The Kingdom of Heaven is for Butterflies.

Hey all! I hope you are all having as beautiful of a summer as I am. 

I have had a pretty busy month after leaving Mission Year and preparing for the next step in my life, Year 2. In the midst of traveling between 4 different cities,  seeing about a dozen relatives,  catching up with friends and my best friend Daytona's baby being born, I am trying to remember the importance of being fully present in the moment. It is easy to get caught up in the momentum of traveling and forget to savor all that God has been blessing me with. Today I was listening to some music, (Check it out here, http://sharemytable.bandcamp.com/track/s-o-s )  I felt a nudging to become more present where I am, despite the noise and the chaos.

-a poem about enjoying the present moment-

I believe in things unseen. I believe in mystery. I believe in one who never ended and who never began and I know that is hard to understand but there is so much that we don't see. We only dwell in dimensions one, two and three and if you ask me, there are probably more colors than R.O.Y.B.I.V and G. Scientists say that even butterflies have more rods and cones than me, maybe thats what Jesus meant by the kingdom of heaven is seen by the least of these.

Because if the kingdom of heaven is now maybe it takes the most simple to figure out that there is life before death too! Vivid, wonderful, beautiful life that dwells in between suffering and boredom. We need to learn to open our eyes, and forget the lies that the grass is greener on the other side because really, it's just different shade of brown.

So until we learn to root is the present, instead of trying to dilute the unpleasant with things that refute to find worth in the king AND the peasant,  then we won't be able to appreciate what our brown can be.

Chocolate, coffee, oak, leather,

Cedar, root beer, cloudy weather,

Toads, and boats, and oats, and hopps

Mud, and wood, and spinning tops,

Rocky road, and cookie dough,

Tea, and toast I don't know,

Things that bring you life and give you hope

The first time Moses said hello to the divine God said " I Am."

Singular, uniform PRESENT TENSE statement telling moses

Hey kick off your shoes, slow down, enjoy this moment with me.

Don't worry about the tomorrow or try to figure it out, this place is sacred RIGHT NOW.

Rust and decay, old age and displaced things and time will be found in tomorrow

Build up your treasures in heaven. 

Excess and greed paving the way for tomorrow's wants while ignoring other's needs

Build up your treasures in heaven.

And if God's kingdom is now, let's indulge in the gift of today

And build up our treasures in heaven.

Very short stories

"It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story."

The day a bird flew into our house through an air vent

The day me and Dante slacklined in the park

The day we helped a friend clean up

The day we made some new friends

The day we went to ride bikes

With love,

_Charlie_

if you would like to donate to my experience here in Houston, please check out my page @
https://missionyear.thankyou4caring.org/charlieoconnor

Easter plays at Pleasant Hills Baptist!

Hey all!

I hope you all had a very relaxing Easter this past Sunday! As some of you know, I volunteer at Pleasant Hills Baptist Church here in my neighborhood about twice a month to work with their youth program "P.H.L.I." (Pleasant Hills leadership institute) and this month me and my roommate Kira had the pleasure to help out with the Easter play! Our contribution was doing a few "human videos" one being the classic "Everything Skit" and another being our own skit created to show the miracles of Jesus. (In which you will see me play the devil ;D ) The show had praise dance, a children's choir performance and many other impactful displays of talent!

The P.H.L.I. students were able to pick of the steps of each scene with ease and give an OUTSTANDING performance with a very small amount of rehearsal time-I am very proud of all of them! :D!

Here is the Miracles Skit that Me and Kira choreographed :)

-Miracles Skit-

Paralyzed man-Brian

Blind man-Charles

Demon Possessed Woman-Kira (With Eric and Chris)

Peter-Chris

Adulterous Woman-Julia

Feeding the 500-everyone

Lazarus

Jesus-Quinton

The Devil-yours truly :p

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