tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32837738125488573932024-03-08T09:12:24.156-05:00Think Change Now<p align="center">
How wonderful it is<br>
that nobody need wait<br>
a single moment<br>
before starting<br>
to improve the world.<br>
- Anne Frank
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-89151398173541790952011-09-30T01:20:00.000-04:002011-09-30T01:20:22.287-04:00Moving to a Different Neighborhood!So, I have made the switch. I now have a WordPress blog. I have been feeling a little trapped in the world of blogger; like a myspace-to-facebook transition needed to happen. So off I go. If you are still interested in following the life and thoughts that I choose to share, head over <a href="http://brokenbonesrejoicing.wordpress.com">here</a> and follow along! The new blog has all my old posts from here.
It's been real. Adios!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-37861022260441576192011-09-20T16:53:00.001-04:002011-09-20T16:53:58.194-04:00Free Stuff AlertHey Party People!
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So, this is just a quick post to let you know about some free stuff I've run across lately. Nobody is paying me and there actually is still free stuff out there, so I thought I'd share!
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1) Go to <a href="http://www.myfreeproductsamples.com/new-offers/">myfreeproductsamples.com</a> and sign up for e-mails! (Yes, that does mean you have to not mind getting e-mails from people. Hey, it's free stuff!) You will get offers from them and basically you can just scroll through and find the stuff that interests you and then follow the instructions! It will be stuff like "liking" a certain page on Fb or little things like that. Then they will send you a coupon for whatever you chose. You'll get the idea as you look at it. Later in this post I mention a CVS coupon for a free drink or candy and I found that through e-mails I receive from this website.
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2) Here are blockbuster blue box codes that are good for a free 1-night movie rental.
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Codes expiring this Friday, 9/23:
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62KRVF3 43MMKC5 64HLG5P
87PGAR9 56AGSF4 23CHAH3
85JMMF7 65RMAQ7
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Code that expires 9/25: LAS993
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Code that expires 10/9: ROCKNROLL
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3) Kindle for PCs, Macs, iPads, etc. Basically you can download a computer version of Kindle, the eReader and Amazon always has some free eBooks for Kindles to pick from, so you can even start out with some free books. Obviously, you could eventually start purchasing books for your computer Kindle as well. But you can potentially load Kindle on your computer and download a few books all FREE. If for some reason these links stop working go to Amazon.com and search for Kindle Apps and download the app for whatever your electronic best friend is. (Don't lie, you know you're a little too attached to your computer, phone, iPad, etc.)
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Click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311">here</a> if you have a PC. (You must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows 7 to take advantage of this.)
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Click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_mac_mkt_lnd?docId=1000464931">here</a> if you have a Mac. (You must have Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or 10.7 (Lion) to take advantage of this. I only have Mac OS X 10.5 right now so I cannot currently take advantage of this.)
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Click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_355500722_6?ie=UTF8&docId=1000490441&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=18PMVCS357V2FJE3HR9X&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1315815362&pf_rd_i=133141011">here</a> if you have an iPad. *Technically this just tells you that Kindle is available through your iPad apps store.
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Finally, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_355831402_8?ie=UTF8&node=2245146011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1JG6C8VA4ZXN6BPZNJNE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1315815282&pf_rd_i=1286228011">here</a> is the link to the free eBooks through Amazon.com.
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4) Check my Facebook for a coupon to CVS if you have a CVS card for a free drink or candy bar up to a $2 value through 9/22.
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I will try to do posts periodically with other free stuff I am finding! Enjoy!
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PdtLJxTZL5k/Tnj9GfFC2bI/AAAAAAAAAEM/rdIMSqKG3W8/s1600/happy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="189" width="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PdtLJxTZL5k/Tnj9GfFC2bI/AAAAAAAAAEM/rdIMSqKG3W8/s200/happy.gif" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-24989759432781514792011-08-21T18:03:00.000-04:002011-08-21T18:03:33.824-04:00RestorationI want to offer some encouragement. But first, it has recently been brought to my attention what encouragement really is. In one dictionary, "to encourage is to give active help or to raise confidence to the point where one dares <b>to do what is difficult</b>." We have lost that definition. I think oftentimes we mistake flattery for encouragement and the Bible speaks against flattery. The definition of flattery is "excessive and insincere praise, especially that given to further one's own interests."<br />
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Proverbs 29:5 says, "A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."<br />
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Psalm 5:9 says, "For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue."<br />
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That is pretty strong language. So, we are not called to offer each other meaningless fluff in order to manipulate ourselves into good standing or just say what people want to hear. We are called to literally place courage in each other to do difficult things.<br />
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<b>God has always been in the business of restoration and reconciliation. He desires relationship with us and that is why we were created.</b><br />
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But things got screwed up starting way back in the garden of Eden. Ever since then, God has been patient with us, slowly drawing us to himself to restore us to a right relationship. We inherited a sin nature from our ultimate parents, Adam and Eve. There is no one who comes from the womb loving God. We are born basically hating God and He begins the work of restoring us to that right relationship.<br />
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As we come to realize this more and more, we are sometimes crippled by shame due to our pasts. This is where we get to the meat. <b>God is bigger than my past and your past, no matter what is contains.</b> I have personally been wrestling lately against feeling hopeless and eternally chained to my past.<br />
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We have to understand that the whole point of this life is glorifying God and living in appreciation because God wants us despite our pasts. He rescued us while we were still sinners. He did not wait for us to clean up our act. My favorite verse lately has been Joel 2:25.<br />
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God says, "<b>I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten</b>, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you."<br />
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God can restore anything. By ourselves, it is true that we are worthless and lost in sin. But when we are washed in the blood of Christ, God can look at us and call us beautiful.<br />
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To fully benefit from this, we must come to terms with the last part of that verse: "...My great army <b>which I sent among you.</b>" You see, what God is restoring is destruction that He Himself sent. That army was one sent by God because His people were disobeying Him. So what was the point of that process? When we are disobedient, God disciplines us because that is what a loving Father should do.<br />
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After God disciplines us, he waits for us to be brokenhearted over our sin and repent. Repent means to turn away from sin or change our mind about our sin.<br />
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Psalm 51:17 says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, <b>a broken and a contrite heart</b>--These, O God, You will not despise."<br />
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<b>So the restoration comes when we are brokenhearted over our sin and have a heart that desires to change.</b> Salvation comes by the grace of God through faith. Restoration comes through a broken heart. The purpose of our lives is the good works God has planned for us in order to glorify Himself.<br />
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Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."<br />
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God saves us by no merit of our own. That is clear. But once you become a child of God, he treats you accordingly which includes instructing and disciplining us. Proverbs 12:1 says, “whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. “<br />
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When we try to avoid admitting mistakes due to pride or to protect ourselves, we block God’s work in our lives. <b>God desires intimacy in our relationship with Him just like we desire it in our human relationships. Nakedness before God is scary but it is where restoration takes place.</b><br />
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1 John 1:9<br />
<b>If we confess our sins</b>, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.<br />
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Once you have confessed and accepted God’s forgiveness, repent. Repair. Take back what you can take back. If you don’t know where to start, start with thoughts and move to actions. Don't use human logic and emotion to determine what can or can't be fixed. When Adam and Eve fell into sin in the garden of Eden, their minds went with them. We cannot trust our minds when they are left to their own devices. They will lead us to sin. We have to learn to actively replace our own thought patterns with God's promises and commands. Start with the thoughts that creep in and whisper lies to you; lies about how your past has ruined everything and made you unlovable and the situation beyond repair. Start with the lies that God's commands are life-sucking, outdated, nonsensical. Start with the lies that you can do whatever you want because God will forgive you and ultimately following Him is too hard. <br />
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Isaiah 55:9<br />
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are <b>My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.</b><br />
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2 Corinthians 10:5<br />
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we <b>take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.</b><br />
