Texting: A Hate Story

So in the midst of probably one of the craziest transitions of my life...

I had someone kick my phone and the keyboard popped out. From that point on, my phone had been changed forever. The keys didn't work well and it was nearly impossible to text or call anyone on...

After a month of switching around phones, I got a new phone!

It was all jazzy and new with a slide keyboard and a totally different set-up. Since I don't really like the fancier phones... You would think this would be the perfect phone. The honeymoon phase didn't last long... As a matter of a fact: it lasted a few days.

It all started when I was trying to communicate to tell people where I was and such in a trip out of state. My communication was handicapped quite a bit. However, I thought things would get better. Once the phone and I got acquainted better. Well, then one friend only has texting on their phone... So I was having quite a serious conversation with her one night: and poof!

Add a third party... The phone had started doing this mystery freeze thing where it would freeze and then send the message to the last person I had texted instead of the person I was currently texting. I had a mini break down... Luckily it wasn't too bad and things got cleared up quickly. However, as the days went on, it was as though my phone was cheating on me. He continued to text incorrect people, even called the wrong people. I was thinking that we might need a separation.

Well, after a strong worded text to someone who got me quite angry... I didn't get a text back from the person. So there I showed him. Well, come to find out, I didn't show him I showed another him. Someone who has been nothing but nice to me... Needless to say, I am ready for a divorce!

I called my mother tonight telling her of my dilemma and she had a simple solution: I am always saying, I hate  texting... Well, needless to say: she offered getting rid of texting! After some thought, I feel as though technology continues to push people further and further away from each other instead of closer and closer. With more and more technology and ways to communicate: it seems like we should be a society that is extremely close knit. Wrong. It is awful! I feel like I have become more distant from close friends, and then things like this happen and let's just say: it isn't a quick fix trying to explain to people why got a mean text. Which also says something about my character I suppose too: I was just reading in my bible study tonight about being slow to anger...

Does this happen to anyone else? Am I the only technologically disadvantaged person? Would I lose total cool points in ditching texting after already ditching facebook as well? And hm: after further investigation: maybe losing texting isn't that bad after all... I mean spell check doesn't even recognize it as a word!

Inspire.

Okay so around a year ago I was introduced to Come&Live! and I thought it was pretty cool. Visited their website a few times and that was it. Then last night a friend of mine came over and told me about this video. He told me it was aprox. 30 minutes and totally incredible. So... I began watching it and within the first five minutes I was totally drawn in.

I have really had our generation and society as a whole on my heart lately... I am beginning to wonder and think: how can we as a generation and a society really transform* how we live our faith out on a daily basis. I recently read an article about how the gospel and conversion to Christianity isn't always effective. Or lives that aren't truly transforrmed. However, after watching this video I began to wonder: if someone who had never seen God or really known him as their personal savior... Had their first encounter with God seeing God in total action. Don't you think that would totally change their life? And maybe, just maybe be a deeper effect than just a quick prayer? No doubt that people who pray prayers of salvation aren't transformed... But I am beginning to think more and more that our society has gotten church all wrong...

I have been reading the gospels lately and I constantly think about Jesus' ministry and then I wonder: is that truly what we are doing? Going out and healing the sick? Feeding the poor? Loving our neighbors as ourselves? Just thinking and wondering how God can use me in even a small way to touch the big world.

*1trans·form verb \tran(t)s-ˈfȯrm\


Definition of TRANSFORM

transitive verb

1a : to change in composition or structure b : to change the outward form or appearance of c : to change in character or condition : convert

2: to subject to mathematical transformation

3: to cause (a cell) to undergo genetic transformation

intransitive verb

: to become transformed : change

— trans·form·able \-ˈfȯr-mə-bəl\ adjective

— trans·for·ma·tive \-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv\ adjective

beauty

I am reading the book Through Painted Deserts by: Donald Miller... And I came across this excerpt which is now a quote: a little background the two guys (Don and his friend Paul) are on a road trip and Don asked his friend Paul what he was looking for in a woman:

"'I guess I'm looking for what any guy is looking for. I want a companion, you know. Just someone to share life with. I want her to be my biggest fan and I want to be her biggest fan too. I want us to raise kids in a home where they know their parents are in love with each other and with them. I guess that's all I want.' Realizing he had taken the question seriously, I offer a patient comment, just above a whisper, loud enough to know he can hear me. "That sounds like a pretty good want."
"It ain't bad," he says. "It isn't too much, you know. I don't want the perfect girl, really. You figure every girl is beautiful, you know. It's our arrogance that makes us think one is better than the other."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I don't know. I was just thinking about girls the other day and wondering, you know, why some girls just get ignored and others get worshipped, and I really got this feeling in my chest like all of that wasn't true. Can't be true. Doesn't make sense. Like maybe if you can't love a girl who isn't all perfect, then you can't really love a girl who is. Not for real. Not unconditionally."

