Many nonbelievers have a horribly inaccurate view of us sincere Christians. They think we are out to tell them that they are living their life wrong, they need to give their riches to the church, and that we will tell them to cut out what some of them consider to be fun in their lives.
I truly hope one day that as a body of Christians, we are able to rise up as one voice and tell the nonbelievers what we really believe: that we truly care about them and we want to share the love of Christ and kingdom of Heaven with them someday!
To be brothers and sisters with one another in Christ is such a glorious thing - there are no words to describe it. You share a bond with that person that cannot be broken. You are able to encourage one another and share life's ups and downs with a new sense of purpose and being.
Being a Christian brings such joy and purpose to my life; I pray that I can help others find that, too. I see the beauty all around me and thank God that I am blessed enough to see these daily miracles. It saddens me to see people so stubborn when it comes to believing in God that they can't see what's right in front of them. So many people have had experiences in their lives with "Christians" and other life events that turns them away from God for whatever reasoning.
I put "Christians" in quotation marks because these are the Christians we all hope we're not: those that tell other people they are living their life all wrong and then are hypocritical with their actions. I think we have all been that "Christian" at some point - I know I sure have been. But I pray that some other Christian will come into that person's life and fix whatever damage I may have caused. And I hope that I can fix the damage that someone else may have caused in the lives of those around me.
I used to think that you had to talk to people and reason God with them so that they could see my logic was undeniable. That may work for some people, but I have since realized that it doesn't work for me. It is our actions every second of every day that show other people our faith. I want people to look at me and see Christ's love. I want them to see what He has done in my life and what He can do in theirs. I never want to be hypocritical because, let's face it, people don't remember the random little good things we do - they remember the times when we faltered, when we screwed up.
I'm not saying that we can never let other people see that we screw up - I'm saying glorify God when you do! Being a Christian does not mean your life will be easy. For some, it's quite the opposite. But our faith shows through in those rough times when we do screw up or have bad things happen to us. When we still glorify God that sends such a powerful message to other people. Even when you falter, let His light shine through you. Your life may be the only Bible that some people may read. I know I sure want my life to show the best version of the Bible that it can.
Be gentle when helping others on their road with Christ. Show them that you truly care and that you're not just racking up tallys to show God how great you are. He knows.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Godly Craziness
So, yes, God is amazing (giant smiley face!); but sometimes God has some totally crazy stuff planned for us in our life!
First of all, my schedule is finally figuring itself out - time for the nuttiness to begin! I have my Oasis youth group, a supplemental Bible study, another Navigators Bible study plus church! I love it :) so many people, so much fun! (and so many procrastination excuses, haha)
This past weekend, I was selected to go to a leadership convention. It was such an honor! We went to a beautiful lake here in South Dakota and I met so many wonderful people. I found out my strengths as a person, and I cannot wait to apply them in my walk with Christ!
One of my strengths that surprised me but it nailed me on the head was that of individuality. This means that I care about the individual story of each person - I don't try to group people into types and I certainly do not like stereotypes. And I'm just like that! I know that every person has their own story, and only God knows that story exactly. We just try to catch a glimpse of what makes that person who they are. But what makes their walk with God unique is exactly what makes them unique. I could probably write an entire blog on this, but I won't bore you with that.
Anyways, after I got home, I was so inspired! Crazy how God can do that sometimes. I decided that I wanted to share my story with others. Yes, I know I already do this blog, but I wanted to do a more one-on-one gig. So I emailed my Pastor from back home and asked if I could come talk to the high school youth group that I was a part of back when. He forwarded my message to the youth group leaders and they loved the idea!
I'm going to do it kind of like my Oasis group: darkly lit, lots of music and fun, and a short but convicting message. Praying I can pull this off and God's message and name are glorified! I am so excited about this, even though it won't happen until Christmas time. We are even looking at an outreach night where we would invite youth groups from surrounding towns!!!! AHHHH!!! So unbelieveably nervous but OMGOSH so excited :DD
Praying this finds you well, and even if your life seems crazy - God knows what He's doing! Trust in Him :)
God Bless!
ChristianKid
This blog is linked to Spiritual Sundays at http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/
First of all, my schedule is finally figuring itself out - time for the nuttiness to begin! I have my Oasis youth group, a supplemental Bible study, another Navigators Bible study plus church! I love it :) so many people, so much fun! (and so many procrastination excuses, haha)
This past weekend, I was selected to go to a leadership convention. It was such an honor! We went to a beautiful lake here in South Dakota and I met so many wonderful people. I found out my strengths as a person, and I cannot wait to apply them in my walk with Christ!
One of my strengths that surprised me but it nailed me on the head was that of individuality. This means that I care about the individual story of each person - I don't try to group people into types and I certainly do not like stereotypes. And I'm just like that! I know that every person has their own story, and only God knows that story exactly. We just try to catch a glimpse of what makes that person who they are. But what makes their walk with God unique is exactly what makes them unique. I could probably write an entire blog on this, but I won't bore you with that.
Anyways, after I got home, I was so inspired! Crazy how God can do that sometimes. I decided that I wanted to share my story with others. Yes, I know I already do this blog, but I wanted to do a more one-on-one gig. So I emailed my Pastor from back home and asked if I could come talk to the high school youth group that I was a part of back when. He forwarded my message to the youth group leaders and they loved the idea!
I'm going to do it kind of like my Oasis group: darkly lit, lots of music and fun, and a short but convicting message. Praying I can pull this off and God's message and name are glorified! I am so excited about this, even though it won't happen until Christmas time. We are even looking at an outreach night where we would invite youth groups from surrounding towns!!!! AHHHH!!! So unbelieveably nervous but OMGOSH so excited :DD
Praying this finds you well, and even if your life seems crazy - God knows what He's doing! Trust in Him :)
God Bless!
ChristianKid
This blog is linked to Spiritual Sundays at http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
I have heard many times that in our walk with God, we should be led by someone we trust, and leading someone who trusts in us. I knew what they meant, but I never understood what it meant to some one's soul to do something like that. I have many, many people who help me and guide me in my walk with Christ, but I have never really led anyone else. I always felt bad, but I'm a new believer myself, so I just figured I wasn't mature enough to do that.
However, now I believe I have a mentee! She goes to my church, and over the summer we've gotten to be really good friends. It's a different kind of mentor/mentee relationship, though. She's had a way better relationship with God than me throughout her life, so actually she's still like my mentor. However, she's six years younger than me and just now entering high school. So even though she helps me know God personally, I help her with living out her faith in things like high school and practices and whatnot since I've already lived through it.
High school is scary! And sometimes, being outgoing about your faith can be ten times scarier. People will judge you and make fun of you - and that can really get to a fourteen year old girl (heck, it stills gets to this nineteen year old girl). But, she is an amazing kid and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her!
I'm an only child, and my whole life - all I ever wanted - was a brother or sister. I didn't care about the sex, older or younger, adopted or biologically related even. Just ask my mom: pretty much all I ever asked for when my birthday and Christmas came around was a brother or sister. Now that I'm nineteen, the hope of getting a sibling is dwindling (I still ask though, teehee). But, I still have hope!
However, now I just pray that I can have whatever the next best thing might be. I think this is the next best thing. Sure, we didn't grow up together or even share the same family. We didn't fight and make up, or have to share each other's clothes, or have a lifetime of memories together. But there is something that she and I share that my friends and I don't have. I don't know what that is yet - maybe I'll never know.
For years, my friends have been my siblings. Unfortunately for me, they have siblings of their own and don't want any more - so I'm just a friend to them. Which is totally fine by me! I'm perfectly happy with that. And since we're the same age, we have the same maturity level...for the most part. We're able to share all those awesome and fun times together and lean on each other when we're down. We can relate to each other in what we're going through because we're all going through it at the same time.
But my freshie friend is six years younger! At this stage in life, that's a pretty big maturity difference, although she is very mature for her age. She can't understand what I'm going through, but I've been where she's been. She can help me know God, and I can help her know people (and all thestupid naive people she'll have to deal with).
