Interwoven

Once again, I am wrestling and grappling with understanding the deep love of the Creator for me. I guess before I can really begin to tackle God's love for me personally and the vastness of it (which frankly overwhelms me), I want to better understand it through the examples He left here. I talked in my last post about the blood bond in the body of Christ. This time, I want to talk about the love bond.

Have you ever pictured the body of Christ as this intricate, interwoven tapestry....maybe like Joseph's coat of many colors? Each thread serves a purpose. Each one is made a specific color with a specific weaving, a specific origin. It has to be fashioned out of something. Silk thread comes from a worm...what humble beginnings. But to get back on point...I was asked the question in a devotional I am going through on the Psalmist David that I will pose to you...

In thinking about your closest friendships, what would you say beyond preference or circumstance has drawn you together?

For me, the answer was simple: the Lord.

OK...so that begs the question: why is the Lord such an integral part of these friendships? How is it that a relationship with the Lord alone can push past preference, personality, different backgrounds, opinions, denominations, politics...all the things that divide us, to make us the best of friends?

This was a simple yet very profound question for me as I looked at my friendships and really began to evaluate the common thread that united us. It was easiest for me to look back at my friends from last summer and a couple other close relationships in my life, namely with my cousins and a couple friends I grew up with to see that the answer really boiled down to LOVE. Not an obligation to love them, but CHOOSING wholeheartedly to love them.

So what does this mean....well I looked at a few things in scripture that God calls believers to look like and act like:

-We are to be like-minded, having the same love, of one accord, one mind (Philippians 2:2)
-one in heart and soul (Acts 4:32)
-love neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)
-a friend loves at ALL times (Proverbs 17:17)
-love as own soul (1 Samuel 20:17)

That last one about loving one another as our own soul was something that Jonathan had for David. Notice that this commitment did not come as a result of any promises from David to love him back but came in spite of no promise to love him back. He loved David and cared about him as he loved the very core and eternal part of himself.

The Lord truly intended His body to become One in every aspect that would last. The Lord charges us to "Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, with all your SOUL, and with all your MIND." Notice the three amigos? We are to be like-minded, one in heart and soul! The same way we are to love Christ, we are to love one another and demonstrate that. Do you know how incredibly freeing that is? Do you realize this blessing?

It means distance and time are inconsequential...
We can be up front, blunt, and honest without fear of rejection...
We can be vulnerable, sharing our hearts because these people are safe....

You may be thinking, "Well I have been hurt worse by Christians than by those who aren't believers. These things can't and aren't true or realistic!" WRONG! This is what the Body is called to...and I am coming to you from a place where I can say that I have been hurt worse by my Christian friends than my non-Christian friends. But I also come to you from a point in my life where God is healing the hurt caused by those broken relationships, and where He has given me beautiful friends, though many are distant, as replacements. If Satan can attack relationships within the Body, He can minimize our understanding and even make us bitter towards the design and relationship God desires to demonstrate through His people. I am so thankful that love wins out in the end!

Do you see the heart of our God for us? He gave us the Body to show how much He loves us and how much we are to love Him. Yet it is just a taste of how huge His love actually is. Oh that we may understand it better and be secure and confidant in it. I pray that God shows you His love through the Body and I pray that you grow to see how important those relationships are. And I pray desperately that you know the deep, deep love He has for you. If you are all alone and do not believe in the God I speak of, know that He already loves you simply because He made you, and that He created you to have an intimate love relationship with Him. You don't have to be lonely anymore. The body is an interwoven tapestry full of people of every size, shape, color, personality, and preference and yet we complete a masterpiece woven by the Master Designer that showcases His great love for us.

Thankful and treasured,
Kar

Life Blood

Have you ever heard the expression, "Blood is thicker than water?" For some reason this idea of blood has stuck with me the last couple of weeks. In my goal this year to better understand the deep love of Christ, I think it is necessary to look past simply who He is (although that is vitally important and I will be doing that as well) and seek to understand the symbols He put in place to indicate His great love for us. One of them is the bond of blood. Keep in mind when I talk about blood, I am talking about a unifying factor.

Before I left for Christmas break, I was sitting with my cousin, Jonathan, at a Christmas party. We were having a friendly disagreement about something, but I could tell we were both getting a little frustrated. I looked at him and said, "At the end of the day, we are still blood and you are stuck with me." No matter what the disagreement, at the end of the day, we were still family.