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Jeremiah 17:9<br />
<b>The heart is deceitful</b> above all things, and desperately wicked;<br />
Who can know it?<br />
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Numbers 23:19<br />
<b>God is not a man, that he should lie</b>, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?<br />
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When God does reveal our sin to us, we should not condemn ourselves. Rather, we should repent, rejoice that He is working on us, and obey Him. When Jesus says, "if you love me you will obey my commands" in John, it is not a manipulative command. He is saying that when we truly enter into a relationship with Him and experience His love we can't help but want to please Him. Obedience leads to a fulfilled life.<br />
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Romans 8:1<br />
There is therefore now <b>no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus</b>, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.<br />
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Romans 6:1-3<br />
What shall we say then? <b>Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!</b> How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?<br />
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1 Corinthians 10:13<br />
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but <b>with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape</b>, so that you are able to bear it.<br />
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Micah 7:19<br />
<b>He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.<br />
You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.</b><br />
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John 16:33<br />
<b>These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.</b><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-88228709796166368142011-04-22T13:44:00.000-04:002011-04-22T13:44:55.472-04:00The Full GospelSo, today is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter. Just thought I'd share something I read lately. I typed up a little intro of my own thoughts but then I deleted it. I'll just leave it with the excerpt from the book.<br />
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This is part of a chapter from David Platt's book, Radical.<br />
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"This is the gospel. As long as you and I understand salvation as checking off a box to get to God, we will find ourselves in the meaningless sea of world religions that actually condemn the human race by exalting our supposed ability to get to God. On the other hand, when you and I realize that we are morally evil, dead in sin, and deserving of God's wrath with no way out on our own, we begin to discover our desperate need for Christ.<br />
Our understanding of who God is and who we are drastically affects our understanding of who Christ is and why we need him. For example, if God is only a loving Father who wants to help his people, then we will see Christ as a mere example of that love. We will view the Cross as just a demonstration of God's love in which he allowed Roman soldiers to crucify his Son so that sinful man would know how much he loves us.<br />
But this picture of Christ and the Cross is woefully inadequate, missing the entire point of the gospel. We are not saved from our sins because Jesus was falsely tried by Jewish and Roman officials and sentenced by Pilate to die. Neither are we saved because Roman persecutors thrust nails into the hands and feet of Christ and hung him on a cross.<br />
Do we really think that the false judgment of men heaped upon Christ would pay the debt for all of humankind's sin? Do we really think that a crown of thorns and whips and nails and a wooden cross and all the other facets of the crucifixion that we glamorize are powerful enough to save us?<br />
Picture Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. As he kneels before his Father, drops of sweat and blood fall together from his head. Why is he in such agony and pain? The answer is not because he is afraid of crucifixion. He is not trembling because of what the Roman soldiers are about to do to him.<br />
Since that day countless men and women in the history of Christianity have died for their faith. Some of them were not just hung on crosses; they were burned there. Many of them went to their crosses singing.<br />
One Christian in India, while being skinned alive, looked at his persecutors and said, 'I thank you for this. Tear off my old garment, for I will soon put on Christ's garment of righteousness.'<br />
As he prepared to head to his execution, Christopher Love wrote a note to his wife, saying, 'Today they will sever me from my physical head, but they cannot sever me from my spiritual head, Christ.' As he walked to his death, his wife applauded while he sang of glory.<br />
Did these men and women in Christian history have more courage than Christ himself? Why was he trembling in that garden, weeping and full of anguish? We can rest assured that he was not a coward about to face Roman soldiers. Instead he was a Savior about to endure divine wrath.<br />
Listen to his words: 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.' The 'cup' is not a reference to a wooden cross; it is a reference to divine judgment. It is the cup of God's wrath. (Footnote here references Matthew 26:39, Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:22, Jeremiah 25:15, Revelation 14:10)<br />
This is what Jesus is recoiling from in the garden. All God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin and sinners, stored up since the beginning of the world, is about to be poured out on him, and he is sweating blood at the thought of it.<br />
What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, 'God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away.' But this is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.<br />
One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water ten thousand miles high and ten thousand miles wide. All of a sudden that dam was breached, and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us. Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened up and swallowed it all. At the Cross, Christ drank the last drop, he turned the cup over and cried out, 'It is finished.'<br />
This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-2949286664669644722011-04-19T21:22:00.001-04:002011-04-19T21:34:26.602-04:00Metro Ministries and Bill WilsonI did not write this. I am just reposting it on my blog! :o)<br />
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Click <a href="http://www.metroministries.org/bill_wilson,_founder_and_senior_pastor.php">here</a> if you want to see more of the website.<br />
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Abandoned As A Child<br />
As a child, Pastor Bill experienced the pain and hopelessness of abandonment. One day, as he walked down a street with his mother, they stopped to sit for a while. She instructed him to sit there and wait for her to return. He sat and waited for three days straight. She never returned. A Christian gentleman who had seen Bill stranded and alone stopped and picked him up. It was here that Bill's relationship with God began.<br />
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Mission to Help Hurting Children<br />
Out of the pain, impoverishment and isolation of his own abandonment, Bill developed a heart of compassion for suffering children everywhere. From the ghettos of America to the garbage dumps of Manila, Bill has sought to rescue hurting children.<br />
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Founding of Metro Ministries<br />
Pastor Bill established Metro Ministries in 1980 in what was one of Brooklyn's roughest neighborhoods, the Bushwick community, most commonly known for its history of gang violence, crime, drugs, and poverty.<br />
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Here, violence is a way of life and a constant threat. Pastor Bill has been beaten, stabbed and shot in the face. Yet, he perseveres and refuses to leave the area or give up on the children growing up in such an environment. Because of that, his efforts have made a difference, not only in the lives of children but in the community as well.<br />
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Due to the success of Metro's programs, President George Bush, Sr. appointed Pastor Bill to serve on the National Commission on America's Urban Families in 1991. Metro's influence was also identified as a factor in the noticeable reduction of crime in the Bushwick community and the organization was featured on ABC's Nightline.<br />
Today, Pastor Bill travels widely, speaking in churches nationally and internationally each week. He is frequently featured on Christian television networks throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. And his programs, curriculum and techniques are being duplicated in cities all over the world. However one thing remains the same. Every Saturday, Pastor Bill is there in the heart of the urban jungle in Brooklyn, driving the school bus to pick up boys and girls for Sunday School.<br />
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<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D286m3jdoGs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aBYBufUkkhg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-83760381573246838512011-01-28T09:55:00.000-05:002011-01-28T09:55:52.993-05:00God AndI know I did a recent post about idols but I can't get this out of my head lately...<br />
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For most of us, without even realizing it, we worship God and _____ or think we need God and ______. What comes after and for you? <br />
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The disciples left job security/income, homes, wives and children, knowing when their next meal would come. <br />
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Abraham came within moments of KILLING the son he had waited for decades to receive to ensure that God truly came first.<br />
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And we won't even go into how much Jesus had to sacrifice. We forget sometimes He was fully human when He went through everything He went through.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TULXIj5omsI/AAAAAAAAADs/yzyMkS7aMAI/s1600/jesus%2Bcarrying%2Bcross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="218" width="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TULXIj5omsI/AAAAAAAAADs/yzyMkS7aMAI/s320/jesus%2Bcarrying%2Bcross.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I think in this country it is difficult for us to really love and trust God because we'll never know what it means to rely on Him. We have the ability to earn or borrow our way to anything we could ever want. When we're not happy we just change something. Change churches, change jobs, change relationships, change locations.<br />
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Follow Me.<br />
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“Okay, God, I just need to finish out the week to make sure I can pay this bill.”<br />
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“Well, that sounds exciting God but can you promise to pay me as much as I make now?”<br />
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“Ok God! Yes, let’s go! In fact, I’ll even take a huge pay cut to follow you! Oh, nothing? Well you can’t expect me to follow you for nothing. That’s not how this world works. This isn’t heaven yet!”<br />
