[freedom/bondage]

i want to touch on something that just happened yesterday, that regards freedom, especially as we honor the freedom of our country.

what follows is what i wrote down in response to what someone who claims Christianity said about the case and the jury.

to those upset by the verdict of the casey anthony trial.

rather than point fingers at the jury, i want you to have to sit locked away in a hotel room, without any family, friends, or outside communication. you have no e-mail, no facebook, no cellphone. do that for 10+ months while listening to psychologically devastating descriptions of this trial. if you don't go so insane that you wind up in a mental hospital, then try and decide what to do. have a little slack on the jury. and plus, you didn't sit through every bit of evidence, do you really think you know any better what happened? And for those "Christians" who are lambasting the jury with names i would never want to be associated with, uh, go read romans 12:19. If this was a mistake, then do you really think God would let her get away with it? i mean, if the jury did make a mistake, forgive them, unless you want to be judged the same way.

what does it mean to be free? regardless of whether casey anthony was guilty of murder or not(and i'm not here to tell you my opinions), the case was tried and the verdicts read.

......for those of you who think she was guilty and the jury messed up.......

do you [really] think that God is not in control?

......for those of you who think she not guilty and justice was done.......

do you [really] think that she is "free"?

the bondage that casey anthony will now live with the rest of her life, is arguably worse than the bondage of prison that she would have faced.

casey anthony will now be marked by society with a scarlet letter, as the "baby killer who got away"

...and you know what? to all you "Christians" who are saying these terrible things about both the jury and about casey anthony?

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"let the one who is without sin cast the first stone".

those are the words of Jesus, for a woman who was [convicted] of a capital crime; adultery.

there was no shadow of a doubt.

some even say that it was a set-up; a "sting-operation" if you will.

• before you blame the jury for a bad verdict...
• before you condemn a woman with a past...

if.you.call.yourself.a.christian... (which means, by definition, you are a CHRIST-follower)

then walk as your teacher did.

"and if she really is guilty?" you ask...?

then trust that the God in heaven will deal with her.

today, casey anthony still sits in bondage. she has a jail term to serve for her lies to the police. but she also has the bondage of a judgmental society.

christians...you don't have to like her. but you DO have to love her.

In His Grip,

jonathan

[love/love]

contrasting?

maybe.

how can love and love be contrasting?

well, simple. the Bible talks about the word love in a plethora of ways (well, actually only two...but go with me).

for Christians, one of the most commonly cited passages about love is [1 cor 13]. this is what's often known as the "love chapter", and defines what love is and what love is not.

for your reference...

Love is:

• patient
• kind

It:

• does not envy
• does not boast
• is not proud
• is not rude
• is not self-seeking
• is not easily angered
• keeps no record of wrongs

Love does not:

• delight in evil but rejoices in truth

Love always:

• protects
• trusts
• hopes

***1 corinthians 13:4-7 niv***

okay, that's good and all...

but what about my love for [warm chocolate chip cookies]?

nothing beats (at least in my mind), a freshly baked, crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside, gooey, chocolate chip cookie. so good.

crap, i'm hungry now...must focus.

anyways, would i say that my love for such a heavenly delight really fall under this definition of love?

well....

• i certainly envy its deliciousness
• i am definitely not kind to it when i eat it.... o.O
• any chocolate chip cookie out of the oven doesn't have a hope in the world of lasting longer than 5 minutes....
• the list (and my bad humor) can go on and on...i think you get the point.

the point is, we throw around the word [love] too flippantly.

in 1 corinthians 13:4-7, the root of the word "love" is greek, and comes from the word ἀγάπη which in english translates to something like "agape". this type of "agape" love is not foreign to many Christians, but i'll define it roughly for those who don't know what it means.

agape love: a self-sacrificing love. a love for something where a person would die rather than give up or break the bonds of love. [the type of love God has for us]

dear friends, in the words of the apostle john, the [disciple whom Jesus loved...]

"this is [agape] love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins".

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wait.

i said there was at least two types of love in the Bible. you're right. the greeks actually had [four] words for love in their language:

• agape (unconditional),
• eros (erotic),
• storge (family love) and
• philia (brotherly love, casual).

the Bible uses agape as seen in the corinthians passage, and also uses philia in passages like romans 12:10. there are also examples of eros and storge in the Bible but are not specifically called that.

my point?

my brothers and sisters, we are called to LOVE by our great God, who LOVED US FIRST. but what does that mean? shallow relationships with hundreds of people who we "love" about as much as i love chocolate chip cookies?

i dont think so.

i feel we are called to LOVE deeply, to invest in each other and in friendships. it takes a lot of work and it can be painful at times. but in the words of mumford and sons:

"where you invest your LOVE, you invest your LIFE".

i'm wrapping up my time here at camp Michindoh for YoungLife, and have seen literally hundreds of campers walk through here who have never experienced the love of the Father, or deep spiritual love. they have been told they are "loved" even, but when push comes to shove, they are the ones shoved aside. brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility to love. let's not let that pass away, much less that the Father would do the same...

In His Grip,

Jonathan

[story]

this one doesn't have a contrasting title, because i don't think [words] can describe what i have to say...

i have been working at a younglife camp since the beginning of june in hillsdale, michigan, at a camp called [michindoh]. i'm on the music team, as well as one of the four people who tell their life-story in front of all 250+ kids every week for an event known as lifesigns. it is the hope of those running camp that by us telling [our story] that the kids can relate and realize that [their story] is really just part of the [big story], and that they are not alone.

i've been completely taken aback by this experience.

as part of our assignment, we greet every single camper and leader as they get off the bus (there were 308 this week). we give each and every one of them a high five or a hug as they get off the bus and start at the camp welcome. i saw every single camper get off that bus and walk into a place where, for the first time, some of them had

• walls broken down
• the [truth] poured into them
• been told for the first time that someone LOVES them.

throughout this week, i've had several campers and leaders come up to me and tell me about their lives; about the emotional pain they feel, the sense of hopelessness that they have inside.

its hard.

it really is hard.

i remember being at that point of helplessness, where trapped between reality and madness there was only room for heartache. never in a million years could you have told me that, five years ago, in the pit of my own despair, would i ever have the opportunity to tell my [story].

if you are reading this, know that you are not alone.

there is a GOD out there who cares for you, who wants to know you.

its not about [my story] or [your story] or [anybody's story].

its about [HIS story]

and in his ending, you are the winner.

always winning,

-J