#10 of the Top 10 Modern Reject Posts of 2012

As has become my end of year tradition here on Modern Reject, I am taking the last few days of December off to spend time with my friends and family (and to gorge myself on frosted sugar cookies and eggnog, obviously).

But, it has also become tradition to countdown to the new year by sharing the Top 10 Modern Reject Posts–in this case–of 2012. If they are posts you’ve previously read, perhaps you’ll love re-reading them. Or maybe you missed them on the first go around, so here is your chance to catch up.

Either way, I hope you enjoy and I’ll see you back here the first week of January.

God is Good…Blah, Blah, Blah…

The other day, I was relating a story to my husband about something great God had done. “Yeah, and then God did this and then He did that. He healed them. He saved them! It was awesome. You know, God is good. Blah, blah, blah.”

My husband immediately caught my slip and burst out laughing. “God is good. Blah, blah, blah?” he asked.

I hadn’t even realized I’d said it, but I had meant it. I had be re-telling a story about God’s awesomeness, His power, His redemption and I just reduced His goodness to “blah, blah, blah.”

And the thing is, I think I do this more than I’d like to admit–downplaying God’s attributes. But why? Well, isn’t it obvious?

To keep reading, click HERE.

When Evil Wins…

I wanted to have the words…the right words. Words to comfort and give revelation, power and healing.

But they didn’t come.

I wanted to write about suffering and God’s purpose, about evil and overcoming.

But, I didn’t and…I can’t.

I wanted something I read somewhere else to comfort me and encourage me, to remind me of God’s goodness and His sovereignty.

But, I never did. I read words–beautiful words–that offered hope, but did not ease the pain.

I wanted to do something, anything, besides cry and pray, and cry some more.

But, I couldn’t.

But this is what I know…

That even when I can’t feel it, Jesus Christ is still good….

And even when I can’t see it, Jesus Christ is still King.

And I know this, that evil exists–and not in some abstract, untouchable, unknowable way. It exists now. Evil lives and breathes and destroys.

And it kills.

It kills dreams, and futures, marriages, and tomorrows, somedays, and families, innocence, and God’s promises.

Evil, on that day, thwarted God’s plans. Evil won.

But, I know this too…

It’s not over. The story is still being told and still being written.

God has not been subtracted from its telling. No.

He is thick and in the midst of it. He is the one doing the writing from here on out.

And if we allow Him, and we pray His power and purpose into being, and we allow Jesus to gather us up like a hen and her chicks, and we don’t forget the pain and the horror, and we surround ourselves in His beauty, then maybe…

Just maybe…

The story we will tell our children will have a different ending, where death and destruction is not the finale.

Where hope sprang forth and suffering had it’s terrible and glorious way in us. Not wasted. Not in vain. And not without making someone, anyone, more like the shining Son.

And I know this…

Beyond anything else, as sure as anything I have ever believed…

On that day, and beyond…

Jesus wept.

What is the Kingdom of God? Part 2

Let me begin, by stating (once again) that I am not a theologian. Nor, am I a Bible scholar and let’s be honest, this is not an easy subject. I am, however, a follower of Christ and as such, I have the Holy Spirit within me. And after all, it is the Spirit who brings revelation.

So to that end, in some small way, I am not only qualified, but approved to write about the Kingdom of God (As are you, I should point out).

That being said, to understand what the Kingdom of God is, we also have to understand what the Kingdom is not. It is not a mythical place in the clouds. It is not a liberal ideal, wherein society reaches a kind of man-made utopia. It is not the United States. It is not a political system. It is not a universal Church. It is not even Jesus Christ Himself.

So, what is the Kingdom of God?

Continue reading What is the Kingdom of God? Part 2

What is the Kingdom of God? Part 1

I’ve had the idea to wrote about the Kingdom of God since I started blogging, over 2 years ago. The post sat in my que, collecting dust, being passed over again and again for less heady, easier to swallow topics. I would occasionally glance at it, but quickly put it away because I felt tired just thinking about writing it.

