You Are Higher Than Human

"It's okay, you're only human."

Has someone said this to you before? Have you said it to your self?
When people realize they've made a mistake, they say "I'm only human". 

When people feel like they can’t achieve any more, they say "I'm only human".

When people feel like they’ve lost control of themselves, they say "I'm only human".

Why do people like hearing that?? I HATE hearing it! Do they like to remind themselves that they are failures waiting to happen and that it's normal to make a mistake, but a fluke when they do something right? Surely, that can't be good for the ego. I prefer to think of myself as a successful being that slips up instead of a failure that can muster up success once in a while, because after all, "You can never truly fail at anything as a child of God." - Melissa Howe.
If you want to watch your wildest dreams come true, you can't limit yourself. You have to believe you can do want you set your mind to, and be who you want to be. Bruce Lee once said,
"If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there. You must go beyond them."

And what's the deal with "it's just human nature." Is it? Really? Or is it an excuse?
That one really irks me. I see people use it as a way to justify something to make it seem not so bad, and in turn, relieve themselves of the guilt that will surely follow.
I found a quote that totally shook my world..It's from the movie The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

Charlie Allnut: "A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature."
Rose Sayer: "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this earth to rise above."

Whooooaaahhhh! It makes sense though, right? Too often I feel that what society labels as "normal" and "acceptable" and "human" are beliefs and practices that I personally don't adhere to. But just because a large percentage of society believes something to be acceptable or "human" doesn't make it true. Here's a few examples:

"It's perfectly normal for kids your age to experiment with drugs or alcohol."
"It is completely okay to have sex before marriage. You gotta test the merchandise, right? Besides, you're only human."
"It's understandable if you yell and scream at your significant other every once in a while. You have to let off steam. It's natural."

Rubbish, I say! I believe we are meant to rise above our animistic nature to experience a more fulfilling life. Challenge yourself! Step out of your comfort zone to grow. Let experience stretch you, pull you, and wring you out so you are dripping knowledge and wisdom.

God made me with the potential to be something better, and it's a blessing, but sometimes a curse because when I realize all of my short comings, it leaves me with a hollow feeling. But that is why we need God's grace, and his sacrifice on the cross, to bridge the gap between human and holy. "Holiness isn't perfection, it is being filled with God so that his glory shines out of you." - Nate Edwardson. 

I try my hardest every day to be better than human, and I don't like to make cop-outs when I don't measure up. I just try harder to be better. Are you okay with being 'only human'? That reminds me of something Mr. Speyer said today, "God loves you the way you are, but that doesn't mean he wants you to stay that way." Are you settling for who you are now?
Just imagine what you would be like if you raised the bar, and set your goal for higher than 'human'. Then imagine what our world would be like if everyone was striving for this goal.
Sure, it's harder for me to recover from mistakes, but I like the growth that comes from it.
"We are who we believe we are." - C.S. Lewis
I believe I am better than what this earth says I am or can be, because I believe I am a child of the everlasting God.

blessed are the un-cool

love it.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2WrnON/rachelheldevans.com/blessed-are-the-uncool

What message are you "preaching"?

I've been writing and erasing for the past few hours. I can't seem to say what i'm thinking in an eloquent fashion, so excuse me if this seems like the rant of a crazy person. 

Some things about my church have really been bugging me lately. Well, not necessarily bugging, more like disappointing. I always like to be right, so i don't like being associated with something that isn't right. So i'm going to ramble and complain, because after all, that's what blogs are for, right? 

Disclaimer: This isn't intended to offend, only provoke a thought or two. 

I heard something really interesting during a prayer at my home church yesterday. 

"God, if it is your will, heal him." 

That really confused me. I thought God's will was always restoration, healing, purity, and holiness. 

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." And nobody dies in heaven, right? So if God created earth to be like heaven, where nobody gets cancer, then that means that he wants earth to be cancer-free as well. 

Gods's will is healing. 

God's will is peace. 

God's will is love. He IS love, so why would his will for us be any different?

When i was with Billy and Angel after their camp burned down, Billy asked me if he could go to my home church with me. He said he really longed to be a part of a church family, and grow as a Christian with other people. I told him straight up that I can't even walk in to that church with out being judged, so I didn't want to think of how they would react to a homeless man. I imagined him walking in through the front doors, standing tall and confidently, but leaving with his spirit crushed. That's how I feel when I walk in, anyways. I try not to offend them with my clothes, and I am extra polite. But it seems that they are looking for excuses to judge our generation. I heard that someone was offended that people brought their water bottles into the sanctuary. What?!?! okay, maybe if the water bottle had a sticker that said, "F--- GOD" then I would understand. But it was just a plain ol' water bottle, with plain ol' water inside. That makes just about as much sense as me being offended that an old person had the audacity to hobble in to church on a walker. 

