The Journey

We've all had those days when it seems like life beats you down at every turn. Like nothing is going right and no matter what we try, we can't seem to come out on top. Like we're drowning, the air pressing in on us, our chests constricting under the weight of our problems. Maybe for you it's been more than a day. It's been a month. A year. Ten years. And you just can't see what good could possibly come of your suffering. All you can think is:  "God, what are you doing?!" No, wait, don't go. It's okay. You can admit it. Remember the first words I wrote up there? We've all had those days. All. Every single one of us, whether we admit it or not. Whether we choose to remember or not. See, that's part of the problem: remembering. We are such fickle, short-sighted people. During a trial, we can't see past our problems. Afterwards, we immediately forget what we went through. It's like... a mirror. When we stare our proble...

Why did Adam and Eve have to eat that fruit? It's all their fault my life stinks! Have you ever thought something similar? I sure have. Every time I read Genesis I find myself wondering what it would have been like to live in Utopia: The Garden of Eden. No death to steal our loved ones away from us, no disease to wrack our bodies, no arguments to seperate best friends, perfect weather without crazy heat waves or cold snaps, no pollution to dim the beauty of creation.... The list could go on and on. And it does. And it's all Adam and Eve's fault! It's funny, isn't it, how much we blame them for our problems? Somehow it calms our conscience a bit knowing that we can blame even our sin on them. I mean, we wouldn't do the things we do if they hadn't messed things up! But wait- let's consider a moment what that means. What would life be like today if Adam and Eve had kept their hands in their proverbial pockets? What if that fruit were still o...

Have you ever been lonely? Maybe you’re single, like I am, and your heart yearns for someone to share your life with. Or maybe you are married and know in your head you should be happy, but feel disconnected from your spouse. No matter where we are in life, everyone feels the dreaded thorn called loneliness at one time or another. For me, loneliness is my Achilles heel, my Paul-like thorn in the side. Even as a child I felt isolated and different, and then as a teenager I left behind all my friends when I moved to Europe. Now, as a young adult, the pangs of loneliness continue to remind me that the one thing I don’t have is a soul mate. The last five years have been a major struggle against depression. I’ve felt lost, alone, and unwanted even by those I would call friends. So believe me when I say I know a thing or two about loneliness. And I hate it. The thing about loneliness is that it’s not something we can categorize simply . For some, it may be the idol of marriag...

Prayer. What is prayer? Why do we pray? Is it absolutely necessary for a relationship with God? Dictionary.com  defines prayer like this: noun 1. a   devout   petition   to   God   or   an   object   of   worship. 2. a   spiritual   communion   with   God   or   an   object   of   worship,   as   in  supplication,   thanksgiving,   adoration,   or   confession. Notice the words "devout petition" and "spiritual communion". These words indicate a deep, fundamental connection that is difficult for our human minds to comprehend. I guess the closest thing we have here on earth to that would be the bond created when we marry (not that I would know much about that, but my parents have been pretty open about their relationship so I probably know more than some). The point is, prayer is personal . It's the only way that we can commune with ...

I am a missionary kid. MK's are not like other children. We see things that kids our age and older may never see- abject poverty, people who are hurting in almost every way imaginable, and religious/nationalistic prejudice against other Christians/Americans, our families, and ourselves. We have counseled people younger and older than we are and know when our family's funds are a little short in any particular month. From very young ages, we are forced to grow up. When we go back to our mother countries, people flock around us. (It can be overwhelming to go from servant to rock star overnight.) They ask all kinds of questions that we gladly respond to with half answers because deep down we know what it is they want to hear. They want the funny stories and the adventure. But the one thing they don't want to address is the emotional toll that seeing the world like that has taken. They don't know how to help or deal with it. But it's okay: we don't either. ...

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9 ESV)  I've read this passage so many times and heard sermon after sermon on the subject. But today it got me thinking about the last couple of years and all the things that have happened- the thorns, birds...

All we could do was look around us in awe as the elegant streetlamps escorted us past tall, beautiful high risers on the right and the ocean on our left. A giant ferris wheel brought Alyssa's camera out (which, if you know Alyssa, is a regular occurrence). The rest of that trip was fairly uneventful. Close to 1:00 AM, we were dropped off, ready to enjoy our beds. For the next three days, I was bookin' it. I still had things to put in storage, three hours of work, plates to renew, power of attorney form to get notarized, and vote in a city 15 minutes away before we packed our bags for the plane and went to Singles' meeting at church. But, somehow, I made it. On the third day, we didn't sleep because we would be leaving the next morning at 3:30. Our ride picked us up and we arrived at the airport a mere 30 minutes before our flight. And guess what- lucky ducks, our line was the longest we had ever seen at the little Columbus airport! We fidgeted. And waited. And fid...

Currently on my "to buy" list: a new laptop! And I had my eye on a sweet one- an Alienware. It had everything I could possibly want- durability, processing power, awesome graphics, style, and attitude. I was so wanting to buy it... really badly. But then, after weeks of research, a thought entered my mind: yes, it was my dream computer, but did I really need all that power? I had told myself, "I need a better graphics card so I can play my Global Agenda." "I need more space for more programs." "I need, I need, I need...." But did I really? It was something that bore some thought. Finally, I came to the conclusion that even if I got a computer that was barely better than the one I have now, it would be what I need. Which bears the question: How much that I buy on a regular basis do I actually need? Why am I willing to spend $700 dollars on a computer and $75 on my health? How about replacing those socks with holes in them instead of gett...

Backwards Friendship by Nikitah Luse on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 9:30pm Has anyone ever wondered what is wrong with our friendships today? Why is being friends with even a Christian so difficult? I've been thinking about this a lot lately through conversations with friends and all that. I finally sat down and wrote out some stuff that I had observed in friendships in the Bible. Really, there is only one friendship that I found that seems to reveal what is missing in our relationships- that of David and Jonathan. What was so special about them? Well, it's really amazing what we find. 1. Their friendship wasn't based on common likes or dislikes, but on one thing only- God! 2. God (or LORD) was a common word in their everyday conversations! Wow. Think about it. How often do we discuss God when we meet up with our friends for a casual chit chat? How often is even HIS NAME inserted in ANY of our conversations? The above begs the question: do we ...