Middle Ground

This is a good article for both evangelical conservatives and secular liberals to read:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/opinion/28kristof.html

Hello Again

I am saying hello to Facebook once again. It's not that I gave up on staying away from it, I just think that I have learned what I needed to know from my fast.

Facebook really is a good tool to stay in touch with people, plan events, share stories, and I have missed out on that. It's been hard to plan a get-together without the convenience of mass-messaging everyone. Also, my internship has a group for all the interns to get to know each other, so I feel like I would really miss out on some good conversations and encouragement if I weren't a part of that.

But no worries, I will not be wasting time sitting around on Facebook all day. It will just be quick check-ins.

Just thought I should explain real quickly why I will be popping up in your news feed once again.

Raven and Lily

Please, please, please check out this website and watch the video on the home page: http://www.ravenandlily.com/

Raven and Lily is an awesome organization. They are a fair-trade company and sell eco-friendly, fashionable items made by women who are in poverty. They help teach these women job skills and give them the opportunity for a better life.

Kirsten Dickerson is a co-founder of the organization and I had the wonderful opportunity today of meeting and her husband Brandon, who is a film director and has done music videos for Switchfoot, Jonas Brothers, and many others. They are an incredible couple who passionately live out their faith. They are also friends of my youth pastor and his wife, and that is how I got connected with them.

Both Kirsten and Brandon attended Baylor, and they are back in Waco for a bit to take care of Kirsten's mother. While here, Kirsten continues to promote Raven and Lily. Today there was a trunk show of their merchandise at Common Grounds, our awesome local coffee shop. I was able to help volunteer for a bit by setting up merchandise and helping customers. It was such a cool experience to work with people who are doing something to change the world, and selling really adorable things in the process. I got a really cool bag that was made out of a recycled sari from a woman in India. Raven and Lily is a great picture of how God wants to use each of our talents to fulfill his mission. Kirsten's talent is design, and she gives this gift back to God by using it to help the poor.

I am really looking forward to getting to know this couple even more and to watching Raven and Lily help even more women across the world. I highly encourage you to check out this organization. It is such a cool one to support, and they sell such cute stuff (as I have already said many times in this post, it's just so true!) Just think, you could buy an adorable gift for someone, and in the process you could help support a woman who is searching for a better life.

It is well

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul

This afternoon, I overheard one of my friends playing this song on the piano. Instantly the words popped into my mind and I have not been able to get them out of my head (which is not a bad thing in the least). I LOVE this hymn. I love the feeling of this hymn. And I love the story behind this hymn.

I have not been through such intense trials. My current worries about class pale in comparison to what the Staffords endured, and what so many other people in the world go through every day. This hymn is a reality check for me. It is so easy to get caught up in daily stress, especially when immersed in a culture that places such a high emphasis on "success." But the majesty of this hymn is that no matter what happens, our souls are well when they are at rest with God. Christ has triumphed; Satan is defeated. Our sin is nailed to that cross, ALL of our sin. "The sky, not the grave, is our goal." Look to God for fulfillment. The world offers a mere shadow of the rich life God can bring.

God, no matter what stress is in our lives, no matter what pain we deal with, no matter what sin we struggle with, grant us the assurance of our fulfillment in you. Teach us to truly say with all our hearts "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL!"

We are but dust

It has been a month and a few days since I deactivated Facebook, and I must say it has been such a freeing experience! Without the distraction of my Facebook addiction, friendships have flourished, involvement in activities has increased, and procrastination has decreased (most of the time!)

Though a lot of good has come out of this whole thing, there are some downsides. I realized that I have an extremely addictive personality. When Facebook wasn't there to feed my addiction, I looked for something else to fill it, and that turned to reading blogs. You can ask any of my friends and they will tell you how often I reference something I read on some blog I found. While I think blogs are great things, my obsession went a little too far.

When I realized all this, a hard thought struck me: Why doesn't this obsession take hold of me for things of God? I haven't tried to fill my time with reading His word or praying. It wasn't necessarily Facebook that got in my way, but rather my tendency to fill my time with things that weren't drawing me closer to God.

In the midst of pondering this thought, Ash Wednesday arrived. I attended a beautiful service at Dayspring Baptist and was powerfully reminded that each one of us is made of dust. What a scary thing thought! But what a beautiful thing when we consider how deeply God loves us, even in our weak state.

I want to know this God who chooses to love me, someone who has nothing to offer. I mess up so much. I make terrible decisions. But still he loves me. How could I possibly be distracted from a love like that?!

So rather than giving something up for Lent, I am going to try to gain something instead: daily time with the one who loves me more than I could ever imagine.