I pray that God can help me guide her properly and that we can grow as sisters in Christ together! I'm so happy to have found a relationship such as this - I hope all of you find something similar someday. It's never too late (or too early)!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
However, now I believe I have a mentee! She goes to my church, and over the summer we've gotten to be really good friends. It's a different kind of mentor/mentee relationship, though. She's had a way better relationship with God than me throughout her life, so actually she's still like my mentor. However, she's six years younger than me and just now entering high school. So even though she helps me know God personally, I help her with living out her faith in things like high school and practices and whatnot since I've already lived through it.
High school is scary! And sometimes, being outgoing about your faith can be ten times scarier. People will judge you and make fun of you - and that can really get to a fourteen year old girl (heck, it stills gets to this nineteen year old girl). But, she is an amazing kid and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her!
I'm an only child, and my whole life - all I ever wanted - was a brother or sister. I didn't care about the sex, older or younger, adopted or biologically related even. Just ask my mom: pretty much all I ever asked for when my birthday and Christmas came around was a brother or sister. Now that I'm nineteen, the hope of getting a sibling is dwindling (I still ask though, teehee). But, I still have hope!
However, now I just pray that I can have whatever the next best thing might be. I think this is the next best thing. Sure, we didn't grow up together or even share the same family. We didn't fight and make up, or have to share each other's clothes, or have a lifetime of memories together. But there is something that she and I share that my friends and I don't have. I don't know what that is yet - maybe I'll never know.
For years, my friends have been my siblings. Unfortunately for me, they have siblings of their own and don't want any more - so I'm just a friend to them. Which is totally fine by me! I'm perfectly happy with that. And since we're the same age, we have the same maturity level...for the most part. We're able to share all those awesome and fun times together and lean on each other when we're down. We can relate to each other in what we're going through because we're all going through it at the same time.
But my freshie friend is six years younger! At this stage in life, that's a pretty big maturity difference, although she is very mature for her age. She can't understand what I'm going through, but I've been where she's been. She can help me know God, and I can help her know people (and all the
I pray that God can help me guide her properly and that we can grow as sisters in Christ together! I'm so happy to have found a relationship such as this - I hope all of you find something similar someday. It's never too late (or too early)!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Friday, August 19, 2011
Vacation Bible School!
So, I have been so crazy busy in the last couple of weeks! College is coming up, our house sold (yay!), and I now work full time while trying to fit in time to visit friends before they all head off in the opposite direction.
But, a couple weeks ago, I volunteered for Vacation Bible School with my church. I have never really worked with kids before at all, and tend to talk to them like I would anyone else my age (basically I use words too humongous for them to understand). However, God put it on my heart to work with younger kids, so work with younger kids I did! Our VBS is the most popular one in our town of about 4,000 with I think four or so churches doing VBS. We have a themed VBS, which is probably why ours is so popular. For instance, the year's theme was the gold rush of 1849. They learned all about the "rock of ages" being Jesus, not gold, and that they should put as much effort into their search for Jesus as those miners did for their gold. We had games, dances, songs, crafts, and even food to go along with the messages of the day, and the kids got candy for memorizing scripture. They even had a skit they did each night that was a continual story throughout the week which I was pretty impressed by! They had costumes and props and accents and everything!
It was so much fun! I was a leader for the 6-9 age group, which had twice as much as the other two groups. We had over 100 kids there every night! It was crazy, but it was fun. A lot of them got into it, but I took more of a liking to the kids who didn't know hardly anything because that was me up until a couple years ago. It broke my heart to know that many of these kids did not come from good homes, and one in particular took a liking to me and I could tell she was from a very broken home. She was angry all the time and even hit one of the leaders. She had triples every night at snack time. But she was brilliant! She had all her verses memorized the first night, even though she was too shy to say them to anyone else but me. It just broke my heart to have to see her go home every night. So pray for that little girl with me along with the MILLIONS just like her.
So, I highly encourage you all to do something for God that you think you can't do. He will be with you through it and helping you even though you have no clue what you're doing! I had a blast even though it was stressful at times, and I cannot wait to work with kids even more in the future :)
God Bless!
ChristianKid
But, a couple weeks ago, I volunteered for Vacation Bible School with my church. I have never really worked with kids before at all, and tend to talk to them like I would anyone else my age (basically I use words too humongous for them to understand). However, God put it on my heart to work with younger kids, so work with younger kids I did! Our VBS is the most popular one in our town of about 4,000 with I think four or so churches doing VBS. We have a themed VBS, which is probably why ours is so popular. For instance, the year's theme was the gold rush of 1849. They learned all about the "rock of ages" being Jesus, not gold, and that they should put as much effort into their search for Jesus as those miners did for their gold. We had games, dances, songs, crafts, and even food to go along with the messages of the day, and the kids got candy for memorizing scripture. They even had a skit they did each night that was a continual story throughout the week which I was pretty impressed by! They had costumes and props and accents and everything!
It was so much fun! I was a leader for the 6-9 age group, which had twice as much as the other two groups. We had over 100 kids there every night! It was crazy, but it was fun. A lot of them got into it, but I took more of a liking to the kids who didn't know hardly anything because that was me up until a couple years ago. It broke my heart to know that many of these kids did not come from good homes, and one in particular took a liking to me and I could tell she was from a very broken home. She was angry all the time and even hit one of the leaders. She had triples every night at snack time. But she was brilliant! She had all her verses memorized the first night, even though she was too shy to say them to anyone else but me. It just broke my heart to have to see her go home every night. So pray for that little girl with me along with the MILLIONS just like her.
So, I highly encourage you all to do something for God that you think you can't do. He will be with you through it and helping you even though you have no clue what you're doing! I had a blast even though it was stressful at times, and I cannot wait to work with kids even more in the future :)
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Monday, July 25, 2011
God has other plans
So the total excitement over singing in church was totally diminished thanks to an annoying bout of laryngitis. I was very unhappy with this predicament, and felt bad to leave our music coordinator just one day to replace me in both praise team and choir. Plus, I couldn't even sing regularly from my pew in church. Needless to say, I was wondering, "God...what the heck are ya doin'?!"
Jokes popped into my mind like God is just really sick of hearing my talk and hearing my naive ways of how He should be running things - but this is obviously not true. It's just not what God stands for. So, I was back to square one. I then decided that God just had other plans for me, and singing in church that day.
Needless to say, God is always right. Sometimes I love this, and other times it irritates me. Let's be honest, I'm human, I am prideful, and I have an innate nature to always want to be right. But on days when I sing in church, I am often times much more nervous about how I'll sound rather than focusing on the main purpose of church: the fellowship and the message. God knew that the message we got yesterday was going to impact me, and He knew that I really needed to hear it. My singing in church would have gotten in the way of that.
God wanted me to know that there are other ways to serve in His home rather than just sing. He put it on my heart to help with VBS (Vacation Bible School), and so in a week I will be dealing with energized little kids and trying to help them know God. Now, I have no siblings and have really never babysat kids. I have pretty much had no experience with children. I love children dearly, but I just don't know how to talk to them! God knows this and He wants me to become broken of that hindrance. So it's "hi ho, hi ho, it's off to VBS I go..."
There have been so many other times in my life that I have wanted something that God has denied me because He knows I either cannot handle it or there is something better coming. Another example of this is something that happened to me at college. I have wanted to be an Admissions Ambassador at my college since I visited my sophomore year in high school. I applying, and I thought I rocked it. But I wasn't accepted! Other people whom I thought were not well qualified got it, but I did not. I was CRUSHED. But then, two weeks later, I was nominated to be a part of a leadership team! It was a huge honor, but had I become an AA, I would have had to turn down that leadership opportunity which works so much better for me and my hectic schedule.
God knows what He's doing, and you just have to trust that! "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." James 4:6 However, 'God time' is much, much, much longer than our pitifully short clock, so His plan may unravel in a much longer time frame than we acknowledge. You just have to trust Him.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Jokes popped into my mind like God is just really sick of hearing my talk and hearing my naive ways of how He should be running things - but this is obviously not true. It's just not what God stands for. So, I was back to square one. I then decided that God just had other plans for me, and singing in church that day.
