I think one of the biggest misconceived notions about Christianity is that one can never question God.  FALSE.

The only way to grow as individuals (mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually) is to question what we believe.  Our life experiences shape our views of the world, others, and ourselves.  It’s important to always be evolving and know that you are never a finished product.  This is especially true in the eyes of God.

Many people think that questioning God is not allowed.  On the contrary, I think God wants us to question him so He can prove his love to us, make us trust him more, understand that He sees the biggest picture, and has so much more control than we ever will.  Sometimes we may get an answer right away.  Other times it make take years.  Sometimes we never know.

As someone who is actively seeking a daily relationship with God, I can certainly say that I have lots of questions.  My faith journey can be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.  Sometimes I am in sync with walking with God- if I obey, he rewards.  Other times I can be down in the pits and not understanding why bad things happen to good people and be angry with God.  However, when I look back over my life, I see great strides being made in my spiritual life during difficult personal times.  I see God putting encouraging people in my life when I was having such a difficult time.  I see my self esteem as child of God being strengthened when I feel I am at my lowest points.

God wants us to question Him so we can grow in our faith.  The biggest part of this journey, though, is realizing we have to continue to communicate with him.  We can’t cut him out of our lives and expect growth to happen.  Even if we are upset, we still have to talk to Him and tell Him so.  If we don’t understand, are blaming Him, or just straight up mad, He begs that we continue sharing with Him.  Detaching from God all together is going to make spiritual growth much more difficult during that time.

So, question away- just make sure you are questioning God to His face and give him the opportunity to help you grow on your journey.

love, brooke

I did something I’ve never done before… I went to a protest march. And I want to share some thoughts.

1.  I got to hear John Lewis speak.  He is a living, civil rights legend.  I got goosebumps when he walked by and so many folks were tearing up or emotional.  He has seen so much… fought against so much… and has lived to tell about it.  He is an inspiration and I’m glad he was able to lead us today and be a part of more history making.
2. I’m in amazement of the diversity represented today.  Men, women, moms, children, lesbians, Christians, Muslims, variety of ages/ethnicities, educations, sizes/shapes, and so much more were represented.  It was a beautiful reminder of how diverse our country is and how important it is to get out of your normal bubble/comfort zone.
3. It was SO peaceful.  Everyone was so nice, happy and genuinely glad to be there.  People were sharing snacks, umbrellas, and smiles with folks they didn’t know.
4. It was LITERALLY monsooning 15 mins before the rally started- and people showed up anyway.  Around 60,000 to be exact!!!
5. There were a lot of cheeky signs about Trump- but I’m not a fan.  We are the ones who need to show how to trump hate… and it’s not through spreading more hate through funny signs.  It’s through positive, loving, and supportive messages.  My favorite example if that from today was the We love Refugees! sign.
6. I’m so proud of my 9-years-younger sister.  She was with several of her fellow Agnes Scott alumnae friends.  It was a moment of realizing she has grown up into a wonderful woman who is helping change the thoughts and views of so many (like me!).  Love her to pieces.
7. I’m proud of myself for doing something outside my comfort zone.  I hate crowds, waiting in lines and feeling claustrophobic.  I overcame that in a big way today.
8. I’m grateful for my friend, Annalisa, for continuing to be a badass woman.  She reminded me today how great our democracy is by allowing anyone to peacefully protest.  I’m glad I was able to experience that with her today.
9. Today felt like a huge group therapy session for so many.  So much of recent news has been overwhelming and made me want to stick my head in the ground.  The march was a physical way for folks who are concerned for our future and/or hurt by words/actions of our leaders to do something together.  It united the concern and allowed us to be healed together through peaceful protesting and love demonstrated by strangers.  It reignited our humanity it others and made our opinions feel validated.
10. The reasons for people marching were so wide and diverse- civil rights, healthcare concerns, education costs, etc.  Not everyone felt the same on all issues.  Not everyone had the same concerns.  But all were supportive of the fact that all have concerns and were supporting the fear in those concerns.  It was a wonderful thing to experience and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

What’s Next?

That’s what my husband asked me.  I’m not really sure what is next for me as an “activist”.  To some degree, I guess this blog post.

In general, I think the conversations are getting louder and affecting more people.  I think understandings are being expanded.  I never knew that parents of black males have to have a conversation with them on how to behave/respond to cops.  I never knew that I needed to teach my son what is appropriate locker room talk and what isn’t.  Those are just a few of my recent realizations.  I pray that others are also having them and their world views are also changing.  I’m looking forward to learning more, standing up to ignorant statements, and praying for more positive changes in our country.  I hope more minds and hearts are changed towards compassion, love and understanding of others lives.

I also hope people can find more ways to physically be involved.  For me, I’ll continue to support refugee families through a monthly food pantry complete with baby supplies.  That’s a ministry that God put on my heart to start a few years ago.  He keeps it stocked each month and helps so many each month through it.  We will also continue to support pregnant refugee women through birth support, classes, and breastfeeding support.  To hear about refugee women being pushed to have c sections because it’s easier for the doctor, is heartbreaking.  So thankful there are now organizations in place to help make sure this isn’t happening.

I also plan to be more vocal in healthcare conversations with my elected officials.  I want to provide my feedback and hope we can all be provided safe, affordable care.

What are you going to do to help our country’s future go in the direction you’d like to see?

love and learn, brooke