Identity {5 minute Friday}

May 11, 2012 by Jules 6 Comments

On Fridays over here a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

Your words. This shared feast.

If you have five minutes, we have a writing challenge <—click to tweet this!

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking 2. Link back at the gypsy mamma and invite others to join in. 3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Facebook chimed in last night and overwhelmingly voted for a prompt either about mothers or Mother’s Day. This was one of the suggestions and I love that it can apply to any and all, mother or not. So please give me your best five minutes on:

My Hubs! Isn't he {Yes, I helped w/ the hair}

Identity…

Who am I. I'm a daughter. I am a sister. I am a friend. I am a wife. I am a daughter-in-law. I am a sister-in-law. I am a college graduate with a psychology degree. I am a mother. I am a home owner. I am a youth minister {about to be a church planter/pastor}'s wife. I am a crafter. I am a blogger. I guess that means I'm a writer.

In all that I am a Christ-follower. THAT sums up my entire being. I defines who I am in everyother relm. It directs how I live in every situation. I follow Jesus. I sound like a looney tune. Some view me as a crazy girl in some kind of cult. Some think I am all about rules. Some don't know my Jesus.

I am a sinner. A big fat sinner. I make tons of mistake most of which I still don't like to admit to {just ask my hubs}.

I am forgiven. Of everything. Past. Present. Future. I am no longer seen as that big, fat, nasty, filthy, horrible sinner. I am seen as Christ. He stand in my place. He is my identiy.

Some days I remember this and some days God has to remind me. Other's see me as all kinds of things but God, the One who matters, sees me as a saint.

STOP

Filed Under: The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness} Tagged With: five minute friday

Defend Yourself!?!

May 5, 2012 by Jules 2 Comments

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When I started this post some time ago. I was planning on heading in a completely different direction. I planned on sharing with you what God has been teaching me about His character {bahaha}. How He wants me to parent in His image.
10 min later I found myself in the middle of an un-anticipated list of questions/statements. I was about to begin responding to the list that ended up being about even more than just parenting. I realized it was all in an attempt to defend myself. To defend my parenting. My lifestyle choses. My convictions. I was out once and for all to prove I. Was. Right. Right?

WRONG

I deleted my self-righteous list. The list of statement and questions I've heard and memorized. The list swirling around and around in my head. The list I held tight to, breeding hatred. Breeding anger. Breeding this giant attempt at a patronizing slam on any and everyone I've ever come in contact with who wasn't my fan. I left the space where the list was beginning to develop. I wanted to show myself {and confess to others}, not my holiness, but my SIN. Just the beginnings of my sin. Barely the surface of my deep darkness of my sin.

This has been my life as long as I can remember. SIN. Even more so over the past couple years. {more deep breaths} I need not defend myself when in the center of God's will. If He is for me, who can be against me? But more importantly--> There is nothing good in me to defend. There is no defense before a Holly God than the blood of Christ. Anything good in me is Jesus. I have nothing to boast in but Jesus.

Forgive me Lord for thinking I have it all together. Forgive me for slandering others in attempt to seem more worthy of your love, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. Change my heart!!!!

I need to apologize to you, as readers, friends, and fellow bond-servants of Christ, for thinking I'm any more than a sinner saved with the same blood as anyone else. God did not give me this place to gain glory for myself or to tear other down. All I have is to glorify HIM.

Free Printable: There is Nothing good in ME {let this be our prayer reminder}:

Community {~5 min Friday}

April 27, 2012 by Jules 7 Comments

Community

Journey invaded the McDonald's Playland last nite! AWEmazingly fun!!!! Love that group. True #community! instagr.am/p/J8hXBLvb1k/

— Julie Rothacher (@JulesRothacher) April 28, 2012

I could write for hours on community. How to get it all in 5 min...

Since moving 2 years ago, God has given us more community than we could have ever dreamed of. I mean, don't get me wrong. We've been in tiny pockets of community in our past towns but being a "pastor" family, everyone seems to shy away from us as if we're gonna stone'm for saying crap or damn; slap'm if they smoke; report'm if they don't discipline or discipline differently than we do, shun them if they watch "inappropriate shows".