Needless to say, God is always right. Sometimes I love this, and other times it irritates me. Let's be honest, I'm human, I am prideful, and I have an innate nature to always want to be right. But on days when I sing in church, I am often times much more nervous about how I'll sound rather than focusing on the main purpose of church: the fellowship and the message. God knew that the message we got yesterday was going to impact me, and He knew that I really needed to hear it. My singing in church would have gotten in the way of that.
God wanted me to know that there are other ways to serve in His home rather than just sing. He put it on my heart to help with VBS (Vacation Bible School), and so in a week I will be dealing with energized little kids and trying to help them know God. Now, I have no siblings and have really never babysat kids. I have pretty much had no experience with children. I love children dearly, but I just don't know how to talk to them! God knows this and He wants me to become broken of that hindrance. So it's "hi ho, hi ho, it's off to VBS I go..."
There have been so many other times in my life that I have wanted something that God has denied me because He knows I either cannot handle it or there is something better coming. Another example of this is something that happened to me at college. I have wanted to be an Admissions Ambassador at my college since I visited my sophomore year in high school. I applying, and I thought I rocked it. But I wasn't accepted! Other people whom I thought were not well qualified got it, but I did not. I was CRUSHED. But then, two weeks later, I was nominated to be a part of a leadership team! It was a huge honor, but had I become an AA, I would have had to turn down that leadership opportunity which works so much better for me and my hectic schedule.
God knows what He's doing, and you just have to trust that! "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." James 4:6 However, 'God time' is much, much, much longer than our pitifully short clock, so His plan may unravel in a much longer time frame than we acknowledge. You just have to trust Him.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Friday, July 22, 2011
My Everyday Life
So, I have been at a loss for what to write about lately. Hence, the lack of recent posts. But I have an idea! Whether you like it or not, prepare to read about my boring, everyday life as it relates to God. Woo!
Lately, all I ever do is school and work. Blech. Not fun. And I hang out with my boyfriend every chance I get :)
But, sometimes during the day, I really take a moment and think about God. Which is nice for me because I'm a go-go-go kinda gal. Three weeks ago was the fourth of July. I think. Anyway, that Sunday I was asked to do Special Music for my church which I always thoroughly enjoy doing. However, I was asked to play patriotic songs on my trumpet. Not cool! I haven't done a full-blown solo on my trumpet since the sixth grade! But I girded up my loins (also a phrase I learned in church, ironically enough) and decided that I could do it, come what may. Well come what may, it did!
While I was waiting to practice at church, the praise team (group that leads the congregation in song) was practicing some of my favorite songs EVER. Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone by Chris Tomlin and one other one whose name escapes me - I think it was a hymn. Anyway, they were short one female vocalist - and guess who they asked to do it?! ME!!! AHAHAHA I was sooooo excited! Plus, it helped take the edge of playing my trumpet, which is usually hit or miss with me. It all went fantastically and I had a blast.
Well, now guess what? I got asked to do praise team again! Woohoo! I'm so pumped. I am the only female vocalist this time and have only heard of one out of the four songs we're doing but I am so incredibly pumped :) Plus, I am doing choir this week which means I get to rip out high notes that I wouldn't normally do during a solo or praise team which always makes me happy :) yay being a soprano!
Unfortunately, this is my last summer doing all of the fun things I love to do with my church. Onto a new church! Go BWC! Brookings, SD will become my new permanent home next summer and I'm really excited. I'll miss the old 'burg, but it's time to start my future. My youth group at my new church just got a new pastor, whom my boyfriend and I are really excited to get to know. I might look into doing vocals there, if my school schedule isn't too crazy.
But best news ever: I'm getting baptized! Sometime, lol. I wanted to do it here before I left because that was the church that brought me to Christ, but they require membership. And I feel bad being a member of a church that I no longer go to and contribute money to one church when I go to a different one. And baptism is about renewal in Christ and publicly professing faith, so my new church seems a great place to do that.
I want to wait until I get to know this new pastor there more, though. I don't know why, I just want someone I know and someone who knows me to baptize me. Just seems more meaningful to me that way.
I'm also becoming quite frustrated with my healing prayer list becoming bigger and none of those things moving to my praise prayer list. But, God has a plan and I just have to trust him. I also get irritated that I don't put aside enough time in each day to deeply pray about everything on my list (which doesn't even begin to cover my mental prayer list). Usually I do two or three things well and then scan through the rest...which I do not approve of myself doing. Mental check: do what I want to do how I want to do it, not just breezing through and calling it good enough.
I hope this finds you all well and I would love to hear stories about the little things God is doing in your life now!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Lately, all I ever do is school and work. Blech. Not fun. And I hang out with my boyfriend every chance I get :)
But, sometimes during the day, I really take a moment and think about God. Which is nice for me because I'm a go-go-go kinda gal. Three weeks ago was the fourth of July. I think. Anyway, that Sunday I was asked to do Special Music for my church which I always thoroughly enjoy doing. However, I was asked to play patriotic songs on my trumpet. Not cool! I haven't done a full-blown solo on my trumpet since the sixth grade! But I girded up my loins (also a phrase I learned in church, ironically enough) and decided that I could do it, come what may. Well come what may, it did!
While I was waiting to practice at church, the praise team (group that leads the congregation in song) was practicing some of my favorite songs EVER. Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone by Chris Tomlin and one other one whose name escapes me - I think it was a hymn. Anyway, they were short one female vocalist - and guess who they asked to do it?! ME!!! AHAHAHA I was sooooo excited! Plus, it helped take the edge of playing my trumpet, which is usually hit or miss with me. It all went fantastically and I had a blast.
Well, now guess what? I got asked to do praise team again! Woohoo! I'm so pumped. I am the only female vocalist this time and have only heard of one out of the four songs we're doing but I am so incredibly pumped :) Plus, I am doing choir this week which means I get to rip out high notes that I wouldn't normally do during a solo or praise team which always makes me happy :) yay being a soprano!
Unfortunately, this is my last summer doing all of the fun things I love to do with my church. Onto a new church! Go BWC! Brookings, SD will become my new permanent home next summer and I'm really excited. I'll miss the old 'burg, but it's time to start my future. My youth group at my new church just got a new pastor, whom my boyfriend and I are really excited to get to know. I might look into doing vocals there, if my school schedule isn't too crazy.
But best news ever: I'm getting baptized! Sometime, lol. I wanted to do it here before I left because that was the church that brought me to Christ, but they require membership. And I feel bad being a member of a church that I no longer go to and contribute money to one church when I go to a different one. And baptism is about renewal in Christ and publicly professing faith, so my new church seems a great place to do that.
I want to wait until I get to know this new pastor there more, though. I don't know why, I just want someone I know and someone who knows me to baptize me. Just seems more meaningful to me that way.
I'm also becoming quite frustrated with my healing prayer list becoming bigger and none of those things moving to my praise prayer list. But, God has a plan and I just have to trust him. I also get irritated that I don't put aside enough time in each day to deeply pray about everything on my list (which doesn't even begin to cover my mental prayer list). Usually I do two or three things well and then scan through the rest...which I do not approve of myself doing. Mental check: do what I want to do how I want to do it, not just breezing through and calling it good enough.
I hope this finds you all well and I would love to hear stories about the little things God is doing in your life now!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
To God be the Glory
At my church, we often do Special Music performances from members of the church before the sermon begins to set the mood for the sermon. I usually sing touching songs or play a number on my trumpet when I perform for this. However, one thing I always found weird about our special music was that no one claps afterwards. At first it was strange, but I began to get used to it and like it. Clapping shows you appreciate it, but saying "amen" afterwards shows you truly touched someone. And clapping puts the focus on you.
I love my God-given talent of singing. It's one of my favorite things to do and I cannot think of a better way to glorify God than to use that talent to touch other people. Because we don't clap and say "amen" instead, it shows that we acknowledge God as the source of such beautiful music and we thank Him for granting someone with such a wonderful gift. We have other members who perform amazing acapella numbers, group harmonies, and other instrumentalists such as flutists and pianists.
