Ann Lenaers
- Opinion
- April 8, 2020
- 0 views
The State of Things
I live in South Dakota where we have the fewest Covid-19 cases in the whole country and social distancing can be a natural part of small populations. While New York has 16,000-25,000 people per square kilometer, we would have 4-18 people in the same amount of space. I live in one of the largest cities in the state where we have a decently sized airport bringing us a bit closer together, but that still does not make it massive. That being said, there are no shelter in place orders yet. We are being instructed to use common sense (definition – having good sense and sound judgment in practical matters), keep gatherings under 10 people, stay home as often as possible, only send one person to the grocery store, parks and non-essential businesses are closed, etc. Schools are doing home-based remote learning until May 1st at a minimum, but that could extend as things progress. As a devout Christian, my heart has been leaning on passages like “Blessed is he who considers the poor; Yehovah will deliver him in time of trouble. Yehovah will preserve him and keep him alive.” (Psalm 41:1-2) So many Americans are running around in fear right now focusing on how to preserve themselves, but my heart has been laser focused on helping who I can and trusting God to empower and protect me in doing His work. A crisis reveals our true nature. If you want to know my nature – Love compels me to serve. I can serve. I will serve. Love is a verb. That doesn’t mean I’m planning birthday parties or ignoring social distancing. We are still being smart and safe about it. It means while I may not be a doctor or nurse, there are other places I can help keep things afloat to get us through this crisis. In times like this, I have to remind myself I cannot help everyone alone, nor is that my responsibility. God will guide me where He wants me to be useful just like a single cell in the body works with millions of other cells to create the functioning whole. Where He guides me, He will protect me. Recently that has put me at The Banquet, a Christian mission giving free, quality meals to the homeless, hungry, and impoverished. These people need to eat, virus or no virus. The Banquet does not accept any government money so they can avoid all the restrictions of red tape and be able to pray and serve freely, and they rely on volunteers and private donors. They are still open as an essential service. A normal dinner would feed 250-300 people. Right now they are feeding 400-450 people each night and growing as people are being hit hard financially due to this pandemic. (Click here to learn how you can help.) In light of the virus, they are doing everything they can to prevent spread while still providing an essential service, but they need help. When I show up for my shift, I wash my hands thoroughly, put on gloves, sanitize everything, help them pack each styrofoam container,…
- Spiritual Living , Understanding Your Faith
- November 20, 2019
- 18 views
A Short Discussion About Faith
Question: Why are you so convinced God actually exists? Answer: That’s hard to answer quickly. In short, I have seen Him work countless real, tangible miracles in my life (click to see my testimony video) as well as so many others (click for playlist of other testimonies). I pray, and He answers. He changed my life completely! I have also seen countless historians, scientists, and people of other faiths try to disprove His existence or discredit His scripture, and all the ones who are truly rational in their approach always end up finding Him instead (click for an apologetics playlist). They realize He is real and the Word is true. The evidence is beyond substantial. Question: OK, let’s say that’s all true and He is real. If God is so good, why does He allow evil to exist? Answer: Free will or be a robot – those are your choices. Which do you prefer? Free will is a gift God gave us out of love. We are meant to steward that gift with responsibility… We don’t. Question: OK I choose free will, but then if He loves us, why does He send people to hell? Answer: He doesn’t send people there. They deny Him, choosing with that free will not to have a relationship with Him. Hell is the absence of God. He is light, hell is dark. God is good, hell is evil. God is love, hell is fear and hate. God is healing and comfort, hell is pain. He is still present in this life even if you deny Him. He is not present in hell, honoring your final decision. Question: OK so maybe I want God in my life, but don’t all paths lead to God if you’re looking for Him? Answer: No. Just like a navigation system gives you directions back to your house when you’re out of town, if your destination is God, Jesus is the way, and the Holy Spirit gives you the directions. One destination – one straight and narrow path. God made it simple that way. Accept Jesus and you will be guided home to your family. No other faith claims/offers that or teaches such great love, forgiveness, and peace. Question: OK, you’ve convinced me enough to try, so what do I have to do? Answer: Cry out to Jesus with your WHOLE HEART inviting him into your life, declare him as your Lord and savior, and leave your old life at his feet. Repent and ask to be forgiven and guided. Then follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit (which you receive as a gift) and the instructions laid out in the Bible. One foot after the other. You’ll get there. Question: Wow, is it really that simple? Answer: It starts that simple, yes. You’re life won’t instantly become perfect, but you’ll have His love and grace supporting you, His truth and wisdom growing you, and His power strengthening you through any hurdle. He will slowly help you feel whole and unshakeable, and the only reason you will want to look back is so you can deeper appreciate who He has…
- Relationships , Spiritual Living , Understanding Your Faith
- October 16, 2019
- 0 views
Who Are You To Judge?
I have an evangelist friend who created a Christian alternative to yoga. She was formerly a dancer and loves a good stretch, so she infused her faith into a workout routine. I find it admirable the way she reminds us that our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that we should include Jesus in the way we care for our physical health! A few weeks ago she shared an article on social media talking about a new craze called “rage yoga” where people yell, swear, and drink alcohol during their workout. Accompanying the link to the article she simply wrote “This sounds like a really bad idea! A better option here” with a link to the page for her stretching program. After seeing this, a woman decided to completely tear into her in the comments. I have not seen such a bold keyboard warrior in quite awhile, and that’s really saying something in the modern world. She went off about how Jesus sat at the table with sinners and that is where she would be found. She accused my friend of not being a good Christian, suggested she was not fit for her calling in evangelism, and repeatedly condemned her saying she was passing judgment in a way that only God has the right to do – all for saying something might not be a good idea. This woman dug her heels into shaming my friend. Set aside for a moment my desire to defend my friend and sister in Christ. Looking at this objectively, this post said absolutely nothing about Jesus and did not actually criticize anyone. She just said she felt it was a bad idea without sharing her reason why. When she tried to reply to the accusations, she calmly explained to the woman that it’s not healthy to dehydrate and poison yourself with alcohol while working out and that swearing isn’t a good coping mechanism. These are just fact statements based on our knowledge of health. This further angered the woman as she continued to accuse her of passing judgment. This story paints a clear picture of something I’ve seen a ton of people do lately, especially in the Christian community. I’ve grown tired of the rudeness happening among the body. People get easily offended about things, then they jump to responding in a way that surpasses even an eye for an eye, becoming more like die for an eye. Christians are instructed to turn the other cheek, so I find these disputes hold a unique hypocrisy, lacking the grace in execution that they so strongly insisted wasn’t present to begin with. It’s time for us to mature in how we address our concerns. Point 1 – Our freedom in Christ is not a license for chaos. Even though we are under grace, we are still called to live a holy life to the best of our ability, letting our old spirit man die to the sins of the flesh and be born again in Christ. When Jesus sat down to the table with sinners, they were called to repent and follow him. Point…