Grace and Hell

"In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love."
-1 John 4:18

"The Gospel of grace is brutally devalued  when Christians maintain that the transcendent God can only be properly honored and respected by denying the goodness and the truth and the beauty of things of this world."

"For acceptance means only to turn to God"
-Ragamuffin Gospel by
Brennan Manning

          As much as one of the focal points of the Christian faith is grace, I think that this is an area that us followers of Jesus seem to lack in the most. Regardless of how much we claim to believe in God's grace in our own lives, I feel a lot of time for others, "We accept Grace in theory but deny it in practice"(Ragamuffin Gospel) There are obvious forces in our culture who have openly expressed their hateful and condemning perceptions of God onto others, (i.e. Westboro Baptist "Church") but there is still a similar, yet more subtle, spirit that dwells in so many of our own hearts.

  "So, who then goes to hell?" asked Kevin Miller to Shirley Phelps of the WBC "99.99999999% of the population!" She so "zealously" replied. Wow! That seems like a lot of God's creation just getting flushed away. When asked why she thought that was Phelps answered "Because he can!" Well, although God may have the power throw the majority of the population into eternal torment, I don't personally think that it would be in his nature to. I think Kevin Miller made a sound suggestion when he asked Mrs. Phelps, "Is it possible you're own hate is tainting your view of God?"

        I believe in a God of love, justice, beauty and you guessed it, grace! Who, although I believe has the ability to distribute divine retribution, chooses to forgive "70 times 7". Despite what our views of hell may be, perhaps it is time to confront our culturally formatted perceptions of God that point us to a God who is legalistic and exclusive.

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."
-Jeremiah 17:10

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him..."
-2 Chronicles 16:9

             I remember getting into debates with my friends when I was younger and would become frustrated by being asked questions like, "What if someone in a foreign country has never heard of God? Do they go to hell?". Honestly, I probably would have given an answer similarly to that of Shirley Phelps. I had the tendency of making judgments for God that were very likely just my own opinions of others' morality. Even in my own questioning, I would sometimes receive answers from my church leadership that did not reflect a god of grace. "Well I am sure God accepts some of those who are seeking but didn't have the chance." But even behind statements like those, it seemed like there was still an elitist nuance that hinted at the majority of the population being damned if they did not share our similar views.

"For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
- Mathew 7:8

            How much of God will I still not understand when I die? I could spend the entirety of my life learning Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic analyzing the ancients copies of the old text trying to deeper understand God's nature and still not come close to understanding his greatness. I am incapable! Not only could I probably never understand the full meaning behind the written words of Jesus, ( Because of cultural nuances, language barriers and context) but I will never be able to grasp the all complexities of the Almighty. So, I imagine God bares with me and gracefully waits for me to discover new aspects of his truth, while lovingly leading me to new understandings of his true nature. If God has done that for me in my life, why wouldn't he have the desire to do the same for the rest of his creation?

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
-2 Peter 3:9 

             Unfortunately, a lot of us in the Christian faith have treated others as if they are currently in hell because of the condemnation and judgments we lay on them. Why is it that when we think of God that "wrath" is one of the first things we think of instead of love? Why is the conclusion for us that people go to hell so easy for us to reach? It seems that if God had to make the decision to send someone to hell, It would not be easy for him to destroy a creation he loves. If it is God's will that all should come to repentance, shouldn't we try to view everyone around us with as much patience, love and grace as God shows us?
 

Love in Christ,

-Charlie-

PS I would love to hear your thoughts! Go ahead and email me at cjoconnor91@yahoo.com, or hit me up on facebook https://www.facebook.com/charles.oconnor.188 ! Any counter opinions and similar revelations are welcomed! For I myself am also seeking for God's truth :) !

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor

1000 words

Hey guys, so I have been meaning to blog recently but have found it very difficult to sit down and write. I have been experiencing so many things, and learning so much that it has been hard to sit down and organize all that I want to say. The more I become aware of the love and the beauty, the justices and injustices around me, the more words just seem to be limiting. So in this blog, I wanted to just allow pictures to speak for themselves. Hope you enjoy :)

Side note, I am not involved in the construction of the Deluxe Theater in these pictures, it is merely a monument in my neighborhood :D

Love in Christ

-Charlie :)

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor

Spilled Milk

Spilled Milk

      Growing up, I was told that God is always listening, God is always there, and that God will never leave you. But I was also told that sin separates us from God and that we are incapable of connecting with God in moments of sin. But if God never leaves us, how can we be separated from him?

     I know that in moments when I struggle with sin, I am choosing, for a moment to put God on the "back burner." I remove him from my thoughts temporarily in order to escape the weight of my convictions. But did God ever really leave? I believe that the so called "separation" we experience from putting God out of our minds doesn't actually remove him, but rather we are just choosing not to acknowledge him. Once we have said he is far from us, we start to believe that this distance cannot be reconciled, or that we must obtain a sense of holiness or worth to be able to approach him again. Thus creating a longer period of time "away" from God.

