do the truth quietly without display

(Katie) Recently, my husband decided to take a sabbatical from Facebook. Through understanding his desire for authentic, intentional friendship that reaches beyond the "Facebook Friend" label, I am able to see more clearly the temptations that can come as a result of being a part of social network. I was reading a powerful prayer from Reflections of a Ragamuffin by Brennan Manning in which he prays for strength "to do the truth quietly without display." On Facebook, our lives are constantly displayed before others through our pictures, status updates, and posts. As Christians, how do we ensure that we are not displaying our faith (what we have done or are doing for God) in order to get attention? Everything that we post on Facebook is presented with a "Like" option and I wonder how many of us have become more addicted to people pleasing as a result of this subtle option. Furthermore, I'm convicted that perhaps we've lost a sense of sacredness and that certain aspects of our lives before God are better done quietly. Manning also talks about "escaping our innate poverty" and I wonder if Facebook distracts us from this reality and actually increases our narcissism. Am I really so important that people need constant status updates and pictures from my life? I don't think so! I do not think the world needs to know (or cares)  how my husband and I spent our date night, for example. Finally, I just wonder how much Facebook increases the spirit of comparison, jealousy, and envy..all of which do not lead us closer to Christ nor towards shalom within our relationships. 

A few disclaimers. These are just some of my own reflections, most of which I am still learning to actually live out in my own life. Secondly, Facebook is not all bad. It provides ample opportunities to stay connected with people that I care about back in Minnesota and across the country. 

Here is Brennan Manning's powerful prayer:

Dear Jesus, gift us to stop grandstanding and trying to get attention, to do the truth quietly without display, to let the dishonesties in our lives fade away, to accept our limitations, to cling to the gospel of grace, and to delight in Your Love. Amen 

The Breadth & Depth of My Neediness

"Come to Me with Empty Hands and an Open Heart,

ready to Receive My Abundant Blessings.

I know the Breadth and Depth of Your Neediness.

Your Life has been Difficult, draining you of Strength.

Come to Me for Nurture.

Let Me Fill You Up with My Presence.

My Power Flows most Freely into Weak Ones Aware of their Need for Me.

(John 17:20-23, Isaiah 40:29-31)"

Thank You Lord for these Words Today. Thank you that as I try to balance final papers with caring for students struggling that You know the breadth and depth of my neediness. Fill Me Up. 

So adorable, what uncle wouldn't brag.

This past Easter weekend I was able to get to spend time with my nephew and God child Connor Isaac Racine. Each time I get the privilege to see Connor I am immediately drawn to his spirit; full of joy, smiles, laughter, tenderness, vulnerability, innocence, curiosity and creativity.

It is fun to watch my big brother Shawn and his wife Sara parent and raise Connor. Shawn is an incredible dad, ever-creative and adventurous, and it is so apparent that Connor feels so drawn to him. Sara is endlessly patient and extremely gentle with Connor. I was impressed as Sara patiently endure a crying-fit resulting from Connor's tiredness and seeming lack of control with his surroundings. She gently asked him questions about what he wanted and needed, and it seems that he just couldn't make up his mind.

What a strange thing it is to watch a boy grow to be a man and then to watch that man have a child of his own and then to watch that child grow. It puts in perspective the truth that in the big picture, we are truly all little girls and boys, desperate and endearing, disguised as self-confident and self-sufficient women and men.

Connor thank you for teaching me how to be young...

Spiritually Transformed Communities

(Katie) Since I am getting a degree in Spiritual Formation, I am fascinated about how we actively pursue becoming people and communities who are transformed into Christ-likeness. Lately, I’ve asked: What does a spiritually transformed social dimension (friendships/community) look like? 

This question has caused James and I to pause and contemplate. In the midst of working full-time, graduate school, and ministering to college students, we are recognizing that we do not have the same relational capacity to balance a plethora of friendships. Therefore, we’ve spent time trying to discern what we value in friendships so that we can be intentional with people who are drawing us closer to Jesus and who desire to see genuine love predominate relationships. With the help of Paul in Romans 12:9-21, I’ve resolved upon the following list as the qualities that I desire to be manifested in our friendships. I want to move towards and be intentional with people who exhibit these characteristics. While this list may not be the qualities that you desire in a community, imagine what it would be like to have friends who shared the intention to live these out, even with imperfection.