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“Is there a retirement plan for following you, God? I really want to serve you but it’s smart to get my future figured out! I can’t just go off the deep end and think that you’ll provide for me in other ways.”<br />
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“I can’t do that! I need to be relevant. I don’t want to look legalistic. I don’t want to look weird. I need to be able to reach people!”<br />
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“Oh, I gave my children to God a long time ago. I love them dearly but I know God comes first. What? Our home and land? Well, we worked hard for it! That's ours to keep!"<br />
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“Oh, I clip coupons and shop garage sales and thrift stores! I don't need that designer stuff. Move away from my grandchildren? No, I don’t really think that’s fair to bring up. They need me and I help out a lot.”<br />
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"Well, aren't you coming God? I'm going over here now to serve you! You just adjust your plans for me around where I choose to go right? Oh. I guess I didn't really ask you. But this is what I want."<br />
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“Oh we’ve really been working on this lately! We’re giving away more money, we’re cutting back, we’re scaling down. A stranger? We can't have a stranger living with us. Eh, that’s not for our family. We need our space. Plus, you can’t trust people these days."<br />
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"You STILL want me here? I'm kind of bored. It's become mundane. When do I get to be the missionary?"<br />
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"I really have learned you don't need much in life. I am more about people than stuff. I want to show Christ's love. My ex-wife? No, I've moved on from that. I'm all about the here and now. The current people in my life. The past is the past."<br />
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"I'm the pastor of the church! We have ministries to keep up with and people to serve. We're already established. I don't understand. Why are you asking me to leave?"<br />
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“Oh, okay, I think I could do that just let me run home and get one more kiss from my husband/wife.”<br />
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“God what do you expect from me? I’ve struggled my whole life to provide for my family. We haven’t had a vacation in years, we’re always at church, nobody is doing drugs, I don’t beat my wife, we’ve figured out how to keep my wife home and home school the kids all off my income. Now you’re asking for something else?”<br />
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"Them? I don't associate with those people. Can't I just keep loving my wife and kids and leave it at that? I've been a good leader."<br />
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“Right now? Well let me call my daughter and talk to her one more time!”<br />
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“But God, look at all these people I’m leaving that need to be witnessed to right here. This is where I wanted to be used by you.”<br />
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“Can you give me until 6:30pm? I need to swing by and pick up my son from daycare and drop him off at my mom’s.”<br />
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"Sell everything... that was just for that one guy in the bible, right?"<br />
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“I… I don’t know if I really want to do that God. I mean, I talk to you 3 times a day and I think we have a pretty good relationship. I am nice to the people around me. I have even talked to them about you and given out a few bibles. But you can’t expect everyone to LITERALLY follow you. That’s just for certain people.”<br />
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“That is so awesome my husband and I have been talking about traveling with our boys and getting them out in the world and serving… Uh, I don’t understand. My ministry is my family. You want me to come alone?”<br />
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“I am totally up for this. Yes. Let’s go. Let me just tell my boss so hopefully I don’t get fired.”<br />
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“Okay, let’s go! Wait, following you means stay here? With them? I am really done with this place God. They don’t treat me well. I am ready to serve you somewhere else! Let’s go! I’ll go anywhere! No, I can’t stay here. I am miserable. Doesn’t the bible say something about making me happy?”<br />
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“Yes, God! I have been waiting for this moment! Let me go get my fiance and we will meet you by the gas station! Oh… what? You want me to come alone? But we’re just getting started. We have big plans together.”<br />
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“Yes, I always wanted a real adventure with God! And then when we come back I’ll be able to show you to all my friends! Wait, we’re not coming back? What about all my hobbies that take up all my time but I try to make them about you so I feel better about it? I get back to those at some point, right? I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to turn things I enjoy into serving you. I can't COMPLETELY follow you and give up all that.”<br />
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“I mean, I would totally be up for it. But I don’t think I can live THERE forever. What about somewhere else? You know I’m more of a mountains kind of person.”<br />
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“Well, wait a minute. Doesn’t following you mean I have to stop having sex with my boyfriend? I’ve heard that. I don’t really see why it’s wrong, but I guess it does make me squirm thinking about doing that with you around.”<br />
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“Awesome! Where is the limo?”<br />
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“God I would be miserable doing that. I know you only call me to do things that make me happy, so that must be for someone else. Remember, this is what I need to change in order to follow you. I have been talking to you about these things a lot lately so I know you’re going to change them really soon. You wouldn’t ask me to suffer. ”<br />
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“Well where are we going? Where are we going to stay? What will we eat? I mean, let me see this plan of yours before I go signing up for anything. Planning is the smart thing to do!”<br />
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“I can’t go there. Those people are weird. They eat weird stuff. You put me in America for a reason.”<br />
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“You want me to go where? That’s right down the street. Those people should be helping themselves. They’re a bunch of freeloaders. The bible says to work hard.”<br />
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“God, I can’t follow you until I finish my degree. You know I can’t make it in much of anything without a degree.”<br />
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“I will follow you if we go to somewhere cool and trendy that is in the news. But you said something about… Canada?! That really doesn’t make for a good story later, God. Let me know when another offer comes along.”<br />
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God And…<br />
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We all have hang ups in this world. Some of these are definitely mine. I don't know which ones you relate to. Some of them even seem well intentioned. Some people will say this is too extreme. What are you not willing to give up?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-4736542123922609172011-01-12T11:53:00.000-05:002011-01-12T11:53:56.687-05:00Exercise – Obsession, Dirty Word, or ModerationMy last blog post was about idols and the first two on the list were “good health” and “physical appearance”. See that blog post if you want some insight as to how to know if you have made these things an idol. <br />
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Also before I start, some (not all) pictures I included *should* be linked to other blog posts about exercise. They are not mine and I haven't read them fully to make sure they're not crazy, but they could provide more resources for you!<br />
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<a href="http://www.dirjournal.com/health-journal/top-rated-exercise-programs/"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3YJhwBKDI/AAAAAAAAADM/VpaGx6LViDg/s1600/exercise%2Bwoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3YJhwBKDI/AAAAAAAAADM/VpaGx6LViDg/s320/exercise%2Bwoman.jpg" /></a></div></a><br />
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Next, here is my confession: I really struggle to exercise regularly, and this struggle comes from my lack of self-discipline! A few things have happened over the last 5-6 years: <br />
1) I graduated from high school where I was constantly involved in at least one and often multiple sports that kept me active. I didn’t even have to think about exercising because there were practices, sometimes mandatory time in the weight room, and then obviously the games. I never fully jumped on the gym bandwagon in college.<br />
2) I hate, hate, HATE, how many girls and women in our country have body image issues! I saw how many people were getting sucked into exercise, counting calories, eating disorders as a means of control and to make themselves feel better and it really made me sad. So what did I do? Made sure I did the exact opposite, which is almost never the way to handle a situation, I have to say. I think there is a time and place for extreme measures, especially when we know our weaknesses. (I think I will do a post later about “personal legalism”.) But so often we react to things by hopping clear across the spectrum to the other extreme when that isn’t necessary or even productive.<br />
3) I join in with the rest of the world in trying to convince myself, “There’s no time!” This is a lie. We make plenty of time for other activities that are not necessary. I do not always manage my time well and do not choose the activities that matter over the ones that are more fun or convenient.<br />
4) I am lazy. ‘Nuff said.<br />
So there is my struggle in a nutshell. Up until recently, I have chosen to not spend the time and energy it would take to start working through this area in my life.<br />
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<a href="http://promotehealth.info/?p=277"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3XWAig7iI/AAAAAAAAADE/4X3-2YP7W6I/s1600/dead%2B24%2Bhours.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="261" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3XWAig7iI/AAAAAAAAADE/4X3-2YP7W6I/s320/dead%2B24%2Bhours.bmp" /></a></div></a><br />
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I will now insert a disclaimer: <br />
1) I know I am skinny. (People who are overweight are judged so openly that it is just accepted and “funny” and they are assumed to be lazy. People who are thin are also judged and not taken seriously and despised… None of these are biblical attitudes. Just food for thought.)<br />