     When God looks at us, he wants so bad for us to just let us be wrapped up in his love and to be close to us. When we run and say, "I am not worthy" or "I am too broken" he looks at us and says "I still love you." I imagine that when we fall short, God sees us like a child running to hide in a closet after spilling a glass of milk. He stands in front of the door, feeling our guilt, and says "Come out to me, I am here. Hold out your hands and I will give you more, more than you can imagine!" When we have Christ we are reconciled, and God says to us, come back to me.

If you would like to contribute to my Mission Year experience, please visit my page at, https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor

If you want to write a check, you can make it out to Mission Year, writing my ID number 13-9069   in the memo line: PO Box 17628 Atlanta, GA 30316.

  
-a poem based on Psalm 50-
 

"Why, why oh Israel can you not see? When your heart is with me it eats it's fill, feasting long hours, nights and days while my arms around you. You are my prized guest, chose you over the rest, in you I put my time and invest all I am that I am.

But something else you choose, as if you wanted to loose everything that which I rooted within you. I miss you, I miss you! What was the issue? Do you not loved to be loved? No, that's not the case, I won't watch you waste the beautiful being you are. You're just being dragged farther and farther away because you grabbed hold of one that won't let you go and warns you to stay away from me.

That is going to end, and will be defeated. Hold on, I'm coming you wont be depleted of anymore life of anymore love or of anymore joy. Because I am your father and you're my baby boy. I'm coming, I'm coming, I love you I'm running, soon you'll be mine again. So don't give up, don't give in, please hear me please listen, I'm right here inside, you're with me, I am within. Because you see, I've never left you, I have been here the whole time. So I wrote you this poem just to remind, that you're always at the forefront of my mind."





Love in Christ,



Charlie

Five For The Fifth!

"Five for the Fifth Campaign
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_fOeKNVVr0&sns=fb

 

We are the Fifth Ward Pleasant Hill team, and we are committed to living simply, growing in love for one another and for our neighborhood through intentional relationships, and learning what it means to truly follow Jesus. We volunteer over 30 hours a week with community organizations, visit neighbors, share meals and devotion times: pray, play, and love together.

 

We are not paid for anything we do here in the Fifth Ward and we rely solely on donations from people like you! Your financial support covers our cost of living so we can commit full time to our neighborhood. We have created our Five for the Fifth Campaign: each team member has five days to find five people willing to commit to donating $5 or more a week ($20/month) to our Fifth Ward Pleasant Hill Team! We are starting this campaign today and ending it this Friday, November 15!

 

If you are one of the people willing to financially partner with us in our efforts to love our neighbors, you can donate to our team by visiting any of the following donation links! Please let me know when you donate so we can keep track!

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/tarrinmcdonald

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/taylorburch

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/heatherchappell

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/calebgroth

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/kiraecheandia

 

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/redietmulugeta

 

love in Christ,

 

-CHARLIE

 

 

Orange

     CHANGE

     Recently, God has been changing the way I view change. Change to me was something that does away with the old and replaces it with the new, however, I have been seeing that this is not the case. While living in Mission Year I have been learning that one of the key aspects of change is humility. We are encouraged to come along our neighborhoods in what change they are already trying to cultivate. To put our dreams aside, and instead use our abilities to help others accomplish their own. Because although we may have God in us, He is not only in us, he has been working in our communities long before we got here.

THE CHALLENGE

     This can be challenging because it means to submit to someone else's approach in handling  problems. And in being flawed creatures, no one is going to have to the perfect approach to any problem. But if all we do is try to resolve problems our own way, rather than coming along side the direction of somebody else, we would make very little progress in moving forward.

     FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Go to the people

Live among them

Learn from them

Love them

Start with what they know

Build on what they have

But of the best leaders

When their task is done

The people will remark

"We have done it ourselves"    

Lao Tzu

     As a teenager, I idolized the rebellious force "Stevo" from the movie "Salk Lake City Punks" who hated the flaws and injustice of our current system and refused to take part in it. But even he at the end of the film realized "We can do a hell of a lot more damage in the system than outside of it!" If we want to see something change, we cannot simply toss it out but instead "build on what it has." If a community already has dreams, plans, leadership and organizations, we must "learn from them" and offer who we are so that "the task can be done." If we are able to humble ourselves first to God, and then to one another, we will then be able to fulfill the dreams of others as well as our own.

 Here is a children's poem that embodies some of the feelings I have been having surrounding change.

There once was a man who hated green, because the man who made blue was very mean.

He didn't like green, but orange instead. The problem was, all he had was red.

So try as he might, the man couldn't make yellow, he had no choice but to join this blue fellow.

They worked all day ,mixing paint in a circle, blue worked with red until their faces turned purple.

Once they had finished, blue still made green with his yellow. But red could made orange now and thanked the blue fellow.

If you would like to contribute to my Mission Year experience you can donate by visiting my page at

https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor I could also use your prayers for support, protection and patience!

Thanks all for reading!

Love in Christ,

-CHARLIE