I Found God In the "Jack" of All Questions...

My 7-year old son, Jack, out of the clear-blue-nowhere, asked me this question last week:

Mom... how do we know that we are following the right God?

What if we are following the wrong God and when we die,

he is really mad at us and sends us to Hell?

Wha-at?!

My first thought... besides the gaping silence was "B-But, I haven't blogged about this topic yet?!"

Then there was some stuttering.

Then some 20-minute-ish discussion that involved me trying to explain our faith in three different parts:

1. We ARE correct. Jesus DID live, die, and rise again. And scholars and pastors like Pastor Tom (our pastor) have gone to school for a long time to learn about this and to feel fairly "scientific-ish" with facts about why they believe what they preach.

2. Even if we were wrong, by following the Bible we are doing good things - and I think that just about every other religion out there says that doing good works will get you into Heaven... so even if we are wrong, with a lifetime of "good things," we'd be a shoo-in for their Heaven anyway.

3. Faith is exactly that... FAITH. Believing with all your heart, mind, and soul that which cannot be seen. Seeing is not believing... but rather, believing allows you to "see."

Can you spell c-o-n-f-u-s-i-n-g ?!?!

I know my answers were choppy and convoluted at best... I was completely caught off guard, for sure! But the conversation pointed out to me (again!) that our children are totally paying attention to what's going on at church and what is modeled to them. My son is only 7 - yet he is craving answers to BIG questions... some questions to which others might spend a lifetime searching for answers.

It also was a lesson to me -that I needed to get an even firmer grasp on the how's and why's of my own faith. Of all the people in the world I need to be able to witness to successfully, my two sons are at the TOP of the list!! Their questions are only going to get harder... and I need to be ready with some serious answers.

First stop... the answer key.... a.k.a. The Bible. All of the things I need my children to know are probably in this book... and to be honest, I have not read it all. Sure, I've read bits and pieces - chapters here and there. I've looked up passages for Bible studies and, of course, for this blog. I've listened to certain verses expounded upon in Sunday sermons or in Sunday School. But I have never sat down with my Bible and read it - like all of the other books I've curled up to read, this one I've warily danced around - toting it to and from church, but not really getting "into" it.

Well that stops now. Today is the Genesis of my reading... and because I'm OCD, I'll start at the beginning. I'll keep you posted on what I find... *wink*

♥Mags

I Found God In "Wicked......."

A few months back, we saw the play, Wicked; it was FANTASTIC!!! To be honest, the original Wizard of Oz is one of my LEAST favorite shows (right up there with Sound of Music and Mary Poppins... I know, I'm weird, I guess!), but this parallel story of the "true" events surrounding the Wicked Witch of the West really touched me. I loved the story of friendship between Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) - and the surprises of how The Wizaard, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion were weaved into this story.

There is a song at the end of the play entitled "For Good"* - a song between Glinda and Elphaba who realize they will probably never see each other again once they go their separate ways. Here are a portion of the lyrics:

GLINDA

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

I have been changed for good

ELPHABA

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend:

Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a skybird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you:

GLINDA

Because I knew you:

BOTH

I have been changed.......... for good.

The lyrics have a double meaning... it could be read as "I have been changed forever"... or "I have been changed to BE good (vs. evil)" - both meanings are significant to the central characters.

And BOTH meanings could fit with our relationship with God and with the people who enter our lives that influence our Christian Walk.

When it comes to God's power and grace, we ARE "limited" - limited in our abilities to see the whole picture of what's ahead... limited in our understanding of how God's plan for us will unfold. And I think it is absolutely true that "people come into our lives for a reason... bringing something we must learn" - God places some people and situations in our paths very deliberately to help us grow and learn. And sometimes we are placed in someone else's path to aid them in their own journey.

If you consider this song as if it was being sung to the Lord, you'd see other parallels as well... So much of me
Is made of what I learned from You
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know You have re-written mine
By being my Friend...

Once a person has opened up their hearts and minds to God, that person IS forever changed for the better. What a powerful friend we have in God! I can say, that for myself...

Because I know Him...

I have been changed...

for good. :)

♥Mags

*If you are interested in hearing the full song of "For Good" as well as others from the musical, click here: http://www.wickedthemusical.com/#MusicPlayer

I Found God In the Five People I Met On Earth...

One of my favorite books is Mitch Album's The Five People You Meet In Heaven. I LOVE this book, and when I think of it, I wonder who will be MY five people that I meet in Heaven? And then I wonder if I will be part of someone else's "five?" It truly is a wondeful book - if you haven't yet read, it, I highly recommend it...!