Church was meant to be the place to flee judgement, a refuge from the world, and the place to unload the weight of the world from your shoulders. Our doors should have huge neon signs with flashing lights that say, "Come on in, you are loved!" but instead, my generation is running for the exits; running from where we wish we could run to. We try to please the older generation, by dressing the way they want us to, acting like nuns, and pretending like hymns are on our ipods. 

I want to see their faces as Billy, who smells like alcohol, tobacco, dirt, and sweat, sit in the front of the sanctuary on their fancy pew. I want to watch them stare at him as he walks down the hall, and whisper as he passes by. I want to watch them tell him to come back when he has a bath and a shave, like many other Redding churches have already. 

Then i want to show them Jesus' face when Billy sits in the front row. He would probably sit right next to him. Jesus would introduce himself to Billy, shake his hand, look him in the eye, and treat him like a human instead of a flea infested dog. 

Jesus would invite him back.

If they want to live a life modeled after Christ's, then maybe they can start here:

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matt 22:37-39

Before I went to the Stirring today, (a local church, not involved with the previous rant) I went over to Little Caesars and bought a couple pizzas. I went over to lake boulevard, looking for Billy and Angel. I stopped at every homeless person i saw, gave them some pizza and asked them if they had seen Billy and Angel. No luck, but I  met some really awesome people along the way. I finally found a guy (Tom) who led me to where Billy was hangin out. It was a group of like 8 guys and 2 girls just hanging out in the shade laughing and talking. When Billy saw it was me, he jumped up and introduced me to everyone, as "his friend that prayed with him when the camp burned." One guy asked if i was going to pray with them, to which i said, "If you want." Then he asked me, "Well then what message are you preachin'?" 

I'm not here to preach, i'm just here to be with my friends."

"Well alrighty then! Pass the pizza over here lil miss!" he replied. I spent a couple hours just laughing, talking, eating, and simply hangin' out with these guys. One guy offered me a drink of water from his waterbottle, expecting me to turn it down or pretend like I wasn't thirsty. I actually wasn't thirsty, but that was beside the point. He wanted to see if I thought I was above him and if I was truly comfortable with them. So I said, yeah and took a gulp. One girl offered me her urine-scented coat to sit on and I gladly accepted it. When I left, Tom stood up and said that I had been the first non-homeless person in a while to treat him like a human being. The others stood up and nodded in agreement. I gave Billy a hug first, then hugged the rest of them. I told them i'd see them soon, then I left. 

No sermon. No prayer. No deep bible study, but a moving experience nevertheless. I wanted them to feel loved by me and God, and I'm glad that they felt it. 

1 Corinthians 13:1 ~ "If i could speak all the languages of earth and angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Paul is saying that truth without love is just noise, and we naturally cover our ears from noise. I'm tired of people doing mission work because "the bible said to do so" or feeding the homeless because "they are lost souls that need converting". But i'm REALLY sick of the word "charity". When I think of the word charity, words like christian-duty, obligation, chore, and requirement come to mind. Instead of doing charity work, just LOVE. When you come from a place of love, the truth becomes music, instead of noise. When your intentions are to spread love, you bring a sort of honesty, and real-ness. You're not fake, and you're not trying to check something off of a to-do list; it shows that you care. Love is something we can spread everyday, all the time. 

Think about it: 

God IS love.

If you give people love, you give them God. 

And there is truly nothing better than that. 

.."All i got is the beat in my heart and the faith in my soul..I s'pose that's all a man needs anyway.."

I had to leave the house today, I needed some space and fresh air. Besides, I left my bible at a friends house, and I wanted to go pick it up. They lived just west of the shopco at the top of miracle mile. I knocked on the door, but nobody was home. I looked back towards the street looking for his car, and saw a column of smoke on the other side of the houses, down in the valley. The smoke led me to the thrift store behind the dollar store at the top of lake boulevard. When I arrived on scene, I got out of my car and saw a homeless man trying to push past the police, screaming with all his might,"My friend! My friend! You gotta let me save her! She needs help, please please please.."He fell to his knees and tears ran down his dusty face. A homeless woman was holding tight to him, sobbing uncontrollably.

They went back to their group of friends that were sitting on the sidewalk. I sat down in front of the man and woman and introduced myself. Her name is Angel and his name is Billy. I asked them if they believed in God, and if they would like me to pray for them. They said yes, so we huddled together, I grabbed their hands, and I prayed. Mid-prayer, a plane flew over and dumped the fire-retardant chemicals. After "amen", Billy and Angel still had their eyes shut and heads bowed, so i examined their faces. Angel's eyebrows were furrowed in something like concentration, she was nervously biting her bottom lip, and tears were still racing down her cheeks. Billy's jaw was clenched, his lips were pressed tightly together to keep from quivering, and he had a determined look about him. Like he was trying to be strong for Angel and the others. 

