Meet Virginia

Spiritual Compatibility

2009-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

To know me is to know my spirit. If that understanding is not present between two people in an intimate relationship, something will be missing. If I don’t feel like that spiritual component is present I will withhold pieces of who I am, not out of a fear of rejection, but out of not being understood.

I’m not just talking about having a similar relationship with God. I’m also talking about having goals and a deep sense of connectedness to humanity. It’s about the desire to work on yourself inside and out. It’s about having purpose and seeing yourself as a contribution; it’s about how you see the world; it’s about compassion and helping others and having a similar concept of right and wrong.

On the other hand. . .I believe that unity is one of the most beautiful and dominant characteristics of the Kingdom of God. And as someone who follows Jesus, I live to bring people together like He did. I value diversity for the beautiful mosaic it creates when everyone works together for a common good. I believe that we can work together for this Kingdom even if we believe different things.

So my questions are these:

Is it hypocritical of me to believe that unity and diversity are a beautiful way to live towards God but not offer the same grace in my intimate relationships? Is it hypocritical of me to require that my partner be someone with whom I sees eye to eye on a spiritual matters when I believe it is not necessary in the grander scheme of the world?

Strong yet dependent

2009-07-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

"God takes the wind out of Babel pretense, he shoots down the world's power-schemes." Ps 33

pretense - the act of pretending; a false appearance or action intended to decieve; mere show without reality

power - the ability or official capactiy to exercise control; authority; forcefulness

scheme - a secret or devious plan

devious - deviating from the straight or direct course; away from the main road; distant or removed.

take the wind out of somebody's sails - to challenge someones boasting or arrogance; make someone feel less confident or determined.

When we put on a show pretending to to be what we're not, God will challenge that arrogance. He sees our secret plans to control and they are not the path that he has designed us for. We are East of Eden.

God, expose my pretending and faking. Show me and challenge me to be humble and honest. Challenge my arrogance. Show me how to be proud of myself and dependent on you at the same time. I need to be shown how I cannot do life on my own. I need to know that I'm not in control and I need to depend on more than myself. I need to ask for help and I don't know how. Please help me. Please teach me how to be strong and to completely depend on you. I don't know how.

Thank you Marshall

2009-07-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Portion of an email I received from a friend today, telling me exactly what I needed to hear today:

"I was on the beach yesterday morning, and I noticed how smooth the beach was and how all the foot prints from the day before were washed away. The Lord gave me a similar word. Our Father washes those things that beat us down and step on us away and makes things new and beautiful. It's only for a day or season and He is faithful to smooth things out in our lives or at least give us the peace to look at things that way."

Breathe

2009-06-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

"I live and breathe God" Ps 34

God is life giving, refreshing, cleansing, all around everywhere, essential, calming when anxious, in a good smoke, like proper breathing while singing a breath of God gives me power to sing/live strong and in tune.

Breathe God

God, I want to stay with you today. Remind me to breathe you throughout today. Calm me, rejuvenate me, cleanse me. Give me power to live strong and in tune today.

Run. . . . .

2009-06-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

But anyone who runs to me for help will inherit the land, will end up owning my holy mountain. Someone says: "Build, build! Make a road! Clear the way, remove the rocks from the road my people will travel." (Is 57)

Run to Him.
Let Him run to you.
Clear the road between you and Him.
Clear the road between Him and others.
Lead the way.
Show others how to remove the rocks.
Show others how to remove anything that comes between them and God.
Let others follow the road you've prepared.
Let others follow your lead as you run to Him.
Bring people with you.
Take their hand and run to Him together.
If they fall, pick them up, remove the rock that tripped them and keep running.
If you fall, get up, kick the rock aside and keep running.
God is running towards you.
Run towards God.
Keep the path clear.
Don't let people get in the way.
Don't let anything get in the way.
He loves you so much.
Let him run for you.
Open your arms.
Don't hesitate.
Don't be scared.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
He will not turn his back on you.
He will never abandon you.
He will never stop running to you.
He will never stop loving you.
Never.

Zesty?

