Horton: “We must become invisible, travel silently, for there are forces that would seek to destroy us.”

Thoughts: In one of the scenes in the movie, Horton decides to pretend that he’s a ninja. He says, “We must become invisible, travel silently, for there are forces that would seek to destroy us.” Now, he’s a 400 pound elephant in a cartoon so it sounds funny. However, that’s how a lot of Christians live their lives! Not so funny anymore, eh? A lot of Christians only leave their houses to go to school, work, and Church. The moment Church is over, they run back home and don’t leave again until they have to, because “the big, bad, world” will get them! That’s not at ALL how God intended us to live our lives. We are to go out, and make an impact in our world. We are to go out, and reach people with LOVE for Christ. However, it’s hard to reach and love people who don’t know Christ, when all we do is hang out with Christians!

Take a chance. Follow His example all throughout the Bible. Break out of the “holy huddle” that so often we put ourselves in, and get out there! Love the people that God so loved. Just look at it this way, that person that you’re refusing to go out and show some love to, is a person that Jesus died for. Were you worth more than that other person? Of course not! Go out… make a difference.

1. Katie: “In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows, and poop butterflies.”

a. Thoughts: Oh boy. If only life really was this easy. If only everyone really were ponies, ate rainbows, and pooped butterflies. Too bad that’s not how life is most of the time… especially the Christian life! A lot of people preach as though the Christian life is the type where we just all eat rainbows, poop butterflies, and sing kum-ba-yah around campfires. The Lord promises us that in life, we’re going to have trials. Why are we going to have trials and temptations? Because even Jesus went through that! Jesus was persecuted and suffered, thus, we as Christians will suffer Wanna check it out in the Bible? It’s in John 15:18-21.

The Lord calls us to daily take up our Cross, and die to ourselves, in order to live for Him. As a result, we are going to suffer, but that suffering is what makes us stronger! In the words of Kanye West and his funky looking shutter shades, “That, that don’t kill us, will only make us stronger.” The suffering that we go through, is EXACTLY what God uses to break us, mold us, then use us.

Thinking. Ah, thinking. It’s so important, so simple, yet often times… so overlooked! Here at Flamingo, we value it so much, that it’s one of our ethos! Always be thinking.. “Is there another way?” Not only is thinking important, but so is creativity! In fact, that’s another one of our ethos at Flamingo. Constantly be thinking, “Are there other things that already like this? What can I do to make it fresh.” I remember when I was younger, my favorite show used to be, “Out of the Box.” In that show, there were five kids who would meet together, and pull some random objects out of the box… and create an adventure with them! With a spatula, a spork, and a beach towel, they’d create their own space adventure! I loved the show because it encouraged you to dream, use your imagination, and let your creativity roam wild.

Creativity is absolutely key. Think “out of the box.” Don’t be afraid to get creative and try new things! A lot of time, people stick to the status quo, and as a result, they can miss out on an AMAZING idea or concept. God blessed you with a big ‘ol brain… use it to think out of the box!

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Only love. Only love can leave such a mark.

At the Leadership Summit that just passed a couple days ago, Bono was one of the speakers. He had about a five minute long intro video talking about the conditions going on in the world around him, and the music that it was set to was “Magnificent” by U2. In that song, the lyrics that gets me every time is “Only love. Only love can leave such a mark…”

Wow! What a true statement. Only love CAN leave such a mark. Our love today, to the people all around us, will leave a lasting impression, a lasting mark, a lasting legacy. Think about God’s love. Think about Him sending His son to die for us… His love… left SUCH a mark! The Bible commands us to love our neighbor (everyone around us). That’s a commandment not a suggestion! Let us love, because it’s so true… only LOVE can leave such a mark!

Almost a year ago, the band, The Fray , came out with a new album. I loved the album but my favorite song from their new album, was “You Found Me.”

Now, this song stirred up a lot of controversy from the Christian community because they claimed that the song was questioning God (since it’s pretty well known that most of the band is Chrsitian). That’s not at ALL what the song is doing. The song is not questioning God, rather, it’s questioning His timing. At one point at or another, we’ve all questioned God’s timing! We’ve wondered why did someone we love have to leave us so soon. We’ve wondered why we got laid-off a couple days before the landlord came to collect the money for the rent. We’ve wondered where God was when it seemed like our life was falling apart.

The beautiful part of the song is the chorus. It says, “You found me. You found me. Lost and insecure, You found me.” It’s true. He found me. Lost and insecure… He found me. He found you. He came to the rescue, and found us. He came to the rescue and has wiped away our tears. He came to the rescue and has chosen to love us despite knowing the millions of times we’d hurt Him. He came to the rescue and sacrificed His only Son for you…. for me.

God knew we’d eventually question His timing so he left us with a little bit of wisdom in Isaiah 40:31. It reads, “But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”

Have you ever doubted or questioned God’s timing? How did the situation end up? Did God use it to build you or make you stronger?