It’s as Ironic as the Punching Nuns
When I was in college I was at a White Elephant gift party and won a set of boxing nuns. I found out later there is a whole series of these strange toys. Punching Elvis, Punching Alien, Punching Darth Vader, Punching Abe Lincoln… you get the picture.
It struck me as I held the toys that these were… nuns… nuns who were punching.
The Sisters that I know have a strong commitment to social justice and non-violence.
Have you heard about these Sisters loving North Minneapolis in the name of Jesus or the gals that are coming together to make a difference in the inner city of Chicago?
I guess that’s what makes the punching Nuns more ironic then the punching Darth Vader.
Earlier this week I heard some stories from church leaders who were basically describing situations where they feel like they’ve been punched in the face.
The part that was so disturbing, is that every single story shared was about other Christians using words or actions to metaphorically deliver the blows.
When I hear these stories – it’s as ironic as the punching nuns.
So many of us say we want to follow in the way of Jesus – yet we’ve gotten it in our heads that we are against each other.
When Christians see each other, or any other humans, as the enemy… they’ve then forgotten who the true enemy is.
We actually DO have an enemy and he leads a kingdom of darkness. A kingdom that clearly has power in our world until Jesus returns and God brings his Kingdom fully.
An enemy that holds people in bondage to addiction, that pits nation against nation. An enemy that wages war against our ability to stay in committed relationships with each other and destroys our joy through depression and mental illness. An enemy that feeds desire and greed and thus the global slave trade, an enemy that possesses humans to see those of different races as less than.
It’s not difficult to see that there is an actual enemy that is out to get us.
Don’t we have enough to deal with when it comes to his havoc than living in opposition to our brothers and sisters?
There has got to be a different way and I think we already know him.
Jesus shared this important truths, but also modeled them for us in ways we can imitate:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus never promised we wouldn’t fight over differences, hurt each other and experience difficult conflict. He never condoned hurting people who didn’t agree with his way either, in fact he let them take his life.
But Jesus made it clear that we’d be known for loving each other in spite of those realities. He also promised that the spirit of God was going to bring unity in diversity.
Will we let the Spirit do that?
Will we recognize who the true enemy is?
Nothing brings people closer then a common enemy… and guess what humanity… we have one.
God will defeat the Satan once and for all.
In the mean time, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to bring unity, let’s pursue reconciliation and forgiveness and remind that devil that our God wins!
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Revealed: Secret to Reducing Air Conditioning Costs
Certain results indicate how each American household pay an estimate of $1000 for
both heating and air conditioning systems every year.
Indeed there are very good ways to cut down on these expenses without
sacrificing the benefit of air conditioning during hot summer days in any way.
The true secret to reducing Air Conditioning costs lies in your maintenance activities and
making the right purchase of air conditioner units based on your
needs.
Currently, there are 3 common kinds of air conditioners, central, freestanding and window
on the US market. Each kind has its own pros and
cons. Before purchasing any air conditioners for your home, there is something that you need to understand.
Not all the types of units on the market require
the same kind of maintenance.
Think about the possible utility and maintenance costs when you
purchase your unit. What is the cooling coverage that you truly need?
It may seem easy to install a centralized system
for your entire house. But the question is whether it is necessary.
Apart from the high expense of purchasing this system, there are the possible
high costs of repair and maintenance. If you only want cool air in certain rooms because they are
the hottest in your home during a hot summer
season, then opt for the window or freestanding kind.
The key difference between the freestanding type and the window type
is in terms of mobility. You can move a freestanding air conditioner from one room to another easily
enough.
Buying this type will be a great idea if you intend
to rotate the usage of the unit in different rooms. But if your mind is fixed on having a few units in specific rooms, then the window type
might be a good option. Since the window type would be up on the wall, it
would not take up space in the room like how the freestanding type would.
When it comes to the window type, you have the choice of selecting one
that comes with or without duct.
Apart from being compact and small, the ductless kind is rather easy to install
on any wall. Compared to the one that comes with a duct, it is also more energy saving.
A good way to cool the temperature in the other
rooms that have no air-conditioners is to use oscillating fans.
Another smart way is to purchase a few 5 ton air conditioners to cover the
space for your entire house instead of buying a centralized unit.
But this depends on how large your home is. Apart from the cost of purchase, there
is the expense for maintenance. Normally, the cost of
maintenance of a centralized air conditioning system is much higher
compared to the freestanding or window types. To reduce maintenance costs, think
about performing simple maintenance activities
on your own.
For example, you can take a look at the filter and change it if
it requires changing. Normally, the frequency for changing or
checking the filter will be mentioned in the air conditioner manufacturer’s manual.
Some findings show that changing the filters can help in reducing
monthly utility costs by 10 to 20%.
Though it is fine to carry out a simple maintenance task such as
changing a filter, it is best to leave the more complex maintenance or repair tasks to Air Conditioning Experts.
Now and then, call them up to check on the state of your air conditioner units and
do what is necessary for their optimum working condition –
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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