Kari Patterson

Today on Kari's birthday we have a surprise gift for her: as Kari will hear from some family and friends who love her and cherish her presence, friendship, and care in their lives. Every episode is her talking to each and all of us; this time she's invited to listen along.

Notes welcome » [email protected]

Scripture tells us that we (plural!) are the body of Christ (singular). What does this mean? Well, because God created the world, the entire world serves as an illustration of theological truth. So as we look through the Word AT the world we see a beautiful picture of what oneness is like. Join me for Episode 33 as we dive into what ONENESS really is and how we can learn from His created world to be more of what HE intended us to be.

I recently received an email from a dear sister in Christ walking through a difficult situation in her local church. Her pastor resigned, so worn down from the strife and conflict. Many people have left. She's feeling tired and alone and it got me thinking it'd be good to talk a bit about the Second Mile as it relates to church unity and navigating difficulties together as the body of Christ. So here we go! Join me for Episode 32 as we dive into God's heart for His church, and how the Second Mile enables us to be ONE heart, one mind, united in our one glorious purpose.

Doing good: That's what the Second Mile is all about. Instead of dwelling on the stinging cheek, we move forward and offer the other. Instead of throwing ourselves into defending our rights and our stuff, we let go of the tunic and offer the cloak. Instead of huffing and puffing over that first unfair mile, we lift our eyes to the One we really serve and with a little hop in our step we go not just one, but two.

The joy comes in the doing good.

If I'm honest, what I see with my eyes in the world around me looks suuuuuper unfair. Sometimes I can safely distance myself from all that feels wrong, but sooner or later we're forced to face it and honestly it can seem unbearable. Enter Psalm 73. It's one of my favorites, and it provides us a blueprint for what this process looks like — giving God our honest agony and reminding our souls of what's true: It's good to be near God.

We know that death and disease are not God's will, He doesn't delight in those things, but of course we see God working good through crises of all kinds, every single day. So how do we resist evil but not resist the good God is doing? How do we "go the second mile" but still abhor evil the way God does? I usually figure it's best to answer Scripture's questions with Scripture. In this case, 1 Peter 4:19 provides us a powerful 3-point outline of how we are to respond to the inevitable evil, unfairness, and even suffering that we encounter in this world. God's Word gives us exactly what we need!

In this last leg of the Second Mile, we're talking about GENERAL INJUSTICES. Those things in life that feel maddeningly unfair. The ways that those in authority make demands that feel frustrating. The ways we might feel powerless, enslaved to a certain set of circumstances we don't have the power to change.

Jesus says some wild things in Luke 6. Give to everyone who begs? Wait, what? So I'm supposed to hand out cash to every panhandler on the offramp? And what's the point of lending if we're expecting nothing in return? Isn't that just giving? While there may not be easy answers to all of these questions, Jesus is letting us know in no uncertain terms: To follow Jesus means a willingness to get ripped off.

Have you ever wished you could just write a check to make someone come to Christ? Maybe that sounds bizarre, but I mean, haven't you ever wished that you had that kind of power, just through incurring a cost, to actually influence a person's soul for eternity?

What if we do?

The truth is, we're often "paying the price" for other people's choices. How does Jesus tell us to respond to this? Give more.

Jesus dives into discussions on forgiveness. Repayment, cost, debt, owe, reconciliation — all of this is the language of forgiveness. Without forgiveness there is no gospel. If we miss this message, we miss Jesus.