The Lynch side of my family also demonstrates this idea of blood. Over the years, I have watched some crazy and rough things happen that could and did tear at the fabric of our family. However, at the end of the day, usually no matter how bad the situation or act was, they still would accept and love one another. They were still blood and that overrode all the other stuff, even if harmony wasn't completely restored.

So this got me thinking. Because my closest friends are Christians, they are the ones that can hurt, frustrate, or make me laugh the most. But they are blood! Do you realize that? When Jesus died on the cross for us and said that anyone who calls on His name will be saved, and in coming to Him we are washed in His blood, purified, and cleansed from our sin...then all those who call on His name are washed and bonded by His blood. That blows my mind!

God created the church to be like-minded, one body, unified in spirit, to fellowship, learn, grow, comfort, support, and encourage one another. In other words, because you are the family of God...YOU ARE STUCK WITH ONE ANOTHER. And not even stuck...you get the privilege of knowing that these people, no matter where you go in life, are guaranteed to reenter it again, whether here or in eternity. How clever of the evil one to attack relationships and fellowship within the church. At the end of the day, no matter how much anger, disappointment, pain, frustration, or bitterness has been experienced YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY TOGETHER! There is no disowning, no escaping. As I told my cousin, you are stuck with one another because you are bonded by the blood of the Lamb. So it is time to start acting like family.

So what does this have to do with love? We are called as the body of Christ to love one another. We are also the bride of Christ and there is no greater love than Christ laying down His life for us. He desires the love within the Body to represent the love He has for us. Our relationships are meant to be just a tiny glimpse of the fellowship and love we will experience in eternity.

If you don't know the Lord, I pray desperately that you will know His deep love for you. If you are alone...please recognize and allow the Body to love on you. They are your family...you are bonded by blood. Now is a great time to get a jump start on eternity and learning to love one another..

"This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

Growing in His love,

Kar

How Deep

Hello and Happy New Years from, well, somewhere in Eastern Arkansas. I am back and reunited with my amazing family from last summer. Somehow it seems appropriate to bring in the new year with a group of people that walked through the highs and lows of God breaking me and teaching me surrender. Not easy and I am so much more grateful for them for sticking through it. But enough on that.

2009 was a rough year. Definitely a year of learning brokenness and surrender and seeing the beauty that comes out of chaos. So much of this year I would never wish to redo. God took me through the mountains and the desert and though I have grown and my heart has been softened, I would never wish to redo it. Needless to say, I have looked forward to this day with a lot of anticipation. A new start, new possibilities, and new adventures just waiting to be pursued one day at a time.

As I have started this new year and even for the last few weeks, the Lord has been teaching me the gentleness of His love. God is described in Hebrews 12:29 as "an all-consuming fire." Can you imagine that? His love for you is so amazing that He is described as fire. Now there is a guy that is hot! Ha bad joke but still. So this year, my desire is to understand the gentleness, intimacy, and all-consuming, all-encompassing love of the God who created me uniquely. I believe when we understand that, then fear, insecurity, and complacency flee. It is amazing to me that I find in the Lord everything I crave in human companionship, and it makes me wonder why I would ever seek anything else.

So as I meditate on His amazing love these lyrics have been on my heart. I pray that as you read them, you will see the sweet love that your Savior has for you and that if you don't know Him, you will understand that He came to seek and save and loves you because He created you so uniquely!

"How deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure
that He should give His only Son
to make a wretch His treasure."

You are His treasure! And I pray that you curl up in His arms this year and accept and acknowledge the depth of His love for you!

Loving His love,
Kar

Fearless Heart

About a month ago, I had a panic attack. I say panic attack but really it was more like a tightening sensation in my stomach complete with butterflies and a racing heart, shortness of breath, and a fight-or-flight response. And no, in case you're wondering, it was not a result of a guy (believe me, I would have preferred that). Nope, it was my reaction to fear and to a realization of what the next year could hold. Grad school applications are in, and now it is time to start on financial aid applications and internship applications. But in the middle of all that, it became very real to me that I will be moving out of the state and potentially far away from my family for at least two years. It is easy to talk about it, easy to know that that is what I am supposed to be doing, easy to distance myself. After all, it is still months off. But then the reality of my decision set in when I hit send on the last application...and I was scared. Fear was crowding in.

As an English major, I love quotes. I recently came across one that really gave me a peace in the midst of this fear. A man named John Haggai says, "Attempt to do something so impossible that unless God is in it, it is doomed to failure." Wow, that packs a punch. That is exactly what I feel I have done with grad school. Even my professor has told me that I have a very slim shot of getting into some of the schools I have applied to. Big cause to fear. Then I remember that I serve a big God and if I am supposed to get into one of these schools, then it will be a God-thing. I will confidently be able to say that it is nothing that I did. Then....I turned to scripture to see what the Lord says about fear.

