{"id":197,"date":"2011-04-28T05:20:40","date_gmt":"2011-04-28T09:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=197"},"modified":"2011-04-27T19:53:19","modified_gmt":"2011-04-27T23:53:19","slug":"which-flag-am-i-flying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/04\/which-flag-am-i-flying.html","title":{"rendered":"Which Flag Am I Flying?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the world watching London for information regarding the royal wedding, trivia about the Royal Family from the United Kingdom seems to pour forth hourly. \u00a0One piece of information that you may have missed is that when Queen Elizabeth is NOT residing in Buckingham Palace, the Union Jack flag \u00a0flies over her London home.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/04\/unknown.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/04\/unknown.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"174\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, if the Queen is in residence, her own flag flies over the palace.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/04\/elizabeth_ii.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/04\/elizabeth_ii.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"126\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In trying to help others understand ministry within the mentally challenged community, we explain that the social aptitude of our members is sort of stuck in junior high\/middle school. \u00a0They enjoy all the things that would entertain anyone who is between the ages of 12 and 14. \u00a0Additionally, one minute they are making mature, rational decisions. \u00a0The next minute, they have reverted back to childish behavior.<\/p>\n<p>In their walk with Christ, it isn&#8217;t unusual to hear deeply profound statements coming from two members as they discuss the Lord. \u00a0Yet, within a few moments, we may see the same two people fighting over a double-stuff Oreo cookie.<\/p>\n<p>As I learned this interesting fact about the flags flying over Buckingham Palace, I thought of Special Gathering members. Their social penchant for flip\/flopping makes them an easy target to illustrate an important Christian principle. \u00a0However, the problem isn&#8217;t isolated within the intellectually disabled population. \u00a0Too often, there are two alternating flags which fly over my life&#8211;over all of our lives. \u00a0 One represents a holy life in Christ; the other shows that we&#8217;ve stepped away and we are somewhere else, fighting over an Oreo.<\/p>\n<p>When we are in the middle of our friends who are Christian, it is easy to stand for what is right and good and just. \u00a0We fly the flag that says we are comfortable living within the kingdom of God. \u00a0When we are at work or among friends who aren&#8217;t aligned with Christ, we may nonchalantly slip to the flag pole to haust our worldly flag.<\/p>\n<p>Compromise comes easily and quickly. \u00a0Yet, it means that for a time, I am turning my back on the life-giving Holy Spirit for a vacant life of recrimination and regrets. \u00a0I pray that the flag of my life will continue to fly high proudly telling the world the Christ is living in my heart.<\/p>\n<p>When are the times that you are tempted to back away from the Savior? \u00a0Are we fighting over an Oreo, when we should be proclaiming Christ&#8217;s love to the world?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the world watching London for information regarding the royal wedding, trivia about the Royal Family from the United Kingdom seems to pour forth hourly. \u00a0One piece of information that you may have missed is that when Queen Elizabeth is NOT residing in Buckingham Palace, the Union Jack flag \u00a0flies over her London home. However,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,3,40,10,16,28,12,41],"tags":[690,62,21,688,696,7,18,699,701,13,19,689,692,53,700],"class_list":["post-197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged","category-religion","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-buckingham-palace","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-discipleship","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disabilities","tag-mental-retardation","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-religion","tag-royal-wedding","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Which Flag Am I Flying? - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Which Flag Am I Flying? - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the world watching London for information regarding the royal wedding, trivia about the Royal Family from the United Kingdom seems to pour forth hourly. \u00a0One piece of information that you may have missed is that when Queen Elizabeth is NOT residing in Buckingham Palace, the Union Jack flag \u00a0flies over her London home. However,&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/04\/which-flag-am-i-flying.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-04-28T09:20:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-04-27T23:53:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/04\/unknown.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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Howard","description":"Linda G. Howard is the best-selling and award-winning author of four books, including MOTHERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO and THE SECRET LIFE OF A HOUSEWIFE. Currently, she serves as area director of The Special Gathering, a ministry within the mentally challenged community. Additionally, she is the co-publisher and editor of CONNECTING POINT, the ministry newsletter. Her husband is a retired aerospace technologist who worked for NASA. 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