2) I know I may not struggle with the same exact things that you do. <br />
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But I also know a few more things: <br />
1) We tend to dismiss advice when it comes from someone who isn’t exactly like us or hasn’t had the same experiences. Prov 1:5 says, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance”<br />
2) Physical training is valuable to God. 1 Tim 4:8 says, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Physical training is in fact of some value for many reasons but it is not the most important thing and should not be made an idol.<br />
3) The First Lady launched a campaign to decrease obesity for a reason… it is a problem in our country!<br />
4) My husband and I have just recently discussed how technology and our overall attitude of get more results for less work has slowly affected our society. I will be the first to stand up and say I love technology and my dishwasher, but really, we are a bunch of lazy, unmotivated, undisciplined, selfish individuals! Seriously. I say that in love. Who wants to be those things? Prov. 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3Z4kfMIxI/AAAAAAAAADU/hwwd8Tn4qOk/s1600/hard%2Bwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="232" width="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TS3Z4kfMIxI/AAAAAAAAADU/hwwd8Tn4qOk/s320/hard%2Bwork.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And here is a list of reasons to exercise from the Mayo Clinic website. They can be found with more details about each one <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676/NSECTIONGROUP=2">here</a>.<br />
1) Exercise improves your mood. (see website for details) My cousin, Jena, over at <a href="http://lifeisbeachykeen.wordpress.com/">Life is Beachy Keen</a> often mentions how her evening runs help her recover from a stressful day at work.<br />
2) Exercise combats chronic diseases. (see website for details)<br />
3) Exercise helps you manage your weight. (see website for details)<br />
4) Exercise boosts your energy level. (see website for details)<br />
5) Exercise promotes better sleep. (see website for details)<br />
6) Exercise can put the spark back in your sex life. (see website for details… at your own risk!)<br />
7) Exercise can be – gasp – fun!<br />
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I think everyone can find at least one thing on that list that they could benefit from.<br />
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I alternate between trips to our apartment complex gym and doing these YouTube videos from home. I am attempting to work out at least 3 days a week for 30-60 minutes. I recommend these videos because they leave me little room for excuses. Even with the apartment gym sometimes I have to traipse through the snow to get over there. There’s my excuse! With these videos, I can do one in between loads of laundry right in my home. Everyone has what works best for them and yours may not be YouTube videos. All I’m sayin’ is find what works for you instead of finding excuses!<br />
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<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7eOdcFVrFSw?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
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<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/edUFqkWSve8?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe><br />
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Like I pointed out at the beginning, I have really struggled in this area in my very recent past. However, I would go so far as to say it is a sin to not care for the bodies God has entrusted to us for this short period of time (compared to eternity). When something is a part of God’s will for us and/or His commands to all of us, I believe that is when we apply this verse:<br />
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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13<br />
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I want to take care of the body God has given me, I want to look good for my husband, and I want to have more energy to do my other tasks well throughout the day and get more done! If my motivation is to please God and make His priorities my priorities, I fully believe He will give me everything I need to accomplish what I set out to accomplish. I do NOT think this verse means I can expect God to help me do anything my selfish motives cause me to pursue. I may achieve them, but outside of God's will. Different post, different time! :o) I just hate when that verse is abused!<br />
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I am hoping to discuss discipline and time management in upcoming posts so check back in for some encouragement and especially to hold me accountable!<br />
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I am linking up to Living Well Wednesdays!<br />
<a href="http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/search/label/Women%20Living%20Well%20Wednesdays"><img border="0" src="http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq297/courtneylivingwell/LivingWell.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-25065817227387582632010-12-20T15:12:00.001-05:002011-01-05T09:18:37.203-05:00Unexpected IdolsI have been reading a book called The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace and it is AMAZING. If you're not married, please don't check out just yet. There are some ideas in this book that are completely life-changing that I wish I could have read years ago, even before I was married.<br />
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Many of us have heard numerous sermons or read articles about how we can make an idol out of virtually anything; about how if you really want to know what you worship, look at where all your time, money and energy goes. Look at what you think and talk about the most. That idea in itself is enough to occupy your mind for quite a while. You may have also heard that even <i>good</i> things can become idols, like excelling in a job or helping others or serving in church.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TQ-4mQvX-II/AAAAAAAAACo/XSHbExgCeXk/s1600/perfect%2Bfamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="208" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RXZmekh480g/TQ-4mQvX-II/AAAAAAAAACo/XSHbExgCeXk/s320/perfect%2Bfamily.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Martha Peace just takes it a little further, into a very uncomfortable but <i>good</i> territory. Here is her "List of Common Idols ('False Gods') Wives May Have Their Heart Set On".<br />
1. Good health<br />
2. Physical Appearance<br />
3. Having a Christian marriage.<br />
4. Being treated fairly.<br />
5. Having a hurt free/pain free life.<br />
6. Worldly pleasures (drugs, alcohol, sex).<br />
7. A child or children.<br />
8. Another person (man or woman).<br />
9. A material thing.<br />
10. An ideal ("pro-life movement," "peace movement").<br />
11. Money.<br />
12. Success.<br />
13. Others' approval.<br />
14. Being in control.<br />
15. Having your "needs" met.<br />
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Talk about hard to swallow. A lot of things on that list do not necessarily have to be bad things. But when you desire those things above God, they become idols. One way Martha said to check yourself for if those things have crept up higher than God is to notice your emotions and reactions when those things don't happen or aren't going well. If you become very angry, or bitter, or say hateful things, or feel you have a right to act in an ungodly way when certain things happen, you have probably made an idol out of something. We need to get to a place where even when our best friend or husband has an off day and becomes a little bit of a jerk, (or even an OFF YEAR!), we need to remember we are responsible to God for our actions or reactions and that we can still show love. The ones that stuck out the most to me were having a christian marriage, being treated fairly, an ideal, others' approval, and having your "needs" met. Which ones jumped out to you? Is your whole day ruined if you don't get to gym? Do you get down on yourself for the donut you ate so much so that it affects your family? Are there people in your life that you put on a pedestal to where you change yourself around them or are completely crushed when they make a decision you don't like? Do you question where God is when something difficult or painful comes up, forgetting that we will face suffering and persecution, or that hard does not equal wrong? Do you get anxious and irritable when you are not in control, and especially when the person who is in control handles a situation in a way you would not handle it? Anyway, you get the picture.<br />
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I will leave it with another list and a quote from Martha.<br />
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Her "List of False Saviors/Refugees"<br />
1. Unbiblical view of God ("genie in a bottle obligated to grant your wishes")<br />
2. Sex (immorality, pornography, masturbation)<br />
3. Sleep.<br />
4. Work.<br />
5. Television.<br />
6. Reading.<br />
7. Food.<br />
8. Withdrawing, running away.<br />
9. Clinging to people for comfort.<br />
10. Shopping sprees.<br />
11. Sports.<br />
12. Exercise.<br />
13. Recreation.<br />
14. Hobbies.<br />
15. Ministry as an escape.<br />
16. Being busy at church or volunteer activities.<br />
17. Drugs.<br />
18. Alcohol.<br />
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There are a lot of people who look great on the outside: they are physically attractive, have a good job, find time to serve the community and get involved in ministry at church, shopping trips and rounds of golf, keep up on the latest TV shows... but they are completely starved in their relationship with God, and perhaps their family is starved for attention. A real relationship with God is volatile, ever-changing, challenging. Knowing of God is not enough. Believing in God is not enough. Singing about Him is not enough. Being at church every time the doors are open is not enough. Being able to recite the Bible is not enough.<br />
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Martha Peace says, "He wants your thoughts, motives, and choices to be focused on glorifying Him. He should be your greatest longing and desire and refuge." thoughts, motives and choices. What does your thought life consist of? What are your motives for decisions? What will be easiest? How can I cause the least conflict? How can I make myself look generous but still be doing what I want to do? greatest longing and desire. What do you sit around dreaming about and longing for? A husband? A child? A certain home or vehicle? Certain actions from your spouse? Refuge. Think about how good it feels to sit in the corner of a coffee shop with a good friend on a cold day. A simple example, but do we really feel like that when we meet with God? Do we get excited for our time with God the same way we anticipate date night or girls night? These are tough questions to answer but I don't think they are just hypothetical.<br />
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We live in a don't wait, fast results culture. We live in a work yourself into the ground and run over everyone else to get to your goals kind of culture. I fully believe with everything in me that a real relationship with God is what we need. God made us with a specific goal in mind and He cares for the details of our life. He knows us better than we know ourselves including our scars and weaknesses. But if we always have other things that come first, or if we can't turn off the noise of life long enough to really get to know Him, how will we ever know the joy and peace and benefits of knowing God and following Him?<br />
