The Who and the What

     Have you ever thought a comment was really good... until you found out who said it? Who says it, and what they are referring to, can make all the difference in the world! One time, I was surprised to find out that someone I didn't particularly like happened to appreciate the same literature that I did. I wasn't sure how to respond--do I adjust my perception of that person, or do I shift my literary preferences?

     Sometimes feelings are affected by people who hold similar perceptions. Sometimes our feelings are affected by what they are applied to. This last point struck me when I read through the United Nations Charter.

     As I read the Charter with its values and principles, I couldn't help but notice how much the UN sounded like a religion. It aims to establish lasting peace.  It seeks to mobilize the whole world in the work of the UN. Its members profess faith in the UN and commit to its principles, Charters, and international laws.

     Now, how about we replace that with a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a commitment to His commands and laws and vision? These are also “indispensable foundations of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world.” It is only through acting in accordance with the “purposes and principles of [God]... that any just and lasting peace all over the world” can be established (quotations are from the UN Charter, with minor adjustments in square brackets)!

      Somehow, the world perceives it differently when it is not about the God of the Bible.  Somehow, it is not religious bigotry when the UN is involved.

   

My story or your story?

What kind of story are you living? Or maybe a more pointed question: Whose story are you living?

Did you know that when you work really hard on a project, blood flow increases to to your brain and overflows into your brain's pleasure center? This gives you an enjoyable feeling of accomplishment. However, according to Dr. Jeff Myers in the movie CAPTIVATED (see previous post), when we use technology like video and computer games, they give us the same feelings of pleasure. Only, that is because they drain blood from the executive center into the pleasure center. As a result, we feel good and like we have accomplished something—and we haven't.

When I learned that, I heard a sinister echo of Huxley's “Brave New World.” Instead of soma, the panacea for all feelings of discomfort or ill, we can manufacture a pleasure fix for ourselves with our ubiquitous technology. Instead of the 'feelies', we watch 3D HD movies and vicariously enjoy the characters' experiences.

As our world becomes increasingly virtual, our lives are too. Technology does have a role in business and school, but what is its role in our entertainment and 'free time'? Is our 'free time' becoming a self-imposed jail sentence to technology?

As a student, I find that I use the computer a lot. It facilitates essays and research. But when I watched the clips from CAPTIVATED, I thought about how much 'screen time' I have and I was surprised.

Lately I have been struggling with what kind of impact I have on my world. More to the point, I am struggling with the lack of impact I seem to exert on my world. Then I wondered what kind of impact I expected to have if all I did was sit in front of my computer. “The Story of a Young Girl who Sat at the Computer” doesn't sound very reportable or world-changing. It brings up a haunting question:

Will the world be a better place because I have lived—or will no one even notice the loss of what could-have-been?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

Isn't technology captivating?

Are you free?  Or not?
According to merriam-webster.com, 'captivating' means "to influence and dominate by some special charm, art, or trait and with an irresistible appeal."  The definition seems almost light-hearted.  However, a film that came out in 2011, CAPTIVATED:  finding freedom in a media captive culture, gives another dimension to this word.
I have only watched video clips from the movie so far, but I hope to watch the whole thing sometime soon.  Am I living in a 'techno-utopia'?... or a 'virtual prison'?  I have a feeling that my life story needs a rescue mission from captivity...
Does yours too?

 
http://www.captivatedthemovie.com/

LIFE story!

      Much Ado about Nothing, Oliver Twist, Heart of Darkness, The Odyssey, The Bible ... What do these all have in common? Aren't they all stories that were written long ago, and yet continue to compel us?

      The whole idea of 'Story' has fascinated me for a long time. I am an avid reader, something I credit eleven years of home-schooling for. I love how stories relate to my own life... how they open up previously unthought-of possibilities... I especially love biographies, like Jungle Pilot (Nate Saint's story), Kisses from Katie (Katie Davis' story), and my latest read, An Autobiography of George Muller. These real-life stories inspire me because they actually happened. Fiction authors can construe any unlikely scenario and insert it into their plot.

