Two words that will Kill you

There are 2 words that will kill you if you let them:

What's new.

As in: "What's new?"

You know those words?

Have you heard them before?

Someone asks them innocuously, but they will kill you, I mean, literally kill you if you let them. I mean like take a nail and twist it slowly in your eye ball kill you.

I hate those words with a passion.

What's new, you ask?

I'll tell you what's new.

Nothing.

Nothing is new.

Not one single thing.

That's what's new.

Almost every time someone asks me this 2 word question, an avalanche of discontent is unleashed.

What's new, you want to know?

No, I'm not pregnant. And no I'm still not dating anyone. And no, I didn't buy a new house or a new dog. I don't have a vacation planned and I'm not getting a raise anytime soon. And no, there are no new book deals on my deck.

So, what's new, you ask?

I'll tell you exactly what's new.

I'm 14 days behind on my Bible reading plan. And I'm back to eating healthy again this month - which is new. But I still I hate it - and that's not new.

See what I mean? Two simple words but they'll kill you if you let them.

The reality is that most of life is the same with a few fluctuations over time. We live in the same houses and eat the same foods and go to work at the same places.

It can get monotonous.

Everyone else's life can sound so much more exciting than mine.

It's why we check our Facebook at least 14 times a day. It's why Netflix is so huge now and why we thrive on controversial news stories.

But when you stop and think of it, monotonous can be a welcome reprieve if you're the parent of a child with a headache who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Monotonous is a gift for a Syrian family who now finds themselves displaced without home.

Monotonous is also a gentle reminder that our God never changes.

That his love is the same yesterday today and forever

and that His mercies - thank God - His mercies, they are new every morning.

So what's new, you ask?

Go ahead. Leave a comment and tell me. I got all day to listen.

And that, my friend - now that's new.

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Why I Love Valentine's Day

Hey.

It's Valentine's Day.

You happy? Mad? Sad?

How does V day make you feel?

Maybe you love it, like me.

Or maybe this Valentine's Day is hard for you.

Maybe you leaned over and kissed the one you love this morning. Or maybe you can't stand looking at that body next to yours.

Maybe you're berating yourself for forgetting to make a dinner reservation tonight. Or maybe you're berating God for forgetting to provide someone to make a dinner reservation with.

The truth is that today is either really hard, really great, or somewhere in between. I know... I'm a genius. Still...

For me, Valentine's Day is sort of like Thanksgiving.

I love everything about it.

Why, you ask?

Well, because it's a day in which I stop for a moment and recognize the important things.

On this day, I stop and remember that were it up to me, I might have been married, twice, to the wrong guy. But God knew me better than I knew myself. He had a purpose for me that He planned before I was born. And somehow, despite my best attempts, this awesome God made a way for me to feel the pain of singleness and then use it to write a book about thriving in singleness (check it out here), and to host a daily radio show for singles (listen here), and to have a heart for singles like me.

Trust me.

I could have never thought this thing up.

But every year on Valentine's Day, I stop and think about love. Not the love of a man that still hasn't show up yet, but the even deeper love of the Father.

If you don't know Jesus, this might sound creepy. I get it.

But if you do know Him, then it makes perfect sense to you and odds are you totally agree.

Some days - like today - being single isn't very easy.

Yet some days - like today - being single is just perfect.

But whether you're single or married, and no matter what your view on Valentine's Day is, let me sum it up like this:

If you're married today, go ahead and celebrate the gift of love God has given you. Be grateful that God knew exactly who you needed in your life (yeah, I mean that guy you're married to!).

And if you're single, go ahead and celebrate the gift of love God has given you. Be grateful that God knew exactly what you needed in your life right now.

And if you're still waiting for a man/woman to show up and sweep you off your feet or if you're still waiting for your husband/wife to make that dinner reservation for tonight, be encouraged on this Valentine's Day with my two favorite verses on waiting from Psalm 27:13-14:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Happy ValenThrive's Day everyone! 

And *hugs* to all of you reading (See? Even I get sappy on V day). 

And because I love singles a little bit more than I love marrieds, I put together this awesome ValenThrive's resource for you - don't be shy: share it with your friends and on social media!

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A Possible Cure for Negativity

Have you ever met a sick doctor?

Trust me. You don't want to.

