Get up all "in your face" or just live like Jesus.

Kelly: A few weeks ago, Holly and I touched on the subject on the two greatest commandments that we are to obey as Christians (Here is the post we are referring to). Today's is not necessarily a follow up of that post, but it is something similar, or at least I think it is. xtyz (oops, Yoda got a hold of the keyboard again). I feel though that in light of some recent conversation, comments, the sermon today and whatnot, I am going to throw out a disclaimer right now: the topic at hand we are discussing today has multiple sides, and we acknowledge and are aware of them. However, today, we are choosing to focus on just a few of the sides on this multi-faceted topic of discussion. This morning in Sunday School our discussion was about being more intentional about who we come in contact with. The Scripture we referenced was when Jesus met with the Samaritan Woman. The consensus we reached was that He didn't bump into her on purpose; He knew her story and He knew she'd be there at the time that He was there too. One of the questions that was asked was what are some of the most ineffective ways to tell others about Jesus. I gave the example of someone knocking on your door and getting all in your face, seemingly shouting "excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about Jesus?" or "Hey, I'm here right now to tell you about Jesus!" Now PLEASE do not misunderstand me; I am not against those means of evangelizing. I'm just saying, they have not worked for me. It made me uncomfortable, a bit uneasy, and obliged to initiate a response. Once they left, that was it. There was no room to get to know the actual person. I felt like just another check mark on their list of people to reach. We were then asked what were some of the most effective ways of telling others about Jesus. Holly said just being real with people. I followed up and said that Jesus got into the heart and soul of everyone He met, like Zaccheaus, the Pharisee and the Samaritan Woman. He knew their stories, and if He didn't, He learned them. He didn't intimidate them or scare them. No. He was real with them.

This leads into the next part of my portion. Today's sermon was about respecting humanity. The main point that was driven home was simple: it DOES NOT MATTER where any person, ANY PERSON, has come from, what they look like, who they love, where they're from, we as Christ's body are to give them, ALL of them the love and respect that they not only need but deserve. Did I stutter?

Holly: There was a story about Union Church (a non-denominational church in town) on the news a couple of nights ago.  If there are any of you non-Bereans who are reading this, one of the things that stands out about this church is that right out front there's a very large banner with a rainbow flag that says something to the degree of "ALL are welcome! No kidding! No exceptions!"  We posted the video below- please take the time to watch it if you feel led to do so.

What really gets me (and this was said this morning in the sermon) is that so many of us, including Christians, totally forget or disregard the second part of the greatest commandment, which is "love your neighbor as yourself."  It's simple concepts, really: Show compassion to others.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  Freaking BE NICE to people.  And yet somewhere along the way the lines get blurred.  I've stated my views on love and acceptance and respect many times before, so I won't share them again.  But one of the ways we do that is by relating to people.  Just sharing life with others!  Being the hands and feet of Jesus by reaching out to those who are already on the outside looking in.  Heck, even those that aren't.  I feel that regular, every day conversations can turn into the spiritual, meaningful ones over time if we relate to people on all areas of their lives.  For me, like Kelly said, that doesn't involve loudly proclaiming "HEY YOU NEED JESUS RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS!"  The truth is, we ALL need Jesus.  There's a quote that says "You may be the only Bible that someone ever reads."  We ought to be sharing messages of love, acceptance, and hope; something this society so desperately needs.  I posted on my Twitter today that the message at Berea Baptist is one that needs to be preached but probably isn't.  Let's live like Jesus with our lives and words.  Let's reach out to ALL people.  No exceptions.  

Union Church story

A brief, one-sided reflection of Hobbit Day

Holly: In the spirit of Hobbit Day (September 22nd, Bilbo and Frodo's birthday), with the seasons turning, cooler weather approaching, The Return of the King complete recordings playing, me halfway through Fellowship of the Ring, I feel compelled to write.

I wrote in my journal not too long ago about Lord of the Rings, Tolkien himself, and what this world, this Middle Earth, has done for me and my life.  I won't divulge entirely in the details, although I may post the entire entry at some future date, but I noted that I think, through my journey to Middle Earth, through both film and book, that I feel I have drawn closer to God as a result.  I feel at peace when I think of the hobbits I so relate to, of the wondrous descriptions of all the splendors Middle Earth has to offer.  They taught me to trust, to love, to feel unabashedly.  I draw strength from the music and from the books, and I thank God for this.  He has put people in my life who love Tolkien and his world, and who introduced myself to it.  I thank God because He knows how to speak to His children.  I thank God for Tolkien, who was inspired to bring Middle Earth to life, a world that gives so many people hope, even so many years after his passing.  I hope to someday pay my respects to Tolkien.

