SECOND RETREAT CHALLENGE

 

 

Good morning, Ladies. Have I mentioned that I'm jazzed about next weekend's retreat? If you're just now hearing about it, you'll want to check out yesterday's post for the details. If you're up to speed I hope you're --

* dreaming up your pizza for the contest

* staying open to the nudge to write a poem, song, paragraph, or prayer OR to do a drawing or shoot some amazing photos

* pondering yesterday's challenge

Moving further with our theme of "Preach the Gospel always. Use words if necessary" (loosely translated from Francis of Assisi), I have a second challenge for you:

    According to Matthew (chapter 5, verses 14-16) Jesus told his disciples that they were the "light of the world." You've probably heard that so many times it may have lost its punch, so let's unpack it a little.

    "A city built on a hill cannot be hid." (If you've ever driven into San Francisco, you know that's the truth!) Ever thought of yourself as a whole CITY? Full of the potential to turn lights on everywhere you go? Or have you considered the fact that if nobody in town turned on a light, you wouldn't even be able to see the place. In 1977 New York City experienced a black-out that has gone down in history as an incredibly disturbing night.  

    "No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket." Well, no, I mean, why would we? Do you even OWN a bushel basket? The point is the light is there for a reason and it isn't so you can turn it off. And again, Jesus points out that it's not like the illumination on your cell phone so you can text after you've been told to go to bed. He says "it gives light to all in the house."

So here's the challenge:

Second Challenge

You don't have to figure out if you HAVE a light to shine on the world. Jesus already said "You ARE the light." Setting aside the city for the moment, how's that happening with you right there in your own house? Are you shedding any light on places where family members are hiding resentment? Turning on an overhead to show that there really are no bogeymen lurking about? Offering some cheer amid the winter gloom? Or at least refusing to add to it with your own funky mood?

    We'll pray for each other (right?) as we pull off those bushel baskets and start spreading some light at home (and be prepared for some squinting among your family members who are pretty cozy in the dark). 

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."

  And you don't have to say a word . . .

Blessings,

Nancy Rue 

Comments

[Alyson]

Can you please pray for my friend. She kind of just stopped come to art class. I found out last night that she has an eating disorder. She is a Christian and it's sad to see her, of all people to not be happy with how God made her look. Christians, above all, should now that it doesn't matter how we look on the outside.

[Nicole]

Alyson, I'm so sorry...that is really sad. :'( I will definitely be praying for her!

Natalie, I'll be praying for your family and your school as well!

Wow, a 2nd Challenge already! Hmm, I'll have to think about that some more. But I gotta say, Mrs. Rue, your post totally made me think of the song "We Are" by Kari Jobe (I got to see her in concert at WinterJam!! She sang this song!). It fits PERFECTLY!! Seriously, the lyrics in the chorus are, "We are the light of the world, we are the city on a hill, we are the light of the world, oh we gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the Light shine!" It's an amazing song - Kari Jobe is an amazing artist; she's quite similar to Misty Edwards.

So, in answer to the 1st Challenge...I realized last night that I have to leave ME behind. *Gee, that's great - so, would You like to tell me how exactly I'm supposed to do that, God?* Thankfully, I'm NOT supposed to do that - not on my own, that is. I can only do it through Christ - I mean, think about it - once I leave a bit of me behind, who am I supposed to fill that up with? Jesus!! :)

Anyway, what I mean by getting rid of 'me' is basically ridding myself of my expectations (of others, of myself especially, of God, etc.) and my schedule. I can't have all these plans for myself that I REALLY want to keep and then expect myself to fully submit to God's Plan for me, a Plan far wiser than anything I could ever think up. So, yeah...

Sorry this was so long! And, hey, I encourage y'all to check out The Rebelution at http://www.therebelution.com/ - I just discovered it recently, and it's amazing!

Love y'all! <3 God bless!

[Avery]

Wow, man I wish I had read this post earlier before I started eating off the heads of my family. Not literally, I just got really frusterated with them and sort of told them to back off in a less than nice way. But, I'm going to make an effort now to be that light in my house. I'm really bad with remembering this kind of stuff when I need to know it and so when I read these posts they help me to remember to keep my eyes on God. Thank you Mrs. Rue for another amazing post! I'm praying for all yall!

[Melody]

Hey everyone! So I just got back today from being in MS auditioning for the trainee program at Ballet Magnificat. The audition was pretty good, except for the choreography part, and that's when I realized that maybe it's not right for me anyway. If I don't enjoy doing the choreography, than it might not be the right place for me. I love it, but I realize that there are other options that would play more to my strengths instead of my weaknesses.

But anyway, I also love there that it's a bunch of teenagers not much older than me, and they can effortlessly go from talking about shopping and boys to some big God revelation they just had. Except for on here, I've never experienced a friendship like that. Anyway, thank you for your prayers while I was gone, I'll find out if I got in around Valentines day, and you all will be some of the first to know :)

Moving on, I'm not sure I really understand this post. How exactly are we supposed to be sharing this light? Like just by being our best selves or what? Maybe I'm just tired so I don't get it :)

Also, I'm trying to get a bible study small group together with some of my friends and we're probably going to have our first meeting on monday. It's a motley group of people so I'm not sure it's going to work out. Prayers would be appreciated that we mesh well and that we can all be transparent with each other :) Praying for all of you!

[Nicole]

Wow, Melody, that is amazing! Yeah, I have a friend or two like that, and it's so...awesome. ;)

And I think - about this post - it's about carrying around the Presence of God with us. I don't mean, of course, that we can beckon the Holy Spirit to follow us around all day; I mean that when we surrender to Him, when we willingly give up our entire selves to Him and everything He is, when we simply say, "Hello, Jesus...", He's right here! Our amazing and all-powerful God is ALIVE inside of US! But it's when we leave Him at church, we leave His glory, we leave His light, that we start nibbling and snacking on the junk food of this world. And then...when the time comes (like, always), we aren't hungry for God's Presence anymore. We're just "OK" with it.

And, by the way, most of what I just wrote came either in direct quotes from or based upon my pastor's sermon last night. Amazing how God connects those things, huh? :) My pastor's whole sermon was about the glory of our awesome God - more specifically about how we can be and should be in His Presence, all. the. time. And it's so hard yet SO easy at the same time - hard because of our pride and stubbornness (which my pastor called idolatry...being stubborn against God is idolizing yourself and your opinions), but so incredibly easy because of His overwhelming grace and love and forgiveness!

Ahem. Sorry for practically sharing with you the whole sermon. :P (To tell you the truth, though, that was just the highlights :D). I guess that was also - without meaning it to be - pretty much my answer for the 2nd Challenge. Right now, it's not, like, how I'm exactly helping to spread His Light in our home, but more like recognizing that I need His Light and learning where to start in that need with my family. Does that make any sense?

Anyway, hope y'all have a wonderful Sunday!! Praying for y'all!

[Melody]

I have a question Mrs. Rue. I sadly won't be here for much of the retreat, but I have an amazing pizza I want to enter in the contest. Could I email my description of it to you early? If not that's okay :)