mrslily's Revelife

Monday, April 27, 2009

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:55:48 GMT

The pastor opened his teaching with the question, "Have you ever wanted to ask someone 'HOW did you come to believe that?'" He proceeded to give an example of a conversation about beliefs completely contradictory to the Christian faith. Heads were shaking throughout the congregation in disbelief.

I personally do not ask myself those questions. It bothers me when Christians just expect everyone to 'get it', that is, to realize their worldly view of things is wrong or skewed, and to understand the gospel. I do not shake my head in wonder that the world is evil and rejects the gospel. The Bible has clearly said it would be so from the very beginning. I do not understand why it is so shocking to Christians that a world that does not love the Lord does not serve Him.

To me it shows that many Christians either undermine or do not understand just how deceptive our enemy is, how he can manipulate and pervert the truth in a very convincing way. He is very good at what he does. If it were not so wouldn't everyone believe?

How Understanding Context in the Bible can become a Stumbling Block

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:57:44 GMT

I have known some people who get pretty worked up over taking the Bible out of context. And I can understand it ... to a point.

There is no doubt that man has twisted and used Scripture for his own means, misinterpreting the Word to back up their own cause. And I believe it is also true that there are some things in Scripture we will never fully understand unless we understand the culture and time period in which it was written. Often when we try to apply those things to the 21st century and our life today, we will misunderstand a lot of things and miss powerful works of God. So yes, context is important.

But.

I would suggest that context is not always critical. The reason is God is sovereign.

A friend pointed out the Word of God is multidimensional. When understanding literal meaning begins to blind us from other aspects of Scripture, I think we can miss some vital things the Lord is trying to show us.

For instance, this past week I was reading through a set of Scripture I have grown up reading whenever I needed encouragement, and I realized my whole life I was totally misunderstanding the original meaning of the verse. It was like God opened my eyes to the real meaning, and to what was going on during that time, and I learned something so completely different than ever before. That doesn't negate the work God did in my through that verse, does it?

Similarly, we are all at different places in our lives, with different wiring, and different understanding. If a person is completely off-base, we should pray for wisdom to humbly and lovingly speak truth to that person - but while I think it is good to have knowledge and understanding of the original texts and the translation of the Greek and Hebrew and what the traditions were and so forth - I think it is also important not to be tied to the knowledge of man so much that we miss what else God is saying to us and perhaps even, getting in the way of how God is moving in someone's life in a way they will understand.

Do you think it is important to understand the context in which Scripture is written?

Love Helped Me Recover from My Eating Disorder

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:53:50 GMT

I am a little nervous about sharing my experiences with an eating disorder here. I am just going to scratch the surface today, because I'm not sure where this discussion will lead.

The majority of my struggle was back in high school, and I know that my case was not as severe as some. For some time, on the surface, it probably didn't seem like I had an eating disorder. It started somewhat inadvertently, after being depressed over my first real break up. I was a little over weight anyway (though not much), so when my friends started noticing me lose a little bit of weight, I thought, "hey, this is cool!" and just kept eating less and less. I used to take my food to my room and throw most of it away. I over exercised and exercised more if I got hungry. Because I got so much attention, I began to believe that I had to stay skinny for people to like me at all, and I hated them for making me feel like I needed to be thin. It is interesting because later on I learned that those people had no idea I felt that way. But it is also sad to me in a way, to think I was mainly surrounded by "christians", and still received more attention the more attractive I was. Maybe that is another post...

The thing that I do not think most people understand about an eating disorder is the mental side of it. At least in my case, it was not very obvious that I was starving myself, nor was I so extremely skinny that I needed to be admitted to a hospital or anything. I think it is a combination of malnutrition and allowing thoughts of weight and food to so control my life that my issues were mostly mental. I hated everyone and everything, I was absolutely depressed and miserable, and could not stop craving this disease that I had created.

I would hesitate to say that someone never quite gets over an eating disorder, because that is sort of like saying someone is always an alcoholic if they have ever been addicted to it once in their life. But I would definitely say the repercussions of those actions and addictions often stick with a person and can be awoken easily at times of weakness. For those who have recovered and experienced Christ's healing in their lives, I think it is good to be aware of those weaknesses and flee any temptation of falling into it again, but we also need to not be so aware that we forget the work of Christ in our lives and hold on to how He has changed us.

It wasn't people repeatedly telling me to get over it or that I am beautiful that helped me recover. I don't think we can truly help someone until we are willing to share in their suffering and realize how real their feelings are to them there in that moment. A person's reality is real to them no matter what is true. We can tell someone the truth all we like, but until it awakens inside of them, it will never become real. I am fortunate, I think, because I 'recovered' from my eating disorder somewhat quickly. I had to realize for myself what I was really doing to my body, and when I finally had the courage to share it with my brother he cried with me through it. I would proceed to struggle with thoughts and occasionally relapse for the next several years, but the hardest part of my struggle ended that night on my brother's bedroom floor.

