Month August 2018

Girl Wash Your Face – Book Review

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I realize that this is a very popular book especially among women my age, so I did hesitate for a moment about writing this review – but only for a moment.

Overall the book is another self-help book sprinkled with Scripture and some Christianese. Mrs. Hollis is an excellent writer and listening to her read her own book, I can tell she is a great motivator and speaker. There are some things I did get from the book that were helpful, but her slaughter of Scripture left me wanting to throw the book across the room. I didn’t, only because I got the book on audible and would have probably shattered my phone.

In her book, she does provide little small things you can do to start changing bad habits or traits. She has done very well for herself and has a huge following and it is good to take advice from people who have been so successful. She lets the reader know her thought process and provides tidbits of advice and counsel that are helpful. She is also very vivacious and humorous. The book was funny at times, and that made it easier to listen to. She is also very open about her struggles, but I believe this can also lead to a false sense of entitlement or authority. Just because someone is open about their suffering, doesn’t mean they have the authority to tell others how to feel about pain. It can definitely make them more empathetic, but not wiser. So my advice – Girl, you’re a fool and so am I!

Also, Mrs. Hollis unfortunately is not a good theologian. She is your typical American Christian – my way and Jesus on the side. I wouldn’t say this is a religious book, but she does mention her faith and how it helps her in her life often. If I remember correctly, every verse she uses, she uses out of context. She even wrote Philippians 4:13 on her arm as encouragement when she ran her marathon. Ugh! So my advice – Girl, read your Bible!

She also oozes with white guilt. I can’t stand that! There is nothing wrong with being white! Say it with me my white friends “There is nothing wrong with being white!” She mentions in her book how she left her all white church to go to a multi-ethnic church so her children could be exposed to differences. Would she have encouraged me to leave my all Hispanic church in Texas? Or what about a black mom, would she encourage her to leaver her all-black church? I don’t know, but I think she wouldn’t have. Here is where she gets it so wrong. She paints a picture of having friends off all colors and cultures and religions – and that is a good thing! – but she erroneously says that is how Heaven will be. Sorry, but not sorry, there wont be any Muslims in Heaven or Buddhist or unbelievers. Yes, there will be people of all tongues and tribes, but all of them will be believers and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. She does address a problem in the church – we self-segregate. But this isn’t a white problem. It is a human problem. Growing up in El Paso, Texas my church’s name was Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana. In case you didn’t catch that, it translates to: First MEXICAN Baptist Church. We even excluded Hispanics belonging to other countries! So my advice – Girl, grow where you’re planted and you don’t need a tan!

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She also drinks way too much. She admits she drank alcohol to relieve stress and that that wasn’t a good thing, but several times she mentions where she met her best friend at happy hour, where she drinks some wine here or drinks with her friends. It’s just not me. I drink, very occasionally, but for someone who admits they had a problem, I was just a bit concerned at the way she nonchalantly mentions these moments. My advice – Girl, find a happy hour with Jesus.

The book ends up being very human-centered just like all self-help books, especially towards the end. She talks about stepping out and meeting new people not like you, which basically is the Great Commission of every Christian, but she dangerously says you do not need a hero because you are the hero. You do need a hero, I do. we do. She does talk about God giving you strength, but that in the end, it is up to  you to really change. I beg to differ, I only change because of what God does in me. I fail me. My strength fails me. My motives are tainted. My soul is depraved. My ambitions are marred. All throughout Scripture, there is a constant reminder that I am not the hero, but the one who needs rescuing. My advice – Girl, get rescued!

I do not recommend this book, but if  you are a woman who may need a quick pick-me up or just some temporary motivation – this book will provide that. She did motivate me to set goals, to dream and to stop lying to myself. I do that all the time on my own -thanks to Christian friends and THE BIBLE AND JESUS! -, but it was nice for someone else to tell me, and like I said before, she does give some good advice. SOME. I do not recommend this book to white women because she will make you feel bad about your whiteness, and that’s something you can’t do anything about. Most of my friends are white and I don’t want that kind of negativity in their lives. I’m watching out for you my sister! 🙂

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Basically she is the next Joyce Meyer. If you like her, you will like Rachel Hollis.

 

Bible Reading- Nehemiah 1-5

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Nehemiah 5:19 – Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

I have never read Nehemiah non stop, but part of our Sunday School lesson was to do so. It is very difficult for me to read the Bible for long periods of time without stopping because there is just so much good in it and I am afraid I am going to forget my thoughts and questions. So when the first thing I had to do was read the whole book without stopping, I did feel a bit anxious because I can’t stand doing that! I tried, I really tried, but I only got to chapter 5 before I just HAD TO stop and write down my thoughts. Here they are:

The only things I can remember somewhere in the back of my brain about the book of Nehemiah is something about a wall that needed to be rebuilt and about the Jews working on rebuilding along with packing a sword because of all the haters. I remembered that Nehemiah was a cup bearer and he asked the king’s permission to go and rebuild Jerusalem, other than that, I don’t really remember anything else. The book, up to chapter 5, talks about that a bit. It also gives a lot of numbers of who showed up and who did what. Nehemiah, besides being a great leader, is an A-type organizer, but throughout the book there are sprinkled these short prayers, like the one I cited above. AND I LOVE THAT ABOUT HIM! It is like, “Joseph, you and your family fix this wall. James, you and your family fix this gate. Mary, you bring water to this section. OH LORD GUIDE ME WITH THESE PEOPLE! Now, Thomas quit doubting the wall wont get done. OH LORD HELP ME! Miriam, she doesn’t hate you. She is just not feeling well. Go give her a hug. We need 480 more cedar planks for this structure. OH LORD REMEMBER ALL I DO!”