2009-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Light, space, zest--that's God! Psalm 27:1 (MSG)

Things I think of when I hear these three words:

light:

a smile

warm

no secrets

nothing to be ashamed of

inviting

love

security

happy

space:

relief

no boxes

no labels

opened up to others

accessible

forgiving

allowing for others faults

generous

patient

calm

zest:

fun

inviting

confident

energy

smiles

fully alive

adventurous

spontaneous,

living in the now

happy

no worries

Revelation I had when making these lists:

I have never thought of God as fun or "zesty". I've always thought of Him like my dad--quiet, reserved, man of little words, stands back and watches, not so adventurous. I wonder what my relationship with God would look like and how it would change if I started to see him as a fun guy (ha! I just said fungi).

That's violence

2009-05-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

An few brilliant excerpts from Jesus Wants To Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden

"If evil always takes some form of violence, then more violence isn't going to solve anything."

"When people are manipulated with guilt and fear, when they are told that if they don't do certain things they'll be illegitimate, judged, condemned, sent to hell forever -- that's violence.

It doesn't matter what spiritual language is used or what passages in the Bible are quoted, it's destructive. It's the misuse of power. And central to the way of Jesus is serving, which is the loving use of whatever power you possess for the good of another."

2009-05-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Pay it Forward

2009-05-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Whatever I have been given is for the purpose of blessing and giving to others.

"He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go." Matt 19

"Strength is for service, not status" Rom 15

In Matthew 19, Jesus told the man that he couldn't be a part of the kingdom because he held too tightly to his possesions. He had been blessed, but would not use it to bless others.

In Romans 15, strength is the blessing. It is not to be hoarded and used to become powerful. It is given to serve others. It is given in order to be paid forward to others. God needs us, he needs human bodies to be his funnels of love, and grace, and mercy, and joy, and justice. He gives to us so that the world will be blessed and know that he is all of these things.

When we hold too tightly to what we've been blessed with, we become self-focused, private, possessive, paranoid, untrusting, and we clearly make a boundary between what belongs to "me" and what belongs to "you". Justice tragically turns from "I will give to you because I have it and you need it" to "I earned this, you cannot have it because you do not deserve it. . .try harder."

I have been given:

an education

friendship

artistic talent

love

singing

time

money

a house

a car

a family

energy

strength

health

intelligence

etc

. . . all to serve others.

We've got it all backwards.

I do not own these things because I "DO" and earn by doing. I have been given these things because I am deeply loved and trusted with them. And since I have been trusted with all of this in my life, it is my responsibilty and honor to bless others with it.

Like a Child

2009-05-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

"Unless you return to square one and start over like children you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again. . . will rank high in God's kingdom." Matthew 18

When I think of living life with a child's perspective, this is what I think of:

openminded

accepting

uncomplicated

joyful

optimistic

unworrying

happy

living in the moment

laughing

making the best of what they've got

trying new things

letting their parent take care of the things they can't

trying to figure out how to have fun doing absolutely anything!

And that is who I want to be.

Hope Tree

2009-05-14T12:37:00.001-07:00

I am helping a friend create a work of art with momentos that she has saved from her journey through cancer. I have gathered a bunch of my art from friends and family and have it sitting on my dining room table. I just noticed a theme that I had not paid too much attention to before.

I like trees.

I'm not sure why.

But I love to have trees in my art. Even the painting I'm currently working on that is not pictured here has a tree.

Just a few minutes after I made that puzzling observation, I sat down and read Job 14. This is the part that obviously got my attention. . .

"For a tree, there is always hope. Chop it down and it still has a chance--it's roots can put out fresh sprouts. Even if its roots are old and gnarled, its stump long dormant, at the first whiff of water it comes to life, buds and grows like a sapling."

So I'd like to think that I subconsciously paint trees because I need to know that there is always hope. I see trees as a symbol of safety and protection, and a symbol of strength and stability--all
attributes that I am drawn to in people. And all attributes that inspire me to paint and create for those I love.

Maybe one day I'll have a copyright title for my art called "Hope Tree".

Challenge fixed ideas

2009-05-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

"If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. " --Brennan Manning

2009-05-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone who runs towards God. . . . . .

