Evil Apples, Video Edition
From Distress to Rejoicing
You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
-1 Peter 1: 6-7
This verse has a hard sentence structure to follow. In fact, I had to reread it multiple times to make certain I was fully following the thought flow. I was caught up in the distress and trials that the verse mentions. And then it hit me all at once, the emphasis of this verse isn’t the hard times but the result of the hard times.
What was the last difficult situation you faced? Was it a personal decision? Or perhaps a conversation that forced you to confront a family member with some hard truth? What was the result of this hard time? Was it joy?
Because I don’t usually relate the word “rejoice” with my feelings toward hard times. Why does God allow us to face trials? Not because God abandoned us but so that we are that much more thankful when Jesus Christ returns.
Earth is not our forever home. We spend so much time decorating and getting comfortable on this sinking ground that we forget that truth. We are reminded by this verse that our genuine faith is more valuable than gold.
As we enter into the Day of Rest, let’s look around our lives and remember that earth isn’t our forever home.
Employees are not for Employers
Is it five o’clock yet?
How many of us have found ourselves muttering that question during our workday? The clock ticks on, bringing with it another fresh wave of problems to solve. We spend 8 hours a day away from our homes and families and find ourselves asking, “Why?”
Titus 2:9-10 reads,
Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
Okay, so “slaves” is too strong a word for our context today. I am not held against my will and I am properly compensated for my work. But the general idea of “slaves” here is “worker.”
What are we as workers supposed to be?
Book Review: When Helping Hurts
Book Review: When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
My husband, Kevin, has worked with nonprofits in Jackson since 2010. The first nonprofit he worked at had a strong mission to help alleviate poverty. From his experiences, we both grew to believe in the importance of breaking the cycle of poverty in our city.
Since then, we have had several students join our youth group that come from families that need assistance. Poverty isn’t just a word in my vocabulary; poverty has a name and a face.
One our my social worker friends told me that the entire staff was required to read and discuss When Helping Hurts at her job. So I decided to get myself a copy and read it, too.
It’s not meant as a mere good read but as a thought-provoking book to be used in a group setting. Each chapter begins with initial thoughts to answer, the chapter, and then reflection questions and exercises.
A Fool’s Focus
“What are some actions a person might do if they were living a selfish life?”
Without missing a beat, one of my middle school students answered, “Jesus! They would do what He did.”
Stunned and confused, I took a few seconds before replying, “Jesus was selfish?”
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