When we show other people what wonderful gifts God has blessed us with, we need to make sure we understand where those gifts come from and that those you are performing for understand this as well. In one of my favorite movies, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Shia LaBeouf's character, Francis, comments on an opera singer's voice having produced music sounding like it came from somewhere else and that's how he wants his golf game to be.
Now I play golf and sing, so this really hits home for me. Every once in a while, I will be singing in choir or just in my car and can all of the sudden start singing better than I ever could have imagined. And it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else - not my voice! It's one of the coolest things I have ever had happen to me. And it's happened during golf, too. When I hit that perfect drive or nail that forty foot putt, I know that sort of shot is expertise far beyond my years so it must come from something else. Some people may attribute this to luck, but luck has to come from somewhere too! And coincidences must be attributed to something as well.
These examples illustrate the need to rely on God, as well. We cannot do anything without God. We are not to rely on ourselves. As Matthew 19:26 states: With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. There is nothing in this world you cannot accomplish with God on your side. Whether it is singing with a Godly voice, or making a difficult putt, or David defeating Goliath, as long as we trust in God, we can accomplish anything.
Now let me give you an example from the other side of the spectrum: at my college, we read the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It was a touching story of how a broke mountain climber whose sister died of epilepsy wanted to climb K2 to place her necklace on the mountain as a symbolic thing to him. But he got caught in a storm and almost died but was nursed back to health by village-men and he swore to repay them via their education system. And he set out and built all these schools in the Middle East/K2 region and helping them overcome their constant oppression and lack of education.
It was truly inspirational! While reading this, I felt I could do something like this to. The author, Greg Mortenson, even came to our school to talk about his experiences and what we could do to help. The basketball arena was packed to the brim and then some. I remember thinking, "how awesome would it be if all these 2,000+ people in this stadium saw this great role model and then heard he attributed his success and gifts to God. What a wonderful testimony that would be! Alas, Mortenson was an atheist.
But as if God Himself agreed with me that Mortenson should give God the glory for his successes, Mortenson was discredited on national television! 60 minutes found out that he was a scam who didn't do half of what he said he did. He just took credit for it. He was also found to have been with Al Qaeda, having taken pictures holding machine guns and wearing a turban with them. It pretty much destroyed all Mortenson had made himself to be.
God wants us to be successful in our endeavors, but He does not want us to forget who gave us the ability to be successful. He just wants credit for what He's done. Wouldn't you if you put in all that hard work?
1 Corinthians 10:31 says that "so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Do it ALL for the GLORY of God.
Just love God and glorify Him and His name...He is most certainly worth it.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
I love my God-given talent of singing. It's one of my favorite things to do and I cannot think of a better way to glorify God than to use that talent to touch other people. Because we don't clap and say "amen" instead, it shows that we acknowledge God as the source of such beautiful music and we thank Him for granting someone with such a wonderful gift. We have other members who perform amazing acapella numbers, group harmonies, and other instrumentalists such as flutists and pianists.
When we show other people what wonderful gifts God has blessed us with, we need to make sure we understand where those gifts come from and that those you are performing for understand this as well. In one of my favorite movies, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Shia LaBeouf's character, Francis, comments on an opera singer's voice having produced music sounding like it came from somewhere else and that's how he wants his golf game to be.
Now I play golf and sing, so this really hits home for me. Every once in a while, I will be singing in choir or just in my car and can all of the sudden start singing better than I ever could have imagined. And it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else - not my voice! It's one of the coolest things I have ever had happen to me. And it's happened during golf, too. When I hit that perfect drive or nail that forty foot putt, I know that sort of shot is expertise far beyond my years so it must come from something else. Some people may attribute this to luck, but luck has to come from somewhere too! And coincidences must be attributed to something as well.
These examples illustrate the need to rely on God, as well. We cannot do anything without God. We are not to rely on ourselves. As Matthew 19:26 states: With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. There is nothing in this world you cannot accomplish with God on your side. Whether it is singing with a Godly voice, or making a difficult putt, or David defeating Goliath, as long as we trust in God, we can accomplish anything.
Now let me give you an example from the other side of the spectrum: at my college, we read the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It was a touching story of how a broke mountain climber whose sister died of epilepsy wanted to climb K2 to place her necklace on the mountain as a symbolic thing to him. But he got caught in a storm and almost died but was nursed back to health by village-men and he swore to repay them via their education system. And he set out and built all these schools in the Middle East/K2 region and helping them overcome their constant oppression and lack of education.
It was truly inspirational! While reading this, I felt I could do something like this to. The author, Greg Mortenson, even came to our school to talk about his experiences and what we could do to help. The basketball arena was packed to the brim and then some. I remember thinking, "how awesome would it be if all these 2,000+ people in this stadium saw this great role model and then heard he attributed his success and gifts to God. What a wonderful testimony that would be! Alas, Mortenson was an atheist.
But as if God Himself agreed with me that Mortenson should give God the glory for his successes, Mortenson was discredited on national television! 60 minutes found out that he was a scam who didn't do half of what he said he did. He just took credit for it. He was also found to have been with Al Qaeda, having taken pictures holding machine guns and wearing a turban with them. It pretty much destroyed all Mortenson had made himself to be.
God wants us to be successful in our endeavors, but He does not want us to forget who gave us the ability to be successful. He just wants credit for what He's done. Wouldn't you if you put in all that hard work?
1 Corinthians 10:31 says that "so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Do it ALL for the GLORY of God.
Just love God and glorify Him and His name...He is most certainly worth it.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Stay in the Word!
As I have mentioned before, I am home on summer break from college. I am blessed to come home to a supportive group of friends and church that many of my friends do not have in their hometowns.
However, it is still a struggle to stay in the word! I mean, come on, it's summer!!! Psht, who wants to sit buried in the Bible taking notes or even just reading a book with such flimsy pages on a beautiful, breezing day? (Not that those have happened yet...grrr...) I know I don't. And even on a gross, windy, rainy day like today I still don't want to sit and read my Bible. Too many video games to play.
So I have decided to make a list of fun things to do to still stay in touch with God throughout the day, even during the busy summer. No telling how long this list will be. I'm just winging it here.
1. Listen to Jesus music!
Seriously, how much time do you spend driving in your car, tanning, sitting on a boat, or just relaxing outside. Or for some of you really crazy people - exercising? All these things you can do with some ear buds in! Instead of putting on the latest Usher or Beyonce, put on some good ole Hillsong or Chris Tomlin. The Christian music community has pretty much got everything covered as far as genres go, so you're sure to find something you like.
2. Watch a Christian movie!
I know one of my friends' and I's favorite thing to do is watch movies late at night. I've done a blog on this subject before, so click here to read the whole thing! But here's a quick sum up - yes, Christian movies can be low budget and sometimes have some terrible acting, but the message is always supreme! Not like some of the porno movies that are considered mainstream. If you want a good, wholesome movie, pop in some of these favorites:
- Facing the Giants
- Soul Surfer
- Fireproof
- Left Behind
- Book of Eli
- Faith Like Potatoes
- The Passion of the Christ
- and a whole lot more!
3. Do a Bible study with friends!
I love getting together with my friends over the summer, but I live in boon dock Iowa so many times we struggle with finding things to do that don't require paying a whole lot for gas. Even just taking a half hour to an hour of your hang out time to go over some Bible material is highly beneficial. And if you don't know what to do or where to start for material and learning, ask your pastor, buy a guide book, or even just share favorite verses with one another or discuss a topic like dating, marriage, or controversial subjects by finding verses from the Bible to back up your point of view. (Google is your best friend.)
4. Read a Christian book!
Sometimes that Bible can be overwhelming, can't it? Many translations still have that old English feel to them, and much of it is confusing without study Bibles or reference books to accompany your reading. Another thing to do is read a book that has Christian themes in it. There are many Christian fiction writers out there with genres to cover every topic imaginable. And I'm sure some are even available on tape to listen to in your car. (Once again, Google is your best friend. And Amazon. You're welcome for the free advertising, by the way.)
