Who He Is

This past week Pastor Marvin gave a really great sermon about who were are based on who God is, and what God did. Here are some of the things he said:

I am because he is:

I am saved because He is the Savior
I am Redeemed because He is the Redeemer
I have peace because He is the Prince of Peace
I am accepted because He was forsaken
I am alive and free because He died.
I am forgiven because He forgives
I am carried because He lifts me up
I have strength because He is the strong tower.

Celebrate God

Being in Washington D.C showed me a lot of different things, the different cultures that were visiting, the different languages of course and everything we learned while in each of the museums. In the American Indian museum, there were so many amazing things, and many of them dealt with the Creator. There was a display of a mask: it looked like two dragons, one on top of the other, I accidently deleted the picture sooo I'm sorry I can't show you. But the basis for the mask was that it was used to celebrate the angels' victory over demons.

The Native Americans of the region had different celebrations of celebrate victory over evil forces and the Creator (or God) triumph over everything. They would use this mask to demonstration the fall of a demon at an angels hand and I guess there would have been food and dancing as well, I got the idea many celebrations had dancing and could have had different kinds of food (hmm food and celebration sounds like ROL).

It got me thinking, while the Native Americans were able to celebrate the Creator in different ways, at different times, for different things, we Christians find it so hard to celebrate and worship God on a Sunday let alone any other day of the week. Too often I hear people making excuses for not coming to church and one of the most common I have heard has been "I don't want to see so and so." A good friend uses this excuse. The point of church is to met God not to see someone else. ANYWAY. We find it too hard to make time to celebrate God even in our home lives and on our own.

When I was in college I had a friend: Matt Alvarez, he had Christian music constantly playing softly even when he wasn't in the room. When I asked him about it one day he said it was to help praise and worship God throughout the day. Matt had his way of being able to worship and praise all day. What is your way? Do you even have a way? Native Americans see it as an honor to worship the Creator and well their duty and it is OUR duty to worship and praise God no matter what for all things.

When we celebrate something we need to remember that we also need to celebrate God, especially with this holiday season coming. Celebrate God, not the holiday.

Holocaust

While in Washington D.C Todd and I went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was so hard to make it through the place without crying, I cried the whole time. There were quotes on the wall from Hitler, it gives you an insight to the insanity that was Hitler. One has to wonder how Hitler formed his ideas and what kind of man would think a mass of people not simply the Jewish, but intellectuals and homosexuals were beneath the European bloodline. I would think that if he was a Christian man, at least he would know that Christ was Jewish.

This poster was hanging outside the door. Too often we do see hatred, but we don't do anything or say anything. In between the "Think About What You Saw" it says "when you see injustice, when you see hatred, and when you hear about genocide." These things are happening and there are still people out there who think along the same lines of Hitler.

As Christians our prayers need to be strong and focused on issues like this. We need to use them as a weapon against this kind of thing. We need to stop hatred and injustice and the best place to begin is within our own churches/communities. Too often churches judge and don't accept people for who they are. When we begin to follow the motto "Judge No One Minister To All" which is the motto for The River Of Life Christian Fellowship, we can start going into the communities and changing viewpoints about certain things.

We need to remember and keep the things that happened during the Holocaust in our minds we cannot forget what happened and how many people died and suffered! There was a section of the museum where you can sit in a glass room and listen to stories from survivors of Auschwitz the worst concentration camp. To hear the stories in their own voices/words broke your heart, but at the same time gave hope because they were some of the lucky ones to survive. Many aren't that lucky today. People are dying everyday because of the same mindset: that they are inferior to others. This is the farthest thing from what Jesus taught.

One the side are some books everyone needs to read to somewhat understand the horror that happened as well as Schindler's List.

God's Glory in Pictures

Instead of a normal post of words I am just going to show God's glory through pictures I took this weekend at Ohiopyle. As I said in the last post you can always see the glory of God through nature. Only God could create something like it. Nothing can come close to the things we view in nature like the changing of leaves.



The water fall I altered the coloring. But the power of the waterfall shows that God is wonderful and powerful enough to have rushing water like that. I would never want to play in this water, but it is still beautiful and amazing! I always get a sense of safety and relaxation when I watch the water rushing in a waterfall.

Look at that! How can we ever imagine that man can create this! Only God could have designed an image like this! I just see God's finger touching different trees saying "you will be yellow and you will be red, oh and you shall be orange." I know I have an active imagination, but really couldn't you picture Him saying that? We just stood there on the bridge for several minutes. The boys were having a contest, I just couldn't get over the glory of God right in front of me.

There is a reason I am constantly taking pictures whenever I go out in nature. I try to capture the beauty of God's glory, but sometimes I don't think my photos can do justice to Him.

Go Outside

Today is a wonderful day, sure the weather is a little chilly and the wind is blowing, but it is still a beautiful fall day. Ohiopyle is one of the best places to go during the fall months because the leaves are changing, the waterfalls look different and the air of it all is just different than the spring and summer months. There is just something different. There are at least two or three different waterfalls there, one which we lovingly call the big falls because well...it's big are simply gorgeous. I am going to try and get a picture of it while we are there for the Buckwheat Festival.

It is places like Ohiopyle and Jumonville that remind me of Jesus praying in the garden. I picture Him beside/under a huge tree with water of some sort nearby. Jesus felt at peace in the garden, with nature. Some of my favorite authors have said that it is in nature when we feel the closest to God. Why wouldn't we? Nature is the best example of God's power and divine design. Not a single human can duplicate the power God has. Sure we can plant trees, flower, create man made lakes/ponds, but it is God that really makes it all happen. God makes the plants grow. I think we do not spend enough time in Nature, or just simply outside.

