Do We Need to Grow Up?

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Brittany

Legos, coloring books, and creative play were my happiest childhood memories. Life used to be simpler.  We all used to be simpler. Friendships were made in minutes because everyone needed to talk about birthdays, favorite colors, and food.  Smiles were as easy as breathing and Grandparents were superheroes. There were no bills, deadlines, or complicated relationships and it only took five minutes to get ready for the day.

A few short years later, life changed for all of us. After a childish or naïve action, we were told to “grow up.” So we did grow up and not just physically.  We thought it was a rite of passage… it’s what we are all supposed to do, right? So it begins with sexy and violent media, biting comments, and bad relationships hijacking any pure thoughts, forcing us to toughen up. Reality hits sooner than we expect and we doubt every dream and question every authority.  For many, the expectations of family, friends, and peers suck the simple life down the drain and a child is left naked in the bathtub, feeling dirty and let down. After innocence is beaten out of you that way, trust doesn’t come easily anymore because no one wants to get hurt.

Life is hard but we still want relationships, don’t we? We need them. So we maintain friends and family but we stuff cushions between ourselves and everyone else. The internet, cyber dating, iTech and a rapidly growing personal media market help keep us in control. We’re in-touch without too much.

According to 2011 Pew Research, over 75% of people ages 12-17 in the U.S. have a cell phone. 88% of that number text many times a day. At Cedarville University in 2010, a student research sample showed that one out of every three freshmen students sent over 100 texts a day, 3,000 texts a month, and 36,000 texts a year.  As Communication Age aficionados in the 12 to 35 years of age range, we text as much as we talk and refer back to our most difficult conversations by recalling our chat history.  We have more potential to be insecure face-to-face but disclose our deepest secrets to the world via Facebook.

Even researchers have taken an interest in how this effects our relationships. “We’re texting at a distance,” said Psychologist Sherry Turkle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We’re using inanimate objects to convince ourselves that even when we’re alone, we feel together. And then when we’re with each other, we put ourselves in situations where we feel alone — constantly on our mobile devices.” (see article here) So what if our young adult life is chronicled in hundreds of online photo album archives, blogs, sms, and YouTube video channels? Sure, it’s recorded for posterity but does anyone care? Everyone knows our status but nobody knows our hearts.  We discover that growing up makes life more complex but less complete.

Please tell me again… why do I need to grow up?  Clearly, normal in this case isn’t always better. The Bible says we’re supposed to “Be imitators of God as dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1).  That means getting smarter but not because we’re digging through trash for the education: “be wise about what’s good and innocent about evil” (Romans 16:18). Jesus put it even more strongly when he said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Therefore, the saying “less is more” rings true. If we have all the intelligence of a full grown adult and none of the simple, trusting relationships that make life worth living, what good is achieved? Going back to the beginning, in this case, (being “reborn” a “new creation” [2 Cor. 5:17]) is the only way to go forward.

I Corinthians 1:27 sums it up well. “God chose the simple things of the world to confound the wise.”

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Never Get Old

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Brittany

Repost from April 3, 2010

Old isn’t the number of years you’ve lived; it isn’t an AARP membership; it isn’t playing bingo; and it certainly isn’t life experience. Old, as an overall concept, is a state of mind. It’s the perception that says “I’ve been through so much” or “I’ve experienced ENOUGH change” or “I just can’t…(fill in the blank)”. It’s the belief that most of your life is over or that you’ve “given the best years of your life” to such-and-such or so-and-so instead of believing “the best is yet to come.”

The song Live Like Your Dying by Kris Allen struck me this week when I heard it on the radio.  Living like your dying might be a good concept for those hard-nosed, unfeeling adults who need to break down and say “I love you” or fix their messed up family but overall, people who live like their dying are hopeless, careless, and ruled by their emotions. That’s pretty much the essence of the Emo Movement, isn’t it?  “Get in friggin’ touch with your feelings man… don’t hold back.” It sounds very esoteric and artsy-chill but why would anyone want to get in touch with loneliness, pain, fear, etc?  Chill wasn’t supposed to refer to mortuary freezing, was it?