5. Volunteer!
Probably most of you cringed at reading this word. That's okay, I did while writing it. I don't know what it is about human nature, but we love to be selfish. We hate donating, especially things like time and money. But there are so many ways to volunteer! You can make food for a church potluck if you like cooking, be a nursery helper if you love little children, serve food at a soup kitchen if you like socializing, visit those in the hospital or nursing homes by talking to them and reading them Bible verses if you like helping the elderly, donate money to shelters, Red Cross, or Christian organizations if that is what the Lord is putting on your heart or donate clothes to Goodwill, church auctions, or missions groups. These are just a few ideas, and I'm sure you have some of your own.
6. Mission trip!!
Many of you might consider this the same thing as volunteering, but I feel it is not. It is similar, but so much more. And yes, I realize most mission trips require some planning (and unfortunately, money) so start planning for next year! Even just planning for something like the can get you psyched to stay in the Word. You can even make it into a family vacation. Frankly, I can't think of a better thing to teach my kids while on vacation. Well, future kids I guess. You can go anywhere you want!! Exotic locations, poverty-stricken locations, or even at home in the heartlands of America. Talk to your pastor about perhaps a church group all going together for support. I know most people feel that the people you set out to serve end up teaching you more than you ever thought you could teach them.
So I think six things are plenty to think about when plotting out your summer. Just keep God at the center of your heart and actions, and you're sure to have fun with Him!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
This post linked to:
Debbiedoo's Newbie Party
Spiritual Sundays
However, it is still a struggle to stay in the word! I mean, come on, it's summer!!! Psht, who wants to sit buried in the Bible taking notes or even just reading a book with such flimsy pages on a beautiful, breezing day? (Not that those have happened yet...grrr...) I know I don't. And even on a gross, windy, rainy day like today I still don't want to sit and read my Bible. Too many video games to play.
So I have decided to make a list of fun things to do to still stay in touch with God throughout the day, even during the busy summer. No telling how long this list will be. I'm just winging it here.
1. Listen to Jesus music!
Seriously, how much time do you spend driving in your car, tanning, sitting on a boat, or just relaxing outside. Or for some of you really crazy people - exercising? All these things you can do with some ear buds in! Instead of putting on the latest Usher or Beyonce, put on some good ole Hillsong or Chris Tomlin. The Christian music community has pretty much got everything covered as far as genres go, so you're sure to find something you like.
2. Watch a Christian movie!
I know one of my friends' and I's favorite thing to do is watch movies late at night. I've done a blog on this subject before, so click here to read the whole thing! But here's a quick sum up - yes, Christian movies can be low budget and sometimes have some terrible acting, but the message is always supreme! Not like some of the porno movies that are considered mainstream. If you want a good, wholesome movie, pop in some of these favorites:
- Facing the Giants
- Soul Surfer
- Fireproof
- Left Behind
- Book of Eli
- Faith Like Potatoes
- The Passion of the Christ
- and a whole lot more!
3. Do a Bible study with friends!
I love getting together with my friends over the summer, but I live in boon dock Iowa so many times we struggle with finding things to do that don't require paying a whole lot for gas. Even just taking a half hour to an hour of your hang out time to go over some Bible material is highly beneficial. And if you don't know what to do or where to start for material and learning, ask your pastor, buy a guide book, or even just share favorite verses with one another or discuss a topic like dating, marriage, or controversial subjects by finding verses from the Bible to back up your point of view. (Google is your best friend.)
4. Read a Christian book!
Sometimes that Bible can be overwhelming, can't it? Many translations still have that old English feel to them, and much of it is confusing without study Bibles or reference books to accompany your reading. Another thing to do is read a book that has Christian themes in it. There are many Christian fiction writers out there with genres to cover every topic imaginable. And I'm sure some are even available on tape to listen to in your car. (Once again, Google is your best friend. And Amazon. You're welcome for the free advertising, by the way.)
5. Volunteer!
Probably most of you cringed at reading this word. That's okay, I did while writing it. I don't know what it is about human nature, but we love to be selfish. We hate donating, especially things like time and money. But there are so many ways to volunteer! You can make food for a church potluck if you like cooking, be a nursery helper if you love little children, serve food at a soup kitchen if you like socializing, visit those in the hospital or nursing homes by talking to them and reading them Bible verses if you like helping the elderly, donate money to shelters, Red Cross, or Christian organizations if that is what the Lord is putting on your heart or donate clothes to Goodwill, church auctions, or missions groups. These are just a few ideas, and I'm sure you have some of your own.
6. Mission trip!!
Many of you might consider this the same thing as volunteering, but I feel it is not. It is similar, but so much more. And yes, I realize most mission trips require some planning (and unfortunately, money) so start planning for next year! Even just planning for something like the can get you psyched to stay in the Word. You can even make it into a family vacation. Frankly, I can't think of a better thing to teach my kids while on vacation. Well, future kids I guess. You can go anywhere you want!! Exotic locations, poverty-stricken locations, or even at home in the heartlands of America. Talk to your pastor about perhaps a church group all going together for support. I know most people feel that the people you set out to serve end up teaching you more than you ever thought you could teach them.
So I think six things are plenty to think about when plotting out your summer. Just keep God at the center of your heart and actions, and you're sure to have fun with Him!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
This post linked to:
Debbiedoo's Newbie Party
Spiritual Sundays
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Have no fear, oh ye of little faith
1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
There are so many times in our lives when the world just seems terrible - and thanks to sin, it is. Our world endures horrible things such as natural disasters, wars, disease, poverty, pain, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes I catch myself wondering, "God what are you doing?! What good is going to come of this?! This makes no sense!" Sometimes unfortunately for our naive minds, God works in mysterious ways.
But no matter what we all go through, there is always someone out there who is going through the same trials and tribulations that we have. God has made sure that no matter what happens, you can take comfort knowing that you are never alone. You always have Jesus to turn to when things get rough, and as long as you have faith in Him, He will provide for you and take care of you.
Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.
And never think that your problems are insignificant. Many people will look at their problems and then look at those of the world and say to themselves that they can handle it - other people are suffering worse things. Well when you put it in that context every one's problems are insignificant! But you can only ever compare your problems when you are comparing them to your own past. Because you may be able to look back at what you have gotten through before and think, "Look at what I got over back then. That was much worse than how I feel now so I know I can get through this." Your problems weigh on your own heart, and they cannot go ignored! No where in the Bible does it say, "This is what Job suffered through. His problems were worse than yours. Suck it up." It never says anything remotely close to that!
God thinks that each and every problem, insignificant as you may chalk it up to be, is important and needs to be brought to His attention so that He may heal you. For if you let these things dwell inside of you, more sin may corrupt you and your thoughts and actions in the future, and that is not what God wants at all. You cannot think of your problems in comparison with those of the world. Only one person in the history of the world has ever and will ever group the sins of the world and take responsibility for them all: Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ wants to know what is tugging at your heart and causing you pain in your life so that He may fix that as well.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Another thing I continue to struggle with, as my friends will tell you, is that I care perhaps too much about people and am very protective of those I care about. However, most times I find myself helpless to do anything. Sometimes the problem is out of my hands; sometimes it is something that only someone with specialized training can fix, and sometimes the problem is too geographically far away from me to help with. And I'm sure many of you find these things to be true for you as well. It's frustrating! Trust me, I know. But the Lord says the most powerful thing we can do for those we love is to pray for them.
So when you find yourself in a situation that seems overwhelming and out of your control just remember: nothing is overwhelming for the one who created all things, and everything is under God's control. He has a plan, and we just need to trust that it will all work out.
James 5:16 Pray for one another, that you may be healed.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all with liberty and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
There are so many times in our lives when the world just seems terrible - and thanks to sin, it is. Our world endures horrible things such as natural disasters, wars, disease, poverty, pain, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes I catch myself wondering, "God what are you doing?! What good is going to come of this?! This makes no sense!" Sometimes unfortunately for our naive minds, God works in mysterious ways.