In the last 2 weeks I'd diagnosed myself with 17 different diseases and come up with a few still unnamed ones to explain my symptoms.

And I still felt like poop.

I tried taking one of every pill I had in my house to help cure what I had.

Didn't work.

I finally did what any normal person would have done.

I slept.

For 12 hours straight.

While my cough this morning still suggests the remote possibility of TB or lung cancer, at least I don't feel quite like death marched all over me anymore and that's a start.

Anyway, I'd written a blog post during my illness that in hindsight sounded grim (read it here if you want to feel a little bit depressed).

I'd also tried to record a podcast in which I sound like my pet turtle died. Thank God I had the mental fortitude not to share it with the world.

All this physical turmoil got me thinking that perhaps much of our negativity these days is due to fatigue.

We have mental fatigue and the result is that we sound grim.

Right now if there's one thing that every human (including you eeyores out there) agree on is that the negativity on Facebook is through the roof.

Some are suggesting that people are quitting Facebook like never before (don't hold your breath, but can you even imagine life without FB? A dream that alas might never be fulfilled in this lifetime).

The thing is, we don't have to quit FB.

We don't have to stop talking.

But we might benefit from taking a nap.

Tired of the never ending avalanche of opinions.

Tired of the continuous stream of 140 characters.

Tired of the 24/7/366 ongoing barrage of argumentative "must make a FB update or else" need to speak all the time.

I'm tired even thinking about it, aren't you?

We're told that we ought to engage. That we must speak up for what we believe in.

I don't disagree.

But I wonder if we would do it better if we did it out of a place of clarity and rest.

If perhaps we would find better solutions by weighing our opinions more carefully, sometimes choosing not to speak, occasionally deleted a post that might simply be too grim.

If perhaps we fought the pressure to always have to say something about everything.

If instead we chose to fix our minds on all that is good in our world.

We are living in the best days possible.

Think about it: this week I literally had 55 options of pills to take when I was sick - right there in my own medicine cabinet. I had the freedom to actually sleep for 12 hours (is that even humanly possible??). That I have a blog and a podcast and the means to talk to any of you anytime anywhere is incredible. Unbelievable. Totally awesome!!

We are living in the greatest days imaginable.

I know that right now the world feels dark and chaotic.

But remember that the darker the world the brighter the light of Jesus can shine through us.

We've been given a gift - but I wonder if we're too tired to recognize it.

Oh, and come to think of it, I haven't even coughed once the entire time it took me to write this blog post!

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A Letter to my Christian Friends in the West

My dear fellow western Christian - 

We are finally coming of age.

After hundreds of years of relative comfort, after generations of being well thought of and feeling culturally accepted and looked favorably upon, we are finally, finally coming into our own.

We are finally no longer the in the majority.

We are finally no longer the dominant ones.

We are finally feeling the stain of dislike.

We are finally experiencing what Jesus meant when He called us to be aliens in a world that would not understand us.

Some of us are angry about it, miffed that our rights are being threatened.

Many of us are struggling to grapple with it.

A few of us are insisting on yelling about it one Facebook update at a time.

We used to look at the rest of the world and feel sorry for them.

We used to take pride in living in the land of the free.

We used to consider ourselves blessed. God's favor was on us and our great nation and lucky was anyone who was granted the privilege of participating in our comfort seeking security loving approval hungry ways.

What we didn't notice was that we were wrong.

While we were working so hard to fit into the world, our brothers and sisters around the world were learning to stand strong.

While we were striving to make it, our persecuted siblings were striving to praise him.

While we were running hard after our next vacation and promotion, Christians all over the world were running hard after Jesus.

They grew stronger while we became weak.

They grew lean while we became soft.

And now - now we are finally coming of age.

We are finally waking up to our destiny.

In a world that prefers the dark, we've been exposed as different.

We've been outed as strangers in our land.

We've been recognized for the misfits we were always meant to be.

It's time we grow up.

It's time we decide.

The choices we make today will reveal who we really are.

Our choices will reveal who we love.

Some of us will turn back, unwilling to bear the cost.

Some of us will try to hide, preferring the safety of anonymity.

But many of us will rise.

We are awakening to our destiny.

We are coming of age.

We've been given a gift.

We've been set free from our own wants and our desires.

We've been given a second chance.

Will you take it?

