you are a Californian, please take the time to contact the government officials, because there is no reason for them to ask us to make the decision, then not listen to what the people want.

For discussion…

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I decided to finally begin reading “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Phillip Yancey, as it has been on my shelf for about 3 years. On page 16, he makes an interesting point:

“Today, people even use Jesus’ name to curse by. How strange it would sound if, when a businessman missed a golf putt, he yelled. ‘Thomas Jefferson!’ or if a plumber screamed ‘Mahatma Gandhi!’ when his pipe wrench mashed a finger. We cannot get away from this man Jesus.”

Why is it that people use the name of Jesus in such a way? Why don’t they use other names? This has picqued my curiosity, for some reason, and I’d love to hear your opinions on the matter.

Quick update

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A quick update on the life of Lesa Close:

* Blood tests were normal–meaning that we still have no idea what’s wrong with me. Back to square one.

* Shingles are less painful today–Praise God! Yesterday was pretty intense, and I ended up icing the blisters to keep the pain down. Should be over this in 7-14 days.

* Roommates are still wonderful. Last night we made a late Wendy’s run, where we were the loudest people in the restaurant 🙂 Good times. Took Erin to the airport this morning, very early…Jess and I might go to a movie tonight at the “ghetto theatre” (only $3)–either Shrek 2 or 13 Going on 30 (second time, for both of us).

* Sleepover this weekend…worship team really hit the groove on Wednesday night, which means that Sunday’s service should be a great experience. After church, I’m heading down to see two of my roommates from DC (Katie and Alli), which will be awesome. I love those girls!

* I’ve been pondering several policy issues as of late…may post about them in the near future. Also been thinking a lot about NASA, and how the money that is put into the space program might be better spent in times of need (I’m not a NASA hater–I wanted to be an astronaut for 11 years…), like now.

I really don’t have much else to say today, so I’ll keep this short. Lots of interesting discussions happening on Michael’s blog. Check it out!

Candycoatedwaterdrops

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I know some of you probably just skim over the words to songs that I post…but this song is seriously worth reading/hearing. Plumb is a “Christian” group that actually challenges “Christian culture” with its music and lyrics…calling Christians out on things that just aren’t working. I heard this song tonight, and it just gripped my heart in so many ways. I have put in bold the words that seriously are so what I am feeling right now.

DC Talk also has a song that speaks to this…”What have we become?”

We go to church because “it’s what we’ve always done…” We sing songs to the Lord whether or not our hearts are really worshipping…In fact, our campus pastor said last semester that we shouldn’t sing the words to songs if we don’t really mean them…otherwise, it’s basically hypocrisy. But we do it…I do it…why? Because I’m concerned about what other people will think if I’m not singing (especially because I’m a worship leader in the youth group and on worship team for church)…and, it’s what I’ve been “taught to do”, so I sing, all the words, all the time.

For the past week specifically, I have become increasingly frustrated with “Christian culture.” I have been realizing more and more just how right Brian McLaren is in his book “A New Kind of Christian.” Some things just aren’t working! I am interested in seeing the movie “Saved!” just to see how accurate their portrayal is of what we have become…because, as I work with youth each week, I am aware of how their generation views “the ways things have always been done,” and I know that it just doesn’t reach them effectively, for the most part.

When are we going to stop playing games?

This post isn’t complete–because there is so much going on in my mind right now, that it is difficult to put it all together right now. But here is the song…please read the words…listen to the song if you have the opportunity. I’ll post more regarding this, I’m sure, in the near future. I hope this doesn’t shock my readers too much…it’s been under the surface for awhile now…

Candycoatedwaterdrops

by Plumb

What is this

Mass confusion

This crazy way we’re living

This emptiness we’re passing out

Like candycoatedwaterdrops

I’m spilling out my thoughts

You’re spilling out your guts

And I can’t help but stop and think that

If the world stopped spinning

If the end was beginning

Would you even notice if I wasn’t there?