Before reading the following qualities, I want to be clear that relationships must  occur within the context of GRACE because in our best efforts, we will all fall short.

·      Letting Love Be Completely Real

·      Abhorring what is Evil

·      Clinging to What is Good

·      Being Devoted and For One Another

·      Outdoing One Another in Giving Honor

·      Serving the Lord with Ardent Spirit and All Dilligence

·      Rejoicing with Others in Hope

·      Being Patient in Troubles

·      Constantly being Devoted to Prayer

·      Contributing to the Needs of Others

·      Pursuing (running after) Hospitality

·      Blessing our enemies, not cursing or gossiping about them to others

·      Being Joyful with those who are Rejoicing and being Sorrowful with those who Mourn

·      Not being haughty, but choosing a posture of meekness and humility

·      Never repaying evil for evil

·      Being at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you

·      Never taking revenge, but leaving that to whatever God may decide

·      Not being overwhelmed with evil, but overwhelming evil with good

As you read Paul’s attributes of redemptive fellowship:

In which friendships and communities do you see these qualities manifested? Who are the people that draw you closer to Christ rather than away from these attributes? How could you implement putting these attributes into practice in your own life and in your friend group? What are your relational resolves?


I hope this blog can be a launching point for conversation within your group of friends. It is very easy to get stuck in a rhythm of bad habits within our friendships in which we tolerate behaviors that actually move everyone further away from Christ. We must "Redefine Our Friendships"so that together, we agree upon the values that will govern our relationships and what we are mutually resolved to be about. If friendships are made in the context of grace, when we fall short, we can be quick to apologize and don't have to get stuck in defensiveness, pride, or fear. May we become people who are resolved to becoming transformed into Christ-likeness within our friendships! 

M

I have all that I Need

(Katie) With the end of the school year only 2 1/2 weeks away, my daily "to-do"lists get longer each day and more intimidating. In stressful times, I go into high action mode, focusing on deadlines and everything that I need to accomplish. While externally, I am achieving, crossing a lot off my list, internally, I am weary and exhausted. How can we approach our to-do lists with a posture of worship, not letting the tasks and tyranny of the urgent rob us of our peace and joy?

Today, my supervisor prayed over me the following phrase from Psalm 23: "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He renews my strength."

I have all that I need. This phrase is not a question. This phrase is not a conditional statement. Its reality. Right now, I have access to all that I need: strength, joy, peace, perseverance, creativity, and clarity of mind. I possess it. 

In this present moment, God has given me all that I need to write my final papers, complete final evaluations, help 586 students check out of Fischer Hall, and to be fully present in my meetings with students and staff. 

Do you live your daily life believing the truth that "I have all that I need?"

This is God's promise to His people and He doesn't lie.

May God give you a fresh revelation that He has given you all that you need today, not to just check off each item on your "to-do" list, but to do each thing in a posture of worship, drawing from the fullness of peace and joy that we have access to through Christ!

What is that to you?

“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

-John 21:24

(Katie) Everyone needs a sounding board. A safe person to whom we can confess and process our internal junk to for the purpose of gaining clarity. Someone that we trust to lovingly speak the hard truth that we need to hear if necessary. For me, these people are few and far between. However, I am grateful that my mom is one of those people in my life. My mom has mastered the art of discernment, knowing when I need her simply to listen or ask a deep question to guide me towards the heart of the matter. She can sense when I’m struggling with self-doubt and need affirmation that how I’m feeling isn’t crazy. And, I trust that she will always tell me the truth, no matter what, even if it is hard to hear. But, she is faithful to walk beside me through it. I went home this past weekend, in my typical overanalyzing form, and obviously desperately needed to process. I can be quite the piece of work and therefore, my first round of verbal processing is very unedited and laced with my emotions and I can spend a lot of time analyzing the motives behind other people’s actions.

In John 21, Peter’s relationship with Jesus is restored. Immediately after talking to Jesus about his future, Peter starts worrying about John’s future. Whereas Peter denied Christ three times, John faithfully stood by Jesus during the crucifixion. Peter is obviously insecure that perhaps John will receive preferential treatment for his faithfulness and so he asks Jesus about John’s future. While Peter tries to mask his own insecurity in the form of concern, Jesus sees through it and answers his question by saying: What is it you? Follow me. 

