It is the first full week of Lent. 40 days until Easter. Lent is supposed to mark the 40 days before Easter but it is actually 44 days long, Lent doesn't count the Sundays. It seems odd to me that an entire day each week doesn't count but then again we have to exam the why.
Lent is a time of repentance, mourning, and preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Easter is a great celebration, a day where the tomb is empty and our savior is alive.
So what about the Sundays not counting? Well Sunday is supposed to be a time of celebration, a mini Easter if you will. It makes sense, Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest every other week so why should Lent be any different?
We are supposed to spend these days leading up to Easter, in sorrow, contemplation, and repentance. That can be exhausting, so it was determined that once a week we should take a break and celebrate. A mini Easter if you will. A time to step away from the contemplation and sorrow to celebrate what you have accomplish so far and remember why we are taking this time, to celebrate Jesus giving his life for us.
So are you taking the time to reflect, repent and give this season? I look forward to hearing from you.
Until next time,
~Michelle
Monday, February 23, 2015
Lent
Monday, February 16, 2015
From the ashes
This week marks the beginning of Lent. A season of morning and preparation for Jesus to die and rise from the dead. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, a day that marks our humanness.
The ashes have a couple different meanings, one to remind us that we came from the ash and our bodies will return to the ash. Our spirits will rise to Heaven but our physical body will return to the ground the dirt and the ash.
The other meaning is to show that we are in a time of contemplation and morning. It marks the first day that starts the end of Jesus' journey here on Earth. As He prepares to die for our sins on the cross, we are supposed to prepare ourselves as well.
Many people will give up something for Lent, others will take on an extra mission for the season. I have personally never taken on an extra something, I am usually a giver upper kind of person. But this year I am really going to strive to go out of my way each day to do something nice for a stranger. A kind of pay it forward kind of situation. We will see how it goes.
What about you? What are you getting involved in this Lenten season? I look forward to hear about your journeys.
Until next time,
~Michelle
Monday, February 9, 2015
When in Rome
Have you ever noticed that the more time you spend with someone the more you become alike. At least for me this happens. I find myself saying shared phrases or making similar facial expressions. I of course see this a lot with Emerson as he grows and develops, he picks up on more of Nick and I's queues.
This habit works both ways, I know when I have been hanging out with more negative people because my attitude becomes more negative and vise versa. I am not really sure what got me thinking about this earlier this week but the more I think about it the more useful I think it could become.
We make choices as to whom we hang out with and what we do with these people. We begin to share habits and phrases. So think what if we choose to spend more time with Jesus?
As Christians we are supposed to strive to be more like Jesus. To follow down a similar path of servant leadership, to be Christ like. How does one really do that? To become more like someone we spend time with them. So we must in turn spend more time with Jesus. The more time we spend with him, the more we learn about him and from him the more we will become like him. And in theory the more we will want to spend time with him.
How often do you talk to your best friend that is living on this Earth? I know I talk to my best friend at least once a week usually for a least an hour at a time. We used to work together so I used to see her at least five days a week. We have a lot of similar likes, dislikes, mannerisms, etc.
Now, how often do you talk to Jesus? Shouldn't He be our best friend living in Heaven? Shouldn't we be spending as much time if not more with Him as we do with our on Earth best friend?
Just a thought. I would love to hear yours. Have a great week.
Until next time,
~Michelle
This habit works both ways, I know when I have been hanging out with more negative people because my attitude becomes more negative and vise versa. I am not really sure what got me thinking about this earlier this week but the more I think about it the more useful I think it could become.
We make choices as to whom we hang out with and what we do with these people. We begin to share habits and phrases. So think what if we choose to spend more time with Jesus?
As Christians we are supposed to strive to be more like Jesus. To follow down a similar path of servant leadership, to be Christ like. How does one really do that? To become more like someone we spend time with them. So we must in turn spend more time with Jesus. The more time we spend with him, the more we learn about him and from him the more we will become like him. And in theory the more we will want to spend time with him.
How often do you talk to your best friend that is living on this Earth? I know I talk to my best friend at least once a week usually for a least an hour at a time. We used to work together so I used to see her at least five days a week. We have a lot of similar likes, dislikes, mannerisms, etc.
Now, how often do you talk to Jesus? Shouldn't He be our best friend living in Heaven? Shouldn't we be spending as much time if not more with Him as we do with our on Earth best friend?
Just a thought. I would love to hear yours. Have a great week.
Until next time,
~Michelle
Monday, February 2, 2015
A new light!
