The scorching sun beats down on me as I walk into town. Dust from the dry, dirt road is thick in the air, and it is difficult to breath. Beads of sweat roll down my forehead and create mud with the dust. The oppressive stench of fish, (fresh and rotten,) pollute the air. Every moment of walking I am jostled by pedestrians and almost run over by donkey-pulled carts. I make it into town and find that the market place is even worse. It is around 110 degrees and the fact that I have to have my head covered doesn't help. I'm hoping Jesus will be here today. They said he would be. In front of me is a small hill that once had grass on it, but is now just dirt and a couple of sad excuses for flowers. The crowd of the market is nothing compared to the mob surrounding this hill. It is jam packed. I can't even see Jesus, although I know he is in there. I move around the outskirt of the crowd trying to find a place where I can hear. After about half an hour I come to a place where I can barely hear some of what Jesus is saying. I don't see what all the fuss is about. He sounds like a very wise teacher, but I could go to the temple and hear that. I am able to elbow my way a little bit further into the crowd as the morning turns to afternoon, and the afternoon becomes evening. I finally get to a place where I can see him. But instead of a tall, well dressed pharisee, I see a short pudgy man with dark curly hair. He is dressed in clothes more ragged than mine, and is very dirty. Not handsome at all. He is very emotional when he speaks and sometimes he yells. Other times he is moved to tears, although I don't see why. This man looks like a beggar and yet all these people are listening to him! His teaching is very advanced. Too bad he didn't heal anyone today. But what he is saying is so out of this world! It sounds like it has significance, but I would get in trouble if I believed it. So It's time to go home.
I walk slowly along the path, looking out across the fields of wheat, and down on the water and harbor. It is a clear sunny day. I look ahead and see the hill I am headed to. Jesus is going to be there today. A large crowd is milling around, and I recognize some of my neighbors who have come to hear him speak. As I arrive, Jesus starts speaking. I sit down on the soft grass and hang on every word he says. He speaks in a calm, clear voice and tells of beautiful things. He says that in heaven there are many rooms. He takes a child on his knee and blesses him. He is tall with a very handsome complexion. His eyes are soft and kind. he is smiling, and sometimes he laughs with his disciples. I see why everyone is talking about him. He has so much compassion and forgiveness. I wish I could know him better. As I walk back to my home I dwell on what he has said. My heart is joyful inside of me. I can't wait to tell my family. Surly this is the Messiah, The Prophet, the One Moses and the prophets wrote about, The Promised One, The Christ.
Today I wanted to make a point of how romanticized our view is of Jesus when He lived his life on this earth. Tell me your thoughts on this!
~Melody
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Be a friend
Have you ever gone someplace full of strangers all by yourself? I'm sure you have at some point, unless you are lucky enough to have siblings tagging along with you. Well I definitely know that that is like. I also know that it makes things all the more difficult if no one is a friend to you.
My first year at home school co-op, I pretty much only had one friend. I ate lunch with her all year. She took pity on me, and was a friend to me. I was 8, she was 9 or 10. Having one friend made my first year tons of fun. How would it have turned out if she hadn't come up to me and invited me to eat lunch with her?
I started attending a new church when I was 12. I had never attended youth group before, and now I was going to one where I didn't know any one. It was really hard. One of the youth leaders was really kind to me, but all of the girls had there own friends. Sure they said hi to me, but that was it. Don't get me wrong, these girls are my best friends now, but then they didn't try to be friends with me. Reading my prayer journal from then, I am shocked to find that I continually asked God to help me fit in. I am shocked at this, because now the church is my family! The youth group is filled with my brothers and sisters. They are all very dear to me. It seems strange now, but then it was not. It took me at least a year to start feeling at home.
I don't want anyone to have to go through that. So when a new girl comes to youth group, I make a point to sit by here, stick by her side, introduce her to people, and be a friend to her! The rest of my friends say "hi" to her, and I do my best to help her be included in our conversations.
I haven't had to be alone in a new place for a few years, but I am going to, tomorrow, and next school year. I know a few people, but I am nervous about not knowing the teachers, or very many girls there.
