The Worthy Pursuit

I am very verbal. The only two ways I think clearly are in talking and writing. That’s just who I am. So I need to write this down. 

When Craig was in the USCG, I learned the media gets stuff wrong constantly. After Hurricane Isabel in 2003, I learned that it’s because they are purposely told things wrong everyday. So since then, I view things like I would writing a paper. I confirm it from several very different points of view and try to formulate a semblance of truth based on that. It’s not entirely accurate. It can never be. There’s too many real versions out there.

Mostly what you hear is another form of CYA. We used to call it “spin” and that’s far more elegant than “Fake News”. It’s not all fake. It’s mostly true, but there’s a spin to it in the wording.  

We will likely never really know the complete and full details of everything that happened yesterday. Each person who was there or involved has a different viewpoint than others. That’s the case for anything. The news cycle is far too short for real journalism to sort through all of that. 

Just be careful for what you readily swallow entirely just because it’s “the news” or authority. You can listen, but understand nothing is all true, lots of it is spin, and some is entirely fake. The pursuit of truth has to matter though. Especially to Christians. 

Yesterday was horrific. Basically, there was a riot in our prison. Two wonderful guards died and more people are injured. There are so many other details about what happened, but the truth gets very muddy, even among those who were there. So many people were involved and there are so many points of view. Questions are worth asking for clarity, but you’ll get a lot of push back. You can push for truth and pray, no matter what happens in life. Action and prayer are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. 

Continue to pray with those in prison. Prisoners have no escape from the horror. They didn’t get to go home for a break, or hug their families, but Jesus is with them. He’s with each responder to the crisis, each family that anxiously awaited at home, and those that still do. He’s with those recovering and those grieving. He’s with those that can never talk about what happened. If that’s you, you might someday. It’s still hard for Craig. Please care for yourself, as well. Seek trusted counsel. You are not alone. ❤️

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Weighing Worth

The Pharisees were always trying to trick Jesus. Or perhaps find loop holes for themselves. We still try to use Jesus to justify our own actions. 

Love my neighbor as myself? Pfft. So is it just one person? The house on the right or left of me? I like them so that's ok. Who is my neighbor, Jesus? 

Jesus replied in a story. A parable. He often taught in common situations with far broader meanings. This time, he spoke of the overwhelming and irrational love of a Samaritan. (Luke 10:30)

They must've been aghast listening to it. Samaritans! Mixed race lowlifes. Every good Jewish person knew well to go the long way around Samaria instead of running through THAT area. Scum. They were dirty people. Probably dangerous criminals. Thugs. How's this thug the hero of the story? I cannot possibly love them as myself because that would require me to change how I view their worth. 

This isn't new. We assign worth regularly. Don't believe me? A while back, a post I shared on how to help families pay off school lunch bills went totally crazy. I was informed many times that these people weren't worth helping. Every year people flip out about extra school supplies going to other people. Often folks look in the bowl of others to complain about what they have, instead of making sure they have enough. Would we rather see terrorists come to know Christ or be blown up? Our reactions to these things say a lot about how we view God. Crazy, right? 

Jesus was pretty clear: this isn't about you at all. It's not about me, either. It's about loving God and loving others. It's about making sure you care for others the very way you would yourself. All others. Even those you  would deem unworthy. Aren't we all unworthy when it comes to God? 

As I learn more and more about following Jesus, I constantly see ways that I fall short. Truly, I am in desperate need of His grace, forgiveness, and mercy daily. I stink at loving others as much as myself. 

However, when we have a very obvious opportunity to stand for love and against hate, we shouldn't miss it. Our witness depends on us calling out hate & evil clearly. I cannot think of anything more evil than the mindset that captured and tortured my grandfather in WWII. The mindset that tortured and killed millions of Jewish people, homosexuals, mentally & physically handicapped, and anyone who isn't like them. The mindset that held millions of slaves, sold them as property, worked them to death, raped, beat, and hung people of color. Those who yelled against desegregated schools, complained about white and black couples, and those who threaten to drive through those protesting this very thought process.

These all weren't and aren't monsters. They were and are regular people, like you and me, who bought into a monstrous ideology. We do, too, every time we deem someone less. Every time we let the N word slip. Every time you dismiss someone for their skin, race, disability, who they love, or what they wear. Every time we see someone's worth as less than created in the image of God.

