To Know You...

This perfectly sums up exactly what has been consuming my thoughts through this past summer and into this fall.

I don't understand

Last night at Bible Study, Beth said something that really hit home with me. She made the comment, that so many times people, in the midst of deep, real pain and tragedy will ask, "Where is God?!" But in turn, God replies by asking, "Where are my people?! I am where My people are!" It started me thinking... It's so true! There's a lot of hurt outside the four walls of our Churches and so many of God's people aren't giving everything they have to serve and to love that world unconditionally. Instead they're arguing amongst themselves over spilt kool-aid on the carpet and next week's bulletin. I don't understand! When did the Christian life become all about us and our stainglassed Church buildings? We're wasting our time becoming enemies with our own family instead of working together to strengthen and grow it! The Church building should be the place for our send off into a hurting world. We are friends and family meeting together in the Lord, and meant to be a tremendous encouragement to each other so that we can BE the body He wants us to be. HIS body - reaching to HIS world - to the people HE loves. When we get sick and our physical bodies don't work the way they were made to, we feel miserable and all our energy is put into healing what is hurting. My friend, when the body of Christ spends so much time in strife and frustration against itself, it seems to me that it is acting in sickness! It pains me that we would act so amongst ourselves. The battle is not between believers! - That's what Satan wants! We've got to overcome! We've got to stop fighting against ourselves and turn against Satan's schemes. The real battle is out there! Let's ask the Lord to help us heal His body, and put our energy first to do our part to mend relationships within so we can then TOGETHER build relationships without!

My Pastor loves to say, "We are never more the Church than when we are outside these four walls..." Do you agree?

Hannah

www.hannahseale.blogspot.com

Busier

About a week ago, I was visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. We were trying to find a weekend that was available to go up to Dallas and spend with them. I flipped through my date book a while and finally found a date in May that was open... However, I didn't have a pencil handy, so I made a mental note to add it later when I found one. The next day I was at the office and I took a minute to check my emails and remembered a booking that I hadn't yet put on the calendar. The day looked vaguely familiar. Yep. You guessed it. It was the same one that I *thought* was still open. Negative on the still open.

Busy.

No, worse than busy... Yesterday I had the *privilege* to watch the super bowl with my sister's youth group at our church... Do you remember the commercial... haha and I don't even remember what it was for, but at the end, it stated: Awesome + Awesome = Awesomer...? So, yeah. Worse than busy... Busier? I'm digressing... sorry.

Anyways, I was flipping through my Bible a little bit ago and I came across an index card with this quote written across it: "What God is seeking from us is not more activity, but a deeper relationship."

And so please tell me why we continue to add things to our lives?! - Good things, by all means! - Things we believe the Lord would be proud of us for doing! And yet, He is not so much interested how much we are doing for Him if we are not spending as much time with Him.

Let's be His followers first, then a daughter, son, employee, speaker, singer, wife, husband, mother, father...

Hannah

www.hannahseale.blogspot.com