Grace Leaves Fertilizer...

This may surprise you, but I am not always as smart as I like to delude the world around me into thinking. One of the things I am sometimes not fully proficient in is the process by which evidence adds up to result. Scientists have proven that early in a teenagers life the part of the brain that becomes aware of "cause and effect" is not yet fully formed. In me it seems more a process of whether I have it turned on or not. If I am paying attention I believe it to be one of my strongest assets. However I am guilty of allowing the tedium or stress of daily life to fill up my consciousness to a level that makes me oblivious. In my part of the world that is expressed with the saying "If that had been a snake it would have bit him". I could colloquial-ize that down a bit, but I think you get my meaning.

God knows this about me. He is most of the time patient and quiet and allows me to experience the pain it ultimately causes, because he knows it will make me wiser. Wisdom comes from failure. Sometimes believing that I am wise becomes another failure for me. When I step back and watch my faltering path through life I have to smile at how much amusement and consternation I must cause him. I have kids, so at least I have a small idea of what that may be like.

Occasionally though, I will have a thought drop into my mind that is so far out of the ordinary in it's content and quality that I KNOW I am being guided. I call this method of communication, advisement from the Holy Spirit. I am far from perfect, and I know what my thoughts look like. When I get a proverbial "word from God" it shows in it's uniqueness. I had two moments like this just a few days ago on my way to work. The two thoughts were so profound I decided that I needed to trivialize them and place them on Twitter. I make light of the occurrence but really, I knew they needed to be shared. I jotted down a couple of notes to myself to remind me what to write when I got to work. The first line was GRACE and then a little further down the page I wrote Leaves and then Fertilizer. If you read my "quotes" below you will see how they prompted my memory.

"GRACE permeates the world. It is to our detriment if we do not take the time to view it's simple beauty in every thing and circumstance."

"Failures in our life, like the fiery changing leaves of Autumn, will fall to the ground only to supply the nutrient of our future success."

In these messages I believe are the thoughts I was meant to share. The real message to me were the combination of the words I saw in a totally different context when I glanced down at the page again later in the day. Obviously, God was prompting me to be kind and purposeful in my relations with others. He knew it was time to remind me to pay attention. By leading me step by step by step he revealed a message that was meant just for me... and now shared with you.

"Grace leaves fertilizer"

When you care for someone else in a loving, non-expectant manner, it leaves benefit beyond the act. The term pay it forward comes to mind. Spend time being purposefully nice to those around you. Show the love of Jesus to someone who needs it. Look around today, he will show you what to do if you will just slow down and take the time to listen. He is depending on you to tend to his children... after all, that is our job while we are here if you think about it.

You Don't Know What You Don't Know...

While conversion testimonial stories are very personal, it is really nice to hear a very honest and open discussion of the life change involved when someone moves from a position of absolute skepticism to undeniable truth. It resonates with me because, although the events in the story are different, the overall process is VERY similar. Please take a moment to read it through. I promise it will be worth your while.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

Fox News' Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower

Of all people surprised that I became an evangelical Christian, I'm the most surprised. --Kirsten Powers

 

Photo by Scott Suchman

Just seven years ago, if someone had told me that I'd be writing for Christianity Today magazine about how I came to believe in God, I would have laughed out loud. If there was one thing in which I was completely secure, it was that I would never adhere to any religion—especially to evangelical Christianity, which I held in particular contempt.

I grew up in the Episcopal Church in Alaska, but my belief was superficial and flimsy. It was borrowed from my archaeologist father, who was so brilliant he taught himself to speak and read Russian. When I encountered doubt, I would fall back on the fact that he believed.

Leaning on my father's faith got me through high school. But by college it wasn't enough, especially because as I grew older he began to confide in me his own doubts. What little faith I had couldn't withstand this revelation. From my early 20s on, I would waver between atheism and agnosticism, never coming close to considering that God could be real.

After college I worked as an appointee in the Clinton administration from 1992 to 1998. The White House surrounded me with intellectual people who, if they had any deep faith in God, never expressed it. Later, when I moved to New York, where I worked in Democratic politics, my world became aggressively secular. Everyone I knew was politically left-leaning, and my group of friends was overwhelmingly atheist.

I sometimes hear Christians talk about how terrible life must be for atheists. But our lives were not terrible. Life actually seemed pretty wonderful, filled with opportunity and good conversation and privilege. I know now that it was not as wonderful as it could have been. But you don't know what you don't know. How could I have missed something I didn't think existed?

Continued ...
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/november/fox-news-highly-reluctant-jesus-follower-kirsten-powers.html?paging=off