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I linked up to Living Well Wednesdays through Courtney's blog, Women Living Well!<br />
<a href="http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/search/label/Women%20Living%20Well%20Wednesdays"><img border="0" src="http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq297/courtneylivingwell/LivingWell.png" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-85741285239941929532010-07-13T04:01:00.000-04:002010-07-13T04:01:30.222-04:00Little Reminders of Something Earth ShatteringI follow Courtney's blog over at <a href="http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/">Women Living Well</a>, and she has suggested a few times using symbols as reminders to pray during the day. Most recently she suggested our wedding rings as reminders to pray for our husbands. In the past she has also written how she uses her daily "straightening up" to pray for her family members. As she picks up toys, she prays for her children. As she cleans off the table, she stops at each family member's chair and says a quick prayer for them. These can just be one sentence prayers, but this would really add up throughout the day.<br />
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Another suggestion I have heard is either praying every hour on the hour or setting a timer for a different amount of time and praying every time it goes off. I love these ideas because they make prayer a continual part of my day. Prayer should not be something reserved for before meals and before bed, or only when we want God to fix something for us.<br />
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I want to take it one step further and try to bring my thought life under control. I think I will be writing a separate blog about thoughts later. But for now, if I wonder to myself, "I wonder what my sister is doing right now?" I will say a quick prayer for her. If I wonder what is in store for Aaron and I at the end of the year, I will stop and pray for God's guidance and protection. If I start stewing over something Aaron has done, I will stop and pray for him and also pray for my attitude.<br />
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Prayer is important because it forces us to refocus our priorities - if we do it correctly! We should be praying for God's will to be done, not what we think should be done. God can be glorified even through pain and suffering, so we should be careful not to pray away every sickness and difficult situation. God is completely capable of healing us and removing obstacles, but we should be careful to pray for God's will, not what will be easier or less painful. God uses difficulties to help us grow and to strengthen our faith. He tests us to teach us to rely on Him and not give up when things get hard. This should serve to help us turn away from our selfish desires. It should serve to make us really think about what God's will might be. It should remind us that no matter what happens, good or bad, God will bring out of it something good. Prayer should help us give up control and give God control. Prayer can derail a train of obsessive worrisome thoughts and help us admit that we have control over nothing and need God in everything. The more we pray, the easier it gets to pray continually and the more we will crave that connection with our Father.<br />
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"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). <br />
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"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). <br />
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"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16). <br />
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"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18). <br />
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"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26). <br />
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LISTENING is a huge part of praying that I know I struggle with. Listening takes more patience and discipline. I think women especially struggle to clear their minds to give God room to work. I love to keep my brain busy because I can even feel productive sitting still! I have tried to think nothing before, and it took more discipline than any workout I have ever done. God desires to speak to us, but we rarely give Him room to speak! Praying is not shooting off our list of requests to God and then carrying on with our day. It doesn't have to be a 3 hour ordeal locked in a closet somewhere (although sometimes this is appealing to me) but it should be time we are truly focused on finding God and listening to Him even if we don't like what He has to say.<br />
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I made the title of this Little Reminders of Something Earth Shattering because it really blows my mind sometimes that we have direct communication with the Creator of... the UNIVERSE. It blows my mind even more how little we utilize this communication. It saddens me that sometimes we hear what God is saying but we ignore it because what He asks of us will be "too hard". So many people convince themselves that if it is hard or if it involves suffering then it couldn't be from God. God is the perfect parent and He does discipline and test His children and foster environments for them to grow and mature. I say, what a privilege! His Ways are perfect. He will never be too harsh, absent, contradicting, condescending, or impossible to please.<br />
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One of my favorite chapters in the bible is Psalm 139. Here are some excerpts:<br />
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"O LORD, you have searched me and known me. <br />
You know my sitting down and my rising up; <br />
You understand my thought afar off. <br />
You comprehend my path and my lying down, <br />
and are acquainted with all my ways... <br />
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Where can I go from Your Spirit? <br />
Or where can I flee from Your presence...<br />
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For You formed my inward parts;<br />
You covered me in my mother's womb.<br />
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...<br />
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Search me, O God, and know my heart;<br />
Try me, and know my anxieties;<br />
And see if there is any wicked way in me,<br />
And lead me in the way everlasting."<br />
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We have a God who knows us completely; better than we know ourselves. Do we ask Him what He thinks of what we are doing? Do we ask Him to show us our "wicked ways" since He ultimately knows what is best for us?<br />
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I am in awe and completely grateful to KNOW my God. I do not just believe in Him, I know Him personally and talk to Him regularly - but never enough. And <i>He</i> knows <i>me</i> all too well. I shudder at the fact that God knows the dark corners of my heart that no one else sees and the things I even hide from myself, but He still loves me unconditionally. None of us deserves that, but the least we can do in return is continually seek His will.<br />
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So here are some of my reminders:<br />
Wedding Ring - Aaron's work, time with God, thought life, interactions during the day, safety<br />
My purse, our checkbook, Aaron's wallet - that we would be good stewards<br />
dishes, vacuum cleaner, laundry basket - that I would remember that I should do everything like I am doing it for God, and that I would take joy in creating a comfortable home for my husband and I.<br />
Mom's picture and Dad's postcard on fridge - Mom and Dad's safety and relationship with God<br />
TV and computer - that I would spend my time wisely<br />
Our dogs - for our kids one day and for Aaron and I to be intentional about preparing ourselves to raise Godly men and women.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-37454917762761666112010-04-12T17:18:00.002-04:002010-04-12T17:18:23.917-04:00Make War<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GhAeIjFngyE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GhAeIjFngyE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-16166651701707260422010-03-31T14:21:00.000-04:002010-03-31T14:21:38.094-04:00Microwave ChiliWe found a recipe for Chili that you can make entirely in the microwave (after all the chopping and mixing stuff)! We cook at least a couple times a week, and while I still consider this cooking, it is less work for the same reason that a crock pot is less work: once you get all the prep work done you don't have to stand at the stove the whole time monitoring it.<br />
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It turned out really well! I doubled the recipe since Aaron eats a lot and so that we would have leftovers. If you decide to do that, don't forget that you need to start in a bigger dish! Doh.<br />
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One more note about doubling is that I'm not exactly sure what that will do to your times. It worked out for us because most microwaves are 1100 watts and ours is 1300, so I did the exact times the cookbook said and it was enough. A lot of times we have to do a little less time than packages say because of our microwave, so that might have made it even out with the doubled food. You're on your own for that!<br />
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Also, we had ours with Tortilla chips which were good for scooping, and later when I had it for leftovers I added cheese to mine - whatever grated cheese you have around the house! Mmm. We do add cheese to a lot of stuff hmm...<br />
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Here it is:<br />
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1 tablespoon olive oil or margarine<br />
1/4 onion, chopped<br />
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped<br />
1/2 pound ground beef<br />
1/2 tablespoon (or to taste) chili powder <b>(we usually do extra with the spices and sauces!)</b><br />
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar<br />
1 cup canned chickpeas, with liquid <b>(these are also called garbanzo beans)</b><br />
1/2 cup canned green beans, with liquid<br />
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce <b>(we only had paste so I mixed the paste, water, and ketchup until I got 1 1/2 cups and it was fine)</b><br />
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1. Place olive oil and chopped onion in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe casserole dish. <b>(For us this was an 8x8, but don't forget to go bigger if you double. If you go bigger, make sure it fits in the microwave!!)</b> Microwave on high heat for 1 minute. Add the chopped green pepper and microwave on high heat for 1 more minute or until the onion is tender.<br />
2. Stir in ground beef. Microwave on high heat for 5 minutes. Stir, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the meat is thoroughly browned. Remove from the microwave and drain the fat from the ground beef.<br />
3. Stir in the chili powder and brown sugar. Microwave on high heat for 1 minute.<br />