But for some reason, in the last few days and weeks, the Lord has been showing me–reminding me really–that the concept of the Kingdom of God, while large in scope, should not feel elusive or overwhelming.

Because God is a God of Light and of revelation. He brings clarity and truth, not confusion. He is accesible and while yes, there are things pertaining to the Lord that will remain a mystery until we see Him face-to-face, I do not believe this is one of them.

Christians throw around the term the “Kingdom of God” quite often, but what do we really mean when we say that? What does scripture mean?

So, tomorrow, I’ll be writing about the Kingdom of God and how I have seen it revealed to me–and the revelation Jesus has brought me.

But, before then, I wanted to know your thoughts. Because like so many things I write, your comments, ideas, perspective, experience, and personal stories help shape and mold my own ideas. You feed me.

And so, I ask you…

What is the Kingdom of God, in your own words? How would you define it? I admit that not so long ago, I couldn’t have answered these questions and so if you find yourself in the same position, please know that it’s okay to say “I don’t know…but I want to find out.”

Quitting Church

None of us are perfect. Not one.

None of us are Christ and few of us are Christ-like. We fail each other. We sin against one another. We forget that we are meant to be a family and not merely a social club or association where we pay our annual dues.

But a real family, defined by its beauty and imperfections–its messiness and its glory.

Yet, families fail us because people fail us. The church fails us, not because it is broken, but because we are broken. Individually, we are broken pieces, often consumed by our dysfunction and our past, our pain and our shame.

Yet, in God’s family we are called chosen, redeemed, perfected, renewed, restored. We are not a soon-to-be or maybe-someday people of God. We are the people of God now. Today. Yesterday and Tomorrow.

The church in all its intended glory and rightful glory–it’s present glory and the glory that is to be revealed–is the body of Jesus Christ. And yet, it is still comprised of people–people like me, who fail, who sin, who forget that we are members of the family of the Most High God. Adopted. Once orphaned, but now named.

And so are they… Continue reading Quitting Church

What I Want vs. What I’ve Got

What I want…complete freedom

What I’ve got….days with fleeting feelings of freedom.

What I want…sleep.

What I’ve got…sleepless nights, awake in the dark.

What I want…to know Him intimately.

What I’ve got…a knowledge of Him that sometimes feels superficial, whether true or not.

What I want…salvation for my family.

What I’ve got…the hope that He wants the same thing.

What I want…a perfectly clean organized home.

What I’ve got…a semi-clean house, piles of laundry, dirty windows, lots of laughter.

What I want…to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What I’ve got…the Holy Spirit indwelling in me always, but not always overflowing.

What I want…a healthy, loving, fun, rockin’ marriage.

What I’ve got…a healthy, loving, fun, rockin’ marriage.

What I want…to give generously and freely.

What I’ve got…a heart that still holds back.

What I want…to be willing to love others, no matter what.

What I’ve got…a willingness to love others who are easy to love.

What I want…to believe and know that my Father in Heaven is a good and loving dad.

What I’ve got…a heart that is beginning to believe that He is a daddy, but a heart that has far to go.

What I want…to feel confident as a mother.

What I’ve got…daily insecurities and uncertainties about how to raise my children and meet their needs.

What I want…for the pain to evaporate.

What I’ve got…a God who loves me and whose grace is sufficient even on the days when the pain seems too much.

What I want…to surrender fully.

What I’ve got…one finger still gripping the steering wheel, one corner of my heart still protected, one piece of my dreams still unspoken.

The obvious question: What do you want versus what you’ve got? How can you get there?

Friday Findings: Sucky Christians, Baptism, and Single Ladies

Frieday Findings on Modern RejectOh man, after an almost two week hiatus, I was back this week and it felt guuud. I missed things around here, like you. Yeah, you.

I was also internet-less because I was computer-less so I wasn’t able to keep up with all of my favorite blogs. Today, however, I’m making up for it. I hope you enjoy this week’s Friday Findings because they are juicy and delicious…

This is the stuff that breaks my heart–when Christians have a bad name.