I think of the chaotic week that lies before me, and I have prayed fervently, and I know others have done the same for me.  But as Sam so eloquently says "Even darkness must pass."  And as I continue on my reading, my complete recordings listening, the open windows of my apartment letting in the cool of the day, the birds all about, the sun shining in and providing warmth to my cats, I think of what Frodo went through, what Bilbo went through, what I've gone through and what God has brought me through.  I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I used to be.  For today, I choose to just be.  To just be absorbed in my own little piece of Middle Earth, to celebrate 2 hobbits I dearly cherish.  "Even darkness must pass.  A new day will come.  And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

"We may stand, if only on one leg, or at least be left still upon our knees." 

Family Matters

Holly: I fail to be clever on demand.  Sorry.  This week has taken forever and it STILL isn't Friday.  haha.

Our parents came to visit us this past weekend.  We only get to see them a few times out of the year now, and they usually have to come to us.  They're both retired, so they have the flexibility that they so need after both working 30+ years in their respective fields.  After they leave I always miss them.  But this time was different.  I was left thinking about the relationship between kids and parents nowadays.  I have a great relationship with my parents and my family in general.  Yet I know so many of my friends who don't.  Some of my friends haven't spoken to their parents in years.  Some of my friends don't know their mom or dad.  Some of my friends don't even know how to fit in with their own family.  That makes me really sad.

The friends I do have who are still in contact with their folks don't have many good things to say about them.  Most of the time they say they're not supportive, or they shoot down their dreams.  Which makes me even MORE sad.  This is a glimpse of what we had growing up:  We were never given everything we wanted, we always had to work for it (I'll let Kelly share a story about that).  There was always a home cooked meal, and if Mom or Dad made something and we weren't sure about it, we had to try one bite.  If we didn't like it we didn't have to eat it.  Mom and Dad weren't afraid to show their affection in front of us kids (although it grossed us out at times! haha).  They told us they loved us and they told us often.  They've ALWAYS supported Kelly and I, and tell us they're proud of us, and tell us often.  My mom has bailed me out (mostly financially) more times than I care to admit.  If something awesome happens in my life, Mom is the first person I tell!  My Dad is so goofy; I get my silliness from him, for sure.  In my 23 years of life, I have never felt not loved, not supported by my parents.  In fact, I think I've grown closer to my folks since being on my own.  Yeah, they're not perfect, and in their almost 32 years of marriage and 3 grown kids later, there's been issues, of course.  But I love them so much and I'm proud of where I come from.  I hope that if I ever have kids I can be half the parents mine are.

Kelly: I always remember when I was growing up that we weren't "spoiled" by any means. We didn't have everything we wanted, but we weren't skimped out and we got by. We weren't filthy rich but we weren't dirt poor either. My parents valued working hard for what you had, and they definitely passed that onto us. As kids, Mom would get us something (usually a season of Smallville) and instead of giving it to us we had to work for it. This usually meant cleaning our room (and not just throwing everything in the closet...I mean HOURS of cleaning) or practicing our instruments when were were in our band years. And I'll admit; we were good kids because we had good parents. Sure us 3 kids fought, but to my knowledge it was never anything physical. We never laid our hands on ANYONE because Mom and Dad never laid their hands on each other or on us as punishment. Yes, you heard me; none of us were ever spanked. Now I'm not against spanking, but I do think that people can take it too far. We were never grounded, snuck out of the house, ran away from home or endured any of the classic "teenage rebellion." Why? Well A, we had nowhere to go and B, we learned very early in life that it's just not ok to run away from your problems or blame someone else for something you did. When the time came for us to go to college, mom and dad always said that we had the choice to go wherever we wanted and that they would help us provide the financial means as best as they could. Again, we weren't skimped out. And we were honest and real with one another; we could all talk to each other about EVERYTHING. We didn't get our driver's licenses until we were 19 years old, because Holly and I told our parents at 16 that we did not feel comfortable or mature enough to operate a car. At Christmas time, we were always at our house together; now if family or friends wanted to join us they were always welcome to do so.