In the midst of my own verbal processing and frustration, my mom encouraged me to stop being preoccupied with them and to instead turn my focus to God.

When we are tempted to compare ourselves to another person, we must heed the words of Jesus’: What is it to you?

If someone makes a decision that I disagree with or sins against me, what is it me? God knows that I’m a sinner desperately in need of grace and I’ve gotten way off track in my own attempts to follow him.

If God blesses someone with more success than me, what is it to me? I’ve got my own race to run and abilities to account for.

My mom helped me to see that I can get so focused on judging the motives of others, that it prevents me from following Jesus.

So, next time you find yourself frustrated or comparing yourself to another person, what is it to you? Follow Jesus.

My Walden Pond

 [James] At the age of 27, Henry Thoreau embarked upon a two year adventure, a journey of the soul if you will, into the heart of a not-so-primitive wilderness in Massachusetts.It was spending these two years on Walden Pond that ended up being his most definitive season. Here he would pen the words, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."

But to understand, why he came to live on Walden Pond in pseudo-isolation and privacy, I share these words from his book, Walden. "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life..."

There are seemingly two approaches to "sucking the marrow out of life". I want to explore those two approaches briefly and explain why the former has, to me, become the antithesis of the first.

The first approach can be summed up by a T-Shirt. Upon arriving for my freshman back-packing/orientation trip in college we were handed Wild-MSU shirts with a quote on the back. "A large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life by him who interests his heart in everything." (Laurence Sterne) The quote at the time seemed to have stirred a great deal of excitement and empathy for my wild-eyed, 18 years of age spirit; a perfect prescription for someone terminally ill and expecting to live for another 5-7 years. If the aim is to do nothing more than to "enjoy a great deal of things" this is a sure-fire approach. Along with the enjoyment of things comes seeing vast and various sights around the world, meeting wonderful and incredible people only to say good-bye days, weeks or maybe months later. This sort of life is wonderful, fast paced, ever-changing and "wild". A perfect combination for any 7 on the enneagram. (See the Enneagram Institute for more information) Along with this life is the promise that you will not have to stay committed to any one person, pursuit or passion for too long. By the time I was 24 I remember saying to myself that I had seen more in this lifetime than a thousand men in another. I had the distinct feeling that if I died the next day, I would be able to rejoice and say with absolute certainty that it had been enough.

A shift began to occur somewhere in this past year when I realized that the pace at which I was running was leading to utter ruin and if I was going to live past the age of 26, I was going to have to figure out a new strategy or continue in the same vein pace. I was beginning to feel like one of Jack Kerouac's roman candles, everybody was saying "awww" alright, but those "aws" might have well been sounds of sympathy, like the sound people in a car inevitably make when they see roadkill.

So, this brings us to the second approach. This past week my good friend shared with me a message series entitled "The Power of a Focused Life." The words and truth of which resonated deeply with the things that God has been whispering in the depths of my soul for the past season and a half. I have been asking God to reveal to me... I have been seeking and searching... I have been longing for, hoping for and moving toward what will become... my one thing.

Soren Kierkegaard writes that the saint is the person who wills the one thing. He also said this in regards to vocation, "To be true to himself in relation to this eternal vocation is the highest thing a man can practice, and, as that most profound poet [Shakespeare] has said: "Self-love is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting." Then there is but one fault, one offense: disloyalty to his own self or the denial of his own better self."

I believe that my life's calling will include a people, a purpose and a passion and that end only and always begins with prayer. I believe that God will eventually lead me to discover the ones whom my heart will break for, who now only exist as a place holder in my heart.

And so continues the process of refining my life and the practice of solitude; practical things like spending my first hour with God each morning, deleting my facebook account, reading at least one good book a month, and saying "NO" to busy-opportunities that present themselves daily.

As I spend this precious time with God, I am discovering new parts of His heart and new parts of mine. And as I am becoming ready and as the time is approaching-right, I trust and know that God has a response for me; it's a resounding "YES!"

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)

The Spiritual Discipline of Secrecy: Finding Security in God and Freedom from the Approval Game

"Don't do your good deeds publicly so that you will be admired, because then you will loose the reward from your Father in heaven." (Matthew 6:1)

(Katie) 


In the past week, I anonymously received a beautiful bouquet of flowers outside of my door, an anonymous note of encouragement in the mail, and came into the laundry room to find all of my laundry folded. These anonymous acts of love and encouragement really got me thinking about how often I do things so that people will recognize, notice, appreciate, and admire me. How often when I do the dishes, clean, or grocery shop am I doing these acts of service, secretly hoping that James will notice? Clearly, my heart is more focused on ME than on others.