Have you ever had questions about what it means to be “baptized in the Holy Spirit?” This 4 part series from Frank Viola pretty much blew my mind and radically challenged my thinking and understanding of this idea.

Did you hear that the kid from the show Two and a Half Men is now a Christian…and get this…is telling people to stop watching his immoral, depraved, and generally sucky television show? Golden.

Why Rachel Held Evans Won’t Change Christianity from Daylight Atheism. I pretty much disagree with the arguments made regarding the why and how of patriarchy in Christianity–in this case, primarily Catholicism (but I do agree that no, Rachel Held Evans isn’t going to change Christianity). A good read whether you agree or disagree.

For those of us who grew up in chaos, surrounded by abuse, or battled a life of dysfunction–read this and thank Elizabeth Esther for offering such grace and freedom.

The 10 Ten People Christians are Better Than. Wish I had written it…

How Not to Help All the Single Ladies. Yes!

Read of the Week: Lately, I’ve been questioning the effectiveness of my prayers. I feel as though I pray for myself and…nada, zip, zilch. My totally amazing and faithful friends have assured me that this is not the case–that my prayers hold power and authority. All that to say, this post from Bianca Juarez this week was such a needed reminder. I was convicted and inspired.

Okay, your turn. Share away. I mean, don’t share too much so that you’re all creepy and uber-open ’cause no one likes that (I mean, I do, but you know). Just tell me what you read, or loved, or loathed this week. 

The Sin of a Sexless Marriage

Over the last year, I’ve had numerous husbands email me and share with me their heartbreaking, if not tragic, sex life stories. They explain how their wives, who were once willing to engage in sex 2-3 times a week have now become completely closed off, never wanting any type of physical interaction.

They tell me how much they love their wives, how attractive they still find her, how much they long to please her–be it emotionally or physically.

Some of these confessions are so raw, wounds so gaping, that I cry as I read them. Some are so personal and candid that I cannot read on and I pass them along to my husband and ask that he be the one to respond.

But, in all, I’m left feeling the sadness of their stories weigh upon my heart. How is it that two people who once felt the hope and promise of love–including sexual love– now live a sexless, passionless existence?

How do you get from one to the other? From a well-spring to a dried-up well? From a spiritual joining to an almost systematic dividing?

Of course, it is not just men who have written me expressing their pain and loss. Women write too (albeit far less) and share about their husbands lack of a sex drive, his disinterest in them physically, his addiction to pornography, or his excuses about being “too tired.”

This is what I want to say, whether it is popular or not because I’m preoccupied with truth–not popularity: A sexless marriage is a sin. And, it seems, many of us are sinning. Continue reading The Sin of a Sexless Marriage

Stop Church Shopping

We’ve all heard someone we know, when asked about where they are attending church, respond with something like, “Well, I’m church shopping. You know, just looking…”

We nod our heads in agreement or in sympathy, having once perhaps been in the same situation–visting church after church, Sunday after Sunday, often left feeling defeated or discouraged.

Some people, dare I say, even use the phrase “church shopping” as an excuse to linger churchless and out of community. It’s the acceptable way of saying, “I don’t feel like being part of a church right now.”

A few months back, I had a similar exchange with someone and, as I replayed the conversation in my mind, I got a little angry. I realized, I don’t think we are supposed to church shop. Ever, in fact. Continue reading Stop Church Shopping

The One Thing the Church Will Never Give You

From the archives…

I know a girl in her mid-twenties who was raised by a single mom and grew up without knowing her father.

For many of us who grow up fatherless or with strained father relationships, we experience great loss, as a result. Thankfully, this girl met Christ at any early age, yet she always longed for an earthly father to love her, not just her Father in Heaven.

When this particular girl was a few years older, she met a husband and wife in the their forties who began to show God’s love to her, counsel her, pray with her, and treat her like their own.

They asked her one day what is was that she needed–spiritually and emotionally. She paused and said she needed something that the Church would never give her… Continue reading The One Thing the Church Will Never Give You