Self Image of a 5 year old...

Last Sunday my 5 year old grandson decided he'd rather play with his belly than with the cars in his bag. He leaned back in the pew, pulled up his shirt and proceeded to squeeze and poke and make faces with his chubby little belly. While I, being Nana, reached over and pulled his shirt down, a few minutes later it was up again...isn't it funny how little it takes to occupy a pre-schooler sometimes?

And then the thought hit me, perhaps he has the perfect self image. He's forever telling us that he's strong and showing off his muscles but the bottom line is he is perfectly content with how he looks. So we're not born with doubt, we learn it.

It's seems everyone today has issues with some part (or perhaps all) of their body. Too fat, too thin, too short, too tall, not pretty enough, don't like my nose, my hair, my weight, my feet, my legs...you get the picture. Although we should all eat sensibly and get as much exercise as possible, body image is an obsession in society today. And that's not what God intended...He made us in His image...He tells us that our bodies are a temple but other than that, He's not too specific. God doesn't dictate beauty as being this height and this weight with this hair color and this skin tone with a certain type of nose and hands, He made us...end of story. Oh, He also says repeatedly in Genesis that He made this or that and "it was good"...so God believes in His creation but we constantly want to change it to fit the image that Hollywood dictates.

Don't know about you but I think I'm going to work on appreciating the wonder and beauty that is me as God made me and not listen to those who get paid to belittle me because I don't fit a certain criteria.

Lord You have...

from the Northumbria Community

Lord You have always given, bread for the coming day;
though I am poor, today I believe.

Lord You have always given, strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak, today I believe.

Lord You have always given, peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart, today I believe.

Lord You have always kept, me safe in trials;
and now tried as I am, today I believe.

Lord You have always marked, the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden, today I believe.

Lord, you have always lightened this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here, today I believe.

Lord You have always spoken, when the time was ripe;
and though You be silent, today I believe.

Faith in America

I was reading a document from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life concerning the number of people who change denominations or leave all together. They also listed reasons why. I won't bore you with the details but suffice it to say that 56% of respondents currently belong to the same faith where they were raised.

One commenter summed up the feelings of many when she said "The name on the front of the church is less important than what they church believes and how they live that out". Many describe themselves not as Catholic, Methodist or Baptist but as Christian.

One statistic that caught my eye was the number of "unaffiliated" (don't attend church) who had objections to religious people or institutions. It's not that they don't believe in God, they have issues with the churches. How many in our community don't attend because of misconceptions about us? Since they do believe, it gives us an open door to reach through. We must ask ourselves, if a stranger comes in contact with us, will he see Christ amongst us?

A prayer

A wonderful prayer from The Brother Monks of Ireland:

Lord, give me the ability to persist through tedium, to survive without
the oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking to do some good things
every day which are only seen by God.

World Malaria Day

Today is World Malaria Day. "Nothing but Nets" has a goal of sending 275,000 bed nets to Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania. Sparta First is working to raise a "Mile of Pennies" to support these efforts. If we reach our goal, we will be responsible for 85 nets! Don't forget to drop your change in the jugs outside the sanctuary and visit the link on the left!

Anger!!

Asbo Jesus is a blog from the UK and even though some of the issues he lists don't apply to us in the US, we can certainly add some of our own.

Anger can motivate but it can also consume. It can motivate us to respond to perceived wrongs with passion but not unless let it go and respond calmly and rationaly. Lashing out in anger puts everyone on the defensive. Gentle actions will open the door to dialogue and pave the way for transformation. We must control and use our anger or it will surely use us.

Our Purpose...

Each of us has a purpose in life. Jesus prayed "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world". (John 17:18)

Why is it so hard for us to understand that we are sent to fulfill God's tasks? We go through life as if we have to choose when, where, how and with whom to live. We act as if we were put here and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die.

When we begin living with the conviction that we were put here with a purpose and that God has a job for each of us, He will reveal what we were meant to do. Life lived for Him is the path to peace and fulfillment.