It’s not like there’s something wrong with expressing yourself; deeply meaningful art and communication is the higher brain function and creativity exemplifying that we’re made in the image of a creator; but you have to ask yourself if you’re expressing young or old, living or dying? What point are you trying to make with what you’re saying, doing, and wearing anyway?

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EXPRESS YOURSELF! (where does your shipping label say you’re going?)

It’s commonplace to think any expression is good.  We have to spit it out or choke on our lies of omission.  That’s the belief.  The opposite is actually true.  In the words of Jesus, “What comes out of [our mouths] makes us unholy” and puts us in the camp with the dead and dying spiritually. This is because “…the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’.” (Matthew 15) (By the way, he’s not saying “don’t talk” – he’s warning us to keep a lid on our self-expression. Put his thoughts in your mouth and you’re always clean.  No worries. Express away.)

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in (model, strut, exhibit, express) the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” I John 1:5-7

So if our LIVES are our greatest work of art, our daily exhibition of who we are, who’s lying?  If you claim to be a follower of Christ, are you living or dying by the tell-tale heart you commit to paper, speak aloud, or entertain in private? If your everyday expressions are those things the Bible associates with DEATH (fear, pain, anger, insecurity, pride, loneliness, etc.) according to I John you’re either lying or deluded when you say, “I’m a Christian.” You say you’re going to heaven but your express label says Hell.

Once upon a time, a young man who was still under 20 years old came to my house for a visit while he popped pain pills for a sore throat. He’d taken nearly a third of the bottle when my mom indicated that it was only a sore throat. He must have felt disrespected because he responded with, “I have dealt with more pain than anyone in this house, except maybe YOU since YOU went through childbirth!”

The guy in pain left shortly thereafter, never to be seen or heard from again… and we all lived happily ever after.  In reference to people like him, I made up a saying that has carried me through a lot of difficult friendships –

I don’t want to be surrounded by dying.  It’s too catchy.

The fight for LIFE is different.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, it’s impossible not to love and respect those who have truly fought through trouble and hurt to find hope and healing (they’re doing what the Bible says in sharing the suffering of Christ “who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross.” Hebrews 12).  But then there are the people who victimize themselves by their own mindset and use it as a tool for sympathy, crying “woe is me” over the loud speakers.  Self-inflicted pain doesn’t count as martyrdom.  And yes, the more you express the pain and not the joy or reasons to be grateful (you can find just as many of those in any given situation), the more a part of you the pain becomes.  The guy chugging the bottle of pain pills probably had a really sore throat but, good grief, hasn’t everyone had a sore throat?!  He was already using the decrepit argument of “I’ve been through so much” and he wasn’t even 20!

Please don’t think I’m age-biased but I’d rather be hanging out with a person more than twice my age if he or she loves to laugh.  My best friend is older than my mom… she’s a 60 year-old widow who does crazy things like wear a clown nose to work to prank her co-workers or go out with me to shop, have dinner, or see concerts.  She’s so in-love with life that she’s not at all focused on the death of a man she passionately loved.  You could say that’s calloused but, if you really understand love, you understand that it doesn’t stop when a loved one dies.  How better to remember the life of someone you loved than the pure, beautiful expression of LIVING?  If you’re constantly mourning and dwelling on death, you’re celebrating their death.  How morbid.

Life and youth is about way more than experiences and numbers.  I say we throw out the stupid numbers and start adding up what counts.  My friend’s version of ”old” is a million times better than most people’s ”young.” Our generation needs hope and innocence even more than we need beautiful, toned bodies, sexy haircuts, or tight skin.

Christians like to quote the feel-good verse in II Corinthians 5 that says “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a NEW creation, the OLD has gone, the NEW has come.” That sounds so nice but do we even read the rest of that passage?  How about including, “We make it our goal to please [God]…for we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body”? You’re a new creation, huh?  What proof do you have to back that up?

If you buy something new, it isn’t dull and it certainly doesn’t whine and squeak around like it’s ancient; hopefully, it reflects the light and tackles obstacles like a defensive linebacker.  Yes, I’m making a point here. As Luke Brandon said in the movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, “Cost and worth are two very different things.”

If you saved up for years to buy something and that new pc or stereo system groaned around or operated like it was built in the dark ages, you’d not only be upset, you’d probably take it back.