Love your neighbor as yourself - Jesus

Dig deeper

I understand how it feels to think Jesus is cool, but honestly, not really like Christians. I understand the dynamic of being deeply discouraged by the Church, the bride of Christ, but not knowing how to deal with it. I was there, years back. 

Christianity, as a term, has been deeply marred. It's not really defined in scripture, so it's an easy thing to have a "cultural Christianity" like here in the Bible Belt of the States. Sometimes, It seems you can be a Christian without knowing who Jesus is at all. Just vote the right way, or say the right things, and that's it. "Christianity" is loud on what it's against and you better be too! It's full of crap. I got so tired of playing church. I spent my time making people happy that didn't care if the world burned. 

Worldwide, those who claim Jesus are confused by that Western mentality. They call themselves disciples and It can be so costly to follow Him. Many have studied and memorized the entire gospel to share at every chance! If you spend time in the Gospels (which I encourage) you'll find a Jesus that looks so very different from cultural Christianity. The kind of Jesus that can change the world and wreck your understanding of what this looks like. 

Do I have answers on how to make sense of it here for you? Nope. I don't. All I know is that I when I looked for Jesus again beyond the mess of religion, He found me. He's worth looking for again. "Christians" won't understand you when you find Him. But that's ok. None of us know Him perfectly. Our small perspective cannot fathom His grandeur or the total scandal of His love and mercy. Reflecting it, even imperfectly, makes us look crazy. Snowflaky. Weird. Scandalous. But that's ok, too. The United States is a huge mission field. Don't assume that because people go to church they are followers of Christ. They need to know Him too. 

The church is flawed because it's full of flawed people. It's the hardest and best thing about it all. I'm continuously flabbergasted by people and then again by Jesus. He LOVES these fools? Yes, and this...this fool. More than I'll ever understand. 

It's worth the heart work. Jesus is worth it. He's probably not what you think. Look again. Dig deeper. Maybe check out a church tomorrow. Spend time looking for who He really is. You might be surprised. 

❄️The Remix

I am especially thankful for our church this week. The message this Sunday was one on poverty, and how it's not always what you think it is, especially in this nation. We (typically) don't have as much abject poverty as other nations. We do have relative & temporary poverty. That is far more widespread here. 

This area is poor. Not necessarily abject poverty on average, but a struggling area in this state. Even the people who seem rich likely have a lot of debt. Some are generationally wealthy. Some drive much further or have very specific skills & employment. That's an outlier, though. Not the norm for here.

I found some averages for this area, and rounded up for simplicity. The average median income for this area is about $29,000. The poverty line is about $24,000 for the same sized family. A single male makes about  $27,000. The single woman about $19,000. Only 59.4% of the population is married. The average house in this area is $161,000. About half of our enrolled students in this area get free or reduced lunch, but far more could qualify. I'd love to know the average credit card debt and medical costs to put with these numbers to get a slightly more accurate view, but it's still not a full picture of individuals. 

However, If you make more that $10 a day, you're in the top 1% of wealth in the WORLD. One percenters! Just some random perspective. 

This song was part of the message Sunday. 

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see,

Everything that I keep missing,

Give me your love for humanity.

Give me your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach.

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.

Give me Your eyes so I can see.

It's not always who you think it is, but God sees it. Many times, it's the people you don't think deserve it. Often, it's people that are prejudiced against for race/class/behavior/life choices, etc. Jesus clearly spoke against that kind of judgement. We might think you know... but we just don't know everything. Only He does and He said do for them what we'd do for ourselves. In his day, the politically conservative & religious decided who was worthy for love and help. Jesus couldn't stand that mess and clearly spoke against that. It's so odd how that part has been quickly forgotten, because it doesn't suit our narrative or our own viewpoint. Sometimes, the exact thing God put in your path, others will criticize because it doesn't fit their ideal. This is messy work. People have been killed just for speaking love against popular opinion. Crucified even, and I mean the real kind. Not the social media version. 