      However, I like fiction as well. Artful authors can write stories that speak truth into difficult situations and question societal expectations, even if they have no single person's story to tell. For me, Deadline by Randy Alcorn was one such thought-provoking read. Another good book is A million miles in a thousand years by Don Miller, which not only stimulated by brain cells but also helped to shape my love and appreciation of 'Story' itself.

      I am not entirely sure what is so compelling about story, except that maybe it is wired into us . According to one source, it seems we may possess some 'story-telling' gene that enables us to look into the future and analyze the past, relating everything together into a cohesive story. (I am trying to unearth the link to where I learned that, but am having some difficulties.  I heard it on a movie interview with a professional story-teller, but can't quite remember where.  If you are interested in this, contact me and I will try to find it and send it to you.)

      Maybe we are attracted by 'Story' because we are part of a story ourselves, told by a story-telling God who made us in His image. Maybe 'Story' speaks to us because we are living it as part of God's comprehensive story of Redemption..

      I love how everyone has their own subplot to relate in this overarching story that God is telling in the world. In every boring face that I see is a challenge to unearth whatever interesting story it hides. At one ladies' Christmas program, I found myself next to an amiable enough, well-dressed lady. We had barely started into our desserts, and I was already bored by the small talk. So I decided to show interest in her as a person and the story she had to tell. It turned out that she is a Christian now, but her ancestors were Mennonites in Russia. During WWII, Lenin sent her grandfather to a Siberian concentration camp because he refused to fight as a soldier. Her grandfather survived, however, by escaping with the lumber that he loaded onto ships headed for England... What a story! It turned out to be an interesting evening after all.

      I like to hear people's stories, and not only because I find it personally interesting. It also excites me to see how God is working in the world—it is like reading the God's story of redemption hot off the press! As we share our stories, we get a better picture of who this God is that we serve and what His kingdom looks like. In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we would begin to know, with all our fellow believers, what is the height and breadth and depth and height of Christ's love. Christ's love is sooo big that it takes all the believers to even begin to understand it! I like to think of it in terms of the story of the blind men who wanted to find out what an elephant is like. They all went up to an elephant and felt it. The first felt its tail and thought, “Ahhh. An elephant is long and thin, like a rope.” The second felt is massive side: “I see, an elephant is broad and flat like a wall.” The third felt the beast's leg, and concluded that “an elephant is strong and round like a pillar.” Then they spent the rest of the day arguing over what an elephant was like. By themselves, none of them had the whole picture. Yet, if they combined their experiences, they would begin to grasp the magnitude and nature of the beast that we call 'elephant.'

      On this blog, I want to open up and share my story within God's story. I hope that as I share how God is penning my life, it would encourage you in your story and give you a fuller picture of our awesome Creator God. I don't know what this coming year will look like, but I know that it will be exciting because it is has a purpose and a goal, and it is told by a Master Story-teller.

blog: new name

Hello readers,
Just to let you know that I am changing the title and purpose of this blog from "Faith... Hope... Love..." to "LIFE story."  So don't become confused and do come back and read more!  My next post will share with you the new vision for this blog (which will hopefully breathe some new life into it).  Thank you for stopping by to 'chat' with me!  I appreciate it
Melissa

Make-believe

      Last Friday night I watched a movie about the WWII Holocaust:  "Life is Beautiful."  It is so sad and so not sad all at the same time.  Sometimes I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!  It was interesting how Guido's irrepressibility changed as his naivete morphed into a grim grasp of reality.  Yet he never gave in for the sake of his son, and I couldn't help but admire his stamina and his resourcefulness. 
     Over the course of the film, I couldn't help but wonder how much we Westerners shut our eyes to what's going on in the world--what's going on in our very backyards.  I wonder how many stories we fabricate--not only for our children but for ourselves!--to explain away the horrors happening around us... slavery, abortion, abuse, gangs, the sex trade, murder...
     Stories are ok for children, I suppose.  My heart hurts with the hurting child's.  But as adults we need to face our problems and climb our mountains.  We as people are the ones who bring in these horrible regimes, we as people are the ones who must take responsibility to change them.

