Unlearn the gospel.

"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 2

I desire Paul's perspective and experience.

I was taught the gospel. In the church, in private school, in leadership training and through ministry opportunities. This can prevent me from truly & consistently experiencing it. At one point I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ, but too often my Biblical education causes me to slip into religion.

I don't let the gospel change my marriage, work ethic, attitude, mood, friendships or time. It becomes something that is past tense. "I learned the gospel. I was taught it. It changed me."

I want to keep learning, I want Jesus to keep teaching me and I want to always be changing.

Ethics Ain't Cheap

Relevant Magazine is one of the many great things Matt has introduced me to. I had mostly listened to their podcasts, but just recently I started skimming their website when I'm procrastinating getting out of bed. Their articles can be pretty hit or miss for me, but when they're good, they're good. I found this one off my friend Jenn's blog and I'm excited to share it:

Fair Trade Clothes Are Too Pricey

As much as I thrift store shop, browse garage sales and restore old things, I also shop at H&M, Target and many other mass producing, unethical places. This article does a great job drawing attention to a well-known, yet incredibly ignored, crisis.

I can get incredibly over-whelmed when I start chalking up all the things to avoid, change or take out in my life. This world is broken. I'm thankful for the hope I have in Jesus coming back & righting every wrong.

Until then, I will keep this article in mind the next time I'm being buried alive in the clearance section of Old Navy.

Or perhaps I am the toddler.

After fifteen minutes or so of arguing with a 2 year old about saying please when she asks me for milk, I realized that my stubbornness might be a valuable parenting tool.

There I stood, limbs akimbo, with a sippy cup balanced against my hip. There she stood, hands balled up into a fist with a frustrated scowl across her face.

Following through with her takes up half of our day sometimes (we once spent an hour picking up a 15 piece puzzle), but I know that it's important. I want her to know if I say something, I mean it. As much as I want that to come across as me being a patient and loving care giver, it's really because I'm stubborn.

Stubbornness has actually been the root of a lot of things in my life. It's the only reason I joined the swim team in high school. Because my mother wondered out loud if I'd be able to do it. (In her defense, we are a very unathletic family) It's really the only reason my husband comes home to dinner every night. Because everyone cracks jokes that my cook-up-a-storm husband married a girl that can hardly boil water (in their defense, no one brings it up more than I do). It's why I am eternally determined to carry everything in one trip, which results in ripped grocery bags or dropped luggage.

As motivating as my stubbornness can be, it is quite toxic to my ability to obey. To do things that I'm asked or expected to do. I love doing extra housework for the woman I work for because it serves her, but I cringe at the thought of dinner dishes each night. I ignore the disgusting state of my bathroom but enjoy cleaning my sister's bathroom for her. I love doing Matt's laundry and delegated myself that chore, but if he tactfully hints that it's piling up, I battle a defiant attitude through three loads of wash. I could sit and read all day but if I'm assigned to read something, every turning page is a power struggle.

And who am I struggling against? Ultimately, God. Sticking it to The Man does nothing but separate me from behaving like Jesus would. Being a good employee, a loving sister & thoughtful wife are attributes of a godly person, but are meaningless when coexisting with a rebellious attitude. These actions don't chalk up to a Proverbs 31:30 woman, but in fact align me with Jacob. Wrestling with God and getting hurt along the way.

There is always a pot of rebellion simmering in the depths of my soul, frequently erupting into sinful & hateful behavior. Never mind the fact that I've boosted my culinary skills and can swim a mean freestyle, I want to be obedient, constantly submitting to God the way that Jesus does.

You can't escape it.

As much as I'd like to blame the entertainment industry for sabotaging people's perception of love & relationships, this isn't exactly helping either:

"Jacob loved Rachel. And he said 'I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel'. Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.' So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her." Genesis 29:18-20

Then, after he was deceived into being given Leah as his wife instead of Rachel (a scandal among many in the Old Testament) he served her father for another seven years to be able to marry her.


So go ahead, ladies, finish your Nicholas Sparks book.

Southern Hospitality.

One of the many things I love about my husband is that he is southern. Although he somehow walked away from a life born & raised in rural Alabama without an accent, his southern traits still make an appearance in our marriage. Like how he "can't find his tobbogon".
"Your sled?"
"No. My beanie."

Something that's been really obvious is the difference in our pace of life. This sticks out to me anytime I'm in the south with him. People stop in their tracks for a conversation if you ask how they are instead of throwing out an answer in passing. Small talk doesn't exist; it's all lengthy conversation. Meals are longer. MUCH longer.

Matt & I were invited over to his pastor's house for lunch during one of our visits out there. We arrived pretty early in the afternoon and ate a huge, delicious slow cooked meal. Biscuits from scratch, vegetables from the garden and beef stew were all involved. And a huge pitcher of iced sweet tea, obviously. Hours went by. Eventually we were sipping coffee and enjoying dessert in the living room. I remember glancing around to find a clock. What day is it? How long have we been here? Are we imposing on these polite people? I couldn't believe how long we had stretched out this lunch date. I loved being in their warm home. The conversation was wonderful and would be hard to recreate. It's not that I wasn't enjoying our time there, cultural relativism just isn't a strength of mine. I'm use to breezing through coffee dates and double booking my nights to ensure that I maximize my social life and get small amounts of time with everyone I love. My attention span is greatly stretched when we're in the south.

In California, Matt and I both share the frustration of a rushed social atmosphere. Born and raised on the west coast, I still feel left behind in the quick, California culture. Community in the church can be a blur down here. It has seemed like Biblical values are sacrificed in order to keep up with the fast-paced lifestyle. We were once invited to someone's home for dinner with some other couples and we were in and out of our car within 45 minutes. We find ourselves tackling people to get in face time with them that doesn't involve an iPhone.

It has ignited some good conversation among us about what we value and how we're going to hold to that while we're in ministry down here. I'm thankful for Matt's southern hospitality, culinary skills and desire to share community over a meal. It has encouraged me to slow down and learn social patience. Lately I feel more inclined to have people over for dinner instead of meeting for coffee. (We'll see how I'll hold up the next time we're in Alabama..)

I've been really encouraged by the book A Meal With Jesus by Tim Hester. This paragraph stuck out to me:

                  "Hospitality involves welcoming, creating space, listening, paying attention and providing. Meals slow things down. Some of us don't like that. We like to get things done. But meals force you to be people oriented instead of task oriented. Sharing a meal is not the only way to build relationships, but is number one on the list."

The author does a great job urging us to do ministry like Jesus did; fostering grace and creating community through meals. The book is a quick and easy read, packed with stories from Scripture about hospitality. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in being challenged on our contemporary understanding of community.