Church Bashing

I have a friend who makes "unpopular" life choices. Friend X feels judged by family and friends. Especially the Church.

Person A claims to be a Christian but would readily question Friend X's lifestyle.

Person B doesn't claim to be Christian and would readily accept Friend X.

And thus the church bashing shall commence. Anti-organized religion people would say that Person A is not living the life Jesus called us to live. A life of acceptance and love. This blogger creatively drives his point home.

SOURCE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mick-mooney/wwjd-what-would-jesus-do-_b_6010114.html

Wouldn't it be great if people readily accepted other people's brokenness and "sins"? Like Jesus did. But the linked article above doesn't tell the complete story. Relating to others as Jesus would isn't the end in itself. These people that Jesus interacted with all came to know a deeper, more meaningful life through the relationship He nurtured with them. And they went out and lived that within the context they were in. If our relationships don't lead people to step into a deeper understanding of who they are and of how they were created and WHO created them and opens their eyes to how they should live with the rest of creation and drives them to contribute to the work towards the restoration of God's kingdom on earth, then we too have missed the point of relationship building.

I'm tired of "bashing" the church because it's imperfect. I'm tired of questioning how Christians can't behave Christianly. Yes, we are all messed up. Even those who claim to be Christians have difficulty being Christ-like. I think we all know that already.

In the same way that I wouldn't want to raise kids who behave contemptuously towards "non-Christians," I wouldn't want to raise kids who have a disdain for people who are churchy. That's like reverse pharisaism. 

For a more appreciative take on things... Here's an article that talks about Millennials staying in church (which for me applies to both institutional/organized church and organic Jesus-centered faith communities) as opposed to the popular "more-and-more-people-leaving-church-so-there-must-be-something-wrong-with-it" articles that the anti-organized religion people gravitate to. https://www.barna.org/barna-update/millennials/635-5-reasons-millennials-stay-connected-to-church#.VEs-3YuUfV4

Kinnaman explains, “In part, it is a failure of not connecting Jesus and the Bible to the other outcomes identified in this research—relational, missional, vocational and cultural discernment. In other words, the version of ‘Jesus in a vacuum’ that is often packaged for young people doesn’t last long compared to faith in Christ that is not compartmentalized but wholly integrated into all areas of life.”

The End of 100 Happy Days

No, I didn't decide to be sad or angry or any other emotion. I just found it extremely difficult to juggle real work, online work, home life, mountain trips, etc and still be conscientious about posting what made me happy for the day. But I did make it to Day 42! That's almost halfway. :)

I am pregnant these days. Pregnant with a lot of dreams. That makes me more than happy. It makes me alive. It makes me radiate from the inside. It gives me so much joy to be standing on the threshold of greatness. There's so many possibilities that I cannot begin to imagine how I ever thought my life was mundane and boring.

I did go through a "my life is mundane and monotonous" phase. This blog is about married life but it reminded me of how, when we make commitments, there are seasons that we just have to get through the everyday-ness of things. And that is not a bad thing. I really like how the she writes...

The world has taught us to just categorize routine, work, responsibility and obligation as boring--when in fact they should be moments that are celebrated as well. These are moments wherein our character is being polished, where we can show kindness, integrity, honesty and yes LOVE. 

And it's true. I find that it is in remaining faithful, even in the mundaneness of things, that we see what we are made of. This realization is what makes me more than happy. I am grateful. I am grateful that I am in a place where my character is being polished. I am grateful that in this place as well, God shows Himself to be faithful to me and my dreams.

He hasn't forgotten His promises. He is the God who sees me, who cares for me, and who hears my cries. I believed that I am being ushered into a new season. It's so exciting to be looking across the expanse of the "Jordan River" and realize that He has brought me to this moment. Where I can trust and obey and believe that the impossible can become possible. That there is a "Canaan" for me. A new place to be conquered. :)

I found out from a friend that the co-founder of Jars of Clay's non-profit was only 21 years old when she started the organization. Fresh out of college. This young woman believed in something so much that she was willing to work at it for a really long time.

It is very encouraging to read of people's stories. Stories of faithfulness and mundaneness. Of excitement and possibilities. Of hard work and perseverance. To be committed to something and work at it and have one's character polished. I hope that one day, when I look back at my life, I would be able to say that I did the same.

Cool Notebook

Day 42 of 100 Happy Days

Somebody gave me a cool notebook with a quote today. It was very me. The notebook AND the quote. Haha. I love well-thought of (AND RANDOM!) gifts. :)

On the cover is a quote from Joseph Joubert, "Writing is closer to thinking than speaking." People who know me well, know that I NEED to write in order to think. If I speak right away, I end up losing my thoughts. Haha. The notebook pages are cream, not white, which I really like in notebooks. White pages are too stark for me.

Bullet Journal. CHECK!!!

Day 41 of 100 Happy Days

At the start of this year, I decided to try out the bullet journal note-taking system. It has been very helpful with work productivity. When I plot out what the following work-day looks like before I go to sleep at night, I find that I am able to accomplish more and am less overwhelmed.

I just got back from a week-long vacation leave from work and I had to jump right back in to work mode because of back-to-back field work that involves a group of students from Manila. Bullet journal has been a great way to make sure I don't miss anything as I prepare for these trips to the field!

Back to Work!

Day 40 of 100 Happy Days

It's a holiday in the Philippines today. We are commemorating the bravery of tens and thousands of Filipino and American soldiers who marched 128 km (80 mi) during the Japanese occupation of the country in 1942.

It was a semi "work" day for us. It was a day of catch up and story sharing and eating Cebu lechon together. :)

Tiara and Turbulence

Day 39 of 100 Happy Days

Today was spent in airports and airplanes. My Cebu-Davao flight got re-routed to Cebu-Manila-Davao. I am not a fan of flying alone, especially during bad weather. It was just my lucky day that there was a typhoon east of Davao. Sigh.

But the AirAsia Zest pilot was amazing. Read about the context of my fear of turbulence and how Capt Ronaldo Sevilla made my flight a happy one even with the typhoon. :)

Puso

Day 38 of 100 Happy Days

They say that you haven't been to Cebu if you haven't eaten at Larsian. I will simply say, you haven't been to Cebu if you haven't eaten "barbecue ug puso" wherever street corner that you fancy. Tonight, we ate barbecue and puso to our hearts' content!

Making puso is both an art and a science, very cultural. I personally think it's one of the greatest inventions of the brown man. :)