How do you know if you are caught up in the approval game? The following questions can help you to honestly discern your motivation behind serving:


Do I ever feel disappointed when nobody notices my efforts?
Do I ever get upset when someone else gets the credit for my idea?
Do I ever find myself doing something so someone will think I am _____?
Do I ever sulk when my past achievements are forgotten or ignored?
Do I ever get upset when no one says, "Thank you?"


While this is not an exhaustive list, I think these questions reveal how deeply we desire admiration, praise, and respect and that perhaps, these are the driving forces behind our acts of service.


The spiritual discipline of secrecy cuts to the heart of why we do the things we do. In practiceing secrecy, we willingly choose to deny ourselves the credit. Secrecy frees us to love others freely, not just so they love us back. Secrecy frees us from conditional, tit-for-tat relationships. It frees us into a life of generosity and compassion. Secrecy frees us to serve with true humility because we serve before the audience of One. Furthermore, even if people recognize what we do, we learn to accept any recognition with easy grace. A simple thank you, or you're welcome is enough. If we get no such recognition, we did not seek it in the first place, so we are not upset.


So, today, I invite you to pray about one person you can anonymously love this week. God is very creative, so if you are struggling to find a way to act anonymously, I fully trust God will give you an innovative means. 

Take Time to Smell the Roses

(Katie) 

I love Whole Foods...especially their free samples after training for the upcoming half marathon. Today, I almost missed these beautiful flowers (to get to the free mango samples) when a beautiful, 86 year old woman asked if I had smelled the roses. As you can see, they were beautiful and yet another reminder of Spring. After I smelled the roses, I quickly moved on to peruse the fresh fruit samples. Even after I got my Santa Fe Turkey burgers & fresh green beans for dinner, I could still see Helen grinning from ear to ear. 15 minutes later, I was in the check out line and Helen was still delighting in the flowers. Helen reminded me of the importance of slowing down in order to see the significance of the ordinary.

Adventures on the Prairie Path

(Katie)

Gratitude … goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.

-Nouwen

Gratitude #1: Blue Sky, 70 degrees= Perfect Day for the Prairie Path

Gratitude #2: My walking companion K.Dove, a woman of immense wisdom..grateful for the gift of rich, deep conversation. 

Gratitude #3: Ice Tea with lemon! The perfect Spring refreshment.

Gratitude #4: Joy!

Gratitude #5: God providing incredible friends here and cherishing a friend who understands my daily rhythm as a GRA.

Gratitude 5: The beauty of an empty bird nest that will soon be filled with a family!

Today is a GIFT! CELEBRATE with JOY and Pay Attention!!!

Perfect Start to Friday

(Katie) James and I are reading the entire Bible together in a year. Today, one of my readings was from Deuteronomy 29. It starts by describing how God miraculously took the Israelites through the Red Sea. But, this is the part that struck me:

"All the great tests of strength, the miraculous signs, and the amazing wonders..but to this day you do not have minds that understand" (v.4). 

I can't imagine following Moses through the Red Sea. Surely that would be enough to believe in the strength of God. Yet, God still said that the Israelites did not have minds to understand. 

It begins with our mindsets. We are in desperate need of having the mind of Christ. May God reveal to you today the places in your thinking where you are believing lies about God's character so that we can begin to have minds that understand the strength and amazing wonders of God!

The Principle of Vision

Vision is essential for survival. It is spawned by faith, sustained by hope, sparked by imagination, and strengthened by enthusiasm. It is greater than sight, deeper than a dream, broader than an idea. Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected. No wonder we perish without it. ~ C. Swindoll

(Katie) Yesterday, I celebrated my 27th birthday!! For the past two years, at midnight, my husband has prayed me into my birthday. It is quickly becoming my new favorite Racine family tradition. Together, we thank God for the past year of life and pause to listen to God's promises for the upcoming year. Then, I listen as my husband boldly proclaims the promises over me. I write down the promises and in faith, pray them daily. These promises become my vision for the upcoming year, providing clarity and hope for what I am trusting God to do in my life. Proverbs says, that “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (Proverbs 29:18 MSG). I believe that hearing God's vision for our life is essential for our survival.