How I've been raised has allowed me to reflect on how I want to raise my own children, should I ever get to that point. My future children, like I was, will learn to respect authority, all authority. I want them to be responsible, accountable for their own actions and want them to do not only what is right within them but what is right in God's eyes as well. I want my children to march to the beat of their own drums and to not necessarily do what is "normal" or "easy" or "in." I want to be a parent, but I also want to be a friend. I'm just thankful for the family I had, and still do have, because I know that one day we will all depart this Earth. Be thankful for your family; whatever your definition of family is.

Little twins.  We're 7 in this picture :)

Holly, our brother Kip and me. Family friend did a photo shoot of us kids. 

Holly's graduation, May 2012

Our wonderful parents! :) 

Unplugged

Kelly: A few nights ago, Holly and I were once again talking about the fact that technology seems to be taking over the world. The view were tackling with this post is technology and face-time with friends. I'll share a story. Over Christmas break, a friend of ours invited us to have lunch. We shared some brief conversations and catch-ups since it had been about 7 months since we had last seen each other. After about 10 minutes of conversing, she got her phone out as she had received a text from someone. Meanwhile, mine and Holly's phones were on silent and in our purses. This texting conversation with...whoever (she didn't tell us who it was) continued for the majority of the meal. Now let's bring this back; how would you feel? The impression I was getting from her was that she didn't want to be there, and I really didn't want to be there. It just felt awkward. I remembered the times we would just laugh and be stupid and stay up till 1 in the morning talking about stupid stuff without cell phones getting in the way.

Now please don't misunderstand me. I am NOT against cell phones! I sometimes feel very out of place when I don't have mine, especially when I make my 40 minute commute to work. Yet sometimes I feel really happy and relieved when I forget to leave mine off for most of the day. I think they're great; they're the only way I can get in touch with my parents back in Ohio. It's just a major pet peeve of mine that some people I know seems they can't even function if they're phone isn't right there. It's another pet peeve of mine when I'm with a group of friends and everyone but me is on their phone talking/texting researching God knows what or God knows who. What ever happened to unattached and unchained actual face to face time with people? Seems like it's a lost art these days.

Holly: It really baffles me just how wrapped up our society has become on viewing the world through a small screen.  Earlier in the week I was grumbling about how I had to charge my cell phone again (I turn mine off at night), and I mentioned to a co-worker that I usually have to charge my phone 1-2 times a week.  He was shocked; he said "That's not a lot."  No, it's not.  With the exception of texts to Kelly, random texts here and there and random phone calls to home, my cell phone does not get much use.  It drove me crazy in college when my friends would moan and groan about how little sleep they got because people were texting them all night.  Um...how about you turn your phone off?  "Oh gosh no, I could never do that!" was usually the reply.  Well then....kwitchawhining.  I know it's blunt and I know it's rude, but you CAN turn your phone off every now and then.

Something else that baffles me is Face Time.  Ok, really? You are not having a conversation with someone's face...you are having a conversation with someone's face ON A SMALL SCREEN.  Face time, to me, is actually sitting across the way at someone's FACE.  I'm all about keeping in touch...but really?  I ride a shuttle from UK stadium to campus, and every morning and afternoon, about 90% of the passengers are just attached and totally absorbed in their phones.  Most days I crave face-to-face conversation. although, sadly, I now prefer to text rather than call (I'm working on that...).  Seriously, though.  Put the phone down, look out the window, put some music on, or God forbid actually have a conversation with the person sitting next to you (This has happened to me on numerous occasions and it always brings a smile to my face).

In about a week or so Kelly and I are going to be getting smartphones.  I really hope we don't become one of "those" people.  But here's my guarantee: whenever I meet with you, for whatever reason, my phone will be away and on silent, unless it's an emergency.  I believe one of the most important things we can give someone is our time; let's shoot for 100%.  We owe it to those we care about.

Let's try to unplug ourselves a little more each day...

Debunking the stigmas

Holly: It's not much of a surprise that society tends to put people into "boxes".  You have your haves and have-nots, your loners and social butterflies, your twenty-somethings and your elderly, your single people and your couples...you get the idea.  Then there's us.  We're more on the "haves" side of things, we fit somewhere in between loner and social butterfly, we're both single, and we're both in our 20s.  We're also Christians.

I've seen a lot of stigmas associated with being a Christian.  I'm sure you have too.  "Christians don't know how to have fun."  (Whatever that means, anyway.  I guarantee my definition of "fun" and your definition are totally different).  "Christians think everyone's going to hell."  "Christians only listen to Christian music and don't watch movies with swearing or sex or any of that stuff."  "Christians are so hypocritical."  "Christians don't drink or smoke or any of that." "Christians are so judgmental."  "Christians think everything is BAD!" You get the idea, right?

