an article from Relevant Magazine.

LEADING THE CHARGE
by: Cameron Strang

"Let's get this out of the way up front: I'm not a politically motivated person. Which is why I felt a tad out of place meeting with Barack Obama this summer. And talking to John McCain. And doing countless interviews about the faith and shifting political views of our generation.

Yet I have unwittingly found myself thrust into the political arena, a place where people are vehemently passionate about their ideologies and platforms. It's an entire industry built around being right and proving your opponent wrong, and winning at any cost. It's a continual power struggle and - from my humble vantage point - seems a bit flawed.

I'm someone who tries to think independently and objectively, rather than simply follow what the pundits tell me to think. Because of that, I've realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both also have areas where they simply get it wrong.

I know the power of politics and the importance of the process in our world. But I also know that, historically, real, lasting change has started first at the grassroots level long before it was ever legislated. Cultural mindshifts influence Washington, not the other way around.

Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address the issues of poverty, global aid and the environment.

The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that's largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?

If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward for the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that - whether or not the President shares your same values.

The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can't forsee and situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?

Dare I say, it might actually spur the Body of Christ here into greater action. Could it be that the loss of religious freedoms would ultimately be the best thing for American Christians because it would cause us to stand on our own feet rather than relying on the government to legislate our faith and values for us?

I've heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I've read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There's more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that's where our focus should be.

Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don't hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along.

I'm not saying don't vote. Do. Vote your convictions and let your voice be heard - that's one of the perks of living in a democracy. But don't let politics breed division, or make you see people in a different light.

If you have passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn't share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.

We need to pray for our leaders and our country, but always remember that our leaders and country do not define us. We are the generation that will shape the direction culture, government and social action will take in the next 50 years. It's not up to Washington, it's up to us - and I say it's time we step up and lead the charge.

But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just November 4."

a time for the leaves to change colors.

each new school year brings change. i know this. however, this semester has been exceptionally difficult. everything is new. nothing is bad, just different. the distance between old friends is heartbreaking. new people are walking into my life. i have new roles to play. new roommates. a new major. etc. etc.

seasons are good. i know this time is growing me and streching me more than i thought possible. but sometimes the stretching hurts.


recently i have developed an obsession with trees and anything related to trees.
roots.
leaves.
branches.
seeds.
you get the idea.

"...he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness,
they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted
for his own glory."

isaiah 61.

i want more than anything inside of me to be like a "great oak" that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

the other morning i was talking to God about what it looks like for me to be like an oak tree. i thought about the analogies between what brings life to a tree and what makes me alive. trees require food, water, light, oxygen, etc. my life, spiritually speaking, requires similar traits, but ultimately i recieve life in various ways from the Lord. and only the Lord.

as i thought about this more, i realized the necessity of the word dependence.

just as that tree is dependent on all of these things to live, i am dependent on the Lord to have life. think about it. a tree cannot live if it is looking to other trees for life. the tree is completely dependent on these sources of food, light, oxygen, etc. otherwise, the tree withers.

whether i am aware of this or not, i am completely dependent on the Lord to live. He gives life. and nothing else can. nothing.


i am especially excited for fall this year. it is a beautiful season.

mal.


p.s. if you think of it, please pray for my back. i have experienced lower back pains since i graduated high school and they have become seemingly worse. i think i will go to the doctor soon, but until then, prayer would be great. :)

peace.

a couple of weeks ago, i was reading in ephesians 4.

"make every effort to keep the
unity
of
the
spirit
through the
bond
of
peace.
there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to
o.n.e . h.o.p.e
when you were called..."
-ephesians 4:3-4

this is what i wrote in my journal that day... and i cannot seem to remove this from my mind:

"Yesterday, my friend, Julie, and I had a conversation about a thought that had stemmed from a book by Rob Bell, called Sex God. The specific chapter we spoke of discussed humans and their animalistic instincts versus their angelic instincts, or in other words, spirituality.
This very conversation reminded me of one I had with a friend in Sapa, Vietnam. The friend mentioned a psychology book that talked of this concept, only using the words flesh and spirit to define the above terms.
After much thought about these two topics, I have come to the most obvious conclusion that there seems to be a battle going on here. It is as if some choose to recognize it and others do not. Nonetheless, the battle continues inside every person. Once recognized, we are given the choice to accept this "one hope" that Ephesians discusses, which is inevitably Jesus.
Back to the verse. The words "unity of the spirit" are beautiful to me. Our spirit is supposed to be unified with our flesh. This is hopeful.
The words "bond of peace" grabbed my attention, so that I would hand on to them for days. I thought of the word peace. And I remembered times when I was a peace. My mind and heart were singing the same song and things made sense. God seemed clearer to me when I was at peace. I then reflected on times in my life that were not so much this way. It seemed as if my mind and heart were at war, tearing one another apart, and impairing my vision in the process. Things got messy.
All of these words suddenly made sense to me. The "bond of peace" is how to keep the unity of my spirit. this is how things are supposed to be. peace is a special bond, like a glue, holding together the angel with the animal."

bond of peace = unity of the spirit

peace = unity

simple.


this has been on my mind so much recently. i am not at peace right now. but the more i realize this, the more dependent i become upon the "one hope" that i have.

riding bikes and scooters.

the other day 2 kids came to the door and asked if i could come out and "play." the boys are 5 and it was adorable.

so, of course i changed shoes, grabbed my brothers scooter, and rode around with them for a few mintues. then i switched to a much-too-small-for-me bike, and did the same.

i am now getting asked by multiple kids to come out and "play."

i miss being a kid.

strobe light.

i was driving home last night in the storm, which was very exciting. the lightening was so often and so fast... the sky reminded me of a strobe light. it was beautiful.

i absolutely love car rides. and i was listening to coldplay, which made things even better. i was listening to "fix you," which felt like the perfect song for the time being.

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

  -coldplay

my depravity is becoming more and more real to me.
this is a beautiful challenge. :)


i am leaving in 9 days and will not return until august 4,
so i won't be updating this until then. (not like i update
much anyway. hah) you can read about my adventures
in vietnam on my new blog.

love you all,
mallory kiersten

jellyfish night

for miss julie,

i am updating my blog. it has been quite a while (julie informed me of this). i'm not good at this whole blogging thing.

just saw the movie, "iron man." it's definitely worth your time (i think).

the weather is beautiful lately!! i am SO thankful.

well, on my way to tiger beats with little miss j. this concludes my blog time for now.

:) love.

from the inside out.

Is there anyone who
Ever remembers changing their mind from
The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls
Ever breaking rank at all
For something someone yelled real loud one time?

Everyone believes
In how they think it ought to be
Everyone believes
And they're not going easily 

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword 
Like punching underwater
You can never hit who you're trying for 

Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
For the war that's raging on inside

Everyone believes
From emptiness to everything 
Everyone believes 
And no one's going quietly

-john mayer

We are not called to be quiet about Jesus. St. Francis said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." I think our actions speak so much louder than our words. Let's learn to be quick to listen and slow to speak. I want my every step to be guided by Him, so that my lips do not move, but I am screaming His name from within.




"Who do you say that I am?"

-Jesus Christ

Sometimes silence makes sense.