But no matter what we all go through, there is always someone out there who is going through the same trials and tribulations that we have. God has made sure that no matter what happens, you can take comfort knowing that you are never alone. You always have Jesus to turn to when things get rough, and as long as you have faith in Him, He will provide for you and take care of you.
Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.
And never think that your problems are insignificant. Many people will look at their problems and then look at those of the world and say to themselves that they can handle it - other people are suffering worse things. Well when you put it in that context every one's problems are insignificant! But you can only ever compare your problems when you are comparing them to your own past. Because you may be able to look back at what you have gotten through before and think, "Look at what I got over back then. That was much worse than how I feel now so I know I can get through this." Your problems weigh on your own heart, and they cannot go ignored! No where in the Bible does it say, "This is what Job suffered through. His problems were worse than yours. Suck it up." It never says anything remotely close to that!
God thinks that each and every problem, insignificant as you may chalk it up to be, is important and needs to be brought to His attention so that He may heal you. For if you let these things dwell inside of you, more sin may corrupt you and your thoughts and actions in the future, and that is not what God wants at all. You cannot think of your problems in comparison with those of the world. Only one person in the history of the world has ever and will ever group the sins of the world and take responsibility for them all: Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ wants to know what is tugging at your heart and causing you pain in your life so that He may fix that as well.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Another thing I continue to struggle with, as my friends will tell you, is that I care perhaps too much about people and am very protective of those I care about. However, most times I find myself helpless to do anything. Sometimes the problem is out of my hands; sometimes it is something that only someone with specialized training can fix, and sometimes the problem is too geographically far away from me to help with. And I'm sure many of you find these things to be true for you as well. It's frustrating! Trust me, I know. But the Lord says the most powerful thing we can do for those we love is to pray for them.
So when you find yourself in a situation that seems overwhelming and out of your control just remember: nothing is overwhelming for the one who created all things, and everything is under God's control. He has a plan, and we just need to trust that it will all work out.
James 5:16 Pray for one another, that you may be healed.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all with liberty and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Don't Be Left Behind
I always hate it when people get overly serious on me - especially when I'm in a light-hearted mood. So if you're not in the mood for a serious talk, perhaps you can save this one for another day. I promise I won't be offended. :)
I also feel I should address the fact that I am truly sorry if I offend anyone. That is not my intention at all, I promise. These are my opinions, and you are most certainly entitled to your own. In fact, I would love to hear your opinion! I always try to be very open to hearing what everyone has to say.
I've been reading this book series called Left Behind (the first three were made into movies). It helps people understand what could potentially happen after God raptures those who have placed their trust in Him. It follows a very well-written fictional story of people who are all connected but have different convictions about God and what the rapture really was while following a broad interpretation of the book Revelations from the Bible.
It is a very convicting book, even for those who are already what I call true Christians (those who have placed their trust in God and consciously given their lives to God wholeheartedly and yearn for His word). And for those of you who have done so, first of all I congratulate you! And second, you can attest to the fact that those three things listed above all come hand in hand with each other since I'm sure those of you who have not do not fully understand. I know I didn't.
At any rate, I cannot stop thinking about what it would feel like to just be talking to someone and having them disappear right before your very eyes. Think of the confusion that would ensue! In the book it talks about people committing suicide because they fear the worst - or they know everyone was raptured and they missed the boat. My heart aches for the latter even more. Then it got me thinking about who I know that if this happened this very instant, I am not sure they would follow me up to Heaven. I want to be sure!
I am no expert on the subject of Revelations, and I will be the first to admit that this book just plain baffles me. But I will give you the basic rundown of what the 'Rapture' is. Basically the Bible says that sometime in the future, no one will have any inkling when, God will call all of His people, living and dead, up to Heaven so that they will not have to endure the hardship of the trials to come in the days before Jesus comes back to Earth to reign forever in what the book calls the Glorious Reappearing. Those raptured will also serve as a testament to God's glory for those remaining. Those left behind will have to endure seven years of the devil reigning the Earth before God returns for eternity. They have one last shot to redeem themselves and accept God into their hearts and let Him influence their decisions in life.
I not only encourage you to read these books and then seek your own references to understand the book of Revelation, but I encourage you to tell of God's glory now so that perhaps a few less people will have to suffer as those in the books suffer because they missed the boat. Anyone who knows me knows I love my friends very, very dearly. And it's because I love them so much that I wish to ensure that I see them again someday to share the kingdom of Heaven with me and the Almighty Lord!
Every person in this world is loved by somebody, and above all, God. We as Christians have a higher calling than other people of this world. We are called to share the Word of the Lord because we have been blessed with the knowledge that others lack or just plain refuse to accept. It is up to us to save those people loved so much by God that He sent His only son to die for us so that we are not condemned but have eternal life.
Me personally, I'm a hugger. So after I get that all-awesome hug from God and Jesus Himself, I want to hug my friends and welcome them to Heaven someday. I hope that is not for a long time, but I do pray for that more than anything in this world. And I hope to hug you and welcome you, too. And all of your friends and their friends and their friends!! But it's up to you to make sure your friends will join you in Heaven with the Lord someday. Don't worry, God will help you along the way.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
I also feel I should address the fact that I am truly sorry if I offend anyone. That is not my intention at all, I promise. These are my opinions, and you are most certainly entitled to your own. In fact, I would love to hear your opinion! I always try to be very open to hearing what everyone has to say.
I've been reading this book series called Left Behind (the first three were made into movies). It helps people understand what could potentially happen after God raptures those who have placed their trust in Him. It follows a very well-written fictional story of people who are all connected but have different convictions about God and what the rapture really was while following a broad interpretation of the book Revelations from the Bible.
It is a very convicting book, even for those who are already what I call true Christians (those who have placed their trust in God and consciously given their lives to God wholeheartedly and yearn for His word). And for those of you who have done so, first of all I congratulate you! And second, you can attest to the fact that those three things listed above all come hand in hand with each other since I'm sure those of you who have not do not fully understand. I know I didn't.
At any rate, I cannot stop thinking about what it would feel like to just be talking to someone and having them disappear right before your very eyes. Think of the confusion that would ensue! In the book it talks about people committing suicide because they fear the worst - or they know everyone was raptured and they missed the boat. My heart aches for the latter even more. Then it got me thinking about who I know that if this happened this very instant, I am not sure they would follow me up to Heaven. I want to be sure!
I am no expert on the subject of Revelations, and I will be the first to admit that this book just plain baffles me. But I will give you the basic rundown of what the 'Rapture' is. Basically the Bible says that sometime in the future, no one will have any inkling when, God will call all of His people, living and dead, up to Heaven so that they will not have to endure the hardship of the trials to come in the days before Jesus comes back to Earth to reign forever in what the book calls the Glorious Reappearing. Those raptured will also serve as a testament to God's glory for those remaining. Those left behind will have to endure seven years of the devil reigning the Earth before God returns for eternity. They have one last shot to redeem themselves and accept God into their hearts and let Him influence their decisions in life.
I not only encourage you to read these books and then seek your own references to understand the book of Revelation, but I encourage you to tell of God's glory now so that perhaps a few less people will have to suffer as those in the books suffer because they missed the boat. Anyone who knows me knows I love my friends very, very dearly. And it's because I love them so much that I wish to ensure that I see them again someday to share the kingdom of Heaven with me and the Almighty Lord!
Every person in this world is loved by somebody, and above all, God. We as Christians have a higher calling than other people of this world. We are called to share the Word of the Lord because we have been blessed with the knowledge that others lack or just plain refuse to accept. It is up to us to save those people loved so much by God that He sent His only son to die for us so that we are not condemned but have eternal life.
Me personally, I'm a hugger. So after I get that all-awesome hug from God and Jesus Himself, I want to hug my friends and welcome them to Heaven someday. I hope that is not for a long time, but I do pray for that more than anything in this world. And I hope to hug you and welcome you, too. And all of your friends and their friends and their friends!! But it's up to you to make sure your friends will join you in Heaven with the Lord someday. Don't worry, God will help you along the way.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
I don't need easy. I just need possible.