Are we doing what we’re designed to do?  I was “bought with a price” (I Corinthians 6:20) but am I worth it?  An innocent man’s death on a cross was a pretty hefty cost.  I could never be worth that but I’ll always give Him my best.

Ephesians 4 put it perfectly: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds.” The deception here is that expressing death and dull apathy is young and cool (no one will contest the fact that a dead person is cool to the touch).  Life is found “in the attitude of your minds.” This is the fountain of youth, my friends.  Age has nothing to do with it; life is expressed in “love, joy, peace, patience,” etc. (Galations 5:22-23); newness starts with your mind and spirit.

You have a promise from the Maker of the Universe that if you employ the thoughts and actions He designed you for, you’ll never get old.

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It’s Never Wrong to Give

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Brittany

Critics said it was a senseless tragedy. People protested. Americans rose up and spat on our husbands, brothers, fathers, and friends. Despite this history, 45 years later, we’re seeing the people of Vietnam respond in unprecedented thousands to an American family sharing a message of hope and healing in Jesus Christ.  The physical sacrifice of American troops and their Vietnamese counterparts watered the soil for a great spiritual harvest, thus proving, in God’s book, it’s never wrong to give.

At the request of a couple Vietnam veterans last week, FSM International has undertaken a campaign to thank and encourage our vets.  I just finished a couple of the poster designs:

We’ve all experienced senseless loss in some form. We’ve all had days/months/years when we’ve given of our time, resources, or energy only to watch everything (or everyone) we believed in and loved die tragically or live to turn against us.  It’s a wonderful reminder to look back and realize that God honors every sacrifice made for someone other than ourselves.  There are those who would try to devalue it but then no man can take away what God gives.

My family is ecstatic to be a part of something so huge in Vietnam.  To date, we are the only foreigners that have been allowed on a public platform since the war.  The largest crowds have been 45,000+ people.  If you click here, you can read news and even get involved in this amazing outreach by contacting our ministry office. I’d be happy to send you copies of these posters for a VFW in your area.

My dad this week told me, “Don’t let anyone talk you out of your destiny.” A normal, American life is not my calling. “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer,” 2 Tim. 2:4.  Our service men and women understand what I’m talking about.  I believe more and more that military and missionary only differ in the kingdoms they serve. The discipline and sacrifice is the same. If no one willingly lays down their own time, resources, love, and blood for the freedom of others, bondage holds us ALL down physically and spiritually. It’s never easy but always necessary to live with steady focus on serving the goals given by our commander-in-chief.

Thank you, Vietnam Veterans, for your priceless gift.  And Thank you, readers, for continuing to follow this epic journey. God is doing miracles in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and around the world.

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Real Men

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Brittany

My brothers and a couple friends joke regularly about what “real men” are supposed to be like. This usually involves a lot of grunting, flexing, showing off one’s “guns” and tough talk. It’s pretty funny and I laugh right along with them but I like to think that REAL men are more than a superficial show of dominance and ego.

I originally posted the following highly-controversial note on facebook a couple years ago.  The long list of comments made afterwards by outraged young men of my acquaintance struck me again with what I had always questioned; do true gentlemen exist?! I believe they do but they are very rare.  As young people of any moral and spiritual depth, we can start to lose hope when Godly examples are non-existent or we have no high standard to look to or reach for.

I am SO proud of the guys I know that are “real men;” my dad is at the top of that short list. Ladies, this is DEFINITELY what to look for; gentlemen, we’re calling you out!

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Every now and then I can’t help but wonder…

Where are the men? The real men.

…the men who are strong, stable, and confident because they stand on Biblical ideals and follow Jesus Christ

…the strong leaders

…the committed fathers, husbands, and sons

…the men who rise up in defense of modesty, purity, and innocence

…the men who don’t put their personal needs and desires above the needs and desires of others

…the men who know that the word “passion” doesn’t denote extreme lust or sex

…the men who stand with conviction because they know what’s right and want to defend it with their lives

…the men who refuse to look at pornography and are disgusted that it even exists

…the men who are physically, verbally, and spiritually dedicated to doing everything in their power to protect the purity of the innocent instead of robbing it with their thoughts, words, or actions

…the men who are gentle

…the honorable men who keep their word

…the providers who give continually out of a generous heart

…the men who show selfless love rather than grasping for whatever they can get

… the men who humbly and respectfully receive council when they fail

… the men who are willing to be challenged because it helps them grow

…the men who care about appearance, not because of vanity or pride but because mankind looks at the outward appearance and they want to impact mankind

…men who are straight-forward, honest, hard-working, abounding in hope, driven by conviction, that have a burning passion for doing what’s right despite opposition.