Fear is the result of trouble and anguish that can overpower you - Job 15:24

Fear consumes - Psalm 73:19

Fear couples with distress and anxiety, but is an earthly reaction and not one of fearing the Lord - Proverbs 1:27-29

Fear should cause believers to trust in Christ and realize man can't do anything - Psalm 56:3-4,11

Fear overwhelms us and causes us to want to run, but then we go to God to get peace - Psalm 55:5, 18

Safety and security in Christ cast out fear - Proverbs 1:33

Perfect love casts out fear and perfection can only be found in our Creator - 1 John 4:18

Lord grants rest from fear - Isaiah 14:3

Waiting on the Lord and realizing who He is (Light, salvation, strength, promises courage of heart) dispels fear - Psalm 27:1, 14

We are not given a spirit of fear - 2 Timothy 1:7

He has redeemed us and called us by name, erasing all need to fear - Isaiah 43:1

And here is my favorite one...Psalm 119:105-106 says His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. He is guiding and directing me and therefore....NOTHING will I fear.

One of my favorite bands growing up was Point of Grace. They sing a song that is encouraging to me when I focus on my fears. It has become my prayer as I see that fear is not a healthy thing, unless it is fear of the Lord. It is a human, natural reaction and is therefore of the flesh and not God-honoring. It says, "I wanna live with a fearless heart, with courage that's coming from trusting God. It is constantly guiding me though the road may seem long. I wanna live with a fearless heart."

My prayer for you is that surrendering that fear to the One who made you and loves you like no one ever will, will bring a peace that passes all understanding, and that you will rest in the promises He has made to you, even when you can't see where He is leading. No fear! He is in control and still on His throne.

Praying for a fearless heart,
Kar

On Guard!

I have been absolutely terrible with keeping up with this lately. The Lord has been teaching me so much but it will have to wait until another time. Right now, an issue has come to my attention that has been heavy on my heart this week. Before you read the rest of this post, please read this article.

"Supreme Court takes case of student group that bars gay members" http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20091207/ts_csm/achristian

One guess what kind of student group that was. That's right...it was a Christian club called the Christian Legal Society at Hastings College in San Fransisco. Please hear me...I in no way desire to be extremist but I do believe Christians and non-Christians alike need to be aware. The dynamics of certain aspects of our country are changing. And they are not changing in favor of believers. This group is being charged with discrimination against a fellow homosexual student who desired membership within the group, as well as a potential leadership position, but refused to sign the contract necessary to become a member which included things such as: belief that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, was resurrected, returned to Heaven, the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, sex before marriage is wrong, etc.

Are you seeing anything un-Biblical yet? This group was holding its members to a high standard which I greatly admire. As a result, this case is being brought before the Supreme Court. Did you catch that? The SUPREME COURT! Guys, depending on how the court rules, we could see religiously based organizations on our campuses forced to changed their rules drastically or be disbanded. That means your fraternities, sororities, FCA, Christian clubs, anything and everything religious could be required to change their membership qualities to include anyone who wants to join and will be charged with discrimination if they choose otherwise.

If I am being honest, this scared me. My desire is to write Christian based material in a secular college setting for the next two years of grad school and it is possible that this ruling could effect that as well. As I began to think and pray about it, the Lord brought two passages to mind.

The first is in Acts 4....let me break this scene down for you. Peter and John have just healed a lame man through the power of the Lord and are now preaching about Jesus to a big crowd. I want you to note several key things and see if they remind you at all of this big decision that is about to go before the Supreme Court or of the changing temperament towards Christians in our nation right now.

Peter and John are arrested by the religious leaders of the day, who were pretty much the Law to the Jewish community. They were disturbed that Peter and John were preaching about Jesus and that people were listening and responding. Here is an interesting fact...the Sadducees were a religious sect that were part of this arrest. Here is my favorite part. This sect was described as being "liberal, compromisers, and political opportunists." Ring any bells? I'll leave political parties for you to think about.

Anyways, these leaders threw Peter and John in jail to shut them up and then brought them before the Sanhedrin (which was a place where these leaders all got together to make big decisions or in this case, try Peter and John). Know what their question was? "By what power or by what name have you done this?" (vs 7). Hm that is a very loaded question and sure enough Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, lets them have it. Know what he does? He shares the gospel with them!! He boldly claims the name of Jesus Christ, and claims the power of His death and resurrection.

