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If People are like Trees, Here’s to All the Weeping Willows…

The world puts people in boxes: you’re female so you feel like this, you’re Christian so you think like this, you’re American so you act like that…

God likes to mix things up to help break the social/tradition walls we build between people. Just consider the movie Hidden Figures (based on a true story) where we see brilliant, computer-like brains placed in– not just black, but black, female bodies– in 1960s America. LOL, God is such a rebel…

Hidden_Figures_movie still
Still from “Hidden Figures,” based on the untold true story of the women nobody knew behind the NASA mission everyone knew..  “Genius has no race.. Strength has no gender…”

Continue reading “If People are like Trees, Here’s to All the Weeping Willows…”

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The Last Wall: How Our Hearts are the Last Border to Break

Our lives have been marked by boundaries: the boundary of the womb, the boundary of the crib, the boundary of the skies…  and we push these walls, kicking against the dark in the uterus, climbing out of cribs, dreaming of flight and touching the heavens.

It seems like all boundaries–from the glass ceilings to the Berlin Walls, were meant to be destroyed…

Breaking Berlin Wall.jpg

But some of the greatest walls rest in our Hearts.

Continue reading “The Last Wall: How Our Hearts are the Last Border to Break”

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Racer X like Jesus [Part 1]: Love, Sacrifice and Justice, Speed Racer Style

I believe God can be found anywhere, from the breeze on your skin, to the wisdom of your kids. Sometimes He* makes surprise appearances in a theater or a Justin Bieber track (post coming!) and my latest encounter was during the Speed Racer film.

The more I watched Racer X, the more I thought of Jesus, and the more I watched Speed, the more I thought of myself. Racing is a great metaphor for life–tension, time,  passion, power— and every ‘Speed Racer’ can use a ‘Racer X’ in his corner…
[warning, spoilers!]

Continue reading “Racer X like Jesus [Part 1]: Love, Sacrifice and Justice, Speed Racer Style”

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Choosing Law over Love: A Sad Example of Broken Families from Ezra

This post is part of the #GodsOneLines series–breaking hate and/or shame caused by people wielding bible verses. Instead I want to use single bible verses or events to encourage and reveal God’s Heart if possible.

This story starts with Tears– mine as I write, and Heaven’s one fateful day.

It starts with the return of Jews from Babylonian exile. Their repeated offenses, including refusing to set servants free, caught up with them despite divine warnings. Sure, they listened for a time, but soon after changed their minds, re-taking men, women and children into captivity (sounds like the Moses story with Pharaoh, right?)

Continue reading “Choosing Law over Love: A Sad Example of Broken Families from Ezra”

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A Tale of Two Sauls: God is always looking to Honor You..

How many foul ups do you have in your family? Usually we can’t see further back than three generations, but God sees the whole line–every mistake, pain, wrong motive, but also every kind deed or thought..from the Beginning. But should we be afraid…?

family-tree-background-family-tree-background-graphicsfamily-tree-background-geneology

Continue reading “A Tale of Two Sauls: God is always looking to Honor You..”

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God’s Love is Deeper than our Worst…

Visit any church and listen to people sing about God’s Love–but do they know how deep it goes? Can they understand it or would they recognize it?

spilled milkLove is easy when given to one who spills milk, but how about someone who spills blood? And not accidentally but purposefully?

The hard truth is God’s Love goes that deep… for the mass murderer, the child rapist, the filmer of any kind of torture….

We may think we’re decent people, innocent of such crimes, but don’t forget: your thought life is also part of the equation. Jesus said being angry with someone was like murder, and looking lustfully at someone was like having an affair  (Matthew 5:21-30).

Truly no one gets into heaven on merit, but we’re all invited:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, bible)

So considering all the hate and evil in the world, not just in deed but in thought- Jesus was on the craziest Love mission ever… Continue reading “God’s Love is Deeper than our Worst…”

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Labels were never meant to stick…

We have a “rule” in our family about name calling–namely, don’t do it.

I know people like to joke and call names in jest, little kids yelling, ‘come on poopy head’ or friends teasing, ‘hurry up slowpoke.’ But I’m pretty sensitive and don’t like any of it.

Especially when I realized it’s happening all over the place, not just as playful or derogatory, but as identifying labels…

Gay, Straight, Beauty Queen, Jock, Vegetarian, Vegan, Republican, Democrat, Nerd, Rebel, Techie, Trekkie, Californian, Christian….

It grieves me that society makes us feel the need to label-up: “I’m Gay,” “I’m Straight,”  “I’m Bi,”.. “I’m …” etc.,  as if that’s someone’s identity.

Your life is so much more than your love preference, food preference, political preference….etc.

Do we dare ostracize others for any of these things? In a world so focused on the external, its easy to forget what really matters:
Kindness, Compassion, Honesty, #1Cor13 Love… Continue reading “Labels were never meant to stick…”

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Can’t touch God…Can’t touch You

On Day 2 of this “Wild God, Wild Kids-31 Days Looking at God’s Heart” series I shared how a store clerk reached out to touch the cheek of my 5month old baby. My gut jumped: hands off Lady- he’s not yours!–but I live in a (ahem) civilized world where kindness is (ahem) important so I accepted the touch, reasoning he was brightening her day (that’s not his job, Lady…! Chill Jasmine.)

My brain says suppress these ferocious feelings since they’re not ‘soft and sweet’ like “good Christians” should be, but something else in me says the flare-ups are part of my God-given, God-DNA.

Continue reading “Can’t touch God…Can’t touch You”

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Transgender God, Part 1: What’s in a Name?

When I started this “Wild Kids, Wild God – 31 Days looking into God’s Heart” series, I had no idea how deep I’d go.

In recent posts of this series I started noting:

I use ‘He’ and ‘His’ as pronouns for God, but fully recognize God with both Male and Female  ‘identity’–for lack of a better word–, as evidenced by the human race and through the Bible…” Post coming soon!

This is that post, and the topic is dear to my heart. It may disturb, but can also encourage, and my desire has been, as best as I can, to put God’s Heart ‘out there,’ crazy as It may be.

So let me “come out” about this.

Continue reading “Transgender God, Part 1: What’s in a Name?”

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Don’t Carry a Thing…Not Even Anxiety

A friend posted on Facebook that a store clerk offered to carry her single loaf of bread to the car. Was he trying to get a tip? I was skeptical, but apparently he genuinely wanted to help.

And it occurred to me: if this young man’s heart was tender enough to want to carry a loaf of bread for a stranger, how much more- and heavier things does God want to carry for us?  Cares, anxieties, fears.. the stuff that keeps me up at night or makes me want to quit.. Continue reading “Don’t Carry a Thing…Not Even Anxiety”

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Dance… Shake it Off!

This is a “5 Minute Friday” Prompt…shout out to Kate at Heading Home for hosting!
Objective: Free write for 5 minutes and stop. Simple. Ready to rock? 3…2…1…..Go!

D-Don’t stop. Nobody cares and Nobody’s opinion matters….when it’s all said and done there is only One Whose opinion counts, Who truly “gets” you, and Who understands your moves and totally, absolutely Adores them. (granted, a loving, doting father and mother might catch a glimpse too…)

A-Always feel free. Your church may not let you. Your husband may not join you. But I bet your kids will jump right in. Shake it off. You were born to fly. You were born to be free. Always remember…there’s more to Life than this life. Continue reading “Dance… Shake it Off!”