MAKES IT.

Live with Art

2009-05-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Strong

2009-05-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I love you, God--you make me strong.

Ps. 18

Strong:
1. having power greater than average or expected
2. having a wielding force or authority
3. having physical power to act
4. having ability to bear or endure
5. solid; tough; not easily broken or injured; able to sustain attacks, not easily subdued or taken
6. adapted to make a deep or effectual impression on the mind or imagination
7. effecting any sense powerfully
8. well established; firm; not easily overthrown or altered

potent
immune
solid
sure

East of Eden

2009-05-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

There is a place called Eden, a paradise, a state of being in which everything is in its right place. A realm where the favor and peace of God rest on everything. But humanity has wandered from Eden. East of Eden. Something has gone terribly wrong with humanity, and from the very beginning humans are moving in the wrong direction.

"The Germans have a word for this. They call it ursprache. Ursprache is the primal, original language of the human family. It's the language of paradise that still echoes in the deepest recesses of our consciousness, telling us that things are out of whack deep in our bones, deep in the soul of humanity. Something about how we relate to one another has been lost. Something is not right with the world." --from "Jesus Wants to Save Christians"

Isn't it frustrating to see that things in the world are just plain "not right"? In my own life, when I see things start to go East, I am overcome by feelings of helplessness. I quickly become angry and think, "This is not fair". It's my ugly-cry-punching-bag mantra. My heart has been broken again. . . I have been let down again. . . I realize I'm chasing after what I can't have. . . I am trying to earn love again. . . I have been cheated and short-changed.

I was reading about Gideon this morning in the Bible. I was shocked at how much violence and killing was packed into one single chapter! At one city, Gideon and his troops stop and ask for bread because they are worn out and hungry from chasing their next kill. The leaders of the city tell Gideon that he's crazy for trying to hunt down and kill these people. The leaders refuse to feed them and help them on their "fool's errand".

So Gideon replies, "If you say so. But when God gives me this victory, I'll give you a thrashing, whip your bare flesh with desert thorns and thistles!"

WTF?

Can you say East of Eden?

It turns out that God instructed Gideon to chase after these people and promised to give them the victory. So Gideon and his men DO catch the peeps they're after and they DO give the leaders of that city of thrashing on their bare flesh with desert thorns and thistles.

What struck me in this whole violent story was the end. The Bible says that after Gideon had died, his body was hardly cool in the tomb when the People of Israel had gotten off track. They forgot all about God, their God, who had saved them from all their enemies who had hemmed them in.

I can almost hear God's heart breaking in words. And suddenly I realize what God had been doing. I realized what was actually important.

Clearly, going around killing people, taking their land, chopping heads off and whipping people with desert thistles is East of Eden. Agreed? But God's desire is to have our hearts. To be close to us. He was willing to enter this East of Eden story, even instructing Gideon to kill people just to show that He was protecting them, that He was providing for them, that He loved them.

People back then were gonna do it anyway--kill, plunder, pillage, hunt down. If you stood there and took it, you would've been the one plundered, pillaged, and killed. So, if you were God and you wanted to show Gideon that you loved him, how would you do it? Enter this crazy story. And in this crazy story, it meant giving Gideon a military victory and providing protection.

So, we still live in these East of Eden lives. We're still SO far off track, even though we aren't quite as savage as Gideon and his men. We are still a mess, but God's focus is still our hearts and devotion. I think God is willing to put up with a lot of "East of Eden" nonsense in order to be the #1 in our lives. I think he has the ability to look at us and say, "This is not how it should be, but I'm gonna enter it anyway in order to love you." God knows that the only way our outward actions are going to change is if our hearts are changed first.

So, if we are to be Jesus' flesh and blood right now in this world today, what nonsense do we need to get past in order to love people? What things to we need to enter into, knowing full well that it's "not right", it's "not how it should be"? What East of Eden things are keeping us from people's hearts? We're ALL screwed up. We're ALL living East of Eden. None of us are how we should be.

