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<p>What I’ve learned is that the discomfort that comes with parting your hair on the other side, is a litmus test of sorts. Believing Jesus goes against everything natural in me and it takes concentrated effort not to shrug off my faith and go back to the natural state of affairs.</p>
<p>I may have mentioned before that I like to find old junky furniture and refurbish it. I don’t do it a lot, but as I have a need, I begin to look for a piece that will do the trick and in time stumble upon what is usually a happy accident. When I find a piece I love, I rarely feel constrained to use it according to its original purpose. I see it entirely for its potential to fill my need.</p>
<p>Now here’s the hard part for those of us in the American church – the part we don’t want to hear – most tests are tests of simple daily obedience. My husband and I had a major throw-down on Sunday and suddenly it was exam day. This was Jesus saying to me, “Prove that you understand what I’ve been teaching you, Melissa. Apply your knowledge to your experience."</p>
My route to and from my son’s school wanders through what's left of the pasture land in our area. It's very scenic and often breathtakingly beautiful in the mornings. Mist rises from a stream that wanders through the open fields and the sun gli...
<p>I was thinking upon how nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I believe this. I have overcome some lies in my life and reached a place where I know that I know, that even <em><strong>I</strong></em> am not bigger than this love. Even <em><strong>I</strong></em> can not do anything so bad that God would cease to love me. But what stuck with me this day was that nothing can <em><strong>separate</strong></em> me from His love.</p>
<p>You all know that I changed churches recently. While I like my new church for many reasons, it isn’t hard to find reasons to dislike it as well. It isn’t hard to slip into cynicism and bitterness and boredom and apathy, and the thought occurs to me to run…run!...back to my old church. Until I begin to count the ways it too disappoints. See, that’s the easy part. Counting the ways “The Church” disappoints us. But here’s the thing…We are the church.</p>
<p>The world has a buffet line of gods from which to choose. People want to know what they’re getting before they choose and they’re looking to you to make that clear. So, as the Presidential Election (finally!) comes to a conclusion this week, ask yourself what you’re advertising about your God.</p>
I always thought repentance was something you did once and for all. Like resolving to never, ever, ever again eat a Double Stuffed Oreo cookie…and really not ever, ever doing it again. (Can you imagine?) But what I’m discovering in this journey toward being surrendered to the Lord is that repentance is like that trip to – and from – the grocery store. It’s a long road that requires frequent stops and lane changes as you slug your way toward the destination. Sometimes when you find yourself finally…finally…where you were headed, you realize that you left your list at home and you have to turn around and trudge back the way you came and start again.
<p> I was reminded this morning of a funny episode from when my son was little. I was still working at the time so he must been about two. He went to a sitter while I worked. She was the best, but she was also a little eccentric.</p>
<p>If we had spiritual rear view vision, we could avoid letting things sneak up on us and take us by surprise. We would see the ambush coming in time to prepare and recall how God rescued us the last time we were blind-sided. And we would never ever doubt His presence or His activity in our lives. It would be there in the rear view. </p>