July 4th- Independence Day!

Independence day is kinda a big deal in the states. In my family, it is reunion time; my family flies from Virginia, California, N. Carolina... since I will miss the big celebration I would celebrate here in NZ! (Left: family pic from 2009)

This is the party we had with/for the youth and some friends.  We had a cool time to share a bit of US culture, fun facts, and I gave a talk about freedom, finding true freedom in Christ! ;-)

I really enjoyed preparing the talk about freedom. Sometimes I take for granted the fact that I can walk down the street safely and express my faith in God freely. I spoke with a friend last night and he explained that in his country it is dangerous for people to walk down the street, they live in fear of being robbed, especially at night, and farmers/ shop owners can loose their shops by people forcing them out with violence. Hearing this was a stark reminder of my freedom and how I take it for granted.

I also talked about spiritual freedom. To me, birds are the ultimate symbol of freedom... soaring through the sky, adventures over every horizon... so awesome. I hate seeing birds in cages,  held back by criss crossed wires. They are totally missing out on the FREEDOM they were really created for. We are like those birds in cages. Born into this broken world of sin, separated from God, stuck in a cage. But Jesus Christ can set us free... that is TRUE freedom. To love and be loved by God; and in this relationship we find our life's purpose, the life we were meant to live. The freedom we were created for. I hope that you are finding your TRUE freedom in Christ! 

It reminds me of the song by Switchfoot: 

"Fumbling his confidence 

And wondering why the world has passed him by 

Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments 

And failed attempts to fly, fly 

We were meant to live for so much more 

Have we lost ourselves? 

Somewhere we live inside 

Somewhere we live inside 

We were meant to live for so much more 

Have we lost ourselves? 

Somewhere we live inside"