Here is a cool part. So the leaders are listening to these guys and it says that "they saw their (Peter and John's) boldness, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, and they were amazed." (vs 13). Now let's stop and compare. These leaders could not deny the boldness of these men, nor could they deny that technically by society's standards these guys were working class, low, and dumb. But yet they spoke with confidence and knowledge, and they could not deny the evidence. This lame man is standing right in front of them! They saw the evidence of a changed life. May this be said when this decision is brought to the Supreme Court. My prayer is that they see the boldness of this group and regardless of what happens they cannot deny the evidence of changed lives.

But to keep going, stay with me, I know this is long...the leaders deliberated and came back to Peter and John and commanded/threatened them not to speak or teach the name of Jesus anymore. Peter and John pretty much tell them, "Hey you are the religious leaders, you let us know whether it is better to listen to God or you, but we are going to keep telling of what we have seen and know." Did they back down? Absolutely not!! Did the judge and jury's decision ultimately matter when it came to things of the Lord? Absolutely not!! So you draw your own conclusions of what I think of the Supreme Court's decision either way.

So the first thing Peter and John do is they go back to their companions and it says that "they raised their voices with one accord" and then acknowledged the awesomeness power of their God. I don't know about you, but some of the sweetest times for me this past summer were spent with friends talking about the Lord, encouraging one another, praying, and then worshiping our God! There is amazing power in that.

Now here is the most important part of this whole passage to me. These followers of Jesus pray that the Lord will grant them all boldness to share Him and that amazing things will be done through them in His name. Then look at the power of their prayer..."And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." (vs 31) Wow!

So let's bring this back home to 2009 and the Supreme Court's ultimate decision. It is so easy to sit back and say, "Well I have no power here. What happens will happen." Hello! Do you realize apathy is wrong? The Lord has called us to proclaim Him boldly! So let's do it. What can we do? Let Christians know about this...it will most likely not be all over the media. Look it up for yourself...research it. And then as Christian students and adults, let's be of one heart and mind like the example of this early church. Ultimately, the decision doesn't matter. Our God is Sovereign either way. And let's pray...let's see our country shaken. We have a relationship with the God of the Universe!!! Talk to Him and surrender this decision to His capable hands.

The final thing I want to share with you is this: 1 Peter 5:8 is a warning to Christians. "Be sober, be vigilant for you adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." Be on guard, be aware of what is going on in our country and the changing atmosphere and attitude towards believers. Here is the promise after that verse...verse 10 and 11 say "After you have suffered awhile", note that it says after and not if. It is a guarantee that suffering will come. But in the end the Lord promises to perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. We may be undergoing personal attack as Christians but we are being beautifully perfected by our Savior in the process. My prayer for each one of you is that we are bold and see the hand of our God in the midst of this.

Praying for boldness,
Kariss

Heritage

Heritage is a big deal to me. I spent Tuesday driving home from Lubbock to Dallas and looking at the beautiful West Texas country...the cotton fields, open spaces, oil rigs, small country churches, and windmills...in other words the life blood and history of this land. As I have taught in classes preparing for Thanksgiving, I have been reminded of the rich heritage I have as an American. No matter how much historical revisionism exists, no matter how much politicians try to say otherwise, the roots of this nation lie with people who desired to worship God freely and walked by faith and not by sight in crossing the ocean and starting over. So today, like so many bloggers, I reflect and thank the Lord for what He has allowed me to experience and the family and friends He has chosen to bless me with.

-An amazing family, Godly parents who push me to love the Lord, and serve Him wholeheartedly. Both sides of my family have and continue to instill me with the values and morals that have shaped who I am today.-Courtney and Clinton are awesome examples of what a Godly marriage should look like
-My cousins and best friends

-my Alpha family from this summer. The Lord radically changed my life and I am so thankful for not only these amazing new friends who I constantly run to but the new peace and attitude the Lord has instilled in me this year.

-My roommates from this summer...Ashley, Brittany, and Rachel. Love these girls
-Never underestimate the bonds of community when the Lord is involved
-My Nebraska best friend....one sweet girl with an amazing heart for the Lord
-The guys showed me what a guy pursuing the Lord and learning to lead should look like.
-thankful for sunsets that are gorgeous.
-this country that I am blessed to live in.
-the passions, dreams, and desires that the Lord has placed on my heart. -
SALVATION. This one should be first. My Lord is strong, mighty to save, loving, and gentle
-and so so so much more.

Take time to thank the Lord specifically for the things in your life that you know you couldn't live without. These things, these people are my heritage from the Lord and for these I am so thankful and so humbled.

