This past week I was writing a message that I gave on Wednesday at Linked 180 youth group. It was about Christmas and the true meaning. I wrote about how we seem to make it about greed and want, credit card debts and empty bank accounts, instead of Love and Jesus. I encouraged them not to buy gifts that you know people wont need, but find people who do need and give them gifts. So as I was writing this I began to cry. I started remembering the night before how I almost had my wife talked into buying a 32 inch lcd plasma screen. I mean it was only $299 now. Well, like always, she began telling me how we didn't need it. How we would be ok with just a regular one that we could find for $20. Of course, I agreed, because she was right. I began to think of early that day how we picked up these people who were walking. They were walking because his truck broke down. So we dropped them off and headed to the auto parts store. Well I didn't know all the specs. about the truck so i couldn't get the parts he needed. I did however get the price range. You know what it was? $250. I started thinking of how right my wife was. I would way rather spend $250 on someone in need then on a dang tv. But the story goes on!!!
A little background first. I have recently put in my resignation to the PowerHouse. What am I going to do you ask? I don't really know. I have been trying to drive amish and I am getting a little bit , but still am not up to what I was making working full time. It seems that since I have stepped into the unknown more and more people have been showing up with more and more needs. So what do you do? Well you be a good steward, YOU GIVE IT ALL AWAY!! You might be thinking, well that isn't very Biblical, but I would say well you better read it again. Jesus says to give to all who ask. He also says don't worry about what you are going to wear or eat(side note this is found in Luke chapter 12 in this same chapter He tells His disciples to sell everything and give to the poor cause where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Read the whole chapter it will mess your economics up.). So that is what we are doing, giving money away to people in need. Now to the rest of the story.
So I finish writing my message and start teaching on Wednesday. I tell them all about the plasma and talk about giving to people in need. Well Thursday came. We were over at Brandi and Thans for the sweet Documentary night. When we get home someone had dropped off the exact 32 in plasma we were looking at. WOW. Isn't that amazing. It was even someone that wasn't connected at all to the message I taught or would have known what I was going through that week. And it still gets better.
Yesterday I went to go pick up a stove for our kitchen that we found on our favorite site Craigslist. I had someone go with me who had a truck so that we could get it home. Well I brought a check to pay with, because I wasn't even thinking about him not wanting to take a check from someone he had never meet. Well we get there and of course he didn't want to take the check. So the guy with the truck paid and I told him i would just write him a check for it. Well we get it home and I was going to write the check and he was like, "No you don't have to write me a check. Merry Christmas." WOW.
It's starting to sound like the prosperity gospel, lol JK. I think it is just another way that God is showing me and my wife that He knows our needs and wants. He knows our situations. He knows how we are using our money. Now I did tell my wife that if we don't use these things we have been given for Jesus then we are selling them and giving the money away. These things are not ours. As you can tell, we have done nothing to get them. They are God's and we have to use them for Him.
Tracy
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Being Normal Isn't Normal Anymore
Isn't it crazy that the things Jesus ask us to do we deem as radical or crazy as Christians. I mean to think that loving those who don't love you or doing good to those who harm you are such a radical thing to do. I can understand that the world views those things as weird or radical, but shouldn't the Church view these things as normal. Why is it though that when we settle things by not taking someone to court and suing them that it's the Church that thinks it's weird or radical. We have set the bar so low for us Christians. We have made it into a little prayer or saying and maybe even to a baptism and that is it. Christianity and following Jesus is so much more. He constantly calls into question the ways of the world, and I am not just talking about drinking, smoking, or cussing. He calls into question our hearts. He calls us to be uncomfortable. He continually takes us down to the core so that we might just need Him.
I guess it's kinda sad that we think we are ok if we don't smoke, cuss, or drink. It's kinda sad that most of us do not know the Jesus that asks us to give every thing. People who are lukewarm will not enter into the kingdom. Its the ones who are like the ones in Mathew 25 who will. You know the ones who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the ones in prison that will inherit the Kingdom. It's the ones who are like the man in Matthew 13 who found a treasure in a field and in his joy went out and sold everything and bought the field. Isn't that amazing. How many of us would do that? How many of us are willing to say the prayer, "God what ever it takes, do it to draw me closer to you."?
Do you see? We are far to comfortable to be a normal Christian, because a normal Christian takes love seriously. Look at Acts 2. People there were selling possessions to meet others needs. When is the last time you saw that, and if you did I bet you thought it was Radical? The funny thing is, yesterday I thought being radical was what He wants. Today I realized He really just wants us to be normal, but I guess its what normal is that needs to be radically changed.
So today or tomorrow when you're helping someone in need and someone says that's crazy how do you do that or that is such a nice thing. Look at them and say well it's just normal.