Will you prove to be faithful?

 


Christians and politics

Politics.

Some love it.

Some love to hate it.

What would you do if I told you Jesus modeled an approach to politics that we need to embrace?

This week has been a crazy week in politics. No matter what your opinions are on what's happening in our great country, you might want to listen to this podcast I recorded on Christians and politics.

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Got an opinion on this podcast? I would love to hear it. Leave a comment or send me an email at [email protected].

Oh, and I almost forgot: I'm in Lebanon this week. You can follow my medical mission trip to the Syrian refugees via Instagram and Facebook.


Ever thought about the power of your words?

I said the D word yesterday. 

I don't mean Dang, or Drat, or even Darn.

I mean the real D word.

In my defense, the Packers had just lost a 18 point lead over the Cowboys with 30 seconds left to play in the game and Aaron Rodgers was running the ball to avoid being intercepted.

So I said the D word.

And as fate would have it, my nephew Ben chose that particular moment to walk upstairs with his 2 buddies from youth group and watch the last 30 seconds of the game. Mortified, he looked at me and said one word: "Lina!"

My first instinct was to chide him for allowing two strangers into my sister's house on game day.

My second instinct was to blame the folks I work with in the ER for sullying my brain.

My third instinct was to worry about the future of my nephew and his youth group mates.

Would they ever survive the disappointment of a Bible teacher saying the D word - as justifiable as it seemed to be in that particular moment.

Half of you reading this blog are rolling your eyes over the juvenile nature of my stress. We have bigger fish to fry this week, after all.

A new president - a controversial new president mind you - is about to rule the world as we know it.

The Russians are to blame for the demise of our country.

The Syrian refugee crisis is ongoing and Assad is being touted as the Savior of the Middle East.

The economy is bad. Health care is a bust. Social media is agonizing.

And here I am worried about using the D word in front of the next generation.

The other half of you is just as mortified as my nephew was. You're about to ship back every Bible study you've ever bought from me and donate my books to the Salvation Army. Scratch that, you wouldn't sully the Salvation Army bin with a cussing Bible teacher. You'll have to drop the books off at your local Good Will instead.

Alas, meet Lina AbuJamra, aka broken Bible study teacher in desperate need of grace.

The reality is that I was wrong.

I used the D word and I was wrong.

My nephew will survive it. His youth group buddies' faith will survive. Even you will survive it.

Yet...

In a world where there are bigger fish to fry, our words do matter.

They build up or they tear down.

They lift up or they destroy.

They reflect light or they hinder it from shining.

The wisest man in the world came to this conclusion: "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose" Proverbs 18:21

James the brother of Jesus also understood the power of the tongue: "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" James 3:5.

And who of us doesn't get it?

Who of us  hasn't felt the sorrow of a word quickly spoken?

Who hasn't agonized over words we wished we could take back?

Who hasn't wondered...if only I had chosen my words more carefully?

Even when the Packers really were to blame for such words?

So today, don't be too shocked if someone you respect accidentally uses the D word.

And don't be too rash in jumping to conclusions or in pointing fingers.

Instead, let's pray with the Psalmist: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" Psalm 141:3.

Let us be light this day, this week, this year, 

starting with our words.

Hey have you had a chance to listen to my most recent  difficult conversation podcast about the Church and the LGBTQ community? You can listen here and send me any questions to [email protected]:

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What do you want the most in your life?

There's this guy I have a massive crush on.

We're Facebook friends and, yeah, I stalk him from time to time.

Let's say, theoretically speaking, that he came to Chicago and asked me out on a date.

And let's say, theoretically speaking, that I checked my schedule and was busy that day.

Do you think I would:

a. apologize and ask him to try again next time?

or

b. get the heck out of my other commitment and buy a new dress?

You don't have to be a genius to figure this one out.

I WOULD GO ON THE DATE!

It's not that complicated when you think about it.

Last week I asked you for your help and thought 2 of you would answer.

But you floored me! Not only did a TON of you respond, but you really shared your heart with me. And you wrecked me with your answers.

Several themes popped up. One of the most common ideas mentioned sounded a little bit like this:

I wish I spent more time with Jesus.

You long for intimacy with Jesus.

You know who He is.

And you want more of Him in your life.

Desperately more.

Yet you struggle with making the time for Him.