Real men.

::Edit::

We always want to be careful to lift up a Godly standard whether or not it’s considered popular, “tolerant,” or has the potential to make someone feel good or bad about themselves.  For the record, no one can ever live up to this list. If he did, he’d be perfect. (And who wants a perfect man? Seriously. How real could he be then?) However, a man of character and depth would at least strive for these things just like any woman with a desire for what’s on God’s heart would try her best to be as much like the woman in Proverbs 31 as she could be. The bar has been low for long enough. It’s time to hold up values based on absolute, unbending truth.

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Still a Virgin?

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Brittany

“I could be just like you if I wanted to be,” I heard Joaquin say in response to a jeering group of teenage boys. “But you can never be like me again.” I was a teenager myself at the time but I knew, even back then, that I was way more sheltered than this guy was. My dad was a hard-core protector; Joaquin’s father, on the other hand, left him and his mom many years before. He cried as he told me and my dad that all throughout school (even as an elementary-age kid) he was pressured.  I had endured some of the same pressure in school but not nearly as much he described. Sex was the focus of everything and every influence he had outside of church. The movies his friends wanted to go see, every song they listened to, even the girls they hung out with were primed for the act. His entire life, each moment of the day was a fight for focus; he wanted more for his life but often felt like giving up. As he put it, he had to “dig down and pray hard.”

Joaquin was an inspiration to me. If he could do it, so could I. And, if I can do it, there’s no question you can. I realized that there’s power in innocence. Yes, propaganda plasters our world with the message that we’re handicapped or simply a backward minority if we haven’t had this so-called basic life experience.  However, if we think for just a minute, we realize that passion without selfless commitment and direction is primal, pointless, and just plain stupid.  A hot body is just a hot body.  Without the love of Jesus Christ living through us, our all-consuming passion is just selfish excitement over a new toy. That obsessive-possessiveness of another person and an addiction to sex (or even just thoughts of sex) will wrap us in a web so tight and oppressive that we may never get out of it. That is not sexual liberation; it’s bondage! You’ll begin to think about and want it continually… to what end? It’ll be the driving obsession behind a roller coaster ride of drama and mediocrity.

Remarkably, virgins are often made to feel like less. A billboard I saw in southern California last year said “Still a virgin? Call 1-800-951-0000” – as if virgins need the help of a counselor to get over some kind of “sexual handicap?” Please! Virginity is not a disability; it’s heavy-duty discipline.  People who save sex for marriage are reaching for more than the average. This means that we look at ourselves in the mirror every day and remind our reflection (however perfect or imperfect we believe it to be) that our bodies don’t belong to us (Romans 12:1-2), that the world and its messages are screwed up (John 15:18), and that sex without commitment doesn’t last and isn’t what’s right or good (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).  It means saying “NO” a lot and having a backbone of steel even when your heart and head turns to mush in the face of a beautiful seducer/seductress. It means begging God for the strength He’s promised in our oh-so-human weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Those of us who are still virgins in the United States of America, wage war in our heads and hearts every day.  If we let our guard down for even a moment, we could lose everything we’re fighting to defend in our thoughts, words, and actions. .

I know and have cried with many who’ve made mistakes. They’ve been hurt and still carry  horrific scars from giving it all away before they committed themselves to God and to their life-partner. Sex alone doesn’t represent commitment any more than having a brain means you’re going to use it. Yes, we have the parts but do we have right priorities? (They’d better be time-proven and Bible-based.) In a weak moment, we believe the lie that physical desire equals true love, only to wake up alone and naked in the shadow of another Satanic counterfeit.  Unfortunately, just like a counterfeit dollar bill, the trick is on us and all hell is laughing. We are left with nothing in exchange for something priceless (our own innocence).