My heart ached for them. They had no idea how much of their camp or their family, this fire had consumed. So, i started praying again, except I didn't really have to think of any words this time. I just said whatever came to my heart, instead of the traditional, formulaic prayer. This prayer came from a place of love. After this "amen", they opened their eyes, took a deep breath, and we all looked anxiously at the smoke for a few minutes in silence, tightly gripping each others hands.

From the far right, Shelly came walking up the hill. Her clothes were caked with dirt, and her face was filled with fear and anguish. The whole camp burned down, and they lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Billy managed to stuff his bag with a blanket, pillow, and some clothes before he had to leave. He passed out garments of clothing to his friends, gave his blanket to Shelly, and his pillow to Angel. He even lent his empy army duffell to Angel's dog, Tank, to lay on. Once he saw Shelly was okay, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He told me how he was just days away from having enough money to get off the streets and move in to a motel. But now he would have to replace the Camps food, toiletries, and blankets. He didn't seem to mind very much about that though. At only 21 years old, he was a leader, and father to many homeless people. When they needed something, they came to him. He loved them all, and cared about them deeply. He was born deaf and blind, so his mom abandoned him at a bus station when he was 7. Being raised on the streets was tough, to say the least, and he tried to kill himself many times..

• Fist full of pills? Threw them up. 
• Hanging by a tree? The branch broke. 
• Cutting his wrists? He would pass out and wake up bandaged. 

Even when it wasn't a suicide attempt, he seemed invincable..

• Hit by a Mack Truck going 65 when he was stopped in a small truck. His truck flipped and rolled all over the place, and when it came to a rest, the engine was in the passenger seat. 
• 7 times, his heart stopped beating. He was revived every time with no permenant brain damage. 
• He was shot in the chest, and the bullet stopped just shy of his heart.  

I think it was plain to see, that God was not letting him leave just yet. I asked him, "What do you think God saved you all those times for you to do? He obviously needs you to do something, and you're not going anywhere till you do it."he said, "I got no clue what he's got up his sleeve for me, but that's the fun in it i s'pose. I like my life the way it is right here, right now. I love helpin' these here people 'round me. This is the 5th time our camp has burned down. I just wish i had money to give them all the things they be wantin', ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. But the best part about our faith, is that it'll never burn, be lost, or stolen. Your gift to them is your example, Billy."
"Well, shoot! That's all i got anyway! All i got is the beat in my heart and the faith in my soul..I s'pose that's all a man needs anyway."

Billy gets what so many people miss...

If everything you call "yours" were to go up in flames right now, would you still be you? Would you cry for the material things you lost, or cheer for the treasure you are building up in heaven that will never burn? Who are you without your possessions? Are you more accessible for God to use, or are you so wrapped up in them, God's glory is stifled so it can't shine? In luke 14:27, Jesus says, "Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple." All you need is your cross..you don't need anything else. In fact, in verse 33, he says that, "You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." And when he says "giving up", he doesn't mean having it ripped from your hands. The Message version uses the phrase "kiss it good-bye", meaning that you have to willingly part with it and leave no strings of attachment. How can you carry your cross if your arms are full of junk? You'll tire easily, or drop your cross.

So, at some point you have to choose to love your things or your KING.

Complimenting Others, Compliments God?

Yesterday, i worked the 3-10pm shift for the 3rd day in a row...Soooo exhausting.. but i've learned more about God (and myself) in these past few days than i have in a few weeks combined. 

I woke up, excited to go to work. I was hoping that the drive thru lady from friday would come back. I wanted to pray with more customers, i wanted more of that cool stuff to happen to me. The song that came on right before i got to work was  Beautiful by Jesus Culture. I ended up sitting in the parking lot waiting for the song to end because the words and message just kind of resonated with me. It was 3 in the afternoon and REALLY hot in my car, but this song still managed to give me goose-bumps and chills. 

Ok, go to youtube really fast...type in Beautiful Jesus Culture and click the first video, listen to it, then come back...

Here's the lyrics:

I need you like the rain

Come to me and sing again

I long for your love so much

I've wanted your pure touch

You are beautiful, beautiful

You are beautiful, beautiful

So beautiful

I need you to be here

Come to me I can feel you near

I love you, you are my hope

You love me as your own

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

We will sing, Hallelujah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We all love to be loved. We love to know that we are beautiful, handsome, whatever. But instead of waiting anxiously for the drive thru lady to come back, i decided to try and be a drive thru lady for someone else. I'll always remember that womans kindness, and i wanted to be that for someone else. 

