this morning I poured my juice in my bowl for cereal instead of my glass…instead of choosing to think my day was ruined I chose to laugh at myself. 

So I’ve been reading the news articles on Kaitlyn Hunt - the Florida teen who is being charged with felony charges. 

Kaitlyn had a relationship with a younger girl in her high school, it became a consensual sexual relationship. While the relationship started when both of them were minors, Kaitlyn turned 18 (a legal adult) and the relationship continued. 

When the minor’s parents found out about the relationship they not only have claimed that Kaitlyn “turned” their daughter gay, they also set out to ruin Kaitlyn’s future. If Kaitlyn is convicted she could spend up to 15 years in prison. If she takes the plea deal she will be on house arrest for two years, probation for one, and have this on her record for the rest of her life - limiting where she can work. 

As I have read the articles and glanced at the comments left by numerous people it seems that if the roles were reversed an outcry would not be happening. Meaning if this were an older male student and a younger female student the story would not be getting any media attention. 

Read more …

i just watched the video about zach sobiech, the mn teen who wrote and sang “clouds”. he passed away earlier today from the cancer that had taken over his body. 

in the video you are introduced to his girlfriend.

and I am left

speechless

the love the two of those have, is something greater than people who have been married decades share. my heart aches for her as she has lost the love of her life. while she knew that this day would come, one cannot prepare themselves for this. 

I pray that zach’s family and his girlfriend are comforted at this time with the Truth of Jesus.

Have you ever heard a Biblical story numerous times, yet, when you heart it one more time from a different angle with a little more information you are given a whole new perspective.

That is what happened with me this weekend. 

On Sunday, the message was about when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. 

Usually when I think about feet washing, I think; “oh that’s nice.” I’m used to my feet, my feet that have socks on them, and have comfortable shoes on them almost every day. I’m used to my feet being pampered and taken care of. 

A few notes about feet washing. It was custom for the guests to have their feet washed at the house where they were staying, or having a meal.  To have your feet washed was not done by any ordinary person, it was seen as a disgusting thing to do, it was done by the lowest of the low in society. 

When Jesus goes to wash the feet of the Disciples it is Passover - the city is busy, there are about a million people, there are more animals, more vendors, more sweat, more dung, more dirt being kicked up. The open toe shoes the disciples would have been wearing would have meant their feet would have been covered, caked, incredibly dirty. 

Not only was washing the feet of a person seen as a disgusting thing, the disciples of a Rabbi didn’t even have to wash the feet of their Teacher if he asked them to. 

So here is the Creator of the Universe, the Lord of Lords, bending down before his disciples and he starts washing their feet - the dirt, the smell, the dung, and the sweat. 

The Christian life is often referred to as a journey. Often our journeys have stumbles, pitfalls, detours, we might step in dung, get a limp, or break our foot and it seems that we are trying to cover all of this up and ‘be ok’. We put on our best face and “put our best foot forward” to show others that we are ok, all while on the inside we are hurting, crying, and dying (spiritually). We are afraid that if we tell the truth, if we speak up we will be called weak, that we can’t hack it…so we walk with a limp and this limp has become normal. 

When we agreed to follow Jesus we are agreeing to let him into the deepest, darkest parts of our life, we are agreeing to let Jesus not only wash our feet, but also wash our lives - our pasts - for us to be refreshed. 

Jesus does not care about what we have been through, what our past looks like, nor does Jesus expect us to clean up our life before we come to him. When we come to Jesus, Jesus will walk with us and help us clean up our life and our past. So Jesus is asking if we are willing to open up, if we are willing to be clean and living in that knowledge - that freedom. 

Then Jesus is asking us to go to those around us and show them that they can be free and washed clean. 

Just like the daily decision to follow Christ, getting our feet washed is a daily decision. We must come to Jesus daily - with our troubles, our burdens, our hurts, our pains, our joys, our accomplishments, our hopes…to learn together and rejoice together. 

hearing about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples yesterday put a whole new spin on the story.