Here's the thing: the Newest Year

Everyone enjoys a new start.  I don’t need to tell you that it’s New Year’s Eve; and the interwebs are a-buzz with resolutions, reflections, suggestions, plans and lots and lots of hope.  So many chirps, statuses, and instapics waxing poetic on a variation of

                This is the year I ___{fill in the blank}_______.

I am not immune to this excitement.  I refuse to act as if I have nothing in me that needs changing.  And yes, I am pinning quite a few expectations on the first day of 2014. 

While it is fun (and useful, according to “the experts”) to set a date on which you plan initiate change, I am reminded that for those made alive in Christ, this is the reality of every day.  And for those who are not, it is the offer of every, single, breath-drawing day.

Followers, you are a new creation in Christ.  The old has gone and the new is made alive in you -- through the glory of God, the resurrection of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit.  God’s mercies are new with every dawn.  You have living in you the power of the God of the universe; and you are given the grace to shake off that which fetters your soul.  To unhook the moorings that hold you back from being the best, most beautiful, most glorifying version of you.  I pray that 2014 is the year that we, each, can embrace and embody this truth. 

Fellow sojourners, you are offered, every moment of your beautiful and precious life, the chance to be made new.  To be filled with hope and promise and possibility and change.  To be made alive so that even death has no hold over you.  To let go of the worst parts of your past, and to grab hold of the best parts of who you are and who you might be.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the grace and glory of Almighty God.  If you would only believe and accept this gift of sacrifice.    

          

Dearest reader, you have the chance to live as if every day is 
          New Year’s Day. 

May you take this opportunity, so freely and lovingly given, to be whom you were created to be.  For the glory of the Father, the witness of the Son, and the honor of the Holy Spirit.

May 2014 be your NEWEST year yet.    

Why I'm not giving up social media...on purpose

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

~ Proverbs 12:18

 

Just the other night, I contemplated giving up social media.  For good.  Having just read a vicious thread on a public school system media page in which the adult participants accused one another of stupidity and racism, I lay on the couch listening to the Officer read aloud yet another thread among Christians regarding gun control.  As the thread progressed, it also became increasingly judgmental, malicious, and ended with scripture-hurling bullying.  I was disappointed; and pointedly reminded that only a few short months ago, I was engaged in exactly the same type of discourse – thus I was clearly in no place to judge anyone then or today.  But, having experienced what my actions brought about, I knew I didn’t want or need this kind of negativity to be a part of what I ingest daily. 

Upon hearing my proposition, the Officer reminded me that we primarily use our social media outlets to keep our out of town families in the loop with photos of our kids; so giving it up entirely wouldn’t really work.      

Thus, I decided to apply my chosen one word to my social media channels.  I needed to use these tools to bring God glory, to invite others to know Him more deeply, to share His love to a world in such desperate need of it.  In previous times, when prompted thusly by a pastor, I posted daily scriptures.  And while I believe that God does work in those posts¹, I didn’t want to force it.  I had to consider, also, that a good number of my friends aren’t interested in God’s Word at all.  Thus I assume my scripture posts would be skimmed over, if not hidden entirely, and would eliminate my ability to be someone who genuinely cares for them.

 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

 ~ Ephesians 4:29

 

It was then I remembered a two-line note someone sent me months ago, for the sole purpose of encouraging me.  This individual and I have yet to meet in person, yet s/he took the time to let me know I was heard and valued.  Even more recently, a friend with whom we’d been out of touch for a while, sent me a message encouraging me in a very specific way – at the exact time I needed it most.  His words buoyed my spirit and reminded me of the truth I was struggling to grasp at that moment.  There was the epiphany: overcome the malicious content of social media with good.  With encouragement, with grace, with love. 

 

To be purposeful with my social media this year means:

·         Engage in NO debates [see Thursday’s Tuesday's* post for the parameters of this one]

·         Post updates that are TRUE [not inflated, self-aggrandizing versions of truth], honoring to God and my family, and embody the spirit of GRACE

·         Use my time on these sites to encourage others through public praise or private encouragement.

