Respect Pt. 2

I ended Tuesdays post by asking you if you thought I was crazy and if I was alone in thinking that we need to be held to a higher level of respect these days...



I don't think I'm alone. I just came across this article of a restaurant in LA that will give you a discount if you leave your phone at the hostess station while eating! They are encouraging visitors to spend more time with the people they came with than their phones.

Maybe some biblical references will drive my point home...

Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law of the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

I know that it ticks me off when I am sitting down to dinner with a friend and they are constantly checking their phone.  I know that it drives me bonkers when one of the girls in my eGroup pulls out their phone during eGroup.  This is why I hold myself to a higher standard and refuse to sit on my phone while I am with other people.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.

Romans 12:10

One way that I can devote myself in honor is through respecting them enough to get off of my phone.  One way that you can devote yourself in honor is by giving preference to the people you are with over your iPhone, iPad, iTouch, iPod, or whatever techy device you have. 

Render to all what is due to them: tax to who tax is due; custom to who custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

Romans 13:7

I believe that honor is due to the people that I spend time with.  You should believe that honor and respect are due to the people you spend your time with.  You can give them that level of respect that you believe is owed to them by giving them your undivided attention when you're together.

Was this not enough for you?  Feel free to look up respect, honor or any other synonym to respect in the Bible.  You'll find plenty of biblical references to back up my point.  They may not have had Apple products or smart phones when the Bible was written.  Thankfully, the Bible is a timeless book that will always be relevant.

So, Reader... What are your thoughts?

Faithful Blogging

There are always days when I struggle about what to write on .Redeemed. I always want to give you fresh, biblical content. But, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can't come up with anything. Today, I will be using a prompt from Faithful Bloggers. You can find my blog, and many other Christian blogs in their directory.

Faithful Blogging Prompt #66 -

If you had to recommend only one book of the Bible for a person to read, which book would you recommend and why?

If I could only recommend one book of the Bible to a new believer, I would suggest the Book of Acts.  I am almost done reading the Book of Acts and have learned so much about what it means to be a Christian.  The sense of urgency that the apostles have in every situation, their undying devotion to spread the Gospel and boldness when sharing the Gospel are skills that I believe every Christian should have.  I regret not taking the time to read about the early church before now. 

If I could only recommend one book of the bible to a seasoned Christian, I would suggest the Book of Romans.  I can't ever read this book of the Bible enough.  I find this to be one of the most encouraging books of the Bible.  I mean, have you read Romans 8?  You can't not get reeved up after reading that we are more than conquerors, we are co-heirs with Christ!

The Book of Proverbs and the Book of Psalms are always good books to open up to anytime you are struggling with finding something to read in the Bible. 

Dear Reader... yeah, You...

What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Respect Pt. 1

Respect: (noun), an act of giving particular attention

Respect: (noun), a high or special regard

Respect: (noun), esteem for a sense of worth or excellence of a person

I feel like I've been talking about this issue for a while now.  Or at least, I've been thinking about it a lot.  Respect is very important to me.  I find myself wanting to lecture parents at the park on their phone, kids on their electronic device at the table and friends texting when they are with friends. 

What has today come to?  When we are with people we like, why don't we respect them enough to put our electronic devices away and actually spend time with them?  Texting, sending emails, and playing games while around people you are supposed to be spending time with shows a huge lack of respect for them.  I know I would never buy my children (that I don't have) a meal if they sat on their phone, iPod, or DS at a restaurant. 

My ultimate irritation when it comes to respect and our electronic devices is during church related activities.  I can't stand it when I see people on their phone at church.  Yes, maybe you are taking notes but it is distracting and overall rude.  It drives me crazy when the middle school girls in my eGroup pull out their phones.  I've caught several playing Temple Run and texting during eGroup.  I feel like my head explodes when I see this.

I was raised to treat others with a higher level of respect.  When I'm at the table with family or friends, I'm not checking facebook or my email.  When I am at eGroup, the one I lead and the one I am in, I am not on my phone.  For those few hours that I am with people, my phone is put away.  I have enough respect for them, to devote my time to them and not be distracted with my phone.

Dear Reader... 

Am I alone here?  Does this bother you, too? 

Come back on Thursday for another post unpacking some biblical references to this topic.

Muching Monday

I know He is, What am I? Week Two

 

Matthew 16:13-19     Exodus 24:15-18

I noticed a persistent and consistent gap between who God says I am and will do and what I feel and do.

1. Correction - Jesus is not who we say he is, he is who the Lord says he is.

2. Protection - Nothing can stop the work of the Lord. Not even the gates of hell.

3. Connection - The keys represent access

We obsess over our assessment of other peoples assessments of ourselves.  Don't stare at other peoples assesments.

When what God says isn't matching up, the promise I need to access is in the cloud. (Exodus 24:15-18 and iCloud analogy)



 

Love what you just read? Want to hear more? The entire message can be found for free at 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00 (AM & PM) here, or you can download the podcast for free!

What I am munching on...

This sermon was absolutely perfect.  They always are.  God's heart is centered in the Lord, so every word out of his mouth comes straight from what God tells him!

 

I have been relying on other people to tell me who I am for far too long.  I need to protect who I am in the Lord.  I need to only allow only God's words to come into my ears and resonate into my mind.  Pastor Steven said, "We will never discover what God has in store for us if we spend our lives listening and believing others assessments."

 

I do not want to miss out on what God has called me to do in my life.  I do not want to miss out on anything that the Lord has called me to do.  I need to allow God to close the gap between who I am and who He is, because they should be the same.

 

 

Reader, get involved! Have you been believing lies from the people around you?  What are you acknowledging is not true and believing that God has said?

Reflection Friday

If you are new to .Redeemed., I lead a middle school girls eGroup. Thursday evenings with the girls is one of my favorite parts of the week. They are an amazing group of girls and they teach me as much as I teach them.


In June, my eStudents took a week off to go on a Father-Daughter Date.  I didn't want to show any bias towards our wonderful mothers.  So, my eStudents took yesterday off to go on a Mother-Daughter Date.

I have tweeted about it a lot about parent-child relationships this week.  Children these days are going through far more than we went through as children.  They need their parents in their lives to bring them back to reality.  I think a strong parent-bond is always important, but I don't know a more important time than through middle school and high school.  Middle schoolers are tempted to have sex, do drugs and change who they are to be popular.  High schoolers are selling themselves out to be in, going too far, and making choices that they will regret later in life.

Students need to know that their parents are around to help them through these hard times.  Students need to be able to come to their parents when they are thinking about making or have already made a bad choice.


Disclaimer - I am not a parent.  I do not know what it is like to be a parent.  I do not know what you are going through, that may determine the way you parent now.  I am someones child and I did go to my parents when I was thinking about making or had already made a poor decision.  I can't imagine what I would be doing now if I hadn't had my parents to go to.  Please do not judge this post and tell me that I don't know what I am talking about.  I think this is an important topic that God has made me passionate about.  I wouldn't be writing about it if God hadn't given me the words.