4/21/06

(He's got some big shoes to fill.)













Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of You? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

This is the final verse of the 7 verses that have become cornerstones of my faith. What a journey! And to think, the vast majority of this growth has taken place over the past 5 or 6 years! It's as if I went through a 7 step program:

1. Romans 1:21-23 - Admittance

2. John14:6 - Finding The Way

3. Romans 5:8 - Letting go of Guilt

4. Romans 12:2 - Reformation

5. John 14:27 - (Real)Peace

6. Psalm 37:3-4 - Action

7. Micah 6:8 - My Calling

I have mentioned before that my interest and heartbeat for the poorer people of inner cities was fashioned in me at a young age. One of the benefits of attending a large church was all the resources it provided. All the areas of serving it opened up. And for me, the monthly weekend trips to inner-city LA molded my perspective of how Jesus would be spending his time if He were in the flesh with us on earth today. It's difficult to live in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation and still be open to the fact that it's not all about me. Although I live a very comfy life at my core is a hope and a love for the outcasts of society.

A struggle I still battle every so often is my desire to be out there, to be in the "field", in the heart of a metropolitan city where I'm the minority and my neighbors are all from different cultures. Where the signs of life aren't status and comfort but rather stability and community. I'm torn between a life where bigger means better and where better means better - than last week, or last year, or yesterday.

Knowing that God was ready and willing to give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4) I was thrilled to learn a ground breaking truth: Rich People Need Jesus Too! According to Micah 6:8, which has become my banner verse, I have three goals in this life; to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God. That is my anchor verse. It doesn't specify who I need to direct these goals towards it just says do it. (Just do it. Who knew the Nike slogan is biblical?) This verse confirms my desire to serve the needy at the same time not putting a label on who those needy might be. The people of Newport Beach may be prettier than the gutter punks of San Francisco, but are their souls not just as lost? Wealth is one of the hardest addictions to kick. Worldliness is so habit forming, I know, I have been there.

My brother, Jason, showed me this verse for the first time. I think we were in high school and I remember him reading it. I'm not clear on if he was reading it to me personally, or if we were at church and he was talking about it. But I distinctly hear his voice when I read or think about it, even to this day. I think it was his life verse at the time, perhaps it still is. I remember him writing it on things, so I did too because I wanted to do everything Jason did. I didn't know the profound meaning it would have in my life 10 years later. I remember singing this verse at church in one of my favorite worship songs. And I remember Jason leading worship. It's a good memory for me to have; I'm very thankful for it.

There are MANY other verses that have taught me specific lessons throughout my life. If anyone doubts the relevancy of the Bible it is their loss for not recognizing the absolute modern day applicability, for not trusting the Maker to provide Truth for all the ages, past and present. Then again, I guess one would first have to actually trust the Maker. Period.

So that's who I am, I suppose, as defined by my seven little/HUGE verses that have made their mark on me. I've really enjoyed thinking and getting this down. It gave me a chance to reflect on where I've been, where I am and where I'm going. I founds patterns I need to still be aware of. I found recurring statements like "I know a song with this verse in it" or "I've known this verse my whole life". This encourages me to be diligent with Ben in reading and teaching him the Word, like my parents were with me. The times when I was so far away from even thinking about reading the Bible, little kid songs from my elementary school days would still be in my heart and mind. I learned that at times it's good to question the validity of a church or a religion, even your own.

Does the verse in Micah end my story? No way. My prayer is that in a couple of years, and then a couple more years, and then a few more years after that, I'll still be adding to the verses which benchmark my life. And someday maybe we will be in the inner city field and I can say "remember when Newport was my inner-city?" The fact is I don't think I will ever be able to pinpoint a time when I "became a Christian". To be a Christian is to follow Christ. And follow is a verb, an action word. Therefore I become a Christian everyday because everyday I'm choosing to follow Him.

That's all I got.

Today I am thankful for...

1. posting again.

2. verses that I can recognize as God's word to me.

3. seeing Carrie and the boys today. It has been a couple of weeks and both boys seemed to have grown up so much!

4. all the MOPS girls from my table coming over with their kids!!

5. Mark going to Disneyland with me and Ben on Wednesday!! What a treat!

6. Time with my parent's last night, and the good laughs we had.

7. the advice my mom gave me about giving Ben dinner when he wakes up from his afternoon nap so that he'll eat more and be happier. (we've realized that come 5 o'clock Ben has just about one thing on his mind -bedtime! Dinnertime is never easy but with this slight adjustment he had a big meal after his nap and then a smaller one, more of a snack, before bed.) It worked beautifully today, let's see what tomorrow brings...

8. my cousin always looking out for me. Sweet girl.

9. the awesome time we had at the Fitzpatrick's house last weekend. We saw an incredible production of the Passion Play at their church and then had a wonderful dinner. My parent's were there too, which added to the fun. Ben hunted for eggs and put each of them into a basket. Just last year we were putting HIM into a basket. My how time flies...

10. time with Anthony, Ali and George. So fun having glass of really good wine and sitting around a fire pit with those three. I wished they all lived closer.