4. Stir in chickpeas, green beans, and tomato sauce. Microwave on high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chili has thickened. Make sure the ground beef is cooked through. Enjoy hot.<br />
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It was fun to do something different and a little easier, plus we were nervous to see if it turned out well! It did. Aaron approved too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-58981002821130409592010-03-30T16:11:00.002-04:002010-03-30T16:11:21.224-04:00Graffiti Bridge to Life<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KUyFepIL9KA&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KUyFepIL9KA&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-26710680324023637222009-12-21T17:06:00.000-05:002009-12-21T17:06:14.549-05:00A Wife's Biblical SubmissionI found a great website recently that dissects Proverbs 31:10-31 and really tries to figure out biblical submission. There is a link on my blog, but here is the website: http://biblicalsubmission.blogspot.com/<br />
It takes it one verse at a time. I am supposed to journal about it as I go in my personal physical journal as well as post blogs for the other women on the website to read when I feel led to. I am sending my blog to some family and friends, but I need to put some information in here that they may already know about me so that other women on this website will know who I am as well since I will be participating in the study.<br />
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I am Carly and I got married September 13, 2009. We don't have any children yet. I have lived my entire 22 years in Florida but moved out to the desert in California after we got married. My husband is stationed here with the United States Marine Corps. I found the website by doing a google search for "biblical submission study". <br />
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I knew before getting married how important submission was, but it is kind of intimidating since there is such a negative worldview. I was committed to being a submissive wife, but I have been slacking on figuring out exactly what that means and seeking out guidance. I have started to see the results of that in my marriage and at times tell myself that my husband is doing something wrong. I have a feeling I am not alone in that! But the reality is, I can only control myself and I don't always do a good job of studying what God's Word tells me about my role as a wife. I want desperately to fulfill that role, but how do I expect to do that without really studying it and finding like-minded women?! Duh. So, off I go. I am committed to it. There is NOTHING negative about submission. The world makes it negative. It is God's idea. However, I am absolutely positive that it will be difficult at times. There is a difference between negative or detrimental, and difficult. I am convinced it will benefit my husband and me and I won't let my fears or laziness or stubbornness get in the way. :o)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-39789356236248262092009-11-12T17:59:00.005-05:002009-11-12T19:01:41.031-05:00Hunger PainsSo I had this moment yesterday. I don't know how to describe it except that something inside of me was so tired of being pushed back down, being questioned, being ignored, being told to wait, that I just imploded. Actually I don't really even know if it was an implosion or an explosion. Luckily, Aaron was there to listen (after being very confused at my weird mood all day that finally ended with this revelation). He is a saint.<br /><br />A common occurrence in my short lifetime has been the formation of these crazy little pipe dreams of mine. They have come in different forms along the way. In kindergarten, I cried during a video about the rain forest being chopped down. I went through a phase where I would refuse to eat my chicken because I was sad for the chicken. When I was a little older, I used to pray while I was in the shower that I would be rich when I grew up so that I could pay off all my parents' debt and buy them a house. I was never quite satisfied with just living and spent a little too much time dreaming. Don't get me wrong, I kept on top of my school work, stayed out of trouble, did what I was told. But my brain was always very busy and I always felt a little useless and silly; like I was wasting a lot of energy just spinning my wheels.<br /><br />As I got older, God kept pushing me a little more and started planting more intricate seeds. Obviously this was somewhat related to me nearing the end of high school, starting college, and being forced to consider "real life". But even then it was ridiculously hard to escape everyone else's idea of what you need to be successful in real life. I still had my dreams and God was very busy, but I still felt like I had to achieve them in the conventional way: do well in high school so that you have your pick of colleges, find a major that leads to a career that you will not only enjoy but will also provide financial stability and job security. Sure... There is a very nice formula that everyone seems to be following, but what happens when you get farther and farther into it and realize it doesn't appeal to you?!<br /><br />So, the "moment." Unfortunately I have the type of personality where I am never satisfied with what is going on now; I always look to what could be improved and can find the faults in the system pretty quickly. I want everything to get better, to change. I rarely feel like anything is good enough. So yesterday, and with most patriotic holidays, not only do I reflect on the sacrifices of our veterans, or the freedoms we have in our country, etc, I also tend to get a little fire under my butt about what is WRONG with our country and how we need not forget that if we have these freedoms we should use them for good. So all of this stewed all day yesterday, and I was discussing it with Aaron all day long, somewhat cryptically though, until finally I just broke down crying. I said that I get tired of God giving me all these desires to change things and help people when I feel like there is no one around me who feels the same way or notices the same things I do or cares about the outcasts in society more than they want to put them down. I told him I could care less what people think about me or if I have unconventional views but that I just don't feel like there is anyone who has the same passions as me.<br /><br />So, Aaron asked me what kinds of ideas I had and I told him some of my more grown up dreams: a transition house for people who need to get off the streets or away from drugs where they can come and stay for a period of time, take free classes in things like typing, math, communication skills, personal finances, etc to get them prepared for caring for themselves and being able to get a job. They would also attend some sort of counseling or meetings or classes just to get some support for whatever they have going on and fully work through it, and also get an honest upfront dose of the Gospel. Or a community center (named Agape House in my head) strictly for women and children where they can go if they are leaving abusive relationships or again struggling to escape drug abuse or alcoholism etc that is a nice respectable place to stay. A place where they can't be found or lured back by abusive partners and a place they don't have to be ashamed of because it is called a homeless shelter, or a rehab facility, or an institution. And again, they would be equipped to overcome their struggles, make it on their own, and they would be introduced to the Gospel. I know these places already exist in some form or fashion, but I don't believe they provide everything they need to provide.<br /><br />Aaron told me he would support me however he could and that I could write down any ideas I have and we would figure out how to get them started. He might have said 2-3 sentences in the midst of all my incoherent babbling, but he said what I needed. I just need someone to support me and reassure me that it doesn't matter what anyone else is doing or saying or thinking.<br /><br />I really still have trouble describing these feelings, especially as strong as they were yesterday but whenever they have come up in the past as well. It is like hungering for something that already exists inside of you. On what hand that sounds crazy to me. On the other hand it doesn't sound crazy at all because the Holy Spirit is inside of me and He is probably getting a little impatient with me and my fears and my waffling and my excuses. We have been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit at church on Wednesdays. When Jesus was telling his disciples he had to leave them, he said he HAD to in order to 1) go prepare a place for them and 2) to equip them to do even greater things than what he had been doing. He was going to equip them by giving them the Holy Spirit. Not only was he sending the Holy Spirit, but he assured them that they did not need to be qualified for what God calls them to do. God WILL call them. He will keep calling. But if you wait until you feel ready, you will never get to doing the work God wants you to do while you're on earth. God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. He asks nobodies to follow Him and then miraculously he turns them into his hands, his feet, his mouthpieces. And once you jump on board with God, you can bet that he will not be willing you to do things the way the world does things. You may look crazy. You may look like you are giving up on everything that makes sense. You may have people close to you questioning you or becoming disappointed. But the reality is that the way God wants you to do things is so much more creative, exciting, risky, productive, fruitful, fulfilling... WHY would you want to settle for doing things how everyone else does them just so that you don't stick out and have a few eyebrows raised at you? <br /><br />The bible also compares being filled with the Holy Spirit with being filled with alcohol. Why? When you are filled with alcohol, you undoubtedly walk differently, talk differently, think differently. Go ahead and think about it, and maybe laugh a little. But what is he saying then? If I am filled with the Spirit I SHOULD NOT look the same as I did before I was saved and I SHOULD NOT look the same as the world. The way that I talk, walk, act, think should distinguish me. People should be able to tell something is funny about me. If they can't, then why am I walking around calling myself a Christian, actually bearing Christ's name, and making a fool out of Him? Why was it worth Jesus dying on the cross for people to just wear his name on their sleeve while they turn their backs on Him?