Giving

This past Sunday, before the offering plate was passed, one of the men of the church gave a short meditation about giving. He read Mark 12: 41-44, the story of the poor widow who gave just two copper coins but Jesus said she gave more than anyone else because they gave out of her wealth and she, in poverty, gave all she had.

This bit of scripture always made me feel like a schmuck. I know I'm not the richest person in the world, but I'm definitely no where near being poor... no one in America is, really. So every time I read this I think to myself, "I'm a bad person. I'm not giving everything I have. I'm one of those rich pharisees."

And up to this past week, any time I've heard anyone else talk about or teach on this scripture they are all saying the same thing. What more can you do? What more can you give? Heck, I've used this scripture to teach that lesson.

But this past Sunday the guy who spoke at church read the scripture and said, "Every time I read this scripture it makes me feel good." And I was amazed. My jaw actually dropped. That was the first time I had EVER heard anyone say that about this passage. But he said, "Yeah, I mean, it reminds me that no matter how little money I have, I'll always have enough to give back to the Father what he has given to me."

I was flabbergasted. It's so simple, yet everyone seems to miss it. It's not about giving more, it's about giving everything you have. It's one of those things that I know, and I've heard it taught and taken the idea out of other scripture, but for some reason, never this Mark passage.

I was too busy feeling guilty about not giving more money to remember that God doesn't need that money. Yes, he can use it, but he doesn't need it. The giving is for me. It teaches me to be thankful for all I've been given. It is there to remind me that what I've been given isn't mine, it still belongs to God. Giving doesn't help God, it helps me.

So simple, even a schmuck can do it.

Things toddlers do

My daughter has this book called "Things Toddlers Do" and she absolutely LOVES it. I think its because it has real pictures of kids her age doing things like climbing, smelling flowers, eating ice cream, etc. etc.

I thought it was a great book until we came to the page that told my kid that toddlers "bang on pots". We already struggle to keep her out of things in the kitchen, and this book wasn't helping. I thought to myself, "Stupid book, teaching my kids to make a mess...yadda, yadda, yadda". You get the point; I was complaining.

Then I suddenly thought, "Amanda, you're complaining way too much." I was. So instead of complaining about a book which is actually really good for my daughter, I thought I'd blog about the things my toddler does. After all, she won't be a toddler forever. These messes can be cleaned up. And ten years from now I'll probably be complaining about the life of a preteen and wishing I was picking up pots and pans again.

So, without further delay, I present to you, "Things My Toddler Does". Enjoy :)

Toddlers drink from cups

 Toddlers do tricks, like laying their head to the side when you ask them to "be cute"!

Toddlers make a HUGE mess, especially when eating brownies.

 Toddlers bang on pots.

Toddlers dress themselves... it can be interesting!

Toddlers play on the slide!

 Toddlers make silly faces!

Toddlers make a BIG mess in their room when they are supposed to be taking a nap!

Toddlers throw tantrums when you ask them to clean up their messes!

Toddlers stand on their head!

Toddlers can't wait for Daddy to come home after work!

I love my little toddler! She keeps me on my toes, but that's kind of what toddlers do.

Where is the love?

So, I've been reading about Alabama's new immigration law and how it has illegal and legal immigrants alike running around scared to death. In the most recent stories surfacing around this new law are the stories of illegal immigrants who are giving custodial power of their children to American citizen neighbors and friends should they be deported to Mexico.

I don't really want to get into the big debate on immigration because I don't think that's the real issue here. I want to talk about the kids. I can't imagine what they must be feeling. I would hate for my kids to worry that mommy and daddy might not come home when they go out for groceries or that they might have to go live with our neighbors. It must be terrifying for them.

And what about these neighbors and friends who say, "Yes, I'll take care of your kid, raise them like they were my own, and make sure they get the best education possible." What an amazing act of love to show to people who feel so un-loved. I imagine that act speaks louder then any words uttered by a politician.

What really disturbs me are the comments people make about these stories. I don't know where all this hate comes from. One comment read, "we should kick out the Americans who are taking their children too!". Really? Should we kick out every American who takes in a child from a different country? 

What made us so hateful? When did it become a despicable thing to take in your neighbors kids and give them the best future possible? I'm sad that people actually think this way.

I pray that Christians aren't sending out this message. I hope that we are the ones taking in these children. I hope that we are helping our neighbors become legal residents. I hope we're showing people what love really is. I hope...

Elephant in the room

There is this poem about a King who took a bunch of blind men and put them in the same room as an elephant and asked them to tell him what they were touching. One was against his broad and sturdy side and declared that it was surely a wall. Another felt the smooth tusk, pointed at the end and declared it was a spear. The third held the trunk in his hand as it was squirming about and declared it was a great snake. The next felt the big leg and knobbly knee and declared it was surely a tree. The fifth felt the ear of the elephant and said it certainly was a fan. Another grabbed a hold of the tail and said, no, it must be a rope.

The moral of the story is that, in the theological realm, we all argue about God, saying he's one thing or the other and we're all really talking about the same thing. We're all just fighting about "an elephant we've never seen". Basically, it doesn't matter which road you take, they all lead to the same thing.

But there are some thing we fail to recognize about this story.

First, not one of the blind men were right. Trying to figure out blindly what the the elephant was, not a single one of them came to the correct conclusion.

Secondly, they were all correct in their description of the part of the elephant they felt. The problem wasn't in what they felt, but the way in which they interpreted that information.

Third, the only one in the room who could see the whole picture was the King. All the blind men had to do was listen to his explanation to arrive at the correct conclusion. His explanation may not make sense to them, but they need to remember that they are blind. The only way to arrive at the truth of the situation is to have faith in what the King tells them... that they are really touching an elephant.

Now don't get me wrong, I know that doesn't perfectly dispute the idea that all religions are one, but you get the idea right?

I think we're all searching for that elephant in the room. But there's only one way to find him... you gotta have faith in the King. He's the only one that can see the whole picture. Otherwise, we're just a bunch of blind men bumping into each other.

Steve Jobs

I don't really know anything about Steve Jobs. I knew that he was the CEO of Apple. I knew he was brilliant. I knew that he had a profound impact on our history. But beyond that, I can't say that I knew anything about the guy and I'm not going to write about him like I did.

Instead, I want to write about everyone's reaction to his death. Facebook, twitter, Yahoo and Drudge were instantly buzzing with the news once Apple updated their website with this photo. Everywhere you look online tonight you will find amazing quotes and testimonials about a man who lived life without fear of failure, a man who constantly strived for excellence. It's a pretty amazing legacy.

What I liked about Steve Jobs was that I didn't know anything about him and he seemed to like it that way. He was private about his family and his personal life. In today's ridiculous reality-show driven culture, a celebrity who liked to keep his personal life private was refreshing. That spoke about how classy he must have been.

So there you have it... my memorial to Steve Jobs... he seemed like a pretty regular guy, which means he was truly loved and will be truly missed.