I'm going to debunk ALL of these by saying that they're all full of crap.  Last night, Kelly and I went and saw "The World's End" in theaters.  I will be the first to say that it's filthy.  There's a lot of bad language and a lot of inappropriate-ness.  However, we saw it anyway.  Why? Because it's JUST A MOVIE.  It's not like Kelly and I are going to suddenly embark on a mile-long pub crawl.  No.  And that's where I debunk all of these stigmas.  Movies, tv shows, books, etc, things that are "questionable" are merely in this world for the sole purpose of entertainment.  It's just a movie.  It's just a book.  They're not real.  There's a quote from Facing the Giants in which someone asks "So you think God cares about football?"  The rebuttal is that God cares about our faith.  We can indulge in a totally stupid and funny 2 hour movie and keep our integrity in check.  Watching a movie is not a sin.  As for music...give me Mumford and Sons any day of the week.

Kelly: I remember at the first church I attended when I was about 8 years old. As you all know, Harry Potter had just come out and was starting to get well known. Holly and I were in our Sunday School class and our Sunday School teacher was very anti-Harry Potter because of the magic, witchcraft and wizardry that obviously happens. She blatantly said that Harry Potter was a sin. I remember going home and being very upset because I was thinking about reading it but because of what she said I didn't. Maybe that's why we waited so long to read them...anyway.

Last night, like she said, Holly and I enjoyed an R rated movie. I also have been known to enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage. (Bear in mind I said OCCASIONAL). I think what it just boils down to is ignorance. Just because we carry the name of Christ doesn't mean we're these sheltered, Bible-thumping fire and brimstone kind of people. No. When I was in Scotland 2 summers ago, I was the oldest in my apartment and my roommates were into that kind of party scene that included bar-hopping and the such. I am not really into that. Never have been. I remember I was in the kitchen making dinner and after repeatedly declining their invitations one girl asked me if I was a Christian. I said that I was. She then asked "oh so you don't drink because you're a Christian?" I'm going to use a Martin Freeman picture again to express my frustration then and now.

Again, I think it just boils down to ignorance. It's frustrating. So if anyone out there asks me how I spent my weekend, please please PLEASE do not gasp and be all flabbergasted if I reply that I went and had a drink with my friends. I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with alcohol and R-rated movies. It's just if we let the drinking go farther than our limits and we start behaving in the way that R-rated movies sometimes are, then that in my opinion is when they can become problematic. Yet again there's another struggle, because today's culture is immersed with this type of behavior ALL the time. More often than not these types of behaviors are just casual, brushed off with "oops it just happened" or "oh it's ok. I'll clean up better next time." Now I ain't trying to preach, but it seems to me that the line between right and wrong has been so blurred in the past few years or so. And let's face it, our society has become so accepting of basically just a "doing it your way" type of lifestyle. Hey, that's great and all, but in my world living for myself is too small a thing to live for. God made me as the person that I am today; I think I owe it to Him to take care of this vessel He made in me. He's built something in my head that started young, because I've never been one to follow with what is "right" in today's world. So in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy what I enjoy and live my best for God. That's all any of us can do really. 

The Two Greatest Commandments

Kelly: A few nights ago, Holly and I were having an interesting conversation, as is the starter of the majority of these blog posts. As you all know, we are followers of Christ, or at least we claim to be. By the way, if you see or hear us acting not in such a manner, please let us know. Sometimes we are not aware of our own words or actions, am I right? Anyway, in Matthew Jesus answers the question what the two greatest commandments are. Simple. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul mind and strength. The second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself. In today's world, it seems to me we need to go back to basics with the latter.

I've heard before ad nauseum, especially from these other "churches" who say "we love God and He is our Savior, but you all are burning to hell because of xyz." Yes, I'm talking about the latest people population that has been targeted; gays. Now please don't misunderstand me, I am in no way shape or form discriminating against anyone who is gay. In fact, some of my friends are gay and I love them dearly. The question that Holly and I posed while we were having this conversation is can you love God without loving other people? ALL people? My answer? No. I don't think you can. Jesus didn't discriminate against ANYONE, therefore we shouldn't either, whether or not you claim to carry the name Christian. If one is selective about who they want to show love to, then in my opinion you're missing the message that Jesus was trying to carry. But it's not just the gay population that is being targeted, no. Again, like I said, I feel like the world needs to go back to basics. I think some people have just forgotten how to simply be nice. I was reading on Yahoo! news that this family received a letter stating that their mentally challenged young son was a disgrace to their neighborhood and that the parents were shameful for letting him play outside.

