Reunions are Memory Makers

 For the past seven years, when I have travelled, it has been purposeful. It has been for a reunion, a writer’s conference, an English teacher’s conference, or volunteering with National Bible Bowl (a Bible quiz tournament). It was difficult to watch people gather in other states at those events while I stayed locked in my home in Los Angeles in both 2020 and 2021. Although some of my events were on Zoom, there is something unique and life affirming and possibly life changing of meeting in person. 

When I discovered that there would be a reunion for my college that closed in 2019, I hoped I would be able to attend in-person. When we first hear the word, “reunion,” we immediately flashback to the memories that we had together. We reminisce and live just a little bit in the past. It’s good to remember the past, especially the fun and people who helped shaped us into who we are today. What I have discovered is that reunions can also create memory makers for the future. 

I love to travel. I love to explore places that are new, along with places where I have visited before or have lived in my past. In the places where I lived, I developed friendships that have lasted since I moved. When I return to those friends, we gather for meals, talk, reunions, and enjoy the company of each other. I remember why I have a fondness of the place, but I also remember that I have a strength that is beyond human strength. Our faith in God has tied us together. 

I enjoy reminiscing but discovering how my friends have grown in Christ and the risks that they have taken in their faith is empowering to my own life. Jesus ties us together. I know that many people will claim that we will be together after death and in heaven. That is true, but sometimes we need encouragement here on earth. I never realized how much others influenced my faith, which is why as Christians we must be in community, and the communities must become healthy. 

As much trouble my college went through while I was there, our leaders were strong and healthy in their own faith, which kept us growing in Christ. Like one of my friends said, we were protected from some of the worst of it, which for our spiritual growth, we needed to be. We also didn’t need to know specifics for our gossipy mouths. What I have realized with this reunion and the reunion in 2019 is the importance of our churches being healthy. 

First, our churches must impart true community. Control divides and separates. Grace brings unity. I don’t need to be punished or excommunicated from the church for the sin I have committed, while others in the church, many times as leaders, are committing the same sins. We all must show grace to one another and encourage one another of how we can live in the life of Christ. Human beings do not determine my faith in Christ. There are not levels of Christianity. I was taught that my whole life, and it is incorrect. 

There are people who understand the love and grace of Christ immediately when they give their lives to Him. Others take a bit longer to understand faith. That does not create levels in faith. It describes the faith journey that is different for everyone. Paul describes the order of gifts in Romans. He does not describe the order of faith. Just because someone has a gift in a high order does not mean that person has more faith or is a “better” Christian. Paul also claims that the gifts that we don’t always see are sometimes more important than the ones that we do see. 

Faith is not a competition. There is no such thing as a “better” Christian. There are just people who have had to use much faith in their lives because of circumstances that have created it. Others have not acknowledged the faith that they have used in their lives. These are the ones that continue to live their lives as if Christianity is a competition. Jesus even claimed that the person with the most faith is like a young child. It is the one who has small faith that grows. 

To have true community in our churches, we must encourage and empower people to grow in their faith. That does not always mean growing in knowledge, but it means listening and understanding where people are and building relationships with them where they are. In college, our professors challenged us on our knowledge. The groups we joined, our internships, and our relationships challenged our faith. 

We must build relationships with people in our churches beyond Sunday mornings. I wrote an article on how Bible Bowl does that with teenagers. Our youth ministries strive to have young people build relationships with one another. Then, when they become adults, we falter. The elderly people have great communities. Why do we have great community when we are young and old? What happens in the middle?  We become so focused on how we present our faith to others that we forget people care more about who we are, not who we pretend to be. 

In college, one of my favorite people, Dr. David Roadcup, reminded us weekly to be authentic. I never knew how important that was until I worked in youth ministry. You can’t be fake around teenagers. They can smell out a fake within ten seconds. We all sin. No one is perfect. When you meet with someone, and they begin to expound their flaws or sins, share yours. You will find that being authentic brings respect, love, and faith. Dr. Roadcup was correct. Authenticity is a must in any ministry and in any church. 

Along with authenticity, we must tear down the barriers of disunity and build bridges. Our churches must build bridges with those teenagers who love one another and with the elderly who always have parties. When my home church was thriving, I remember Sunday School classes, now considered small groups, would have parties and events. Holidays are a great time for your small groups to gather in fellowship. People are searching for true community. It comes when we celebrate with one another. 