I thought this was interesting. I recently went to dinner with a dear friend of mine, June, and one thing about June is that she speaks life into me. Every time I go out with her, or any encounter I have with her: she encourages me. She has stood behind me when some very dark things have come over my life. And she has whispered words of encouragement when everyone around me is doubting my sanity. And as we chatted, she once again spoke truth and life. She gave me permission not to date for awhile... And it's funny because right after she said that: I had a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

Now going back to this quote from the book... It's interesting because it seems as though constantly there is this double standard for women that they must be perfect. People will turn around and say how some women are beautiful or turn their heads for a second glance... While other women walk through life never turning heads, or being noticed at all. I thought it was interesting what Paul said, that it's our arrogance that one woman is better than another.

Hm. It is not all that often that we may say that we are arrogant. However, does it not say in the bible that we are all crafted in God's likeness? I think this happens to me a lot... I see beauty all around me and see the flowers and the trees the hills and the clouds. And think: wow God, today you sure out did yourself! I mean yesterday, I thought the sky was beautiful... But today God, wow. Look at that! And so the story goes... Each day I find new things to be amazed at. But then when I look in the mirror, I think hm: God, why do I have that zit? Or you messed up here... Look at how my curls are falling today God... Why can't you make each one equally curled and perfect? Maybe then...

Tonight as I was looking into the mirror and thinking about everything... I thought these same thoughts... Maybe then... And it was like God was deep inside me saying, maybe then what? What will happen when your zits are gone? Or your curls fall perfectly? And I don't know that I have the answer to that question. Would I notice? Or would I find a new problem? Do others notice? And does it really matter? Are we truly so arrogant that we have forgotten that we are each handcrafted? I don't know. But as I thought about it... I started to wonder... If each day I found the really good things about myself and put them in a jar. If slowly, I would find there are many more good things than flaws.

My encouragement today for my friends out there: is to look in the mirror and smile... You are beautiful/handsome, and you have a special purpose on this earth. So you have every reason to smile (and it's proven everyone looks better smiling)!

Music

The last few days I have posted a lot of songs on here...

As I grow further in my life and my walk with God, music seems to be something that fills my life with a profound amount of truth. We can walk into a church service and sing songs and through those songs if we really contemplated the lyrics we might be surprised at what we were singing. I mean we sing of shrouds, and all of these other things and sometimes I wonder: do we even know the meaning of the words we are singing?

Once in awhile you might hear a word in conversation and go wait, what? Or you might question the authority. However, I find it interesting, that in church we so often sit and speak these profound truths and sing of healings and being on fire for the Lord. However, then once we step out of our seats Sunday morning, our lives go back into the same sequence and we go back into living into motion. Do I have the ingredients for dinner tonight? Did I talk to this person? I have to make sure I connect with so and so before they leave today, and oh! I should ask if they want to meet later this week for dinner... The list goes on and on as we plan. And sometimes, God forbid, we are even going through our check lists during worship.

Mentally, we're checking out: we say we're prone to wander, and Lord take our spirits with our lips... And in our hearts we're getting further and further from the Lord and our faith. Then when we hear convicting sermons or people talking about getting a church like the one in Acts, we wonder why our society isn't more like that...

We are so used to zapping things in the microwave, getting things done so quickly and at our convience... That we have totally lost the concept of putting in the time for our faith. I have found that a lot of the scripture I have memorized has been through song that I sing within church and then go and look up later.

Wouldn't it be incredible to see a church that sang about what they were doing after service, and throughout the week? Wouldn't it be amazing to see the Lord every Sunday? May we really be convicted by the lyrics we read and when we don't know the meanings behind the words: why not look them up? Or research them out? I recently read an inspiring article about not knowing the meanings of words here.

Inheritance

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe" (Psalm 61:1-3).