You don't know how to make Him a priority.

You're too busy with family.

You're too overwhelmed with your physical needs.

You're simply exhausted.

But it's not that complicated when we think about it.

We make time for the things we love.

We re-arrange our schedule for our Facebook crushes.

We re-order our lives for the commitments that mean more.

We say no after saying yes because we recognize that a better yes is staring us in the face.

We do whatever we need to do to make time for the things we love.

Even if it costs us something along the way.

I got out of a medical mission trip once at the very last minute because I accepted a job at a church instead. My friendship with the organizer of the trip suffered because of it.

I broke off an engagement two weeks before the wedding once because I realized I was in love with someone else.

And on and on it goes.

We make time and space for the things we love.

People ask me all the time how I manage my life. How do I make time for Jesus as an ER doctor/author/speaker/global medical missionary?

It's simple: I've found out I can't live without Jesus.

I mean it literally. I cannot live without Him.

I need him daily.

I need him deeply.

I need him desperately.

I need him because my life is too complicated.

I need him because my people are too complicated.

I need him because I'm too complicated.

I have dreams that I can't accomplish on my own.

I have disappointments I can't reconcile without Him.

I have temptations that suck the life out of my soul.

In a world where everything is competing for my attention, I've found that I have to say no to some things in order to say yes to the more important things.

So I sleep a little bit less.

I socialize a little bit less.

I exercise a little bit less.

Because I love Jesus more.

What about you?

What are you choosing over Jesus?

Is it the gym? Your job? Your rest?

Is it your friends? Your small group? Your church?

In a world where everything is competing for your attention, it's time to say no to some things in order to say yes to the more important things.

It's time to say yes to Jesus.

I'm talking to you.

What are you going to scratch off your list to make time for Jesus?

I know you're really pressed - I mean, who isn't? We have Facebook, and Instagram and snap chat to keep up with these days.

But let's make 2017 the year we chase after the things that matter most.

I want to tell you about an app I've started using for my quiet time.

It's called first15.org.

Wanna try it with me? We can do this together.

Let's run hard after Jesus because we simply can't do it without him. 

My verse for 2017 is Exodus 33:15 where Moses says this to God: "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here".

Would you pray this verse with me for 2017?

One last thing, you sort of spoiled me with all the emails last week. I've come to expect you to actually talk to me. So will you do it again? Will you leave a comment with your verse or word for 2017? I'd love to hear from you.

Here's a teaching that I think will help you as you focus your thoughts on the one thing that matters most in 2017: 

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I have a problem and I need ur help.

Hi.

It's the 2nd day of the year and I already have a problem. 

Go figure.

The good news is that you can help me solve. 

Yup. You.

My problem is that I feel out of touch with you.

I don't know who you are anymore. 

I don't know what you need anymore.

There you have it.

I can't tell if it's because I've limited my social media time, or because I don't work at a church anymore, or because I'm just old and curmudgeony. And single.

But I'm done living in denial.

And now I need your help.

Will you do it?

Here's what I'm asking:

Email [email protected] or fill out the contact section on my site, or leave a comment below if you're bold enough and answer these questions:

  • What is the biggest problem you're facing right now?
  • What is your biggest disappointment in life?
  • What would you change about your life right now if you could?
  • Your: age, sex, job, religion, marital status, anything else you want me to know about you like your hobbies, your sexual orientation, your dream in this life.

That's it.

Answer one or all.

Answer anonymously or openly.

Answer today or tomorrow. (But don't wait until next year!)

Your emails will come directly to me. No one else will be reading your answers.

Will you do it?

Will you help me?


What do you Want in the New Year?

What do you want in 2017?

Stop and think about it.

This year could turn out like all the others.

A bunch of well intentioned resolutions meant to rev us up a bit, a list of good intentions and exhausted attempts at being more, doing more, wanting more.

And still - the same results: failure, disappointment, and unfulfilled longings.

Not me.

Not this year.

This year I want more.

This year I want a closer walk with Jesus. I want more power, more fruit, more flavor. 

This year, I want Jesus.

I want to cease from striving. I want to quit fearing. I want to simply rest in Him.

And God wants exactly the same for me.