     A make-believe world proffers peaceful complacency.  But it doesn't satisfy God's call for justice and action--“Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed" (Isaiah 56:1).  And it doesn't change what is reality for many people. 

     It is easy to view the Nazi concentration camps as an unequalled epitome of cruelty and inhumanity.  And yet people now suffer just as much, or perhaps more, in North Korea, China, the Middle East...  These victims are all fellow humans, and usually our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well.  
     ...But do you know what the saddest part of all this is?  We don't even care enough to fabricate stories about them to placate our consciences.  We just ignore them.
     Lord, give me a heart for justice that mirrors your heart.  Give me the vision to see clearly and the courage to act on it.  


"So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually."  Hosea 12:6

Bits and Pieces of my Family

Today I want to tell you some about my family. Family is so important! And even though I have not personally met all of my family members, I love them all very much. I am so blessed with all my brothers and sisters who challenge me, encourage me, and help me grow. And so allow me to share with you about a couple of these special people.

My one brother is Nick Vujacic. I've never met him personally. To tell the truth, there's not a lot of him to meet, physically. He was born without arms or legs, but with enough attitude to make up for it—attitudes of gratitude, action, empathy and forgiveness. His fun-loving spirit, passion for God, and joyful abandon have encouraged me to see past my circumstances and dare to dream big. He is an older brother who challenges me and encourages me to live for God without limits!

I have another older brother, with all his limbs but without his freedom. His name is Youcef Nadarkhani and he is in an Iranian prison. There he is pressured to recant his Christian faith and tortured for protesting Iranian laws which required my nephews, his sons, to study the Quran in school. His wife has also been imprisoned several times. My heart hurts for him, his wife, and his sons, and yet I feel honored that my brother remains firm in his convictions. I pray that God will give him strength to continue!

Then I have a sister, Somchi. Right now she is living in a small village in Laos. We look very little alike on the outside, but I hope that my heart will be forgiving like hers when I grow up. Her neighbors make fun of her, and one day when she was not home they came into her house and burned her Bible. But she never gives up-- “It's the world's right to hate us or love us,” she says. “But for me, I will follow Jesus.” I am blessed and encouraged by her dedicated heart and forgiving spirit.

I have another sister, Yubelina. I hear from her very infrequently, but I hope that she is alright. She lives on Halmahera Island, Indonesia, and a little while ago her village was attacked by militant Muslims. Her face, chest and hand are very badly burned, and it looks like she can no longer see out of her one eye. Her features are badly scarred from the burns, but she can still smile. And the reason that she can still smile is because, though she is burned by hatred and distrust, she has a hope in God that will never rust, mildew or incinerate. Though I don't know when or if I will be able to see her and tell her that I am thinking about and praying for her, our love for Christ still keeps us close in this difficult time.

As for my sister, Joni Tada, she looks a bit more like me with her blonde hair. Yet while she does have her limbs, she can't use them. When she was only three years younger than I am now, she was paralyzed by a diving accident and is now a paraplegic. Yet she has been more places than I have! She has encouraged countless people in hard times, written books (someday I might be an author, just like her!), and helped provide wheelchairs for countless other people who are paralyzed through her organization Joni and Friends. She is another amazing sister who challenges me to aim high and keep perspective when it seems that life is kaputz.

These are just a couple members of my big family. I can't rightly even tell you how many siblings I have, but I know that one day I will meet them all in my Father's house. And there we'll be able to meet each other face-to-face, praise our glorious heavenly Father together, and share all our stories and how God has led our lives. I hope that you will have the privilege of meeting some of them someday. And who knows, maybe we're related too. If we are, I look forward to meeting you someday as well!

Jesus said: “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother.” Mark 3:35

Information taken from persecution.net, Voice of the Martyr's Newsletter special edition volume 2 (2011), and Nick Vujacic's book “Life without Limits (2010).