But I also got to thinking about five people that I have already met here on Earth... five people who have been instrumental in my Christian Journey (whether they know it or not). This is what I discovered:

1. Debbie W. - Debbie has been my best friend for 21 years... since we were 14 years old. She has seen me at my highest points, my darkest days, and my most embarassing moments. When we were in high school, she invited me to her church, Forest Chapel UMC, after I had spent a Saturday night at her house. I didn't want to go - I had given up on church by then and usually I bailed after sleepovers early on Sunday mornings so I didn't have to worry about the "church thing" - but we were friends, and I didn't want to offend her... so I went. It's odd the things I remember about that particular Sunday... that I didn't have anything to "wear" except what I'd packed... black jeans and black high-top boots (it was the 80's...what can you do?!), and I was worried I'd be too casual. I worried that the kids would be weird - or that Debbie would act differently in church than she did around me. But the Sunday was fine - and I even went on other "church-related" things with her at other points during high school. While I resisted her attempts to have me join her for a Bible Study or Sunday church while we roomed together in college, her steadfastness in her own faith made an impact on me. She never pushed - she was just "normal" Debbie - but she, in her own way, witnessed to me. And later, when it came time for my future-husband and I to pick a church to attend and for our wedding... I went back to the only church I'd enjoyed... Debbie's home church. We spent 10 great years at Forest Chapel... with Debbie and her family there as well, of course! :)

2. David B. - My husband... David and I met in college. We both worked at a local J.C. Penney, and I joke that I "picked him up in the Men's Department." David never made it a secret that he was a Christian - a fact that often worried me (because of those "freaky, religious people, remember?!) - but he was... normal... and funny...smart... and real. When we were married, we went church-shopping together to find one that I could feel comfortable in. And even after we picked a church, for the first few years, he adhered to my stringent rule about "one week on and one week off" - attending church only every OTHER Sunday. We've had many, MANY disagreements about various church-y things and hot religious topics over the years... but David has never wavered in his faith. He has continued to grow and learn - joining various Bible Study groups - not letting my resistance interfere with his own Christian journey. For me, he is a rock - a solid and sturdy place that I could lean on as I wobbled like a toddler onto this road of faith. And nearly 13 years of marriage later, our paths are finally parallel... running side-by-side. :)

3. Roberta L. - I met Roberta while I was teaching first grade. I learned a TON about how to interact with 6 & 7-year olds from her. When I count the five most influencial people in my teaching career, Roberta makes this list as well - she was truly gifted with kids. She was also funny, and "normal." She had a great sense of humor. She was honest - she didn't let me get away with anything. Roberta also weaved her faith into her daily life. During playground duty, she often spoke of her prayer group - sometimes just in passing - but it was always there. You always knew that her relationship with God was important to her. I think she prayed for me - that I'd find a peace about religion... That I'd find my own relationship... But she never pushed me. (I think she knew that I'd balk and run the other way!) Like Debbie and David, Roberta seemed to know that "slow and steady" would win the "race" with me when it came to finding God.

4. Bess B. - The latest one... I met Bess at a Scrapbooking Day at our current church. She was sooooooooooo nice and sweet...such a contrast to my acerbic wit! She was telling her story about how God gave her and her husband very clear signs that they were to adopt from China (even though they already had 3 kids). Normally, this would be exactly the weirdo-religous-story that I would shy away from. But, Bess was funny and normal. She was true and genuine - anyone could tell that just by listening to her story. Most importantly, she INVITED me to visit her Sunday School class. WIth that one invitation, I had the courage to drag David (was I really the one dragging this time?!) to Roots, our Adult Bible Fellowship. And, miracle of miracles... everyone there was funny and silly and genuine and just... perfect. It's been nearly 3 years... they're stuck with me now... all thanks to Bess. :)

5. ????? - I leave this one blank for several reasons.... Because I have so many other friends - any one of which could insert their name in this slot - who have influenced my journey in a positive way... Because I'm only 35 - and surely there are people yet to come who will have a significant impact on my Christian Walk... And because in reading my blog, YOU are helping to shape and mold my journey as well. I don't necessarily know your names... some people leave "anonymous" comments (or none at all) - but I do know that your moments here on this blog leave me changed for the better.


What I do see, as I scan over my list are some common threads among my chosen 5... they are all ordinary, everyday people... all "normal," as I would say... whatever "normal" means! While I've had a handful of really truly fantastic pastors in my life, it is the "average Joe" who has impacted my life the most. The ones who are flawed... but who continue to chug along life trying their best. I wrote in my last post about finding God in "authenticity" - and these people are among the most authentic people I've met...

...So if YOU think your everyday actions go unnoticed, think again - because you just never know just how much your everyday faith, your small words of encouragement, your quiet actions will impact others.

I am blessed. Thank you, my friends. :)

♥Mags

Welcome to "Everyday Places..."

So why in the world is an outspoken, semi-obnoxious gal like me writing a Christian blog? ? ? ?


I may be asking myself this same question at some point...! :)

I'm just a girl trying to learn more about her faith... a "late-bloomer" - one who rarely, if ever, "felt" God in church (when she actually even went to church)... who shied away from those "religious people" - who actually said (out loud... to people!), "It's the same old story... what they really need is a laser light show or something to liven it up..." (with regards to the candelight Christmas Eve service.... *shudder!*).

But I've felt something change in the last year or two... and I'm noticing the wonder of God's creations all around... I'd like to share my discoveries with you... and maybe help some other wanderer find their way as well.

Thank you for sharing a little corner of cyberspace with me,

:) Mags