 

Yet, because I so easily fall into the trap of cheering on those closest to me – the easiest ones to compliment – I have also set the following goals for purposeful encouragement using my social media:

·         Send PM’s to whomever is on my mind that day – I will be prayerfully considering who to contact each day, and trusting that the Holy Spirit’s timing [assuming that I’m really listening] is perfect

·         Write or tweet an encouragement or praise to one person daily

·         Do this for all my acquaintances by December 31, 2013.

 

Thus, if you’re my Facebook friend or if we’re connected on Twitter, you can expect an encouraging word from me…within the next 12 months. 

I can’t help but wonder: what if we stormed social media, not with our opinions or what we ate today or how many miles/reps we completed, but with love and encouragement and kindness?  What if we overwhelmed all the negativity and vanity and evil with grace and kindness and goodness?  What if we drown out the anger and malice with an out-pouring of love and gentleness?  What if we dedicated ourselves to purposefully encouraging one another, finding little ways to genuinely communicate that people have value and worth, are cared for, and are deeply and eternally loved? 

That would be an excellent use of social media – and an outlet I’d be eager to partake in.       

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    

1.        I can’t count the number of times someone else’s scripture was exactly what I needed the exact moment they posted it

*As it turns out, I'll have to only post once a week -- this semester is already shaping up to be an exciting busy and formative one.  Thanks.

 

There is No Excuse:

VOTE!

Today, I will simply say that those of us who live in the United States have a privilege even the Nation of Israel was not afforded by God.  We are permitted to choose the person who leads us.  It is not something, therefore, we should shirk or take lightly.  Read up on each candidate.  Pray fervently.  Then vote.  And please, don’t waste your vote by writing in “Jesus Christ;” as He is not now, nor ever will He be interested in political office.  He is the King of Kings (and presidents).  He doesn’t need your vote to be sovereign.  He is sovereign and will reign supreme forever and ever.  Amen. 

And choosing to waste the opportunity He has blessed you with, by writing His name on your ballot, is a sin.  His name should be written on your heart, and you should cast your vote from there.          

And if you question why this process is even necessary, the following is list of what people won the right to vote when:

1792        New Hampshire gives right to vote to white, male non landholders

1848       The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends Mexican-American war, giving Mexicans in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas citizenship

1866       The Civil Rights Act of 1866 gives citizenship, but not right to vote, to all native-born Americans

1869       15^th Amendment gives the equal right to vote to African American males.  Ratified in 1870 to include freed male slaves

1882        Chinese Exclusion Act passed by Congress denies citizenship and voting rights to Chinese Americans

1884       Supreme Court rules (Elk v. Wilkins) that John Elk, Native American from Nebraska cannot vote

1887        Dawes General Allotment Act passed by Congress, giving right to vote to Native Americans who give up their tribal affiliations

1888       Certain states use tactics such as “grandfather clauses” to disenfranchise African American male voters, subsequently plummeting registration among African American males.

1915        Supreme Court rules (Guinn v. United States) Oklahoma’s “grandfather clause” used to disenfranchise African American men is unconstitutional.

 

1919        19^th Amendment is adopted by Congress, gives women the right to vote.  It is ratified in 1920 and becomes law.

1923        Supreme Court rules (Bhagat Singh Thind v. United States) that “high castes Hindus” from India are not eligible for citizenship  

1924        Supreme Court rules (Ozawa v. United States) that Japanese Americans are barred from becoming naturalized citizens

1924        The Indian Citizenship Act declares all non-citizen Indians born within the United States to be citizens, giving them the right to vote.

1943        The Chinese Exclusion Act is repealed, giving Chinese Americans citizenship and the right to vote

1946       Filipinos are given right to become citizens and the right to vote

1952        The McCarran-Walter Act gives first-generation Japanese Americans the right to become citizens and the right to vote

1960       The Civil Rights Act is passed, allowing African Americans who had previously had their voter registration rejected were permitted to apply to federal court or voting referee

1964       The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, and gender in voting, public places, the workplaces, and schools

1971        The 26^th Amendment gives 18 year olds the right to vote

1974        Supreme Court rules (Richardson v. Ramirez) that states may deny convicted felons the right to vote

1975        Voting Rights Act reauthorized by President Ford permanently bars literacy tests and gives assistance to language minority voters

 

Source:  http://www.aclu.org/timelines/timeline-voting-rights-act