Ironically, Holly and I viewed Lee Daniel's The Butler this evening. There was one line that President Kennedy (as portrayed by James Marsden) is watching the TV and footage of African Americans being relentlessly beaten on the streets. He sinks his face in his hands and says "I can't believe that this is my country." Sadly, this is what our country was and unfortunately what our world is becoming. Ya'll, this is the point I'm trying to say; it doesn't matter what your views are on Christianity, gay rights, etc. Just show some common courtesy to ANYONE you meet. You don't know what they're going through.

Holly: We love because He first loved us.  ~1 John 4:19

Jesus dying for the sins of the world on the cross- how much more of a powerful way can you say "I love you?'  He also makes very clear the two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Nowhere is there any subtext that says love your neighbor as yourself....EXCEPT if he's gay, black, weird, pink, straight, yellow, male, female, a dog....NO.  There are no exceptions.  Period.

I've mentioned this in a post or two previously, but I think love just goes beyond love.  I believe love also comes with acceptance.  Jesus loves who we are, everything about us, flaws and all.  I don't think you can love somebody without accepting all of them.  Now that goes without saying that you don't have to fully adopt their lifestyle choices- no.  That's not it at all.  But stay open-minded and be respectful.  Eventually you look past all the things that originally turned you off from them and you see them for who they really are; a child of God, a living, breathing human being.  If you really think about it, when you boil everything down, we are all essentially the same.  We are all created in the image of God.  I know I need to remember this when I yell at the questionable drivers I encounter on a daily basis (I have terrible road rage).

I'm caught thinking of Westboro Baptist Church.  This is an institution that is supposed to be proclaiming the love of Christ.  Instead, they spread nothing but utter hate and ignorance and oppose anything that threatens their little box full of blasphemy that they've sadly put themselves in.  They absolutely refuse to listen to any reason whatsoever and they believe they are perfectly valid.  I do not consider them a church.  I do not consider their members to be Christians.  Heck, I don't even know if the life I'M living will be considered Christian when I am judged by God at the end of my earthly life.  But it's spelled out as clear as day: we are called to love.  And I'm doing my best to do just that.  Please let me know if you see me doing otherwise.

Happy (belated) birthday blog!!!!

Holly: Ladies and germs, we are totally stoked to announce that yesterday (August 20th...we're a day late, ya know.  Jobs and stuff) was the 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAUNCH OF THIS BLOG!!!!!!!! :D *insert cheesy applause*

It still amazes me that it's still going strong.  We recently launched it on Facebook and, personally, I love sharing our posts there.  Facebook is a great platform.  But once again, we're not concerned about how many followers we have, how many comments we get- we just love writing and sharing life with people.  So if you like what you read, great.  If you want to leave a comment, great.  If not, we're going to keep writing, even if we just keep writing into nothingness.  

Life has changed for me so much in just the past month alone that I simply am beyond eager to see where this time next year will bring me.  I thank God every day for what I have.  I dearly appreciate all of you who do follow along with us on this crazy journey called life.  So keep having your coffee dates, keep seeking the joy in your life, keep praying, keep having faith, keep laughing, smiling, breathing, living! :)

Kelly: In 2 year's time, we both have graduated from college, moved twice, met Colin and Brad, got into Lord of the Rings and Sherlock, went through 3 roommates, adopted two cats, lost a friend (not by death but by other choices), lost our Grandpa, had a slew of jobs and downfalls and now have landed full-time (well...sort of for me) jobs and a lot of goodies in between.

WOW!!!!

It's surreal and amazing at how fast the time goes. Really. It's incredible! Like Holly said, we've done this for the last two years not to get "fans" or likes, to gain readers as fast as we can or ask for a slew of comments and shares. No. We do this for us and all of you! It has been our goal for us to discuss a topic so that someone out there can read it and say "yes! I've been there" or "well, not exactly, but this is what I think about it." The comments, views, shares and likes don't matter to us at all! I must say, it has been a blast looking back what has gone on in our lives the past 2 years. The growths, challenges and developments we have gained has been nothing other. We are humbled and blessed that there are many of you going on this journey with us! Thank you all so much for ANOTHER year! Here's to two more and many to come!

August 2011: Taken shortly after publishing our very first post.

August 2012: Taken one year exactly after the publication of our very first post.

August 2013: Taken 2 years and one day exactly after publication of first post.  We look sleepy :]