I do apologize for not blogging in awhile. I am saddened to say that my faith has not been as strong as it once was since summer has begun, just like I was warned it would. But hopefully this blog among other things will keep me a women after God's own heart.
However, a few days ago a friend of mine asked to do a movie night and we ended up going to Soul Surfer. I had heard many good things about this movie but was scared to go see a movie that I knew ended with a girl getting her arm bitten off by a shark. I always hate it when bad things happen to the good guys.
But that was not it at all! The movie is not about getting bit by a shark. It's about how God works in mysterious ways and there is nothing you cannot do through Him. And the movie portrayed this so well! In this day and age, the media is so against Christianity and does everything in its power to give us and God a bad name. But how can you not want to root for a teenage girl with this kind of courage?! I was amazed at how well they made the movie Hollywood-worthy but still gave God all the glory quite obviously.
I did not want this movie to end. But by the time it was done, I was ready to conquer the world. I felt as though I could run a marathon or climb Everest or swim across the entire ocean. I was so on fire for the Lord and I didn't realize how much I had needed it until watching this movie! I cannot WAIT until it comes out on dvd and I highly recommended all of you watch it.
At one point in the movie, Bethany realizes that through God she can accomplish anything and wants to surf again but has to go from a beginner's surf board to a professional competitor's board in very little time. She tells her father, "I don't need easy. I just need possible." This has become my new life motto. Life is not easy. God did not intend it that way. Note that Matthew 19:26 says, "with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." It does not say that all things are easy - it just says they are possible. Whatever you hope to accomplish in life, it will not be easy. But if you put your trust in the Lord, there is nothing you can't accomplish.
And do not be discouraged when things take an ugly turn. The Lord works in mysterious ways. At one point in Soul Surfer, Bethany says, "How can this be God's plan for me?" And you may think just what she thought - how can a girl tragically and traumatically losing her arm be God's plan for her? How can that be working towards her goal of being a professional surfer?
Well God had a different plan for her - one that included a tremendous part of Him and allowing her to reach millions with His word. Bethany Hamiliton is now a professional surfer, living the dream she always wanted, and was given the opportunity to reach millions, if not hundreds of millions, of people to show them that God is truly great. She wouldn't have this opportunity if she hadn't lost her arm. And I will wager to guess that her faith is so much stronger because of this experience.
Never despair. God is great, and if you trust in Him alone and not men, He will give you the world. He loves you, and He loves me, and He wants nothing but the best for us.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
PS - I love movies! Here are some great Christian movies listed in no particular order:
- Fireproof (great story on a prideful person finding God, famous in Christian movie world)
- Facing the Giants (incredibly inspirational story of a football team placing their team in the hands of God)
- Faith Like Potatoes (true story!)
- Left Behind series (based on the books explaining the end times through a fantastic fictional story. Only three movies ever made, however)
- Book of Eli (actually a mainstream movie, very symbolistic of Biblical main themes)
- Chronicles of Narnia (based on the books, so much symbolism of the Bible it's ridiculous - but awesome)
There are, of course, many more but these are the ones I have seen and feel very confident recommending.
However, a few days ago a friend of mine asked to do a movie night and we ended up going to Soul Surfer. I had heard many good things about this movie but was scared to go see a movie that I knew ended with a girl getting her arm bitten off by a shark. I always hate it when bad things happen to the good guys.
But that was not it at all! The movie is not about getting bit by a shark. It's about how God works in mysterious ways and there is nothing you cannot do through Him. And the movie portrayed this so well! In this day and age, the media is so against Christianity and does everything in its power to give us and God a bad name. But how can you not want to root for a teenage girl with this kind of courage?! I was amazed at how well they made the movie Hollywood-worthy but still gave God all the glory quite obviously.
I did not want this movie to end. But by the time it was done, I was ready to conquer the world. I felt as though I could run a marathon or climb Everest or swim across the entire ocean. I was so on fire for the Lord and I didn't realize how much I had needed it until watching this movie! I cannot WAIT until it comes out on dvd and I highly recommended all of you watch it.
At one point in the movie, Bethany realizes that through God she can accomplish anything and wants to surf again but has to go from a beginner's surf board to a professional competitor's board in very little time. She tells her father, "I don't need easy. I just need possible." This has become my new life motto. Life is not easy. God did not intend it that way. Note that Matthew 19:26 says, "with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." It does not say that all things are easy - it just says they are possible. Whatever you hope to accomplish in life, it will not be easy. But if you put your trust in the Lord, there is nothing you can't accomplish.
And do not be discouraged when things take an ugly turn. The Lord works in mysterious ways. At one point in Soul Surfer, Bethany says, "How can this be God's plan for me?" And you may think just what she thought - how can a girl tragically and traumatically losing her arm be God's plan for her? How can that be working towards her goal of being a professional surfer?
Well God had a different plan for her - one that included a tremendous part of Him and allowing her to reach millions with His word. Bethany Hamiliton is now a professional surfer, living the dream she always wanted, and was given the opportunity to reach millions, if not hundreds of millions, of people to show them that God is truly great. She wouldn't have this opportunity if she hadn't lost her arm. And I will wager to guess that her faith is so much stronger because of this experience.
Never despair. God is great, and if you trust in Him alone and not men, He will give you the world. He loves you, and He loves me, and He wants nothing but the best for us.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
PS - I love movies! Here are some great Christian movies listed in no particular order:
- Fireproof (great story on a prideful person finding God, famous in Christian movie world)
- Facing the Giants (incredibly inspirational story of a football team placing their team in the hands of God)
- Faith Like Potatoes (true story!)
- Left Behind series (based on the books explaining the end times through a fantastic fictional story. Only three movies ever made, however)
- Book of Eli (actually a mainstream movie, very symbolistic of Biblical main themes)
- Chronicles of Narnia (based on the books, so much symbolism of the Bible it's ridiculous - but awesome)
There are, of course, many more but these are the ones I have seen and feel very confident recommending.
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Passing Cars
So today I moved home from college. Hello mom and dad, goodbye friends. It was sad but I was proud of myself! I didn't cry a tear. Woohoo! Anyways, I have a three hour drive home and I often catch myself wondering weird things. But one of the things I find my mind drifting to often is the people I pass by on the road. They're speeding along the same roads I am, but their life's road can be just like mine or the complete opposite. I find myself wondering where they are in their lives. Are they recently married? Is that car they're driving a sixteenth birthday present? Does that missing headlight have a funny story to it? Are they driving to bad news or good?
Then I start wondering things like where are they in their faith life? Could this drive be their last on this earth? Will they be going to heaven or hell? How can I help secure their fate? I often feel convicted on this last question. I see so many people throughout my day, but I don't know how to make sure I see them again someday in paradise with Jesus. Sometimes I feel so bad about all the people I know in my life that are leading a selfish life that will not spend eternity with me and God, I get emotional. The answer to this question came to me a few months ago; I don't remember how or precisely when but it was about that time. I realized the most powerful thing I can do for people is pray for them. I don't need to preach to masses; I don't need to share my testimony with every person I meet; I don't need to drag all my acquaintances to church and youth group; all I need to do is pray. All of the above things can help, too, but when I don't know what to do, I can pray for them.
A motivational speaker I once heard said that we have been blessed with a higher understanding. We are among the chosen ones. We have a duty, a higher calling, to share this knowledge with others to help people realize what their life is really for. But we are not all meant to share the Lord's message to thousands of people in a huge stadium like some, or be pastors of devoted churches like others. But we are all meant to pray. We as humans cannot do everything for ourselves. We must rely on God for our needs and the needs of others. So even if we just pray for others, it is not just doing nothing. You are calling for the help of the Lord our God to show others the light of His message. And what can God not do? Nothing.
