Names

I learned an interesting concept in my social psychology class last year. It's called the cocktail effect. Here's an example: You're in a room, standing elbow-to-elbow with a crowd of friends. Music is blaring so loud you must shout to be heard. Yet, somehow, in all the chaos, you hear someone on the opposite side of the room say your name.
According to my textbook, this phenomenon illustrates how important we are to ourselves.
Our name is important.
At the daycare, I could mispronounce any word under the sun, and the children would simply laugh at me. BUT, if I mispronounce their names too many times, they get fierce. Are we much different? We only let a select few call us by nicknames. The first thing we use as an introduction is our name (as if "Rebecca" actually reveals something about who I am). Businesses have made money off the importance of names. Ever travel and buy yourself a key chain, bookmark, coffee cup, or the like with your name on it? I own a key chain that's a flip flop with my name on it. I bought it in Florida while on vacation. You see, I'd lost my other key chain that had my name, so I had to replace it =).  I also have a coffee cup that's labeled with my mother-given mark.
We are made in God's image. If our names matter to us, how much more does God's name matter to Him? The third commandment tells us not to misuse His name. His name is to be cherished and feared. Psalms 111:9 says, "He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!"
I tried to look up all God's names in the Old Testament to show you all, but there were way too many to write down. I challenge you to look them up. Every one of them displays a  fragment of God's character. My personal favorite is Yahweh-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide). The name reminds me that God will always take care of my family. To truly know God, all His names must be taken into account.
Another piece of information I found on my search was that God had three shifts in how He was known. Exodus 6:2-3 says that from Adam to Moses, He was known as El-Shaddai (God Almighty). From Moses to the New Testament, God revealed Himself as Yahweh. Now, God is known to us through Jesus. His name is the only one by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). Romans 10:13 says, "'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" There is no name more powerful than that of Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you don't know Him. If you can't yet call Him friend and savior, remember this. He's only a call away.

First Impressions

I'd like to thank a friend for inspiring this blog with his sermon.

A girl stands alone. She wears black clothes and lipstick. Streaks of hot pink blend with her dark brown hair. Her lip is pierced. What are you thinking?

A man stands in a group. He appears to be the center of attention. His hair is cut in a modern style. His attire consists of a fitting t-shirt and jeans, all labeled Abercrombie and Fitch. What are you thinking?

A woman wears a suit and carries a briefcase. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun. She frowns. What are you thinking?

I learned an interesting fact during my social psychology class (actually, I learned several, but those are for other blogs). In a fraction of  a second--not even a whole second--we make snap judgments about people. Sadly, our minds do not easily change. According to my textbook, some brilliant psychologists did a study and found that even when their subjects had an unlimited time to judge pictures of unfamiliar faces, the verdicts were the same as the ones different people made in a tenth of a second. These faces were appraised for trustworthiness, competence, likability, aggression and attractiveness. Only one of these attributes can truly be evaluated in less than a second: attractiveness. The rest are assumptions. What's worse is that we act on these assumptions.

James 2:1-4 says, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

The story of the Good Samaritan tells us that everyone is our neighbor and that we are to love our neighbor. So that teenage boy that keeps making snide comments ahead of us in line? He's our neighbor. That woman who's using food stamps? She's our neighbor. That couple whose affection makes us think, get a room? They're our neighbors. We know God loves them. Why shouldn't we?

Is there anyone if your life that would be absent if you'd acted on your first impression?

Being my first blog post, I thought I'd start by telling a little about myself. I am 26 and married to a wonderful man who (somehow) puts up with me. My hubby, our dog (Auriel), our cat (Buddy) and I live in Kirksville, MO. If you don't know where that is, it's okay. Many people don't--even Missouri residents. I run on caffeine. I work with children and am currently writing a novel. This fall, I'll (hopefully) start my Master's degree in counseling.
Questions? Comments? You'll just have to read my blogs to find out more.
Because I'm busy and a bit lazy, I refuse to give the pretense that I plan to write in this blog daily. Besides, I doubt many of you have time to read this on a daily basis. Instead, I will write weekly. This WILL NOT be a weekly dairy entry, so don't worry. With the Lord's help, I'll make this blog worth your attention.
Enough dawdling! Here's my first entry...
As I mentioned, I work with children. Children make excellent object lessons. They teach us about faith and unconditional love. They also teach us about raw human nature. Recently, I noticed some of this nature.
#1
During recess, two 5-year-old girls sat next to a tube slide. One turned around and sat with her back to the slide. Slowly, while scanning the playground for alert eyes, she scooted backward, preparing to go down the wrong way (which is against the rules).
As I observed, I silently coached her to make a wise decision. She didn't.

#2
At the snack table, as the children crunched away at their Gold Fish, one child started teasing another. I stood behind the badgering child, and just as the other child opened her mouth to retaliate, she noticed me. Her lips snapped shut so fast I wondered if they had really opened.

Too often, our self control takes a nap when we are alone, and our sinful nature throws a party when we're with strangers or friends who share in the misconduct. The mentality is much like the Las Vegas saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." If no one knows, anything goes. WRONG!!
God is omniscient and omnipresent. Psalms 139 sharply illustrates that we cannot hide from our Lord. He is always with us. Not even the darkness can hide us. God's attention isn't distractable like a teacher's, and He doesn't blink.
Likewise, we forget (or ignore) the fact EVERYONE is watching. As Christians, the world is constantly scutinizing our deeds. Jesus calls us to be salt and light for the world. We are to go above and beyond--not just love those who love us but also those who hate us. Not just hear the Word but also do what it says.
When we act as if God isn't around, we ruin our witness. Our lives don't reveal we are different--changed by grace. The pressure is overwhelming. People everywhere are waiting for us to trip, so they can point and say, "See, you're just like me." Our character must be consistent whevever we are.

Listen to this song by Francesca Battistelli. The music speaks this message better than typed words can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAd5c3Dc29A