Loving Others

A couple of weeks again my mom and I went to Levelland for one of my students birthdays. Mom had the chance to go to Sunday school with me on Sunday before our mad dash back to Dublin to help Gran decorate for her upcoming VBS and a movie night at our church. In Sunday School we are going through James. We have been diving into what it looks like in it raw form and talking about how it still applies to us today. We came across the part where James tells us that we need to take care of the orphans and the widows. Well in the car mom started talking about it again because it was a lot to chew on. She said that we need to not only look at from a physical sense but also in the spiritual sense. There are tons of people out there who are orphans spiritual, and they need someone to be that example for them. Yes the kids have parents at home but their parents are the Christian example that they are looking for. One example comes to my mind. When I was in youth group we had two girls who would come to church on their own. Neither one of their parents came but it was a decision that they made that they wanted to be in church even if they did not have they example set for them by their parents. These girls are what my mom would say are spiritual orphans.
All of this also led us to the discussion of how we as the church treat people. I love to people watch and so when I go to church or are around people I enjoy watching how they interact with other people. I have noticed in church (and this is not all churches or all people just some I have been to) that if a person does not fit the model that we think should be set for you to be there then they get ignored or worse made fun of. Casting Crowns wrote a song called "If We are the Body," that talks about this exact thing. In VBS this week we talked about how God made us in his image and that he saw it was good. So if God says these people are made in his image what gives us the right to think we can turn them away or make them feel like we are judging them or to make them feel like they have no right to be there because they have every right. Christ says that he did not come for the healthy but for the sick. The model we set is all wrong. The people that get made fun of or ignored those are the people we are called to love and to bring into the family of Christ but we are too busy calling them crazy or judging them for how they are different then us. Brandon Heath sings a song called "Give Me Your Eyes" that is a pray I think we should all pray, "Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity." If we had the eyes of God these people would never feel the way they do when they walk through the doors of the church, instead they would feel the awesome power of Christ love. So maybe that should be our prayer as a church, that God would give us his eyes so that we could see people for who they are and not what they look like or how much they annoy us.

The Wait is Over

Well for those of you who have been faithful and continue to check my blog, I want to thank you and let you know what has been going on. The reason that I have not posted in a while is not for lack of things to write about but because I do not have internet at my apartment and the school block my blogging website. But I am home for the summer and can once again fill you in on what God is doing in my life.
When I left you I had just told you about a new church I was going to attend. I have been attending First Baptist Sundown for a while now and it is what I have been looking for. My Sunday School is great. We have been reading through James the past couple of Sundays and it is this in depth study about what James is talking about. For so long I have been craving something deeper I was so tired of the milk that so many churches were giving to me when I was craving a big, fat, juicy steak. But our Sunday school teacher Jay is very good about making us think about what the word is saying and then how it applies to us. I usually walk away full and still chewing on some stuff. Then the congragtion is great too. They give hugs, which for me is a big thing. I mean when you grow up in a church that is like your second family, hugs are expected as a form of greeting. They are also some of the friendliest people I have met yet. They come and talk to me and they remember my name and that I am a teacher. It has been great, I finally feel like I fit somewhere and it is a place where I am getting fed.
In other news, I will be teaching at Levelland again next year. Our school has been very fortunate in the fact that it has not had to lay anyone off. I had been praying about moving closer to home but I feel like God is telling me to stay, at least for right now. I still really enjoy my department and the relationships that i have been able to build with my students have been great.
Well I think that might be all for now. I know there is more to fill you in on but my mind is drawing a blank right now. So I am sorry it has been so long but hope to continue to be able to keep you posted every chance I get. Have a wonderful week!