It was love that helped me heal.

Have you or do you know anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder?

Knowing God Through His Word

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:23:55 GMT

This morning was the first time in a while that I have felt really compelled to read the Word. Honestly that is not something I have been spending a lot of time doing as of late. I hate doing things just because I feel like I should, but do not feel it come from within me. It feels forced, like I am trying to make myself be 'disciplined' to read, and I feel guilty because I end up skimming over the lines and don't remember half of what I read. It is usually fruitless, because I am not really involved in it.

I think we often turn to the Bible when our faith seems stagnant or when we feel like we do not know the Lord. I was thinking about that this morning, as it also came up in a conversation with someone just last night. I know that the Lord uses Scripture to reveal Himself and that is one way we get to know Him. But the problem is that just reading words on a page does not make us know Him. We can learn facts about Him, but we have not encountered Him by any means. There is something that needs to happen from within us to actually know who He is. A response perhaps? A conversation?

I think you can spend a lot of time learning about someone, but until they show you who they really are, we will never really know them. Think about it, if we go to the Lord because we feel obligated or guilty for not talking to Him, how open is He really going to be with us? Would you share intimate details of your life with someone who always avoids talking about their own life? Would you want to show someone who you really are if they are barely listening to you? Or what about with someone who is only in a relationship with you for what they can get out of it?

Thankfully, the Lord is not quite like us. And He is very gracious and kind when we DO come before Him with sincere hearts to know Him. He is faithful to reveal Himself when we truly open our hearts to Him, when we are vulnerable with who we are to Him, when we wait patiently for Him to speak, and listen to His words. Sometimes it does take a sacrifice and a discipline for us to really sit down and focus on the Lord. But I think He gets really excited when we come to Him because we really want to know Him. Don't you get excited when someone calls you just because they want to know how you are doing?

This morning was precious, because I know I was open to what He had to say and ready to ask questions. The conversation left me wanting more, and I am excited for the next time we talk. It is not just going through the motions of what I 'should' be doing, but a longing to know Him more personally and being actively involved in a relationship with Him.

Do you have trouble feeling connected to the Lord? Is it difficult for you to get into reading the Bible on a regular basis? Do you think your attitude toward reading the Bible has hindered you from really encountering the Lord?

Why I don't celebrate Vday

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:35:50 GMT

I have never been too big on Vday. I think it used to be because I never had a real Valentine, and growing up I either broke up with the guy I was dating right before it or we were fighting during it lol...so by the time Mr Lily came into my life I was just sort of over it.

Now I think one reason I don't care about it is because just with any other holiday, yeah it could be a nice reminder I guess, but it is not a holiday that makes me try to make my hubbie feel special. I want him to know every day that I love him.

When Mr. Lily and I were courting, I got a little nervous when Vday came around. It just wasn't important to me, and I hate forcing things just because we're 'supposed' to. So, we decided to go out the day before and not get caught up in the holiday and busyness of it.

I think I had a rough/tired day that day, so I just wanted to do something fun. We went to a malt shop type burger joint and played putter golf. After that we were on our way to get some coffee and planned to go play with the toys at Wal-Mart (I know, we're mature)...

So before going in for coffee, the night was beautiful and we stood outside all romantical like. Mr. Lily used to tell me stories all the time, so he made me close my eyes and he told me a story about this magical princess in a forest of dancing trees and a the knight/prince who came to her...anyways the prince got down on his knee, right...and that's when I opened my eyes and Shane was on his knee holding this ring...and my reaction:

"Are you being serious?!...Are you serious?!"

Of course he was serious, what, did I think the ring was fake? What a cruel joke, right? Even though we basically knew we would get married, I had no idea he had a ring or anything, so it was a complete surprise. I couldn't help repeating "Are you serious?" like fifteen times.

Anyway, with faces peeking out at us through the window of the coffee shop, I said "Yes" and everyone cheered. It was sort of magical. (And yes, we did still go play with the toys :) )

Since then, Mr. Lily and I celebrate the anniversary of our engagement every Feb 13th. It means so much more to me than cheesy heart boxes of chocolate and flowers.

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? If so, what is special to you about it? If not, do you have something else special like this that you celebrate instead?

