It’s days like today that I don’t feel like much. I don’t feel like I matter. I just don’t. I’m tired and worn out, I can’t imagine why I have any friends, I don’t understand why anyone likes me or even loves me.
Then I remember, I was created for such a time as this. I was created to love and be loved.
I went to do my celebrity reading program today, it’s a silly thing that I do, I have no idea if it makes a difference outside of the ½ hour that I am there. I made them cookies and valentine’s today, and read a silly Valentine book. World changing, I am not so sure. I walked in today and it was a giant ‘gasp’ and they were so excited to see me, you can’t help but smile when a group of 27 (28 including the teacher) are happy to see you. I made them silly Valentines that simply said ‘You’re special’ and told them that I thought they were special and world changers, and I believe it. They are.
I was looking at a coffee table book for an organization called ‘Blue Planet Run’ and I was looking at the pictures. I was thinking about my nephews, Levi and Judah. I was laughing about their stinky poop and I started to get teared up thinking about what they had already endured in the less than a year they were in Rwanda and what they could have endured, what others endure because there is not clean water.
When you think of those things, how can I not do… something? How can I not run? How can I not raise money for beautiful faces? For beautiful lives that need someone to save them. I am so in awe of people who adopt from Africa (or anywhere) and I am just inspired by them. Right now… I’ll run.
I’ll run for beautiful faces. For beautiful lives. For beautiful love.
http://www.askmewhyiamwearingthisshirt.com/
James 2:14-26 (NIV) 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:14-26 (msg) 14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
18I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
19-20Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
21-24Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
25-26The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.
Then I remember, I was created for such a time as this. I was created to love and be loved.
I went to do my celebrity reading program today, it’s a silly thing that I do, I have no idea if it makes a difference outside of the ½ hour that I am there. I made them cookies and valentine’s today, and read a silly Valentine book. World changing, I am not so sure. I walked in today and it was a giant ‘gasp’ and they were so excited to see me, you can’t help but smile when a group of 27 (28 including the teacher) are happy to see you. I made them silly Valentines that simply said ‘You’re special’ and told them that I thought they were special and world changers, and I believe it. They are.
I was looking at a coffee table book for an organization called ‘Blue Planet Run’ and I was looking at the pictures. I was thinking about my nephews, Levi and Judah. I was laughing about their stinky poop and I started to get teared up thinking about what they had already endured in the less than a year they were in Rwanda and what they could have endured, what others endure because there is not clean water.
When you think of those things, how can I not do… something? How can I not run? How can I not raise money for beautiful faces? For beautiful lives that need someone to save them. I am so in awe of people who adopt from Africa (or anywhere) and I am just inspired by them. Right now… I’ll run.
I’ll run for beautiful faces. For beautiful lives. For beautiful love.
http://www.askmewhyiamwearingthisshirt.com/
James 2:14-26 (NIV) 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:14-26 (msg) 14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
18I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
19-20Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
21-24Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
25-26The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.
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