Rae Talkington

The sweetest cuddles 💛

This is a heart-song inside of me and so many other people. How we love others is the greatest declaration of the Good News!

Happy 35th anniversary lovebirds 🎉

About 5 years ago I committed to posting once a day something positive. It was a wonderful experience, but it also put a spotlight for me how much our world values negativity over positivity.

A values shift must happen somehow, we must find a way to move the needle further towards actually lighting candles instead of cursing the darkness. Just saying words often don't change very much, but action shines light in places that may not otherwise be reached.

❄️

1 Chronicles‬ ‭2:10-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬: “Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the leader of the people of Judah. Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed and Obed the father of Jesse.”

Me: ☺️🙌😁💃✨👏

As All Saints Day comes to a close, I’ve been thinking upon the great cloud of witnesses in heaven. Remembering those who have gone before us with a great deal of fondness.

With this sentiment cultivated, I wanted to take just a moment to list a few, and although this list is not all encompassing, it’s a beautiful indicator to me of how blessed I am. Honor is due to those who have paved the way, with imperfect knowledge and consistent faith, towards a better relationship with Christ. My prayer is that future generations can look back at us all with just as much fondness while observing this hallowed day.

There’s nothing quite like worshipping to a list in anticipation of the wonderful congregational worship that’s coming 🙌

"26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
Ephesians 5:26-27 (NIV)

If anyone missed how my day went today, this about sums it up 😅

Boundaries are necessary...

Every year on Oct 30th my family spreads awareness for Hypophosphatasia.

It's a disease that has impacted our lives almost as much as Jesus has. Changing the way we live, our worldview, our capacity for compassion, our daily tasks, and so much more.

I'm really looking forward to this year's World Hyphophosphatasia Day, and I hope that in some small way you are able to join us

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

"29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Genesis 2:2 (NIV)
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."

The better question might be, do you want to dictate others morals? The ponderings are still the same though...

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Joel 2:13 (NIV)
"Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity."

Romans 14:13-18 (NIV)
"13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval."

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."

James 4:1-3 (NIV)
"4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

Proverbs 2:6-8 (NIV)
"6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones."

John 13:34-35 (NIV)
"34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”"

Romans 15: 1-4 (NIV)
"15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”[a] 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope."

I have a theory... It has to do with the trajectory of the life of King David. The first example of a worshipper we have of a man who cultivated corporate worship in a meaningful way also began worshipping in a field all by himself. Unless you count the sheep of course

David however, spent years worshipping by himself. Even during his years on the run much of his relationship with God was cultivated personally. Only once he's reached full maturity does he begin corporate worship.

His desire to be in God's presence wasn't limited to temple walls and tents. It was in the field where he prepared to face the biggest battles of his life, and I believe it is in the field where his heart for worship truly developed.

Any worshipper, congregant or leader, needs individual worship in order to come together for effective and impactful corporate worship.

"Lord, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells."
Psalm 26:8 (NIV)

"You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water."
Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

I'm in love with the prairie dress style movement that's been sweeping the nation. Can it stay please?

Self-Righteousness is not a fruit of the spirit...

So why do I see so many of people using it like it is one so often?

Definition of self-righteous
: convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic

Nowhere in the Bible is this type of behavior found unless it is being pointed out as distinctly unrighteous. It's a type of pride that keeps us from being able to engage those who are different than us. It's not "standing up for the truth", but rather "standing up for my idea of truth".

It often happens when flaws are pointed out about an idea in modern christianity. Usually due to the idea having little biblical or traditional basis. People often take these ideas and make them apart of their identity as a Christian, meaning when the idea is attacked it feels like an attack on the person themselves.

This is why it's important to keep humble, every single one of us is wrong about something biblically.

The fruit of the spirit and the way we show love as Christians is outlined in the bible pretty clearly. I know I have to remind myself often of them to make sure I'm on the righteous track and not the self-righteous one.

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

Self-Righteousness is not a fruit of the spirit...

My mother and I had a conversation a few years back about personal responsibility and the implications of doing something that might be morally ambiguous. It's something I still ponder about from time to time, specifically in regards to this verse.

Romans 14:15-18

15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Still learning about humility these days. Lord, it's like patience, a never-ending lesson.