When we moved here and became apart of the Journey Sunday school class we were initiated into COMMUNITY! Community is what the church is supposed to be. Community is Doing Life Together!!! That is what this group of people have become.

We don't just sit in a room together reading a quarterly and announcing prayer request. We "fellowship": share our weeks fun and struggles. Celebrate and cry with one another. Chooooose to hang out together Outside 'class'. Would some days rather have a continuation of "Sunday school" rather than go to 'big church' {shhhh}

We join in the fun of family birthday parties. PACK OUT the McDonald's Playland on a Thursday night while we joke, pass around each others babies, laugh, meet new friends, watch out for each others children, feed each others kids french fries, and watch a kid streeeeeak through the jungle gym while almost bring the McDonald's walls to fall like Jericho with laughter as we watch our friend race to the top of the toy to retrieve her child, his shorts, and diaper. {not rat'n out who ;o)}

I LOVE my community. I love seeing it grow. I love watching as we meet each others needs as well as the ones 'outside' our group who are hurting. I LOVE being the Church with these believers. This is one of the funnest, most meaningful, dedicated to one another, caring, genuine communities I've EVER been in.

STOP

~~~

Hold you I could talk for hours about community...that was about 10 min instead of 5. hehehehe

I'll have to write later about how much I've had trouble going deeper and how I'm having trouble staying connected with this HUGE transition quickly coming.

Do you know community? Do you struggle to get knee deeps like most of us women do for fear of being hurt? Do you long for community? Share, PLEASE!!!!

Don’t Sacrifice Your children

April 20, 2012 by Jules 4 Comments

It's that time of year again. The ceremony begins. Those leading are ready with scripts memorized, instruments in hand, and audience in place. The drums begin. Those in attendance began tossing their jewelry, wallets, and anything of worth into a hot burning fire. The last man to walk up is pale, nervous, and uneasy. He tosses in that which is of the utmost worth in his life, his CHILD! The leader of the ceremony cheers and a new song erupts. Everyone shouting, screaming, beating drums just as the year before. Drowning out the horrific cries of that tiny baby. That man slowly creeps back to his wailing wife in an attempt to comfort her as they watch many other fathers walk forward to offer their babies. The drums, chanting and dancing only become louder and more wild in attempt to distract from the smell of burning flesh and the reality that you are sacrificing a helpless gift of life.

What the Crap! {I know you were all thinking it...I just typed it.} Who in their right mind would participate in such a thing? Who could stand by and let someone do that to their child? Who could cheer about it? Who could voluntarily offer their child?

God's chosen people.

The 12th century rabbi Rashi, commenting on Jeremiah 7:31 stated:

Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved.

²¹ “‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. "

Leviticus 18:21

David conquered Jebusi, now Jerusalem, and he named it "The City of David" (II Sam. 5:6-7 & I Chron. 11:4-5). Israel never did completely separate from the pagans in the land as God had instructed them. Rather they intermarried and absorbed them into their culture (Ezra 9:1). And just as God's "called-out Israel" "served their gods," so likewise does His [many] "called-out Church" serve these same gods of old by teaching similar doctrines. {http://bible-truths.com/}

These seemingly barbaric people were sacrificing their babies to this god in hopes of gaining fertility {the ultimate sign of blessing then, ironically} or as a payment for their own sin or the sins of their people.

As barbaric as this sounds, we must remember that this is precisely what we do through abortion. With one obvious exception - today we don't honor or bury the children we kill.

Yep, I went there! As God's "called out" people, we the church need to start taking a stand for things that matter. Stop fighting over which denomination is better. Which churches withIn a denomination are better. Fight for those who need a voice. Those innocent being sacrificed to our gods of "rights", "choice", and "selfishness"!

Even Jesus addressed this by alluding to the valley where these sacrifices took place as that of the fires of hell. He used this illustration because it for those he was talking to it "...seems to fit into most people's concept of torturous infernal regions reserved for "evil souls of men,"..."

The best picture of Hell Jesus could give was that of His people sacrificing their innocent children to fake gods. WOW!

Abortion is sacrificing an unborn, helpless child to the god of selfishness, convenience, or pride to pay for the sin of sex outside marriage.

Abortion is sacrificing an unborn, helpless child to the god of fear to pay for the sin of rape, incest, or pedophilia.

Mothers asking their daughters to sacrifice their unborn, helpless child to the god of pride to pay for the sin of neglect.

Where will you your allegiances lie? Will you "completely separate from the pagans in the land as God had instructed"?

{start learning about the LIFE campaign HERE or HERE}