If the world stopped spinning around

“All that’s worth dying for

is already dead”

An empty religion

you’ve learned to accept

When nothing means everything,

your daily routine

You go through the motions

like a helpless machine

You’re spinning ’round

You’re spinning ’round

And I can’t help wondering

You’re spinning ’round

You’re spinning ’round

And I can’t help wondering

When the answers to everything

are right in your hands

You lose your conviction,

but you can’t help standing

On the one thing that held you

for so many years

You ask for forgiveness

and hold back the tears

http://www.lyricdepot.com/plumb

Sleepover Preparations

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Saturday night we are having two sleepovers for our youth group–one for boys and one for girls. I’m responsible for preparing a “talk” about seeing ourselves through God’s eyes–which is something that I have been preparing for my camp Bible study group anyway.

It is so hard to remember that what’s on the outside is unimportant compared to the condition of the heart! Last night, for instance, my roommates were watching a show about becoming a model…and one young woman was considered to be a “plus size” model–when she couldn’t have been over a size 8! I was amazed. The average woman is a size 12…which must be obese in the modeling industry.

Our society places so much value in outward beauty…

But how does God see us?

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

–I Samuel 16:7

To begin, I am going to give the girls a piece of paper with several questions on it, for their own personal reflection…”What does your heart look like? What do you treasure? What makes you who you are? What do you like the most about yourself? What do your friends like about you? What does God see when He looks at you?”

After they have completed this sheet, we will have a discussion; afterwards I will hand them several poems and passages from various authors that talk about appearance and inward beauty. I found this one years ago in a magazine, and it has stuck with me ever since:

In God’s Eyes

In God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter

How much you weigh

How many people you dance with

Or even whom you kiss.

In God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter

Where you shop

What you wear

Or even how much you spend.

God doesn’t see the wall you hide behind;

God sees beyond.

When you’re grasping for things that

You convince yourself

Will push you to the top,

God sees the person you know is really you.

~Emily Viola and Emily McNeill

They say you really know something if you can teach it…so I need to work on applying this in my own life, because this is something I struggle with daily…even hourly. What does God really care about when it comes to us? The Bible gives us several ideas…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness…obedience…but do I really believe and apply these lessons to my life? Do I really truly believe that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14)?

What really matters?

Not fashion…not outward beauty (though, of course, there is nothing wrong with beauty)…but the condition of the heart.

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

–Proverbs 31:30

PS–Shingles are horrible. Avoid them at all cost! (LOL–not that you can!)

Today the pain has increased quite a bit, so I am INCREDIBLY thankful that it is only in one spot! I cannot imagine what the severe cases feel like. Praise the Lord for my high pain tolerance, as well–though it was not easily attained.

Also–I reached 5000 hits on my blog! How exciting!

Can things get any worse?

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Uncommon health problems are not uncommon to me. Example: The nerve problems in my right arm are rare, and I was only the third case my doctor had heard of. There have been other things throughout my life that surprised doctors.

So when I began to get a rash on Sunday that was abnormal, I was not exactly surprised.

Well, it turns out that I have a mild case of SHINGLES. Yes, shingles. It was suspected yesterday by a nurse in Pennsylvania (my “Pennsylvania Mom” as I call her), and confirmed by a doctor here.

It’s actually quite fascinating how this came about. Apparently, the Chicken Pox virus never goes away once you have it–rather, it lies dormant in the nerve cells in your spinal cord. I was told that the virus can come out when under stress, among other things…that explains it right there! I’m a college student, and stress is expected. That is what they suspect caused the virus to “awaken”.

So, I have to take 800 mg of this anti-viral medicine, five times a day, in order to contain the virus and to reduce the effects that it can have. Luckily, it is not contagious, it is only in an area about the size of a silver dollar, and it is not too incredibly painful. It burns a bit, and every once in awhile it itches a lot.

Still no results from my blood work that was done last week. Will call the lab tomorrow. Allergies are still bothersome. Sunburn has finished peeling for the most part, but is still not wonderful.

Sigh…but I suppose that things could always be worse, right?

World’s Stupidest Criminals

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Usually you just hear these stories through emails and on television. Well, I have a real life story about an absolute moron who stole quite a bit of things from the university, then placed them on eBay with pictures which showed the barcode with the university name on these things. Needless to say, this guy is being investigated as we speak. More later as the details are available. I cannot believe that someone would be this incompetent.