Isaiah 61 is my life verse. A lot of the vision that God has given me for my life comes directly from that verse. Last night at a birthday party, Erin gave me this beautiful charcoal drawing of Hope. The picture portrays hope as light penetrating the darkness. When we pursue God's vision for our life whole-heartedly, we become light to the  world, piercing the darkness. We change the atmosphere around us being bearers of hope to our families, jobs, schools, and churches. 

 Do you have a reason for being, a focused sense of purpose in your life? Or is your life the product of shifting resolutions and the myriad pull of the forces outside of yourself?  I encourage you to take time to pray and ask God about His vision for your life. Sometimes we are afraid to ask because we are afraid of what God might say or of our inability to live it out. We can't live out God's vision for our life in our own strength. That's intentional. It forces us so to co-labor with God, being fully dependent on His strength. Furthermore, asking God for vision is not selfish; His vision for our life is for the purpose of others. May God open up our eyes and give us His vision for our life!


Here's to a Year of FREEDOM and FULLNESS OF JOY

Coming Out of The Pantry...

[James] Well, it is official. After a 6 month journey I have reached the conclusion of what I had set out to determine. Without suspicion or doubt, it is now certain that I am gluten intolerant.

If you were to ask me a year ago what my favorite food were, I would have rattled off a list that included whole grain breads; the nuttier the better, whole grain pastas, homemade pizzas, numerous cereals like Wheat Bran, Honey Bunches of Oats, Kashi, and Shredded Wheat-Honey Nut. Along with these favorite foods were my favorite beers; Belgians and Wheat specifically. To now say that I am effectively not consuming these favorite foods and beverages is something remarkable.

It all started about a year ago during a time in my life when many things were uncertain and in transition. Stress, experts say seems to be a leading trigger for people developing gluten intolerance. At the time I began experiencing gradually and increasingly-worse symptoms, the details of which I will spare you from. I rationally assumed that it had more to do with the dietary consumption of the current day rather than a long term effect that gluten protein was having on the villi within my intestines. I began by avoiding or curbing certain foods that seemed to have the most serious effects. I drank soy and less dairy, then I drank less dairy and more soy, I refrained from eating pork, then beans, then certain vegetables but nothing seemed to help.

After being married in July, Katie began to grow concerned. As with any ailment in marriage, it affects twice as many people as it once would have. It was beginning to affect our cooking, places we liked to eat out, and my overall comfort. The symptoms increased to the point that I was even feeling more fatigued, becoming unable to sleep through the night, and I even began to develop a strange rash on my face.

Upon arriving at Wheaton College, we met one of Katie's co-workers who was completely gluten free. She suggested that I try it, to which I resisted for several weeks until I was desperate. I went to Whole Foods and was met by an empathetic and kind employee who suggested numerous products to me. I stocked up with about a week's worth of gluten free groceries and thus began my journey. It took about 2 weeks for me to start noticing a difference, but once I did, it was apparent that my symptoms were subsiding.

If I wasn't a believer at that point, I was when, on several occasions, I unknowingly ate something consisting of gluten and for the next 2-4 days I was back where I had begun. After looking into the ingredients of those meals, I realized that once again the crook had slipped past the cook.

6 months later, I can say that being Gluten Free isn't ideal, but nowhere as bad as I would have thought. On the bright side, it generally forces me to be very ingredient-conscious, gives me an increased volume of vegetables, fruits and proteins that I would not have otherwise consumed, and it cuts out a great deal of unnecessary starches, sugars and carbohydrates. I have found numerous substitutes to things that either perfectly suffice and sometimes are even better than the gluten version.

It is by the grace of God that I have found the source of my disruption and that I am feeling so much better. Katie has been my greatest advocate and friend throughout this process. While I deserved to be sleeping on the couch countless nights, she endured. She jumped on board from the get go, decided to learn to eat gluten free with me, shopped for awesome gluten free products and has been cooking gluten free with me. I am forever blessed in this first season of marriage to have experienced this with her and to know that come stomach hell or bad gas, she is faithful and steadfast.

For more information on Celiac Disease and Intolerance see... http://www.celiac.com/