~~~~WARNING: there is a LOT of information provided here so please return when covenant to utilize these resources~~~~

Healing after abortion:
http://sarahmae.com/stretchingintoblue/2012/04/for-the-mama-who-lost-her-baby-through-abortion/

"Why [women who have had abortions] wall up, or cry around little children; why they sleep around, or suffer from depression, or think that God is punishing them by not giving them more children. I have a message for those women." -Sarah Mae

http://hopeafterabortion.com/

http://www.safehavenministries.com/

http://www.treeoflifepsc.com/Post-Abortion-Counseling.html

Citations and informative sites:
TOPHET AND MOLECH IN HINNOM via http://bible-truths.com/

http://www.abortionfacts.com/

Abortion: Sacrificing to Molech

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message498184/pg1

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_did_Jesus_say_about_Gehenna

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002912.htm

http://liveaction.org/

Personal Stories of abortion:
http://dragonmommie.wordpress.com/2007/05/03/first-hand-description-of-partial-birth-abortion/

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com/home/abortion/

Image:
http://images.mitrasites.com/photo/molech.html

Graphic image of an abortion:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71014391@N03/6935055539/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/manantialdevidaeterna/3010685074/

Amazing video on the important reality of abortion:
The 180 Video {post from the archives}

God's miracles despite abortion:
http://www.givingpraise.com/miracles/fulllife/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRYz7IDru0&feature=related

Filed Under: The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The Ones about...Stuff

Guess What

April 8, 2012 by Jules 3 Comments

This pat weekend we continued out crazy month of travel and had an amazing trip to Birmingham!!!! We built deeper relationships with students, learned big truths at "Secret Church" {radical.com or secret church.org}, and even got a chance to practice living in Christ when 'suffering'.

Insert blank

where you return readers would expect a picture

We we're headed home and stopped at a gas station. We all headed in to use the restroom and failed to lock all the doors to the church van. Someone stole 2 laptops, an iPod, and my purse which had the added bonus of carrying my iPhone and beloved camera {as well as all the other random stuff one carries in a purse: drivers license, sunglasses,a medicine, Chapstick, etc}?

If someone could come into my home and steal 3 of my most important Things, those would have been it: the phone I talk to people one and take pictures, the camera you obviously know I document our entire life on, and the laptop where I store all of those pictures and the other things/documents that keep our family running smoothly.

I am not being sarcastic facetious when I say that this Entire trip brought me Peace! Peace about how He has called us to minister her through building relationships and discipline students. Peace about His truth and where He is leading us next. And Peace about His sovereignty over everything! He was not surprised when I found my laptop bag and purse missing. he gave me an odd peace deep down in my gut. There was never a moment of panic, uneasiness, or fear. He peace she'd over me through the entire {very new experience} of filing a police report.?

Just wanted to let everyone know that updates, pictures, and blogging may be down for a bit while I enjoy the technology FREE life.

Thanks for your prayers. But i would like to ask, Please don't pray for my Stuff though. It's just stuff. Please pray for those who took it. We are commanded to love each other! Love our "enemies" and Pray for them. Not necessarily that they would bring junk back. Pray those thing bring as much joy to them as they did me. Pray that God would protect them. Pray for soften hearts to His gospel! This is an amazing story of Gods sovereignty and I'm blessed to be a tiny part in it.

Side note: I hope to open up the fire hose of Biblical truth I've learned this weekend SoOn! Get ready- I will be borrowing Matt book since my was divinely left in my laptop bag ;0)