Tracy
I guess it's kinda sad that we think we are ok if we don't smoke, cuss, or drink. It's kinda sad that most of us do not know the Jesus that asks us to give every thing. People who are lukewarm will not enter into the kingdom. Its the ones who are like the ones in Mathew 25 who will. You know the ones who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the ones in prison that will inherit the Kingdom. It's the ones who are like the man in Matthew 13 who found a treasure in a field and in his joy went out and sold everything and bought the field. Isn't that amazing. How many of us would do that? How many of us are willing to say the prayer, "God what ever it takes, do it to draw me closer to you."?
Do you see? We are far to comfortable to be a normal Christian, because a normal Christian takes love seriously. Look at Acts 2. People there were selling possessions to meet others needs. When is the last time you saw that, and if you did I bet you thought it was Radical? The funny thing is, yesterday I thought being radical was what He wants. Today I realized He really just wants us to be normal, but I guess its what normal is that needs to be radically changed.
So today or tomorrow when you're helping someone in need and someone says that's crazy how do you do that or that is such a nice thing. Look at them and say well it's just normal.
Tracy
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Faith Like A Child
This is kinda weird for me. I am not a good writer or do I claim to have some knowledge that people would want to read. I do however love talking, more in person and not so much in writing. I also have tons of stuff that runs through my head all day long. Some good and true others not so good and not close to truth. So I thought what better way to get stuff out of my head and to see if its right than to start a blog. I mean geez it is the 21st century.
To start off with let me tell you about my self. My name is Tracy Cook. I am 23 years old but feel so much older. Maybe it is because I fit in better with older people(this so I can learn from them), or maybe it is because I hang out with teens from 3 to 6 everyday(this starts to make you feel old whenever they start calling the music you grew up with classics). I know it's crazy.
I have a wonderful wife. She teaches me, cares for me, and encourages me so much. We decided a little over a year ago to buy a house. Just so happened we bought a pretty large house. We did this intentionally. We wanted to fill it up. The crazy thing is we have over 3,000 sqft of living space and are figuring out how to take the attic and make more living space so we can fill it up too. That would put us at about 4,000 sqft of living space. It sounds great and wonderful, but you should see the house lol. It will take a lot of work and years to finish. We, so far, have had 7 ppl who have needed a place to stay and stayed with us. We have 3 at this time. With this we need grocery cards and paper products.
We try to live simply and radically. We believe that if God has given us things that we should use it for the sake of others. Its not what you have, but it is what you do with what you have that God cares about. If you want to rid the world of injustice, you must first start with the injustice in your own heart. We are trying our hardest not to fall into the lukewarm amercian dream trap that so many church goers are accustomed too. And I will tell you it is very hard not to fall down this black hole. I believe I am still digging my way out.
I started on this journey at the age of 17. I have messed up many times. I am trying my hardest to Love God and my neighbor, whether that be my next door neighbor or our neighbor overseas.
All these things will help you understand where I am coming from throughout my ponderings. I hope to share my thoughts and learn from you thoughts through all my writings.
Love and Peace to you,
Tracy
To start off with let me tell you about my self. My name is Tracy Cook. I am 23 years old but feel so much older. Maybe it is because I fit in better with older people(this so I can learn from them), or maybe it is because I hang out with teens from 3 to 6 everyday(this starts to make you feel old whenever they start calling the music you grew up with classics). I know it's crazy.
I have a wonderful wife. She teaches me, cares for me, and encourages me so much. We decided a little over a year ago to buy a house. Just so happened we bought a pretty large house. We did this intentionally. We wanted to fill it up. The crazy thing is we have over 3,000 sqft of living space and are figuring out how to take the attic and make more living space so we can fill it up too. That would put us at about 4,000 sqft of living space. It sounds great and wonderful, but you should see the house lol. It will take a lot of work and years to finish. We, so far, have had 7 ppl who have needed a place to stay and stayed with us. We have 3 at this time. With this we need grocery cards and paper products.
We try to live simply and radically. We believe that if God has given us things that we should use it for the sake of others. Its not what you have, but it is what you do with what you have that God cares about. If you want to rid the world of injustice, you must first start with the injustice in your own heart. We are trying our hardest not to fall into the lukewarm amercian dream trap that so many church goers are accustomed too. And I will tell you it is very hard not to fall down this black hole. I believe I am still digging my way out.
I started on this journey at the age of 17. I have messed up many times. I am trying my hardest to Love God and my neighbor, whether that be my next door neighbor or our neighbor overseas.
All these things will help you understand where I am coming from throughout my ponderings. I hope to share my thoughts and learn from you thoughts through all my writings.
Love and Peace to you,
Tracy
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