Just think of how many people you come in contact with everyday. You probably don't realize how many of them are longing for something as small as a compliment or a smile. Ok, one more song. :) go back to youtube, type in Brandon Heath give me your eyes, click on the first video. This song is my prayer, i hope it's yours too.
Lyrics:

Looked down from a broken sky

Traced out by the city lights

My world from a mile high

Best seat in the house tonight

Touched down on the cold black tar

Hold on for the sudden stop

Breathe in the familiar shock

Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere

Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Step out on a busy street

See a girl and our eyes meet

Does her best to smile at me

To hide whats underneath

Theres a man just to her right

Black suit and a bright red tie

Too ashamed to tell his wife

He's out of work, he's buying time

All those people going somewhere

Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I've been there a million times

A couple of million eyes just moving past me by

I swear I never thought that I was wrong

 Well, I want a second glance

So give me a second chance

To see the way You see the people all alone

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

That I keep missing

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach?

Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Matthew 25:34-40 (the Message)

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: 

  I was hungry and you fed me, 

  I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 

  I was homeless and you gave me a room, 

  I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 

  I was sick and you stopped to visit,  

  I was in prison and you came to me.'

 Then they are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?'

Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

Scrubbing Gunk for God?

This morning, I was asked if i could cover one of my coworkers, and work the 3-10pm shift. So i went in today with my new-improved attitude, and i have to say, i was surprised how much better my day was. :)  

No more than an hour into my shift, this lady comes through the drive thru. She wanted a pepsi, but one of the girls i was working wtih made her a root beer. When another girl i work with found out that someone made the customer the wrong drink, she came over to me and asked me what i was thinking and told me not to do it again. I just apologized and said it wouldn't happen again, even though it wansn't my fault. The customer must've seen this all go down because when i handed her her pepsi, she said to me,
"Now honey, dont take this the wrong way, but you are beautiful!"
i said, "Me?! i'm just..Claire! Not much beautiful about that!"
I'll never forget what she said back,

"Hun, you're radiating God's Love, and that's beautiful to me."

Woah...I had to stop for a second and let that sink in.

I had a hard time keeping back a few tears when i told her that that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. How could i NOT have an amazing day after that compliment?? haha Later on, Jonathan and Devanne stopped by for some milkshakes, so they were my familiar faces for the day :)  Then this lady pulled in the drive thru and i notice her liscense plate says "Weeskii" so i asked her if she water skiis or snow skiis, and she said mostly water skiing. I told her my cousin, Kyle Cummings, is a REALLY good water skiier, and she knew who he was! she said she saw him race a long time ago, and LOVED that his team name was "Team Jesus". :)  I was so determined to leave work better and cleaner than when i arrived. So i took an old tooth-brush, cut it in half, and took it to work. I scrubbed gunk off the ice cream machine, scrubbed the base-boards, the door knobs, and in the corner where two walls meet. I cleaned all day when no body was looking and hid it in my back pocket when i was doing other stuff. Tonight i'm going to brainstorm some more and see what else i can do to be the best. :)  

All in all? today was amazing. Lesson learned: Beauty doesn't come from you or others. It comes from having God in your heart. And that kind of beauty doesn't wrinkle or decline..it grows and intensifies.

~~~~Hebrews 1:2,3 

And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. 

Flipping Burgers for God?

Yesterday, i went in to work from 3-10pm. I got there and things for me were terrible for a couple hours. I was making lots of mistakes, getting yelled at, making drinks too slow, etc..I got super stressed and frustrated, i wasn't motivated to do a good job, and i just wanted to quit. But then i remembered Col 3:23-24~ "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ."

I'm working to please God, not these rude teenagers, and their rediculous customers. After that change in perspective, things turned around...

I was one of the 3 employees that the owner decided to pay :P all the other employees came in and yelled at him, but i didn't have to confront him at all.

A husband and his pregnant wife drove thru on the way to the hospital because she was having contractions and going in to labor! There was nobody behind them so i talked to them for a little bit and found out that they are having a little girl (sophia). They saw i was wearing my Redding Adventist Academy xcountry shirt and asked if i was a christian, and i said yes. They asked if i could pray for them and baby sophia, and i did. It felt good to pray with strangers.

Then they drove off and a couple hours later Riley Tompkins came in for a visit! :D it was good to see a familiar face.

A while later, we started cleaning up and i cleaned my side like crazy! I cleaned places that hadn't been cleaned in a LONG time. When i finished, they came over to find something wrong, to tell me i wasn't doing anything good enough (for the millionth time), and to remind me that they are above me. But they couldn't find anything wrong. :) When one of them walked in, she said under her breath, "Holy crap..This is better than Ronnie would do it." (Ronnie is the owner) haha Then i went over to Jake Whiteley's house where we played some rock band and his mom made me a sandwich. :)