Despite this, even those who have given everything away can regain the purpose of purity if they’re willing to fight for something more than what they’ve had. God specializes in new beginnings and fixing broken things. Virgins (whether they’re reborn by choice or pure from day-1) are a not a group of sexually-impaired individuals; they’re fighters. Neither is innocence passive weakness or blind naiveté; it’s an aggressive stand or action to protect what’s sweet, clean, and beautiful, laying a foundation of faithfulness to a future spouse. You could choose to gratify fleeting physical desires and wallow in mediocrity or you could wait, however long it takes, to achieve God’s best and fulfill a destiny that’s greater than yourself. Which will you choose?

“The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will be here soon. So get rid of your dark deeds like you would dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.  Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual looseness and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to give in to your evil desires.” (Romans 13:12-14)

Dedicated to: the amazing man I’m going to marry someday

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Going Barefoot

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Brittany

I’ve decided to go barefoot this summer. It has been my habit to always wear high heels for one reason or other. Usually it has been because, as my friend Dr. Haffey once told me, I am “keenly aware of people and the fact that [I am] being watched” (i.e. ‘honey, you care too much…’). It gets a little overly stressful, this pressure to be perfect.  Just as soon as you think you’ve reached the mark in one area, another starts to fall.  It’s not too unlike the never-ending body-tone battle. Unless you’re willing to pay for the plastic surgery, humanity is a hopeless cause.

What did I do when I finally realized perfection was a myth? I ate a piece of chocolate cheesecake… and then I went through the 7 steps of bereavement: shock and disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, and finally, acceptance and hope.  Acceptance because the only other option was continued denial and perpetual unhappiness.  And hope because, praise God, my flaws have redeeming value. I WILL be perfect someday. (Philippians 1:6; I Corinthians 13:10)

I had to ask myself, “why do we love art?” No matter how many times I’ve sketched what appears to be the perfect representation of what I chose to depict, there are always flaws.  I could strive for years to sketch the perfect drawing of an eye and I may get close but the mistakes will always be obvious to me. Pablo Picasso is famous for completely distorted shapes, colors, and angles.  Why do art critics appreciate the guy? I’m probably going to seriously offend the art connoisseur’s thoughtful, deeply contemplated evaluation when I say this but I’d have to say most of us have an underlying appreciation for redeeming flaws. We value the effort that goes into creating something meaningful… of expressing something with a gift that may be under appreciated in the artist’s time. It’s not perfect. It’s unique. Just like us. We can relate!

I know the connotations are negative when the term “special” is used but think back with me. Did you ever play Mall Madness as a kid? (guys may not get this reference but oh well) You hit the button when you go into a store to make a purchase and suddenly you hear those words that always made you smile; “You get a ‘special’ clearance!” That’s the feeling of acceptance and hope. You didn’t lose anything after all! It’s almost like you just won something. (We optimists are special, bright-siders.  “Losing” isn’t in our vocabulary.)

As Oscar Wilde once said, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” High heels are definitely a wearable work of art but, along with the new mindset, I’ve chosen to be the former.  Which is why I’m going barefoot. (:

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Don’t Pressure Me!!

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Brittany

The Bible says, “The fear of man is a trap” (Proverbs 29:25).  Yes, relationships are what life is about but there’s more to it, isn’t there? Why do we care so much what people think of us? If we get our perspective out-of-balance with the purpose our relationships are meant to serve, it’s easy to feel judged, in-competition, overwhelmed, insecure, etc.

There are many activities we should/would/could be doing to reach everyone else’s standard of what’s socially acceptable, if that’s what we wanted. We all feel it… that pressure to be or do something that we aren’t doing or working to be.  It starts with a normal question like: are you married? or Which university are you attending? or What’s your job? Oh, you’re not?!  Really? People have a way of telling us, even just by the expression on their face or tone of voice, whether or not they respect us for the choices we’re making.