This week reminded me that my faith in Christ is built because of the people that God put in my life. We empower and encourage one another. Hebrews tells us to encourage one another for the day is coming. In that day, we will have a reunion. No one will compete for who has the most faith. We will gather because of our faith. May we find the blessings we have in our friendships. 

Discover those in your church that need community. You will be surprised. Love. Love covers over a multitude of sins. Let us love one another for that day of that reunion will be a day of true rejoicing. 

With Freedom Comes Great Responsibility

 On this July 4th, people will celebrate with barbeques, fireworks, gatherings, apple pie, parades, and baseball games. We celebrate this day not because we are free from all the rules that we don’t like, but because our founding fathers fought against the oppressive rule of Britain. On this day in 1776, America declared its freedom from the rule of King George. In no way is America perfect. A country is full of people, and we are all imperfect, so our country is not perfect. We have a long way to go for everyone to have equity. We do however have freedom, but we must realize that with freedom comes responsibility. 

Even though we are a free country, it does not mean that we get everything we want or that every law is in our favor. Trust me. I wish some laws would be handed down, but not only would we not be a free country, but war could break out among the people because my laws would annoy you. America was unique when it began, especially wanting freedom from a government ruling us. After we received our Independence from Britain, war broke out among the states over the idea of freeing all people. Once slaves were emancipated, freedom was to be for all people. I know we have a long way to go for all people to be free, but we have come a long way. 

With freedom comes great responsibility. We have taken freedom for granted for so long, that many of us have become mundane and haven’t realized that we must change for all to be free. Our founding fathers wanted us to be free from a government ruling us. They wanted people to be able to take risks as they did and create lives that would bring good to everyone. We have the freedom to choose our life course. We have the responsibility to protect that freedom for those who live among us and after us. 

We must use our freedom with responsibility. We have freedom of speech. I have seen the unwise comments that people are speaking on social media. When we don’t have responsibility over our speech, relationships are broken, which causes friction. The Bible warns us about our tongues being out of control. Calling people names and deeming them evil because they believe differently than you, are not responsible acts. It’s being a tyrant. 

If you want the freedom to speak or write your opinions, allow others to do the same. You don’t have to respond. Being responsible with freedom means allowing others to speak with their freedom. If you want to have an intelligent discourse, which is rare on social media, then have one with intelligence, no name calling, and with understanding of the views of the other person. The goal is not to change the other person’s views but to see their views and understand that person with their experiences. We must speak to others as we want them to speak to us. 

Along with responsibility of speech, we must have responsibility of our religious beliefs. Jesus did not command us to go around and demand that everyone believes in him, but to invite others into his presence. There’s a big difference between demanding and inviting.  Jesus did not tell us to belittle or call people names who do not believe in him. He never did that. He told us to go and make disciples. That takes time, not screaming on the street corners, which is what social media does. We want to INIVITE people to Jesus not shove them to Him and demand that they follow him or else. That’s not freedom. That’s not responsible. That’s not freedom in our country or in the ways of Jesus. Jesus always invited. He never demanded. Let’s begin inviting. 

The Revolutionary War was fought so that we could have a government that governs the people and represents the people, not rule the people. Our country is divided. We are so polarized that people on either side cannot communicate or have relationships with those who think and believe differently than them. Both sides want to rule. We must realize that God created all of us with a brain and we all think and believe differently. We all have different experiences that shape our ideas and beliefs. In order to have a more perfect union, we must begin with listening to those who are different from us. 

When I visited Washington D.C. in 2013, I understood with all the tours, memorials, homes, and battle lands that we are a young nation. We have made grave mistakes, but we also have made beautiful strides in making the world a better place with our inventions. If we want the country to be better, then we must all do one small act to be better. The country doesn’t get better because we vote or because the laws we want or don’t want. The country is made up of human beings. When human beings become better in their actions and words towards other people, the country becomes better. 

Our founding fathers compromised. They did not agree with one another. You will never agree with someone 100%, but if we want this country to remain free, we must compromise. We must listen. We must be responsible with the freedom we do have because if we don’t, we may lose it. 

The Fourth of July is not about barbeques, or fireworks, or parades. It’s a reminder that we received our independence from a tyrannical government. Let us appreciate our freedom. Let us be responsible with our freedom and respect the ideas of others because we do not want to lose our freedom. It is our responsibility to protect our freedom. Protected freedom comes with responsibility. Let us begin to be responsible with our freedom.