Blessed,
Kar

Wilderness Wandering

In the Bible, the desert and the mountain seem to be places that God takes His children to test and teach them. I understand the mountain experience better after living in them for a couple months this summer. But the past week, I have been wrestling with the concept of the desert. I think the desert is a time where God does some serious work on our hearts.

1)The desert is meant to isolate us
Do you ever feel incredibly lonely? The kind of lonely where you can be in a crowd of people, maybe even your own friends and family, and feel disconnected? I think our desert walks are times where God isolates us from people and things we would normally run to to prove Himself all-sufficient. In Genesis 21:14-21, Abraham sends his mistress, Hagar, and his son, Ishmael away, and the two wander in the wilderness. When Hagar and Ishmael have run out of food and water and think they are going to die, God speaks to her and makes her the promise that Ishmael will also grow into a blessed nation and then He provides for them. Would God have spoken to her like that if they had not been isolated and had nowhere else to go?

The children of Israel wandered in the desert and were isolated for forty years. Exodus 13:17 says, "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said,'Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.' But God led the people around by way of the wilderness."God knew the hearts of His people and their desire to run back to a place that was familiar when the going got tough. He knew they wouldn't run to Him. So what did He do? Yep, led them into the wilderness. God provided food from Heaven, water from rocks, a pillar of smoke to lead them by day, and a pillar of fire to lead them by night. He showed Himself mighty, their Provider, and in control even in their desert.

The desert is a place where God breaks us so that we turn to Him. He shows up in mighty ways that we might have missed if we were still in the midst of our mountaintop experience. This week I asked the Lord if He was lonely for human companionship during His wandering in the desert. But then I realized, because He and the Father are One, He was never alone....and neither are we. If we are in Christ and Christ is in the Father then we are NEVER alone. Even in the midst of our desert wanderings.

2) The desert refines and equips us
You may be thinking, "I'd rather just stay on top of the mountain and God can move in little ways in my life. After all, He will still be moving, right?" Here's the deal...desert experiences are part of life and the goal of the Christian is a metamorphosis or transformation to be more like Christ. To have that transformation, we must have the mountain top experiences as well as the desert wanderings. So not only does the desert isolate us so God can show Himself mighty, but the desert refines and equips us for the journey ahead. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life into the desert from the wicked Queen Jezebel. God often takes us into the desert to shape us and speak to us in a still small voice, like He did to Elijah. I think often times in our contentment and joy on top of the mountain when everything is going well we neglect that still small voice because we just don't think we need to hear it.

Have you ever studied desert plants or animals? Not only does the Lord send us out into the desert to refine us but He is equipping us for our next trek up the mountain. Take camels for instance...they can withstand temperature changes and little water that would kill most other animals. Cacti conserve water within their bodies to enable them to go with little water for a long period of time. Do you get the picture? He gives us strength for the drought! Isaiah 43:19-21 says, "The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, for I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." He doesn't send us into the desert to die or be miserable...He sends us to equip, strengthen, and enable us for what is coming. These plants and animals not only survive but thrive in the desert. If the Lord does this for the plants and animals (Matthew 6: 26-30), how much more will He do it for you who are created in His very image (Genesis 1:26)?

3)The desert is a place to both remember and forget
In 1 Chronicles, David charges the people to remember the miracles and judgments God had done. The Old Testament is full of encouragement for the people to remember the things God had done for them in the desert. They were charged to remember in order to not forget the One who never left them. But in Isaiah 43:18, the Lord says, "Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." The Jews are a people of rich heritage and tradition, but they could get so bogged down on what God had done in the past that they weren't looking to see what He wanted to do next. The desert is both a place for us to remember what God has done but also look toward the horizon with anticipation for what He both desires and promises to do. As a friend told me recently, "We remember, but we don't dwell."

I don't know where you are at in your life right now. You may be smack dab in the middle of a desert that seems to have no end. If you know the Lord, understand that the desert is His tool to draw you closer. He is strengthening you and refining you more into His image through the process. Beauty in the brokenness, remember? For those that may feel like they are going through a never-ending desert and don't know the Lord...could it be that He is using this time to break you and draw you to Himself? If you choose to follow Him, He promises to walk with you and strengthen you. There is hope in His name! Otherwise, your desert wanderings are meaningless. Find comfort that this God that loves and created you placed you in the desert for a purpose. Remember what He has done and look for the pillar of fire that is leading you out of the desert and to the next mountain He has purposed for you to climb!

Following Him in the desert,
Kar