As a young teenager, I used to stand in front of the mirror and cry.  Are you surprised? This is what pressure does!  I see it happen every day to girls who watch happy, thin, fashionable, beautiful young people in advertisements, on television, even in their list of friends on facebook.  The desire to achieve that perceived measure of success is intense but, unfortunately, it’s also completely unrealistic! In the U.S. now, they’re treating teens for what clinical psychologists are calling Facebook Depression (see AP article).  Instead of crying with the majority of girls for that abstract, evanescent image of happy, beautiful, popular, and successful, today I’d like to encourage the hope that we could be living for something more than we see.  We can never reach all those intangible, visual goals in our own minds anyway, can we?  We will always be frustrated and unsatisfied because what we think we see doesn’t actually exist.  The pressure is painful and pointless.

As one gets older, the expectations are similar but more grown up with tangible symbols of status associated with the image we want.  Namely, we feel pressure to get a job and get married. This pressure comes not only from society but from personal acquaintances and extended family members whose good opinions matter to us. Case in point, before I left the U.S. to fly to Asia, a friend of mine (a young man) came for a visit and asked me when I was going to stop traveling and start a family of my own. He even went into great detail trying to convince me that I wasn’t always going to be doing what I’m doing now and that I needed to start “planning for my future.” (?!!?!!) He wasn’t the first and probably will not be the last to assume that traveling with my family isn’t building for the future.

For the record: the family relationships and goals you have right now are also your future. Submitting to your parents isn’t a hurdle you have to eventually get over; it’s your greatest privilege and honor.

As a young person with feelings like everyone else’s, the idea of moving on to a family of “my own” sounds really nice until I go through the list of what I’d be forced to trade. I also get this creepy picture of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings clasping his hands greedily every time I say or hear someone else say “my own”.  If, for me, building for the future meant marrying a gorgeous, young, financially capable and responsible man who wrote me passionate love songs, told me I was beautiful every day, and showered me with gifts, I could have had that by now. To most girls, this would have been a reasonable choice for the next phase of life.  Especially in the U.S., a comfortable living can be achieved this way (if comfortable is your goal). HOWEVER, an abundant, fulfilled life is what Jesus came to give according to John 10:10.  Not fulfilled in the sense that we would have every “natural” desire given to us (because, as we all know, some “natural” desires aren’t good for us – as in eating more food than we need, the desire to kill when we’re angry, to swear, etc.) but every RIGHT desire would be satisfied. This, for me, includes a passion for traveling all over the world, making friends of every race, seeing thousands of first-time decisions for Jesus Christ each week, and teaching on family relationships, innocence, and choices.  Why would anyone ever want to marry just to get married, get a normal job, or make money if they had to give all that up to do it?!

What’s right in terms of future and purpose in life for each person is as diverse as the fingerprints on the human hand. It’s impossible (and harmful) to cram everyone into a pattern of sameness with everyone else or to pressure individuals to live in conformity with the social norm.  “Normal,” if it’s a word used to describe your life, is just another way of saying “mediocre.” Do what’s “normal” (e.g. living out a selfish agenda to fulfill every natural desire) and the extraordinary destiny you could be living is lost. Mankind might miss yet another priceless masterpiece to the mental trauma of an untransformed mind. This would be a tragedy.

You know it – I know it. We’ve all felt it. It’s why, for every job, we require two weeks paid vacation. Like CO2 pumped into a balloon, the toxic pressure will make us explode if we don’t seal the hole. We have to stop letting the world blow a bunch of hot air into our heads and start listening to the Truth for a change. Jesus Christ can give every individual achievable goals, right desires, and happy, fulfilling relationships to plug this hole in our lives if we’ll let him.

How important are our choices? If I hadn’t chosen to trust, not only my family, but God with my time, my gifts, or my ideas about who I want to be and what I want to do with my life, I wouldn’t have ever met or gone out with Ariana and Brandon to eat Mamak food for breakfast at KLCC in Kuala Lumpur or gone punjabi suit shopping with Sheila and Desmond (my Indian brother and sister) or spent an evening laughing with Elena, Suyi, M.J., Debbie, and my siblings (I hope you all are reading this). Who needs all the other measures of status or success when we have opportunities for sweet, loving, fun, and fabulous abundance in a life of selfless serving (as opposed to self serving)?

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11-13. When the pressure’s on, blow it off. If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ and put Him in control of your life, you’re in good hands.

Posted in Life Philosophy, Renewed Thinking | 3 Comments