A Journey of Faith, part 3

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:24:48 GMT

As my husband and I traveled around the country, it was very difficult to find any work to try to earn our keep and cover our expenses. At the end of the year we made a stop in Florida, where we stayed with Mr. Lily’s mom for Christmas. However, I must say, with averages around 80 degrees during the day, it sort of felt like we were just pretending it was Christmas. While we were there, Mr. Lily was able to get a seasonal job and we tried to save a little for when we would get back on the road.

After the holidays we really felt like it was time to take a leap of faith and head to Texas. Over the course of the previous 6 months and all of the places we visited, there were several places that tugged out hearts and we weren’t sure if we would just be going to Texas for another visit. We just had to see what happened, because as far as we knew nothing was there for us, and we barely had the gas money to get there, let alone housing or food, or anything else.

Two days before we left, Mr. Lily actually got job offer through a message on Xanga from an old friend working with the ministry we had been a part of together. We weren’t sure if he was joking, so we called him. This friend informed Mr. Lily of the position in question and said if he wanted it he would be first in line above several others already being interviewed. We were excited beyond belief! Even more excited as we began to learn what the job would entail – it is seriously the ultimate boy job, including a high and low ropes course and 3 paint-ball fields, among other things.

We arrived in Texas on a Tuesday and stayed with a friend still living in the area while looking for a place to live. It turned out that on the coming Friday she had a roommate moving in, so we needed to look for somewhere soon. Mr. Lily was interviewing for the job, but we played the waiting game for a couple of weeks and at times it did not seem very promising. On our second day in town, we gathered at a friend’s house to watch “Ratatouille”, and as we were talking about our living situation, there was a knock at the door.

It was a lady from a different ministry close by. She came by because she was visiting her friend across the road and felt like the Lord wanted her to come to this house and ask if we knew anyone from the ministry we are working with needed a roommate. Why she wouldn’t look within her own ministry is a mystery; she felt like the Lord wanted it to be someone from the one we are now a part of. We told her what we were just talking about, and long story short, we exchanged numbers on Wednesday and moved in on Friday (I’m not kidding!). Every detail about it was perfect. For instance, just a couple of weeks prior to our moving in, our roommate had acquired extra furniture to furnish the guest room. We didn’t have anything. We have been able to be here and use all that we need as we slowly acquire things of our own.

What is interesting is at that time we didn’t even know if Mr. Lily would get the job. We were content with the fact that it may have been the hope of the job that opened the door for us to live here, but we were blown away when the Lord allowed Mr. Lily to get the job.

Everything has certainly not been perfect or without some pretty hefty bumps in the road, but to us it has been a testimony of God’s faithfulness in leading us and providing for us, just like He said He would when we set out from Washington. Although I do sometimes feel like I am still on a journey of faith, I suppose we should always feel that way. I am so thankful that it wasn’t easy, because I know we learned so much more.

Journey of Faith, Pt 2

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:42:05 GMT

When Mr. Lily and I set out from Washington last August, we anticipated being on the road a month at most before finding a place to settle down. As we traveled, everyday was uncertain; we didn’t know where we were going or where we would stay, or if we could afford to get there.

God rerouted our course early on and we headed east very quickly. The first portion of our trip was primarily in North Carolina, much ahead of schedule, helping my family through some pretty rough times. From there Mr. Lily and I zigzagged around the Midwest and Northeast part of the US more than I could tell you. Actually, I wish I could tell you everything, but I’m sure if I tried you would fall asleep...however here is a highlight I thought you might enjoy:

Late in autumn that year, we were making our third (and second to last) trip through Ohio on our way to Michigan, when the “Check Engine” light didn’t just come on, it started flashing. We pulled over, but we couldn’t see what was wrong. As we are sitting there looking at it, the car started shaking.

By a miracle, probably less than a mile down the road, we came upon a tiny local auto shop. They weren’t open; however the owner came by unexpectedly and was kind enough to look it over. He immediately knew what was wrong, and actually offered us a really good deal to fix it, but the guy said we needed to make a decision in 10 minutes or he wouldn’t have time to do the work. The cost was more than we had in the bank. We called everyone we knew, and just as the guy was about to tell us he couldn’t wait anymore, we got a hold of someone who very graciously put more than what we needed into our bank account. It didn’t take long until we were back on the road again, our faith built and spirits high.

We got about 4 miles down the road when the temperature gauge shot up and we had to pull over and let the car cool. Someone gave us some water, and we learned too late that it was still too hot. We blew the head gasket, the engine seized, and water was all throughout it. We were in the middle of nowhere and knew no one. In the end, it was actually a friend of a stranger who rushed out to meet us and waited to have the car towed to their apartment, where she and her husband had offered to let us stay until we could figure out what to do. The Lord carried us through that night. It was a miracle that neither of us even got stressed or irritated; I distinctly remember laughing.