Please be a friend to new people in places where you are familiar. It may very well be out of your comfort zone, but if you do it enough it wont be. And it means to much to those who you reach out to as a friend.
~Melody
My first year at home school co-op, I pretty much only had one friend. I ate lunch with her all year. She took pity on me, and was a friend to me. I was 8, she was 9 or 10. Having one friend made my first year tons of fun. How would it have turned out if she hadn't come up to me and invited me to eat lunch with her?
I started attending a new church when I was 12. I had never attended youth group before, and now I was going to one where I didn't know any one. It was really hard. One of the youth leaders was really kind to me, but all of the girls had there own friends. Sure they said hi to me, but that was it. Don't get me wrong, these girls are my best friends now, but then they didn't try to be friends with me. Reading my prayer journal from then, I am shocked to find that I continually asked God to help me fit in. I am shocked at this, because now the church is my family! The youth group is filled with my brothers and sisters. They are all very dear to me. It seems strange now, but then it was not. It took me at least a year to start feeling at home.
I don't want anyone to have to go through that. So when a new girl comes to youth group, I make a point to sit by here, stick by her side, introduce her to people, and be a friend to her! The rest of my friends say "hi" to her, and I do my best to help her be included in our conversations.
I haven't had to be alone in a new place for a few years, but I am going to, tomorrow, and next school year. I know a few people, but I am nervous about not knowing the teachers, or very many girls there.
Please be a friend to new people in places where you are familiar. It may very well be out of your comfort zone, but if you do it enough it wont be. And it means to much to those who you reach out to as a friend.
~Melody
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
What is love?
If I asked an average person off the street what love is, they would probably say it was an emotion. It is an emotion, but it is far more than that. First of all, without love, we would have no hope for eternal life. Because God loved the world He gave his Son to die. That's a little bit more than an emotion if you ask me.
Love is an action word. Ok that probably sounds cheesy, but it's so true! If you tell someone you love them, and don't warn them that a car is about to run them over, you are not loving them. Or if you say you love them but don't warn them that they are on the road to hell. Those are empty words. Now if we apply that to the verse where Jesus says "Love your neighbor as yourself," That gives it a whole new meaning.
It doesn't just mean to be kind to other people. (Even though that is a good thing.) It means to show them love. Not even necessarily saying it, but doing it. Especially in sharing the gospel with them.
There are always those people you know who are really hard to love. Those are the people you have to ask God to change your heart towards them. Those people you so strongly dislike that you really don't even want to share the gospel with them. Jesus said "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you."
In the Church, being loving can mean correction or discipline. Why is this loving? Because in doing this we are helping each other to keep from falling into sin.
In Corinthians it says the ultimate challenge: "Do everything in love." Everything.
There are a few people in my church who will come up to you and hug you before they know your name. These are usually elderly men who are kind of considered grandpas to everyone in the church. They give full hugs too. The kind where you know they love you. Not the empty ones where you can tell they are feeling compelled to hug you.
~Melody
Love is an action word. Ok that probably sounds cheesy, but it's so true! If you tell someone you love them, and don't warn them that a car is about to run them over, you are not loving them. Or if you say you love them but don't warn them that they are on the road to hell. Those are empty words. Now if we apply that to the verse where Jesus says "Love your neighbor as yourself," That gives it a whole new meaning.
It doesn't just mean to be kind to other people. (Even though that is a good thing.) It means to show them love. Not even necessarily saying it, but doing it. Especially in sharing the gospel with them.
There are always those people you know who are really hard to love. Those are the people you have to ask God to change your heart towards them. Those people you so strongly dislike that you really don't even want to share the gospel with them. Jesus said "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you."
In the Church, being loving can mean correction or discipline. Why is this loving? Because in doing this we are helping each other to keep from falling into sin.
In Corinthians it says the ultimate challenge: "Do everything in love." Everything.
There are a few people in my church who will come up to you and hug you before they know your name. These are usually elderly men who are kind of considered grandpas to everyone in the church. They give full hugs too. The kind where you know they love you. Not the empty ones where you can tell they are feeling compelled to hug you.
~Melody
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