<br /><br />I went into town today to buy dog food. (side story: Aaron and I had a very good time in Vegas and might not have realized how close the dogs were to running out of food when we budgeted our weekend, so they've been a little hungry!) I always see this little bookstore on the way to Pets Plus, so I decided to stop there today just to check it out. Well, they have the weirdest hours ever and are only open Fri Sat Sun 10-5! But when I pulled up I noticed this lady standing on the side street by the bookstore. She was still there after I had parked, went to look at the hours and peak in the window, and get back in my car to leave. She wasn't walking, she didn't have a car or bike, she wasn't on the phone. Hm. So I figured, what the heck, I'll ask her if she needs a ride somewhere. I was worried I might freak her out and have her think I was crazy or something but oh well! So she said that she was waiting for the bus because she works on base at the P/X! (Umm what a relief that she actually needed to go somewhere that I knew where it was!) I think she figured once I heard she was waiting for the bus I would just keep going, I don't really know. But I told her I still didn't mind if she would rather have a ride. She was like Really? Am I safe with you? I told her that Yes, all I had in the car was a couple lamp shades. haha. She said something about Well thank you, you are a real blessing to me. I'm going for an interview for another position and now I know I'll be on time. So she got in the car and said thank you again and introduced herself as Rebecca. I wish I could remember all the transitions, but we asked where each other was from, I found out her neighbor is from FL, she is originally from NY and has been in 29 Palms about 7 years, which also coincides with the time that she got saved. I guess she used to be into drugs and alcohol and some other stuff pretty heavily back in NY. When she moved out here it was too different for her and somehow God got a hold of her and she just knew she had to make a choice. So now she is clean and loving life and just enjoys her coffee and cigarettes! Her daughter lives in 29 palms and so do her 4 grandkids. She was so happy and grateful and kept saying what a blessing I was to her which was so weird to me. Not bad weird, but she really made my day too. I was honored that she trusted me, had a great conversation with a stranger who knew what God could do and I really didn't know what to say when she kept saying that I had started her day off great and was such a blessing except, Well, good I am glad. I told her some about me moving out from FL with Aaron and she asked some about the dogs since I told her I was on my way to get dog food. It was the most genuine and comfortable conversation I have had with someone in quite a while. I think we will both probably be thinking about each other the rest of the day. I know her name is Rebecca Carter and she works at the P/X so I'm going to try to go visit her.<br /><br />Anyway, it was just such a simple thing this morning that really made my day and made me grateful that God lets me in on little things like that. It was very humbling and pure and got me motivated! I will be praying for Rebecca whenever I think about her and I want to keep looking for what else God puts in front of me. This isn't really about me and what I want to do, it is about getting up more courage little by little to let God do what HE wants to do. I could say all kinds of things about this morning... I mean, I could see from the road that the bookstore was closed but I decided to stop anyway. Once I saw Rebecca, I was thinking we wouldn't have much in common because she was a petite black lady in her 40s or 50s. Once I finally decided to stop, she turned out to be a little ball of sunshine who was thankful to be alive and happy to give God credit for that. I knew where she was going. She works somewhere where I could actually see her again. I have a flexible schedule where I actually had the option of rearranging what I was doing to give her a ride. God used her to give me a kind of motivation and energy that I haven't had in a while.<br /><br />Even after all that, I know I have a degree to finish. I know some of these projects I come up with may involve a lot of work, energy, discouragement, money, strain, etc. I know first and foremost my commitment lies with my husband and our home and our kids whenever they come along. I know all of it. Yes, it's there. I haven't gone off the deep end, but I have truly and finally begun to let go of being scared, being normal, sticking to the well-beaten path, and letting the world put limits to what God will do with me.<br /><br />I am just ready to see what comes next!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-20846145092057116012009-06-30T16:00:00.003-04:002009-06-30T16:39:46.844-04:00Bible Engagementhttp://www.centerforbibleengagement.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=7<br /><br />The above link will be plenty to read in and of itself, but this is my blog so I'll throw in my two cents as well! The statistics you will find on the website are unbelievable.<br /><BR><br />"In an interview with Assist News Service Rhodes quotes a recent poll, which indicates that 35% of born-again Christians do not read the Bible at all."<br /><BR><br />This website goes into all sorts of detail about a program they are developing, but if nothing else read the top of the page and watch the video on the right-hand side. The thing that gets me is that, not even just among Americans, but among born-again Christians there is a lack of biblical knowledge. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I should brush up in this area and approaching marriage has made me even more aware of this. But what about the people who are content where they are? What about the people who think it is enough to just believe in God? What about the people that memorize a few verses that give them warm fuzzies and then figure that they are a "good person" is enough. It's just disturbing. How can you claim to pursue Christ-like behavior when you don't have a good idea of how Christ behaved? Being a "good person" is not enough. How can you claim a desire for a deep relationship with God if you are not communicating with him? Go ask any counselor, relationship guru, pastor, someone in a successful relationship, accountant, sports coach, business partner, Christian or not, and they will tell you communication is key in any relationship. <br /><BR><br />So what about our relationship with God? The two main avenues of communicating with God are prayer and reading the bible. If you are not reading the bible very often, there goes half of your means. Then, if you are not reading the bible how can you get a true idea of how you should pray? Granted, none of us is perfect and the Christian faith involves a lifetime of learning, but there is a difference between complacency or ignorance and actively learning. We are instructed to not stay young in our faith.<br /><BR><br />Hebrews 5:11-14 (New International Version)<br /><br />Warning Against Falling Away<br /><br /> 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.<br /><BR><br />You have open communication and the opportunity for guidance and friendship from the Creator of the Universe. <br /><BR><br />1. Guidance: You spend endless amounts of time and energy thinking, worrying, researching, agonizing over decisions of what you want out of life and how/where to find yourself, how to be of benefit to those around you, how to live the life you were created to live... We've had a book for years that will, without a doubt, provide all of those answers. Yet people still choose pop culture to solve their problems or they choose their selfish idea of "happiness" over walking with Christ. Living by biblical principles is not an option if we claim the Christian faith. Being a good person by worldly standards does not cut it. Reading a book that inspires you that goes against biblical principles does not cut it, no matter how many warm fuzzies it gives you. Walking with Christ does take a leap of faith because it requires giving up control. It requires abandoning your definition of happiness because you know that, ultimately, God knows better what will bring you true happiness. But if you never take that leap, then you are destined for a life of complacency, misery, and confusion where you continually struggle with happiness and being a good person all on your own terms. I can assure you, this will get exhausting. And if you don't feel that this is happening to you, then I assure you at the very least that you are causing pain to those who love you. Man wasn't made to do things alone or by his own terms. Man was made to live in perfect communion with God and be fully dependent on God's plan for what will ultimately make Him happy. Our true happiness should come directly from striving for God's happiness. That is the true happiness that some people will never experience because they can't remove the cloud of selfishness long enough to truly seek out what God wants.<br /><BR><br />2. Friendship: When you think of the people that you love surrounding yourself with whether it is your best friend, your spouse, your children, your church family, the "work crew", how do you handle that desire to draw closer to them? You spend more time with them, you learn about them, you feel loved when they want to learn about you, and you look to those people for encouragement and advice. God calls us to a relationship like this with Him but on a greater and even more intimate level. People get stuck thinking that the Christian faith is all about rules and choosing misery over joy, but that is because they do not pursue the benefits of having a true relationship with God. If you think back to all of the friendships you recalled earlier, those would not be enjoyable relationships if all you did was give each other guidelines. You learn about each other and you learn to enjoy each other and respect each other and hold each other accountable. Then all of a sudden when it comes to God, we want to be handed the benefits of a relationship with God, but we do not put forth the effort to maintain that relationship.<br /><BR><br />The Christian faith does not consist of a one-time decision to give your life to Christ, reading a few verses that make you feel loved by God, and then going about your life pursuing your own selfish desires. It is not about checking in with God when we choose to but ignoring Him when He seems to want us to make a hard decision. It is not about choosing to live by some of the bible but disregarding other parts because they probably don't apply to us or "God must understand that my situation is different". The Christian faith is about pursuing a relationship with Christ and it is about the ultimate goal of pleasing God and being used by Him to do His work. In other words, it is about God, not us. We live in our heads every day. So if we are going to escape our selfish desires and learn to do everything to the glory of God, it is going to take some studying, struggling, and wrestling with God. The result of all of this will most definitely be peace, fulfillment, receiving the desires of our hearts, and the love and grace of God. But to get to that end result, I believe the first step to take is to gain a greater and ongoing knowledge of the bible.<br /><BR><br />There is something encouraging about all of this though. As frustrating as it is that I easily fall into the trap of forgetting to communicate with God, and as frustrating as it is to see people I love do the same, it is encouraging that the solution is very simple. The solution does not involve 10 steps for success. The solution does not involve a list of do's and don'ts. The solution starts simply with reading the bible. That is it. As this habit grows into a hunger, a desire, and something you get excited about, the relationship with God will grow, your decision-making will become solidly based on biblical principles, and what you thought was a nasty list of Do's and Don'ts becomes the natural way for you to honor God and achieve true happiness knowing you are following God's plan. And God's plan involves 100x more fulfillment, happiness, joy, excitement, adventure, love, etc than any plan you could even imagine...