"For what profits a [person] if [she] gains the whole world, but in the end loses [her] own soul." (New Testament, excerpt).
Last night at the church they were singing a song. It was about how when you look into the face of Jesus everything in life will be worth it-hardships, sacrifices, things you did for him. I then thought about what it would be like to close my eyes one last time and look into his eyes. Would he say he was happy and satisfied with how I lived my life, or would he be disappointed?
I then thought about those moments where we have fought with people in our lives. It feels awful. Your mood is low, and you might feel bad for things you have said; you might feel regret for the way you handled a situation. Has anyone experienced this? Then I thought, what if you never had a chance to talk through the argument or fight, what if your last words or last deeds were done in anger or hurt? What if I died and looked into the face of Jesus and hurt him somehow, but was never able to make it right while on earth? What if he was saddened by the fact I missed the call, missed the mark, did not live up to what he called me to do?
What does it profit me if I reach self-actualization, but in the end lose my own soul? It says that someday "Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." (excerpt from New Testament) Under what circumstances will I make that confession? My prayer is that I will have the courage to keep opening my heart up to God and do what he puts on my heart to do. If anyone would like to talk or pray about anything you can email me at HinckleyJR@gmail.com. Have a great rest of the weekend. :)
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Women: fearlessly increasing production in the Kingdom of God
Some churches believe that women and girls cannot lead due to verses which either say women must remain silent or that women must not "have authority over a man." As much as I have grappled with this, I do not believe that we are barred from leadership.
I once read a portion of a book called "Why Not Women." It told of a group of women who got together and prayed for the community. Miracles were happening, changes were taking place. Then, one day they were told that they could not continue this group unless a man took charge of it. Did any of those men step up? No! The group ceased to exist as did the miracles and changes. That is a sad story!
Imagine all the other examples we can think of where we as women can do so much for our communities and so much for the Kingdom of God. Yet, because of TRADITION, because of fear on both sides (female and male), and because of our own ability to make excuses for why we cannot or will not lead, the church's effectiveness is dampened.
Let us ask ourselves this-do we really not allow women to lead because that is what we TRULY believe or do we not allow ourselves to lead, because 1. we are scared and 2. we feel we are threatened by female leaders? Is it pride? Is it laziness?
Has God called you to do something that you have not done based on the belief you cannot do it, because you are a woman?
I do not quite know what my calling in life is. I do want to reach people who have been exploited, abused, and traumatized. I want to travel around the world. I am into social services and want to do humanitarian/relief projects overseas. How will I get there? I am not sure. However, my prayer is that if there is something I am not doing, that God will help me to become aware of it, rise above my own excuses, beliefs, and whatever it is that holds me back and do it.
I once read a portion of a book called "Why Not Women." It told of a group of women who got together and prayed for the community. Miracles were happening, changes were taking place. Then, one day they were told that they could not continue this group unless a man took charge of it. Did any of those men step up? No! The group ceased to exist as did the miracles and changes. That is a sad story!
Imagine all the other examples we can think of where we as women can do so much for our communities and so much for the Kingdom of God. Yet, because of TRADITION, because of fear on both sides (female and male), and because of our own ability to make excuses for why we cannot or will not lead, the church's effectiveness is dampened.
Let us ask ourselves this-do we really not allow women to lead because that is what we TRULY believe or do we not allow ourselves to lead, because 1. we are scared and 2. we feel we are threatened by female leaders? Is it pride? Is it laziness?
Has God called you to do something that you have not done based on the belief you cannot do it, because you are a woman?
I do not quite know what my calling in life is. I do want to reach people who have been exploited, abused, and traumatized. I want to travel around the world. I am into social services and want to do humanitarian/relief projects overseas. How will I get there? I am not sure. However, my prayer is that if there is something I am not doing, that God will help me to become aware of it, rise above my own excuses, beliefs, and whatever it is that holds me back and do it.
Our Self Image as Women
I started reading this book called "Fearless Daughters of the Bible" by J. Lee Grady. He writes about women "who challenged tradition, fought injustice and dared to lead". I just read the introduction where he talks about raising his own daughters and he talked about how the kind of fathers we had can influence our self image, but some things were brought to my mind. I hope I am not too "all over the map" with this.
Last Sunday in church the speaker said that this world is full of bad news. However, my thought was that it is not full of JUST bad news. It is just that we have not trained ourself to look at the good news. We have not challenged ourselves to rise above soaking in only what the media tells is. The truth is: there is good news in this world! For example, it is sad that "sometimes" in the church women are treated as second class citizens. It is sad that women are told they have no honor once they are raped. It is sad that little girls are mutilated in parts of the globe. But there is good news out there!
1. There a people like J. Lee Grady who are standing for women's empowerment. We have often mistaken men for being the enemy. They are not the enemies. The system that has excluded women and kept them oppressed, however, is. Truth is there are women and men who challenge the notion of women as "second class citizens." They want the women free. Free to do their part in the kingdom of God, influence society, and teach what they have learned!
2. There are women and men in various cultures who are standing up for what honor truly is. Honor is not being immune to being victims of violence like rape or sexual exploitation. Honor is the ability to overcome it and help others do the same. Honor is transforming from a victim to a survivor!
3. There are communities who have decided they will not practice female genital mutilation. Education brings awareness, which brings change. They say you cannot change an age old tradition. Well, yes you can! With God all things are possible.
4. God loves us. In Christ, there is no male or female. I did not grow up with a father who built me up. I still struggle with self-esteem, depression, and fear. Many times I forget how much God himself loves me.
"See how great a love the father bestows upon us that we would be called children of God; that we are..." (first part of 1 John 3:1). If I was conscious of how much Jesus and the Father love me, what would life look like for me? How would it influence my confidence? What might I do with my life?....How about you?
I believe this was a prayer one of the apostles prayed for the church and let this be our prayer: that we would comprehend the height, the width, and the depth of God's love for us."
Last Sunday in church the speaker said that this world is full of bad news. However, my thought was that it is not full of JUST bad news. It is just that we have not trained ourself to look at the good news. We have not challenged ourselves to rise above soaking in only what the media tells is. The truth is: there is good news in this world! For example, it is sad that "sometimes" in the church women are treated as second class citizens. It is sad that women are told they have no honor once they are raped. It is sad that little girls are mutilated in parts of the globe. But there is good news out there!
1. There a people like J. Lee Grady who are standing for women's empowerment. We have often mistaken men for being the enemy. They are not the enemies. The system that has excluded women and kept them oppressed, however, is. Truth is there are women and men who challenge the notion of women as "second class citizens." They want the women free. Free to do their part in the kingdom of God, influence society, and teach what they have learned!
2. There are women and men in various cultures who are standing up for what honor truly is. Honor is not being immune to being victims of violence like rape or sexual exploitation. Honor is the ability to overcome it and help others do the same. Honor is transforming from a victim to a survivor!
3. There are communities who have decided they will not practice female genital mutilation. Education brings awareness, which brings change. They say you cannot change an age old tradition. Well, yes you can! With God all things are possible.
4. God loves us. In Christ, there is no male or female. I did not grow up with a father who built me up. I still struggle with self-esteem, depression, and fear. Many times I forget how much God himself loves me.
"See how great a love the father bestows upon us that we would be called children of God; that we are..." (first part of 1 John 3:1). If I was conscious of how much Jesus and the Father love me, what would life look like for me? How would it influence my confidence? What might I do with my life?....How about you?
I believe this was a prayer one of the apostles prayed for the church and let this be our prayer: that we would comprehend the height, the width, and the depth of God's love for us."
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