So for those people in your lives that you might be scared to approach, or your words are not penetrating, ask on the Lord. And pray for those people you see passing in the cars. Don't just let them pass through your life, for they certainly do not pass through God's. And even for those people who are strong in their faith, pray for them. There is nothing better you can do for someone than to pray for them. For if God is with us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. Read Romans 8 for inspiring words from the Bible on this topic.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Then I start wondering things like where are they in their faith life? Could this drive be their last on this earth? Will they be going to heaven or hell? How can I help secure their fate? I often feel convicted on this last question. I see so many people throughout my day, but I don't know how to make sure I see them again someday in paradise with Jesus. Sometimes I feel so bad about all the people I know in my life that are leading a selfish life that will not spend eternity with me and God, I get emotional. The answer to this question came to me a few months ago; I don't remember how or precisely when but it was about that time. I realized the most powerful thing I can do for people is pray for them. I don't need to preach to masses; I don't need to share my testimony with every person I meet; I don't need to drag all my acquaintances to church and youth group; all I need to do is pray. All of the above things can help, too, but when I don't know what to do, I can pray for them.
A motivational speaker I once heard said that we have been blessed with a higher understanding. We are among the chosen ones. We have a duty, a higher calling, to share this knowledge with others to help people realize what their life is really for. But we are not all meant to share the Lord's message to thousands of people in a huge stadium like some, or be pastors of devoted churches like others. But we are all meant to pray. We as humans cannot do everything for ourselves. We must rely on God for our needs and the needs of others. So even if we just pray for others, it is not just doing nothing. You are calling for the help of the Lord our God to show others the light of His message. And what can God not do? Nothing.
So for those people in your lives that you might be scared to approach, or your words are not penetrating, ask on the Lord. And pray for those people you see passing in the cars. Don't just let them pass through your life, for they certainly do not pass through God's. And even for those people who are strong in their faith, pray for them. There is nothing better you can do for someone than to pray for them. For if God is with us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. Read Romans 8 for inspiring words from the Bible on this topic.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
Thursday, May 5, 2011
A Blank Blog
I never know exactly how to start out when I write. There are so many things to fill a blank blog with; I never know how to choose! I sometimes have a vision, and then part way through, my vision changes and I start all over again. Well, this is the result of my vision changing. I started a blog last summer about following Christ, but it ended up being sort of like a condensed sermon. And I'm no preacher so that kind of fell by the way side. The URL is http://christiankid-ajourneywithchrist.blogspot.com/ if you want to check it out. I think there were some valuable messages that were mostly based on other sermons I'd heard, but it's not very personal or interesting I think.
So this is going to be my own personal walk with Christ that I'm sharing you! Yay for sharing my life with people who probably have much better things to do but enjoy procrastinating like I do.
A little background: I have just one more day of my freshman year of college left to complete. I have had the most awesome year that Christ could have ever blessed me with. There are many things incoming college students worry about when moving to college such as meeting people, having a terrible roommate, getting lost, and my biggest worry - falling out of faith. I always figured Christ wasn't as at work at college as he is everywhere else. Wrong! I have never met so many people into their faith as I have coming here. I was blessed with a roommate who is practically my sister we get along so well who helps me along with questions I have while doing my daily Bible reading. I met a wonderful boyfriend who comes to all my church things with me and thoroughly enjoys it! I highly recommend this to all you dating folks - keeping Christ at the center makes everything so much better. Over this past year, I have found a wonderful new church home, an amazing youth group that is unlike anything I've ever experienced, a Bible study filled with wonderful and encouraging folks, as well as friends to push me in my faith and others that I have been able to encourage as well. Whenever someone asks me how college is going, I can't help but talk about my enormous blessings here because they are such a tremendous part of my life! It's so refreshing!
My youth group: I mentioned my youth group is unlike any other. And I love it that way. It's on Sunday nights (I wish it was every night) at my church and college students from all different denominations come together to hear the message. We usually average 100 people in this room, which is pretty good for a small Midwestern college at a church far from campus. Its always pitch black except for the candles lighting the outside aisles and the stage lights. We have a full band complete with inspiring singers, talented electric, bass, and acoustic guitarists, a very energetic drummer, and incredible pianist. We start out just singing music at the top of our lungs and reaching out to Christ in whatever way we want. The band always plays loud enough so you can be totally tone-deaf and sing out without being embarrassed which is really nice because we rock the house with all of us singing so loud! After a few songs, we sit down and Pastor comes to give us a short ten minute-ish sermon that gets us all thinking and renewing ourselves in the Lord. Then comes my favorite part: praying. Pastor gives us a few things to think and pray about and then our pianist plays soft, soothing music and the whole place gets quiet while all 100 of us college students bow our heads to pray. The first time I was there, it was rather uncomfortable because I wasn't expecting it. But now I love it! We pray for at least ten minutes, if not more. Most of us get rather emotional during this time, and you can always hear people crying. But it's so uplifting to stand up after that and keep singing. It's a feeling unlike any other. Sometimes while singing I close my eyes if I know the song and I feel God literally picking me up! When I open my eyes again, I feel as though I'm being set down, and it takes me awhile to get used to my feet being on the ground again. I just love it!
Anyway, sorry for the overly-wordy blog for this first one. Not promising it won't happen again though. I like to talk, lol. So here starts my journey with sharing my walk with Christ with you, whoever you might be!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
So this is going to be my own personal walk with Christ that I'm sharing you! Yay for sharing my life with people who probably have much better things to do but enjoy procrastinating like I do.
A little background: I have just one more day of my freshman year of college left to complete. I have had the most awesome year that Christ could have ever blessed me with. There are many things incoming college students worry about when moving to college such as meeting people, having a terrible roommate, getting lost, and my biggest worry - falling out of faith. I always figured Christ wasn't as at work at college as he is everywhere else. Wrong! I have never met so many people into their faith as I have coming here. I was blessed with a roommate who is practically my sister we get along so well who helps me along with questions I have while doing my daily Bible reading. I met a wonderful boyfriend who comes to all my church things with me and thoroughly enjoys it! I highly recommend this to all you dating folks - keeping Christ at the center makes everything so much better. Over this past year, I have found a wonderful new church home, an amazing youth group that is unlike anything I've ever experienced, a Bible study filled with wonderful and encouraging folks, as well as friends to push me in my faith and others that I have been able to encourage as well. Whenever someone asks me how college is going, I can't help but talk about my enormous blessings here because they are such a tremendous part of my life! It's so refreshing!
My youth group: I mentioned my youth group is unlike any other. And I love it that way. It's on Sunday nights (I wish it was every night) at my church and college students from all different denominations come together to hear the message. We usually average 100 people in this room, which is pretty good for a small Midwestern college at a church far from campus. Its always pitch black except for the candles lighting the outside aisles and the stage lights. We have a full band complete with inspiring singers, talented electric, bass, and acoustic guitarists, a very energetic drummer, and incredible pianist. We start out just singing music at the top of our lungs and reaching out to Christ in whatever way we want. The band always plays loud enough so you can be totally tone-deaf and sing out without being embarrassed which is really nice because we rock the house with all of us singing so loud! After a few songs, we sit down and Pastor comes to give us a short ten minute-ish sermon that gets us all thinking and renewing ourselves in the Lord. Then comes my favorite part: praying. Pastor gives us a few things to think and pray about and then our pianist plays soft, soothing music and the whole place gets quiet while all 100 of us college students bow our heads to pray. The first time I was there, it was rather uncomfortable because I wasn't expecting it. But now I love it! We pray for at least ten minutes, if not more. Most of us get rather emotional during this time, and you can always hear people crying. But it's so uplifting to stand up after that and keep singing. It's a feeling unlike any other. Sometimes while singing I close my eyes if I know the song and I feel God literally picking me up! When I open my eyes again, I feel as though I'm being set down, and it takes me awhile to get used to my feet being on the ground again. I just love it!
Anyway, sorry for the overly-wordy blog for this first one. Not promising it won't happen again though. I like to talk, lol. So here starts my journey with sharing my walk with Christ with you, whoever you might be!
God Bless!
ChristianKid
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