I have a confession to make this morning. I figured this is the place to do it. I can be judgmental at times. I mean really who can say that they never judge others? But the point is that I have been judgmental of this one particular person that I deal with on a very regular basis. This person tends to be rather negative about everything and I often find myself dreading having to deal with this individual because I really don't handle negative people well. However, last week I saw a completely different side of this person. For the sake of the story let's call this person Hank.
There was a situation where someone, Georgia, needed some immediate help. Georgia was in a really bad situation, her family had kicked her out of the house and she has made some bad decisions in her life leading up to this time that has caused many to turn their back on her. She is a few months away from graduating from high school and appears to be really trying to turn things around and make better choices. Georgia came to Hank the other day and asked for help. In a completely different response and attitude then I have witnessed from Hank he opened up. He talked to Georgia about what as going on and instantly offered her any service that he could provide. He does have some boundaries with his job that doesn't allow him to do absolutely anything but I found myself stepping in where he couldn't. We worked in tandem to help make sure that Georgia was taken care of at least for the next few days and had a plan to get herself to a safe place. Hank then shared with me how much Georgia reminds him of another young person that he had helped long ago and that he really just wants Georgia to be able to see her full potential and knows that she really just needs someone that will believe in her.
This whole experience opened my eyes to Hank in a whole new light. Usually I view Hank as closed off and bitter about life but in this situation I saw compassion and love. I also saw what happens when you find something that people are so passionate about. Hank really just wants to make sure that Georgia is safe and can continue down the right path. It made me wonder what would happen if we could really tap into that passion and compassion. But overly it reminded me that I need to check myself when I find myself judging others. We don't know what those other people have experienced and what they are or have gone through.
I attended a training a few years ago that talked about seeing people in the green when you interact with them. The thought being that green means go, or that you can see their potential. God also encourages us to see others "in the green." We all come with flaws and to judge others is to judge ourselves. There is a story in the New Testament about a women that is brought before Jesus for committing adultry. A crime that should have condemed her to a death by stoning. Jesus simply tells them "He who is without sin, should cast the first stone." Everyone slowly walks away and Jesus tells the woman to go and repent and do better.
So today in my confession and am saying that I made a mistake and judged Hank as cold, bitter, sour and harsh. I forgot to look at him "in the green." And remember that Hank is a child of God. So this week I shall strive to see all people in the green and challenge you to do that same. How can we capitalize on the potential that we all have inside of us as children of God?
Let me know what you think.
Until next time,
~Michelle
There was a situation where someone, Georgia, needed some immediate help. Georgia was in a really bad situation, her family had kicked her out of the house and she has made some bad decisions in her life leading up to this time that has caused many to turn their back on her. She is a few months away from graduating from high school and appears to be really trying to turn things around and make better choices. Georgia came to Hank the other day and asked for help. In a completely different response and attitude then I have witnessed from Hank he opened up. He talked to Georgia about what as going on and instantly offered her any service that he could provide. He does have some boundaries with his job that doesn't allow him to do absolutely anything but I found myself stepping in where he couldn't. We worked in tandem to help make sure that Georgia was taken care of at least for the next few days and had a plan to get herself to a safe place. Hank then shared with me how much Georgia reminds him of another young person that he had helped long ago and that he really just wants Georgia to be able to see her full potential and knows that she really just needs someone that will believe in her.
This whole experience opened my eyes to Hank in a whole new light. Usually I view Hank as closed off and bitter about life but in this situation I saw compassion and love. I also saw what happens when you find something that people are so passionate about. Hank really just wants to make sure that Georgia is safe and can continue down the right path. It made me wonder what would happen if we could really tap into that passion and compassion. But overly it reminded me that I need to check myself when I find myself judging others. We don't know what those other people have experienced and what they are or have gone through.
I attended a training a few years ago that talked about seeing people in the green when you interact with them. The thought being that green means go, or that you can see their potential. God also encourages us to see others "in the green." We all come with flaws and to judge others is to judge ourselves. There is a story in the New Testament about a women that is brought before Jesus for committing adultry. A crime that should have condemed her to a death by stoning. Jesus simply tells them "He who is without sin, should cast the first stone." Everyone slowly walks away and Jesus tells the woman to go and repent and do better.
So today in my confession and am saying that I made a mistake and judged Hank as cold, bitter, sour and harsh. I forgot to look at him "in the green." And remember that Hank is a child of God. So this week I shall strive to see all people in the green and challenge you to do that same. How can we capitalize on the potential that we all have inside of us as children of God?
Let me know what you think.
Until next time,
~Michelle
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