I'm not perfect, I'll mess it up, but It doesn't change what Jesus said to do. It cannot be my viewpoint if I say I'm following His viewpoint. EVEN when I don't understand His viewpoint. There is incredible grace when we screw it up and hopefully we have opportunities to show Him again. This is entirely about Jesus Christ after all. Any work we do should point others to Him. I'm thankful (even more than usual) that we belong to a local church that teaches us to act locally on what we say we believe. I'm thankful that we have the kind of close friends & family that do things, dream big, and support others. We don't have the full picture. Truth. Sometimes the picture we have of people, we really don't like. Truth. Jesus understands far more, and as we get closer to Him, we start to think differently about all people.

Reminds me of that old hymn... Jesus washed us white as snowflake (the remix). 

Our Generation is THIS one.

So, here I am...writing again...

My newsfeed is always full of previous generations passive aggressively ripping on kids today. It gets old. This weird "rose colored nostalgia" is misremembering the past and selling the present short. My generation was "ruined" by the harm of the backwards music lyrics. My parents generation was "ruined" by the harm of television shows. But I don't see that remembered in my newsfeed.

My point, If we were raised sooo much better, then we have the responsibility to be actively involved in the lives of kids now. More than just our own families. These kids & students are growing up in an incredible time with so many ways to change the world. They want to do it and I think they will. Let's equip. Want kids to play outside more? Go outside yourself. Let's push for safe cities. Don't want your kids always on the phone? Take it. Make rules. Think an iPhone or social media is horrible? Teach them how to use it appropriately and for good.  Be an example of appropriate social media usage. Kids haven't changed. Adults have dropped the ball. Our generation is THIS one and the next one. It's time to be responsible for that. If we don't like something, we can only blame ourselves - or fix it. 

Ya Doubt? (and some of why I do what I do)

This started as a Facebook post, but then it chased a rabbit down a hole, in typical Ashlea fashion, and grew up into a beeeeautiful blog. Or whatever. 

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Luke was a scientist. A doctor that wrote a facts-based account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He included a whole chapter (24) about how those closest to Jesus struggled with doubt. It did not make them less in the eyes of Jesus. He did likely want to scream "Dude, I'm RIGHT HERE." But He knows we needed more. 

That's a very compelling part of the gospels. I think it's a compelling part of being a disciple today, as well. We've all had to work through doubt. This all requires faith. It's an assurance of things hoped for that we cannot see or understand. (Heb 11:1) You don't get to the Faith part without the sometimes muddy tug-of-war with doubt. Sometimes, multiple rounds. 

Maybe you're reading this and think "yeah, doubt is wicked familiar." It's ok. Be assured that you're loved by God already. I do this tug-of-war sometimes. I talk to trusted friends, read through John, and find my faith again in the power of his creation. The tomb is still empty. He's alive! If Easter was real, then it has to move me to audacious love far beyond my comfort zone. 

Challenging? Good heavens, yes. But I know that this is something far bigger than me. It's legacy work. I want to burn out everything I've got for the cause and finish this life knowing I made a tiny little difference in the grand scheme of things. I believe in the power of kid and student ministry. I'm not a believer in "Christianese" behavior modification. This is ❤️heart work, but man is it going to be worth it to see what God does in their lives. I want to be a safe place for them. I'm not going to flinch when doubt is an issue. (I really don't flinch at much, honestly. Ha!) I want to show them how to walk through this muddy mess so that they can help the next person. 

It's big stuff. 

You in? 

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I'm serious. Wanna get involved like this? If you go to church with me at New Community Church, that's easy. I can hook you up. If not, I'd encourage you to meet with your pastor and tell them what you want to do and why. The "what" part is really all most need, but the "why" part can encourage them too!

Keep Christmas All The Year

If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. -Gal 5:25

And that's where it gets TOUGH. But we have the power of the God who created the universe inside of us in His Spirit. The power of Jesus who was born in a stable to die on a cross. The power of He who beat death to save us all. God could've told us to do this on our own, but He didn't. Instead, He came to us. He's been with us.

Let's help each other. Let's let Him guide us and keep Christmas all the year. When He is greater and I am less, others are loved and cared for well. It doesn't make us perfect. It makes us more like Jesus, though. It makes Him compelling to others.

My favorite movie is A Christmas Carol; The British Alastair Sim version (or Muppets. Whatever.) I love how Ebenezer saw the difference kindness makes and he changed. It changed the future, as well. I love how it took the power of three spirits to soften his heart to the world around him. It shows clearly that the life we live is who we are. What an opportunity!

Merry Christmas! God Bless us, everyone.