What a human. That is the best way I can describe Nehemiah. He was is so real. And in ministry I think that is so beautiful. These exclamations throughout the book just reminded me of how life is as an active Christian. There is always so much to be done within our church body. Women are hurt, children need homes, men are discouraged, finances are tough, jobs are lost. Then there are those who are sick or healing. And that’s only the spiritual. There is also the administrative and maintenance side of church life. And let us not forget those who are not yet believers. We must love on them also. Can you relate!? There is just so much to do and I empathize with Nehemiah as he exclaims a prayer and simultaneously an encouragement to himself. “Lord, FOR MY GOOD, remember all I have done for this people.” It is good for Nehemiah to let God know what he is doing for his people. It is good for us to see and admire the works we do in the church body. Never boasting, but as an encouragement. Lord, for my good, remember that children’s ministry is hard for me; but in my weakness you make me strong. Lord, for my good, remember how difficult it is for me to love my sister in Christ who hurt my feelings last week, but you loved me when I was still Your enemy. These prayers are so conversational and it is so great to have that kind of relationship with God. Can  you just see yourself throughout your day, toiling, mortifying your flesh, struggling through sanctification and then bust out, “Lord, this is hard! I didn’t think it would be this hard! Help me!” Or you are looking out your car window and your phone is dead so it is all silent and you see the most beautiful sunset and then bust out “Lord, what beautiful things you make! I will never see those exact same shades of purples, pinks and oranges ever again! What an artist You are!

Involve Him in all things! Let Him know your feelings. He knows them, but something happens when we admit them to Him. We suddenly connect to our Creator. Yes, are there moments of long prayer times. Yes! And I hope we have them every day. But there are also lots of moments and seconds where we can connect with Him in this way. When we naturally respond to our circumstances by exclaiming a short prayer that reflects our emotions and heart.

It is good to remind the Lord what we do, not because He forgets or because we want acknowledgement from Him or others, but because it reminds us what we do, always remembering that it is the Lord’s work. It is encouraging to see the fruits of our labor grow or mature. We sowed,watered or planted. God made it grow. What a great collaboration with our Father and Creator!

In the previous chapters Nehemiah constantly gives God the credit and mentions how all of this is the Lord’s fight, doing and work . But what a beautiful thing to remember that He allows us to be a part of it.

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Sermon Notes 8/12/18

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Yesterday’s sermon was on Mark 15:16-20. This section is titled “Christ Mocked by the Military” in my Bible.

There are six things that the Roman soldiers did to mock Jesus.                                                1. They clothed Him in a purple cloak. A question I asked myself is where did they get the cloak. My Pastor shortly answered my thought and said that a commentator says that it was probably from one of the soldiers and that it may have been crimson and stained by sweat giving it a purple color.

2. They twisted a thorn branch and made Him a crown. Genesis 3:18 interestingly points out that God cursed the ground and made it produce thorns and thistles. These things reminds us of the fall of man. Similarly, because of the fall of man, Christ had to place upon himself the sin of man – just as the thorns on His head where then placed on Him. Galatians 3:13 says: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. A thought I had also was about placing the sins of the people on a goat’s head and sending it off. Where the word “scapegoat” comes from.

3. They saluted Him and acclaimed Him by saying “Hail King of the Jews”. A question our Pastor asked us was “Do we also mock Christ when our actions do not coincide with what we say?”

4. They struck his head with a reed. It was used also as a scepter to further mock Him.

5. They spat on Him

6. They bowed down before Him in fake worship.

In all of this humiliation, Jesus showed great patience. Never did He once retaliate even when He could have called a league of angels to tear up the Roman Empire. Never did He reciprocate their sin and their mockery. His behavior in all of this reminds us to have patience with unbelievers.

It hard for me to see Christ go through so much barbarity. I want to scream at the soldiers and let them know who they are doing this to. But I can’t judge them to harshly. I myself struggle sometimes to believe He is King and mock Him when I don’t believe what He says in His Word. I struggle with my allegiance to Him when I seek other pleasures that corrupt my mind and body. I struggle with insubordination when I question what He does and do as I please. And what makes it even harder to bear sometimes is that I know better. The Roman soldiers didn’t.

My prayer is that I may joyfully join myself more and more to Him. That I may willingly submit to a very tender Savior who loves me. And that I may always remember that any good in me is because of the good in Him.