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3283773812548857393.post-68980436202540401152009-04-11T01:22:00.006-04:002009-04-11T01:35:50.356-04:00Good Friday and EasterThe following article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2009/marapr/whatssogoodaboutgoodfriday.html<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's So Good about Good Friday?<br />Learning to see darker days in a different light<br />Carolyn Arends | posted 4/08/2009</span><br /><br />I love Easter Sunday. I love the way my church's normally casual congregation takes everything up a notch (or three)—the girls in new linen dresses and the boys in once-a-year ties. I love the jubilance of the music, and the preacher's grin when he urges us to turn to one another and say, "He is risen!"<br /><br />Easter Sunday is the Christian faith's gold medal victory lap and its raison d'etre. It's the Happily Ever After to end all happily ever afters. Easter Sunday shouts: "Death where is thy sting?" and "Love wins!" and "God is alive!"<br /><br />But here's the rub: I dread Good Friday. I dread the images of torture and suffering. I dread the somber music and the awful remembrance of the violent death of a loved one—of Jesus, the Loved One. I dread the smothering grief and the inescapable remorse and the terrible recollected cry, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"<br /><br />Left to my own devices, I'd probably skip Good Friday. But I suspect that if I did, Easter morning would become increasingly hollow. I'd forget how much my salvation cost.<br /><br />What's more, I'm pretty sure my Good Friday avoidance would cause me to lose touch with certain realities about the way the universe works on this side of eternity. I'd start to believe that you can have victory without sacrifice. I'd convince myself that you don't have to die to live the resurrection. I'd buy the lie that Christ's ultimate victory over death—and my decision to follow him—means life on this earth will be trouble-free.<br /><br />The biblical writers warn us repeatedly that the Christian should not expect a life exempt from Good Fridays. They encourage us to consider every hardship pure joy because suffering is an opportunity to identify with Christ and become more dependent on him (James 1:2-4). They repeat Christ's plainspoken invitation to "take up his cross" (Mark 8:34-35).<br /><br />And yet for many of us Easter Sunday Christians, when the job is lost, or the tumor is malignant, or the friendship is betrayed, we grieve not only the wound but also the fact that we can be wounded. We feel that either we're not doing faith right or that faith—that Jesus—has let us down. We don't consider it "pure joy" when our faith is tested. We consider it failure.<br /><br />I'm beginning to think our expectations are not just unrealistic, they're anti-gospel. But our confusion is hardly surprising. According to some experts, we're bombarded with more than 3,000 advertisements a day, telling us we're entitled to (and must pursue at any cost) an easy, ageless, worry-free life. When we meet and accept Jesus, many of us can't help but distort his promise of abundant life into something that resembles the illusion advertisers sell us every day.<br /><br />So how do we become Easter Sunday Christians who truly see (and even embrace) the good in our Good Fridays? How do we resist our sense of entitlement and the distorted expectations that are so deeply ingrained? I've found the following four principles helpful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Check the Definitions </span><br />When I read that God "works all things together for good," I can't help but think of the marketers' definitions and assume that "good" means "easy," "youthful," "desirable," and "wealthy." But when I read the Bible, I discover that God defines "good" in entirely different terms.<br /><br />New Testament Christians seemed to believe the greatest good is to become more like Jesus. They took it for granted that this process wouldn't be easy.<br /><br />"What do people mean when they say 'I am not afraid of God, because he is good?'" asked C.S. Lewis, musing on this idea. "Have they never even been to a dentist?"<br /><br />Evidently, early Christians also assumed that the "good" God is working toward is much more expansive than one individual's personal circumstances. God is establishing his kingdom, doing nothing less than "reconciling all things to himself" (Colossians 1:20), and the ultimate good for the believer is to be included in that process.<br /><br />I'm immensely comforted when I remember that the God who cares deeply and personally about even a fallen sparrow is watching over me. But I've been a parent long enough to suspect that my heavenly father knows more than I do about what I need and where I'm going—and about what's best for the whole family. So it's a safe bet that his definition of "blessing" is different from mine.<br /><br />When I'm expecting Easter Sunday and I get Good Friday instead, I'm trying to remember that God's definition of "good" undoubtedly confounds and far exceeds my own.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Re-evaluate Death </span><br />Almost all the new beginnings in my life have come from what felt at the time like terrible endings. So I know I need to re-examine my concept of "death." Frequently, what seems like a small (but devastating) death is actually a chance at new life. I can point to dozens of "dead ends" in my career, ministry, or relationships that turned out to be opportunities to change direction.<br /><br />Nature gives us vivid examples of this principle. Like seeds, we must be willing to be broken in order to grow into what we were made to be. Like reptiles, we have to shed old skins. Like caterpillars, we must be entombed so we can emerge as completely new creations. When I think of all the energy I've expended resisting endings and change, I wonder what new life I've missed.<br /><br />Jesus tells us to die so we can live. He invites us to surrender all the illusions we have about what makes a life good and worthwhile so we can discover real life. And then he walks with us, every step of the way, as we die a thousand deaths in the process of letting his life go deeper and deeper into us. Until at last we really and truly physically die, only to live forever.<br />The rumors of our demise, it turns out, are greatly exaggerated. With God, the end is the beginning.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Keep Time </span><br />In my non-liturgical church tradition, a "church calendar" is a list of youth group meetings and members' birthdays, not an ancient rhythm of days and observances. But I've been learning that many branches of Christianity throughout the centuries have used liturgical time as a way of keeping believers connected to the realities of both life and death in the faith.<br /><br />Cycling through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passiontide, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and back through "ordinary time" to Advent again, Christians are reminded that suffering is an expected part of human life, and, more important, that God is constantly redeeming that suffering through his resurrection power. I'm just beginning to discover how helpful the church calendar can be in correcting and realigning my own expectations.<br /><br />Lent, in particular, is a fascinating season. A few years ago, when I became aware that some of my Anglican and Catholic friends went through an annual ritual of giving up some creature comfort for 40 days every spring, I responded with what I thought was a clever line: "This year for Lent I'm giving up self-control." My friends would smile but challenge me to give Lent a serious try.<br /><br />This year, in my desire to more fully embrace Good Friday, I'm observing my first Lenten season. It's an experiment to see if denying myself one small but habitualized comfort (in my case, a certain kind of food) prepares my heart to more fully enter into every part of Easter.<br /><br />My Lent-experienced friends tell me that disrupting even one routine can expose the crutches and illusions and substitutions that keep us from authentically participating in the life Christ offers. Lent, they claim, can facilitate a small death to self that becomes an opening to new life. I aim to see if they're right.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Expect the Unexpected </span><br />Endings that are beginnings, death that is life—God will always confound our expectations.<br /><br />A couple years ago, during a jubilant Easter service, our pastor said something that stopped me in my mental tracks: "The world offers promises full of emptiness. But Easter offers emptiness full of promise."<br /><br />Empty cross, empty tomb, empty grave-clothes … all full of promise. If I were writing the Easter story, I don't think I'd choose emptiness as my symbolic gesture. But then, I also wouldn't be talking about strength being made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), foolish things confounding the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27), the meek inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:5), or the poor in spirit getting (in every sense of the word "get") the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). And I certainly wouldn't be talking about dying in order to live.<br /><br />What is it about God that makes him so favor this kind of paradox? I guess this is what we should expect from the Servant King—the God who decided that the best way to save the world was to let it kill him. I don't understand the way God thinks. But on those days when I feel hollowed out and broken—half-dead, even—it makes me glad to remember that for Easter people, even death is full of promise.<br /><br />The world makes a lot of promises. Smoke and mirrors, mostly. Frantic, cartoonish attempts to distract us from the gaping holes in the middle of our souls (or to sell us the latest product in order to fill them). There's no life in those promises.<br />So I'm hoping that this Lenten season, I'll be a little more willing to die to that stuff. I'm praying I'll become more aware of the empty space within, and that I'll resist the urge to fill it with any old thing I can find. I'm going to wait, carved out, vulnerable, a cracked and crumbling jar of clay, on a life God's offered to deposit anywhere there's room. I'm going to believe that if I'll just leave my empty spaces empty, he'll fill them. That, I'm convinced, is a reasonable expectation.<br /><br />I'm writing this article during a particularly long Good Friday season in my own life. My mom is battling cancer, and I'd be lying if I said I was able to watch her suffer and "count it all joy."<br /><br />I pray for healing and hope desperately it will come here on earth. I ask all the questions people have asked at the bedsides of sick loved ones for thousands of years. I vacillate wildly between hope and despair, faith and doubt, openness and bitterness.<br />But I know that we do not suffer alone, because the God of the universe wore our skin and died our death and removed its sting forever. This is no meager consolation. And even when I'm desperately sad, I look at my mom and I remember: Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter morning. So I pray through the night, and I wait for the resurrection.<br /><br />Carolyn Arends is a columnist for our sister publication Christianity Today and the author of Wrestling with Angels: Adventures with Faith and Doubt (Harvest House). www.carolynarends.com<br />Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian Woman magazine.
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