I know people are going to say "but it's cold out" so what, we have sweaters and jackets, hats, etc to keep us warm. I was just going through again pictures Jeremy took on one of his hiking adventures and he's all bundled up. I could imagine that even if it were cold out Jesus would still be in that garden praying. He would be covered up more, maybe with a blanket, but then again he just may endure the cold just to have special prayer time with God in Nature. Whenever I am walking around Nature no matter where it is, I feel closer to God. It seems like that is when I could hear Him the best.

I find myself asking questions as I would my closest of friends. We have conversations the best when there is nothing to distract me and His glory all about. I find myself getting answers to my questions and understanding some things better when I just sit on a rock admiring the trees or even the small stream by my house. I think when we take the time to just spend with God somewhere other than our homes and churches we would find things to be different. Go outside, watch the sunset, watch primroses bloom, dance with your loved one under that stars....whatever you do, go outside and experience God. Talk to Him and listen for Him to reply without distractions.

One Year

Well here we are...one year of being cancer free. I can't tell you what that is like, it's too hard to pu tinto words. I have been spending the week thinking about the things I felt and thought and honestly wonder how I could have made it without God in my life. I still don't really know how I did it. I don't remember so much about it. I know I was at the alter every Sunday praying with either Pastor Paul or Pastor Marvin.

I could never have made it through the cancer without prayer and having faith in God. Where would I be right now if I didn't have faith in God? Would I have made it through the cancer? I know at points I was angry and depressed, but I still cried out and relied on God for the strength to make it through. I praise him today because I went through cancer and things are different. I don't see life the same as I did two years ago. Certain things don't mean as much to me anymore, and other things hold the greatest of importance.

The relationships in my life have the utmost importance over all other things. I think of Thoreau saying "simplify, simplify, simplify" when it comes to life and I have to agree. What are the necessities of life? Food, shelter, clothes, GOD, and relationships. I couldn't live life without God and the people in my life. As I talked to Todd last night I saw I would happy with the simplest of things. I don't need a big house with all the luxuries of life, just as long I have God at my side and the people I live with me. God didn't make the things we have, man made things. God made people! God gave us the relationships we have because they are more important than things. And I have to wonder why do we try to replace relationships with things?

Thankfulness

A friend of mine writes a post once a week on the same thing. The things she is happy for. We should always be thankful to God for many different things in life. In mean we are told to give thanks. I think we should be giving thanks through the hard stuff as well as the good. So in spirit of The Sweet Diabetic, and the idea that we should be giving thanks to God on a regular basis...here are some things I am thankful for:

1. My Church family; without them things would be harder
2. God helping me overcome panic attacks
3. Todd: God has really sent me something special and wonderful in him.
4. I am thankful for him granting me the ability to write, I just pray I can use my talent to give honor to him.
5. I am thankful for being able to drive finally.
6. I am thankful for the help of those around me
7. Donya. She is my best friend more like a sister
8. My love for literature
9. Jesus dieing for my sins
10. God's love no matter what happens.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Also something I have been thinking A LOT about because at the same time I have been thinking about the past. In my past relationship I hurt many different people in my life, and I know I need to apologize to them and ask for their forgiveness. I made the step and apologized to my former roommate for being rude and inconsiderate to her while I dated my ex. Talking to her about it wasn't too hard, but there are two guys that I need to get a hold of and apologize to them, but I have really been putting it off. I saw one former friend back in January and I could have discussed things with him, but I got scared. I know he would appreciate it and forgive me but there is a small thing inside me scaring me.

I think that is Satan's way of keeping me from making amends with important people from my past. The Bible tells us that we shouldn't go to the alter when we have hurts in the past, when we have wronged someone and haven't asked their forgiveness, and I need to do that...I want to do that. Satan tries so many things to keep us from growing closer to God and becoming better people. He wants us to have past hurts that haven't been mended because that can be something he can hold over us in the future. Tom and I used to be great friends, but then I acted the way I did (I admit I was wrong I let my ex influence my actions and thoughts which I do regret) and because of that it seriously hurt our friendship.

I feel terrible when I tell people they need to forgive and ask for forgiveness when there are former friends that I have hurt and haven't discussed things with and mended even the smallest part of the relationship. I have been praying about it asking God for help, and that is what we need to do when there are issues in our lives we need help with.

Emotions

From time to time we wonder why we feel the way we feel and what we can do to express those feelings. God gave us our emotion for a reason, and I think he wants us to be able to express them, but there are times when we don't really know how to properly express those feelings. When I was diagnosed with cancer I was so mad, but who was I supposed to be angry at? Not the doctors, myself....nor God, but I was still angry with God. But you know what...he still loves me.

Job expressed how he felt throughout his ordeal. In chapter 7 he states: I will not restrain my mouth, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." Job didn't refrain for complaining about how he felt and the emotions he was going through. He was able to express his emotions even if he got bitter towards God and questioned God about the things he was going through. It is okay for us to question why we go through the things that we go through. It is okay to express our emotions and cry out to God: He wants us to do that. He wants us to rely on Him and turn to Him for help and guidance, even if we cry out in anger.

We have our emotions for a reason no matter what they are: love, anger, sadness and more. God gave them too us for a reason and wants us to express them.