On the flip side, what things are "not right" in YOUR life? Do you think that because of these things, God can't be close to you? Or He doesn't want to be close to you? Look at what he entered in Gideon's life to have his heart? Don't you think he's willing to do the same for you? Don't you think he's aching to do the same for you? He's looking at you saying, "That stuff is not my priority. My priority is you. I just want YOU."

Spin me

2009-04-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've been spending more time with God this week. Actually sitting down, reading the Bible, and having coffee with him in the morning. It's been good. He always speaks to me. This morning I read Isaiah 29:15-16 in the Message. I realize that I've been treating God like the lump of clay. So today is a day of repentence for taking control, AGAIN. I wrote "Spin me" on my hand today to remind me that I am the clay and God is a masterful artist. I can put my arms up in the air and trust him to mold my life. And I am working on trusting that He is doing the absolute best in my life. He is not short-changing me. He is happy with what he is forming in me and it's about time that I see myself that way too.

Who Am I?

2009-04-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Who am I?
Do I belong anywhere?
Do I belong to anyone?
Who looks for me when I disappear?
Does anyone see me when I cry?
Is anyone missing me when I'm not there?
Would anyone be willing to protect me?
Would anyone be willing to be there no matter what?
Would anyone be willing to hold me?
Would anyone be willing to stick around?
Would anyone be willing to know me well?
Does anyone feel at home with me?
Who do I belong to?

you complete me

2009-03-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along...You can't go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love. --Paul

Jesus came to "fulfill the law". That's always been a confusing statement to me and one that I've heard explained in great painful detail many times. The kind of detail that makes people roll their eyes, shake their head, and walk away. Why bother if the explanation turns me away? So that's one of those phrases that I kinda get. I could spend a few minutes reguritating all I've been taught in church my whole life but it would do nothing to light a passion in you. It would do nothing to get you excited about Jesus and inspire you to follow him. And that is exactly why I'm reading through the Bible in the Message translation (or paraphrase if your a Pharisee and get stuck on stupid things like that).

After reading these verses this morning, I literally said out loud all by myself, "Oh! I totally get it. Of course!" And I've been reading the Bible and listening to people reguritate it my whole life. This morning when I read this, I got it. Jesus' idea of "fulfilling the law" was to come here and teach us how to love. He wanted to bring the love factor that was missing in the rule keeping. So, when I love and teach others to love I am doing justice to all that Jesus lived and died for. I am completing the circle. God loved us first, then Jesus showed up and showed us how much we were loved. He also showed us how to love eachother, and left us with the Spirit to guide us and give us energy to walk this love walk and dance this love dance.

Every time we love and teach others to love, we complete this circle and it starts all over again, gaining energy and momentum. Love is what makes the world go round. It's what this is all about.

Real tired of it

2009-02-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Gettin' tired of hearing "works-based" preaching. Real tired of it. As I recall, that's one of the things that Jesus does not like. I'm getting tired of hearing the "grace" part of the message as an accessory tacked on the end. For once, I'd like a sermon to start with grace and be based on grace, and not on what I should and should not do. I do not believe that God is in the business of guilting his people into following him. Would you want a relationship with someone because they feel guilty about not having one with you? Where's the freakin love, people?

Being a light in this world is not the same as being perfect. The world is not looking for our perfection, they are not dying to catch us when we mess up. The world is looking for our honesty. They are dying to see that we are NOT perfect. They want to hear us say "I messed up" or "I was wrong" or "I struggle with this". They are watching us mess up and waiting to hear if we're gonna admit it. They are not waiting to call us on our sins, they are waiting to call us on our hypocrisy.

The good new is that we can live our lives without condemnation and fear. The good news is that even though we mess up and go through hard times, we have hope. The good news is that all this is not being held against us. The good news is that everything we do wrong has been forgiven. The good news is that we are not alone and what we do wrong does not separate us from being loved.

The good news is not that we will attract people to Jesus because we don't sin. The good news is not that we can be closer to God IF we do this or don't do this. Jesus threw tables in the temple because the religious leaders made these type of requirements. There isn't ANYTHING we need to do before we're allowed to run straight into the arms of our Maker. We do not have to stop anything or start anything or be someone else. God is aching to hold us. He's aching to have us run to him. He doesn't tolerate anything that stands in the way of that. And does not tolerate people trying to convince us that there are things we must do or things we must stop doing before we will be allowed to be close to God.

