the white sheep

There's a little girl and she's looking at a white sheep as it ate green grass.
And she thought how nice and white the sheep looked as it ate the green grass.
And then it began to snow.
And she thought how dirty the sheep looked against the white snow
See it was the same sheep but it was a different background.
So when we compare our sin to the standard of the world, we all come up reasonably clean, but when we compare our sin to the snow white righteousness of God's law we'll see that we are in fact filthy dirty.




i love this analogy. candace cameron bure shared this in her testimony.

known by its fruit

in follow me to freedom: leading as an ordinary radical, shane claiborne states "a tree is known by its fruit. i say the names of the fruit of the Spirit - saying them one by one, several times a day, praying that they would live in me & come out of me in every interaction. i even have them written on my chapel wall, & i have hung them on four-foot wooden planks from the window of our community house."

this week i have been reflecting on shane's statement & galatians 5.22-23 "but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." i have been thinking & praying about the fruit of the Spirit daily. like shane, i want them to live in me & come out of me in every interaction.

i like how this portrays the fruit of the Spirit, as 9 daily essentials:



i'm going to put this on my fridge so i can see it everyday & remember, pray, & reflect on it.

challenge from Hebrews

for you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. // hebrews 10:34

this verse struck me as i read hebrews 10 today. how much value i put in my material possessions, & how much i cling to them. this verse was convicting, it helped me think of holding onto my possessions not as tightly but loosely. especially since they are only rubbish compared to what is to come in heaven. Lord, help me remember this, help me live out what Your word says 'since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.' thank You for making Your ways in this world upside-down & for calling Your children to live this way. though it can be challenging it is oh so sweet, true & beautiful.

repentance

such a simple, beautiful depiction of repentance.
(click on picture to enlarge)

makeover

my lovely friend emily has redesigned my blog! i absolutely love it, she did an amazing job! i am so incredibly blessed to have such a talented, creative friend. thank you emily for making my blog look so incredible!

becoming an ethical vegetarian

i am sometimes a vegetarian because of ethical reasons.

alison sudol of a fine frenzy has influenced me. check out her PETA ad "a little kindness goes a long way."




another influence has been alison's wonderful PETA ad.



i have recently been thinking about ethical responsibilities as a Christian.
in the Bible Genesis 9:3 says "everything that lives & moves will be food for you. just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
because of this verse, i do not think it is wrong for Christians to eat meat.
however, in light of the many cruel and inhumane many animals are treated (cows, chickens & turkeys) with antibiotics & hormones, & are subjected to slaughterhouses, feed lots & cramped living spaces i do not want to support or condone these things.

this causes a dilemma inside of me. if God has given us the animals & plants to eat freely & take care of (Gensis 1:26), then what should we do as Christians when animals are treated inhumanly and subjected to cruelty?
this is where the wonderful world of organic comes in. i have been eating organic at home for quite some time. i also try to eat out at organic restaurants when possible.
by eating organic the animals are not subjected to antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouses, feed lots, and cramped living spaces. animals are treated humanely & taken care of on organic farms. as a Christian, eating organic solves this dilemma for me. i can eat at home & at out at organic restaurants with a clean conscience.
however, when i eat out at non-organic restaurants & in other people's homes i cannot guarantee i am eating organic, therefore i will abstain from eating meat & be vegetarian.

also, exciting news about in-n-out:
"we would never condone the inhumane treatment of animals and, in fact, all of our suppliers must agree to abide by our strict standards for the humane treatment of cattle." // mark taylor, the president of in-n-out
&
"our hamburgers are made from fresh, 100% pure beef. they are free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind, and we buy only chucks, the front ribs and shoulder. no other parts are ever used. our butchers carefully hand-cut and grind the beef in our own facility at which point the patties are shipped directly to our stores in refrigerated trucks by our own drivers. this way we have total control over the production of every burger." // in-n-out corporate website

your thoughts?

seeking my own Calcutta

"Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are -- in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. ... You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society -- completely forgotten, completely left alone." ~ Mother Teresa

I'm desperately seeking my own Calcutta.
Are you seeking?