I'm learning that there are 3 main ways God uses to teach us to trust him:

#1 He breaks down all our security structures

What is it you trust? Is it your job or your income? Is if your pastor or your Church? Is it your talents and your reputation? You can tell how much you trust something by how you react when you lose it. If you feel threatened and fear encroaches at the prospect of losing it, then you've likely put your trust in it. God knows that you'll never be happy with just that thing and will do whatever it takes to break you out of that security structure. He is committed to show you that He is more than enough for you. It's only when you lose what you trust most that you learn how dear and trustworthy God is.

#2 He allows difficult circumstances that we can't fix

You know those prayer requests that God still hasn't answered you decades later? You know those people who won't stop hating on you? Yeah, they're God's provision for you. My friend sent me this definition of God's pruh-vizh-uh n: God turning ever moment into a chance to experience the fullness of his love. Every circumstance that puts you at the end of yourself is His provision to show you His love. Will you trust him in it?

#3 He places us in the eye of the storm

See, it's in the eye of the storm that we cry out to him. It's in the eye of the storm that we finally bend our knees and pray. It's in the eye of the storm that His word becomes our lifeline, His promise become our life. And until His word becomes a priority in our life we will never really get to know him. See, He reveals himself to us in his word. That's where we meet Jesus.

I believe that Christians have lost their voice in this world primarily because of our love for materialism and our constant state of worry.

We love our stuff and are deathly afraid of losing it.

We are constantly competing with each other for more stuff.

We are not unlike like everybody else around us.

No wonder no one is listening to us.

But what if we could change?

What if in 2017 we were willing to give all that we have for the sake of knowing him more?

Wouldn't it be worth it?

Looking for a great resource to start the new year with? Check out the Resolved 10 week Bible study with DVD series. Make 2017 your best year yet. 

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What Are You Waiting For This Christmas?

Every year, whether we're ready for it or not, it comes!
Christmas.
In an ironic twist of fate Christmas has fallen on a Sunday this year and many churches have opted to cancel their services.

Ironic, because...well, who needs to meet and worship God when instead we can celebrate him over hot chocolate and self indulgent gift giving?
I suppose I can be glib about Christmas this year since I'll be working most of the week. I will be Christmas-less Christmas this year.
To add insult to injury, here's how my gift giving went down:
The UPS truck pulled away from my house and I quickly ran to the door. The Zappos box held such promise. I opened it and sure enough, a clean crisp UGGS box sat looking at me expectantly.
I concluded that my sister had gone out of her way to kindly think of me this Christmas: a new pair of boots to replace my old beat up ones.

Then I opened the box and felt sucker punched.
The boots I expected weren't there. Instead a high heeled gold trimmed definitely not me pair of boots sat mocking me in the box.
Why in the world would anyone do this to me? I wondered. How could my sister be so careless? I was miffed. Then I noticed how small the boot was. As if the style wasn't bad enough, the size looked even more ridiculous.
It finally occurred to me to check the name on the box.
Sure enough - the ugly small boots weren't even for me.
The UPS man had dropped the box off at the wrong house!
Go figure.
Another typical Lina Christmas with its unmet expectations and sordid disappointments.
You ever feel that way?

Every year a specific part of the Christmas story sticks out in my mind.
This year it's the part about Anna in Luke 2:22-38.
Jesus is already born. The manger a distant memory. The shepherds' song long gone and the wise men well on their way home.
Mary and Joseph are adjusting to life with a newborn babe. A newborn with eczema and baby acne, and colic and gas and all the scary things that go along with a first newborn.
In the midst of all the chaos was a necessary rite. Jesus was to be taken to the temple to be purified. This was a fulfillment of the law.
God became man born in a manger. And almost every one missed it.
Well everyone except for a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna.
Anna was a prophetess, of the tribe of Asher. She used to be married but her husband had died 7 years into the marriage, and she was now old - 84 according to the passage.
A widow.
Alone on this very first Christmas.

For over 70 years she had waited - anticipating, expecting.
Would this be the year?
Would He finally show up?
Year after year she'd hoped.
Could this be the year God finally answered?

Then one day just like any other...it happened.
Hope did not disappoint.
The waiting was not in vain.
God did show up.
Jesus came.

Every year, whether we're ready for him or not, He comes.
Christmas is here.
Hope is alive.

hey, check out this podcast from the archives that will encourage you this Christmas season!

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