HE will change in us what needs to be changed. HE will give us new desires and new burdens to follow him. HE will show us the way to go and guide us where HE wants us. THAT IS NOT OUR JOB!!! We are free. We are forgiven. We are loved. He wants us. He wants us close. He's strong enough to handle our faults. He is not requiring us to do anything but run into his arms and stay there. When we put our energy into staying there, we will stop doing harmful things and it will be something that happens without us even knowing it. Our desires will change and our hearts will be for God and for others. And it will never happen genuinely if we are trying to make it happen.

THAT is what Jesus came to live. THAT is what people need. THAT is the good news.

"Everything that goes into a life of pleaseing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God." (2 Peter 1:3, MSG)

lifeforce of love

2009-02-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

"Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7

Even those who don't know that they know God? It says that EVERYONE who loves knows God. Is it possible that everyone who loves has tapped into a deeper power and actually knows God? Even if they are unaware of it? All love is good. Even if it comes from evil people in less than ideal circumstances. Love is love and if it's genuine, then it's good. For example, there's no such thing as "selfish love". Selfish and love are oxymorons. Love is not selfish. If it's selfish, then it's not love.

There is no such thing as bad love. A loving action that comes from a "non Christian" is no less powerful and important than a loving action that comes from a Christian. Humanitarian aid is not useless if there are not missionaries "preaching the gospel" along with it. Love is never a waste, no matter what. You can pass out food to the hungry and preach more about love with a smile and a touch than if you were to open your mouth and attach a Christianese cliche to your action.

All love is good and puts us in touch with God (who IS love). So it makes sense that if God IS love, then any love from any person under any circumstance puts them closer to God. So I think it's possible for people who don't know God to actually be connected to him in a very deep way through their actions of love. They have been born into something bigger and more powerful than themselves. A life force of love. We should encourage these actions from everyone, everywhere, no matter what they believe. God IS the love that we show to eachother. And that IS the gospel. And that IS what we are called to bring to the ends of the earth.

pay it forward

2009-02-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

"Jesus requires us to view other people as highly valued children of God, well worth out rime, attention, and energy." --Better Together, 40 Days of Community

Dear Gina,

You are highly valued. You are worth my time, my attention, and my energy. Take this love I have for you and pay it forward to everyone you come in contact with today.

Love,
God

because he did it first

2009-02-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

"We love because God first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Real love comes as a response. I do not have the strength to love others if it only comes from me. I can't love others unless I know that I am loved deeply by God. And loving others is always going to become a burden if I'm trying to fill my cup with human love and affection. If I fill myself with God's love, others will be blessed by the overflow and it will not be a burden beause I have so much love to give. This is the reason that stopping and spending a moment with God is so important to me. Sitting in His presence and resting in his love for me refuels me for the day. I need to be reminded how much He loves me. I need to be reminded who I am and how much I am worth. Then, I am equipped to love everyone I come in contact with through the day. And it's a joy. And I'm a joy to be around. And I feel joy, instead of discouragement and frustration.

Obvious

2008-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

It was the deepest love I'd ever experienced, beyond anything I could have previously imagined, but it wasn't euphoric...it was just obvious. Like when you've been looking at an optical illusion for a long time, straining your eyes to decode the trick, and suddenly your cognizance shifts and there--now you can clearly see it--the two vases are actually two faces. And once you've seen through the optical illusion, you can never not see it again. "So this is God," I thought.

Quote from the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Carrying God to Others

2008-11-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 1:22-23
"The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence."

Christ has placed me in my world so that he can be present not only with me but with every person I come in contact with. I am the carrier of Christ. He lives and moves through my life. Through my actions. Since God wants to be present with every person, my presence in people's lives is vital. How I am present with people affects how much of God's presence others may or may not experience. It is a priveledge to be trusted like this. It is a priveledge to know and share and teach the people in my life what I know and love about God through my presence with them.