For a week we slept on an air mattress that we had to re-inflate every night around 4am, wedged halfway in the living room, half in the dining room and practically in the hall of the small apartment of strangers, waiting, waiting, waiting for the car to be fixed. The guys attempted to do the work themselves, but it was way over their heads. It turned out, they just so happened that they knew the vice president of Midas, who gave us 50% off all of the work needed. We watched in amazement as these strangers rallied to our aid at every turn and raised support for us to cover the entire expense and set us back on the road.

It's times like these that make me honestly wonder why I ever struggle to know that God is going to take care of me...

A Journey of Faith...Why We Travelled

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:24:48 GMT

Washington is beyond a doubt a beautiful state, full of picturesque mountain ranges, lush green grass, and really good coffee that you never have to go far to get to. I poured my life savings into the espresso stands along the way to work each day…okay maybe on my days off, too…it was lovely.

I was, however, quite miserable. The Pacific Northwest is so unlike the places I had lived before. They say it is always raining there, but that is only partly true. It usually only rains for a little while each day, the rest of the time it is generally overcast and perhaps misting or foggy (okay, I’m exaggerating a little, the sun “comes out” sometimes for a week at a time several times a year).

I wanted to leave Washington almost the entire time I was there, but it was not until just over a year ago, coming up on our first anniversary, that my husband and I both felt the Lord was stirring our hearts to move from what had become our home. The more we prayed for direction we felt certain the Lord was preparing us to leave Washington, however, our destination became less clear. Even before we got married we had talked about and both wanted to move back to Texas, where we met, but nothing was there for us that we knew of. We felt like we needed to trust the Lord to lead us wherever it was He wanted us to be. Maybe the Lord was just using the hope of Texas to get us moving. We only knew we had to trust.

Surprising, overall people were supportive of our decision to leave. Honestly, it was not the blatant “What are you thinking?!” responses that even bothered me, it was those who seemed to not take us very seriously. We knew it was that Lord calling us to do this, but even several authority figures in our lives repeatedly said things like “Well, nows the time to do it, while you’re young…” emphasizing words like fun and adventure…I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but I can tell you right now that not very many women have this huge desire to be homeless and have little but a modest suitcase, no certainty of income or a for sure destination if we could even afford to get there. It’s fun and adventurous for a time, but I was pretty scared.

With just enough money to pay any remaining bills we had before we left, we were left with hardly anything to travel on. I was sort of panicking. Yet every time we tried to save money, something completely random would come up and we’d be back where we started. Strangely, our hearts confirmed we were still to do this trip, but it had to be by faith.

The night we shared with our church what we were preparing to do, a girl was having a fundraiser for her own mission trip. At the end of the night she felt led to give us a portion of what she had raised that night. We were so blessed and surprised, ready to put it into savings for our trip. Unbeknownst to us, we had miscalculated something in our bank account and that evening something went through that we weren’t expecting. What was given to us almost exactly equaled what had overdrawn and the overdraft fee. To us it was a reminder we couldn’t do this by ourselves, and God would take care of each of our needs at the perfect time.

We spent our last two months in Washington weeding through our stuff, deciding what to sell or give away and what would fit in our car and was worth keeping. I laugh at myself now because I had done this just over a year before when I moved from NC to Washington, a car full of almost nothing I have now. It’s amazing to me what I thought was important at that time. It just goes to show that things are just things...

Anyway, we said goodbye to our home, family and friends, our car loaded up to the brim and bottom heavy. We celebrated early and actually left Washington on our anniversary date. We planned to travel around and visit friends and family around the US for a couple weeks, maybe a month if need be…we even had a route we had planned to take, but well…it didn’t quite go as planned…

About me

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:02:15 GMT

Hometown: Northeast Texas
Age: 22
Occupation: Stay-at-home wifey

About me: While I believe that I came to know Christ in a very real way at a young age and grew up in a Christian home, I stumbled a lot in my faith until just a few years ago. After high school I left my life and my friends in North Carolina to be a part of an internship program in Texas that God used to wreck my life and cause me to fully surrender my life to Him.

During my time in the ministry God took me by complete surprise and I met the man who is now my husband (up until then, I thought I was going to marry someone else). When I left the internship, I moved back to North Carolina, and then to Washington state where I got married. On our first anniversary the Lord called me and my husband once again to abandon everything and follow Him by faith. For six months we travelled the US with nothing but what could fit in our car and to our surprise and delight the Lord has brought us back to Texas where my husband is now working for the same ministry where we first met.

Random things I like: reading anything from Jane Austen novels to books by Donald Miller, drinking lots of coffee, going on long walks, and cheesy old black and white movies.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:07:10 GMT

hi :)