I was just reading Jeremy's post on limits and creativity; some of the things he said and the post he refered to said a lot. They both talked about people allowing their creativity to be limited because they think they do not have the means to be entirely creative whether it be money, time, resources etc. People tend to just let themselves be limited and I think the same is true for our relationship with God. I think there are times when we limit the growth we have with God. There are times when we think we don't have the time, money (tithes) or whatever else. Jeremy was saying when we are limited that is when our uniqueness comes out, our true creativity in a sense. I think when we are limited in means or whatever that is when real faith comes in and we rely on our faith when we are limited in means, but we look for ways to limit ourselves sometimes. By saying, i don't have the time to help out or, I dont have time to read. 10 minutes out of the dayto read the bible isn't too much. I read mine on lunch breaks at work or listent to Christian music on my way home.
Sure we live in a busy lifestyle now, but we can make ways for God to become a part of our busy lives. Driving home from work, to work or wherever else we go, we could talk to God, pray to him, praise his name and listen to Christian based lyrics. There are ways to include God into our lives that doesn't "interfer" with our daily lives which most people think has to happen when you have a faith in God. With God there are no limits, we put our limits on ourselves and make it harder for ourselves to have a strong relationship with Christ, and possibly the people around us.
Mar 31, 2009
Mar 26, 2009
Inspiration
I was looking through some old things and getting rid of things that I did not need when I came across a note. I don't remember when I recieved it, but after reading it I remembered why I saved it. I had written a thank you note to one of my high school teachers: Mrs. Krupa. She was one of the hardest teachers in Bentworth, but what made her hard was that she pushed her students to achieve the very best that she knew was within them. She never settled, she never accepted less than what she knew we all were capable of. And after several years in college I wrote her a note thanking her for that. And she wrote me a note telling me how much it meant to her and that she would always remember me sending her that card.
There are always people in our lives who make a difference whether we know it or not. I never thought this mean horrible teacher would be the one who made a real difference in my life and made me never want to settle for less than what I was capable of. From her, I learned how to really apply myself and how to work hard for what I get and really appreciate it. She inspired me to be what I am today, though I would like to have more out of life right now, but I am who I am today partly because she pushed me. Sometimes that is what I think our hardships in life are like. God's little ways of pushing us to achieve the very best that he knows is within us. There is so much we are capable of and I think sometimes without God's little pushes, we wouldn't really aspire to do it all.
There are always people in our lives who make a difference whether we know it or not. I never thought this mean horrible teacher would be the one who made a real difference in my life and made me never want to settle for less than what I was capable of. From her, I learned how to really apply myself and how to work hard for what I get and really appreciate it. She inspired me to be what I am today, though I would like to have more out of life right now, but I am who I am today partly because she pushed me. Sometimes that is what I think our hardships in life are like. God's little ways of pushing us to achieve the very best that he knows is within us. There is so much we are capable of and I think sometimes without God's little pushes, we wouldn't really aspire to do it all.
Mar 24, 2009
Respect
The other night I talked to this guy. We had a good conversation until he started to challenge my faith. He thought it was wrong that I use the NIV and NLT versions of the Bible, and then proceeded to tell me that the translations were wrong; that the original Latin told a different story. Now to me that was like telling me that what I believe is wrong, but when I called him on it, he out right denied it. He went into this huge speech about how he wasn't telling me that what I believe is wrong, the the translation I believe was. Isn't that the same thing?
Now when he told me he believed in God, but not Jesus I did not tell him he was wrong, I respected his beliefs and didn't try to sway his views. I think one thing people think about Christians is that we preach too much, that we push our beliefs on other people, but sometimes, from what I have seen and experienced is that it is the other way around. I have had way to many people try to tell me what I believe is wrong, while I just sit back and not say a word about what they believe. Too often Christians are being judged for not being tolerant of other's belief, but isn't that one of the things we are taught?
I think it just bothers me to have my faith challenged a lot, but when others tell me their faiths I respect it and ask questions to understand better, but not in a disrespectful way. I have friends who are pagans, Jewish, Buddist, and even Muslim (from college) and I highly respect them all and they respect me as well. I never once tried to preach to them and vise versa. I know it would take a while before there is tolerance and acceptance between religions, but still when someone else is not challenging your faith why is it necessary to challenge theirs?
Now when he told me he believed in God, but not Jesus I did not tell him he was wrong, I respected his beliefs and didn't try to sway his views. I think one thing people think about Christians is that we preach too much, that we push our beliefs on other people, but sometimes, from what I have seen and experienced is that it is the other way around. I have had way to many people try to tell me what I believe is wrong, while I just sit back and not say a word about what they believe. Too often Christians are being judged for not being tolerant of other's belief, but isn't that one of the things we are taught?
I think it just bothers me to have my faith challenged a lot, but when others tell me their faiths I respect it and ask questions to understand better, but not in a disrespectful way. I have friends who are pagans, Jewish, Buddist, and even Muslim (from college) and I highly respect them all and they respect me as well. I never once tried to preach to them and vise versa. I know it would take a while before there is tolerance and acceptance between religions, but still when someone else is not challenging your faith why is it necessary to challenge theirs?
Mar 21, 2009
Fun Times
I have heard it said many times that being a Christian is boring and you cannot have fun. A lot of people think you need to have fun by drinking, smoking, sex, doing drugs and a whole lot more that many Christians do not do. People think being a Christian has rules and regulations that restrict us from having fun and knowing what a good time is. But being a Christian I think we have more fun that we would if we were drinking and other things. We have fun just being ourselves and making fun for ourselves without the aide of other things. We take delight in the little things in life, like spending a relaxing say with friends. We find fun in being goofy and laughing together. Being a Christian does not mean being restricted and not enjoying life to the fullest, if anything I think many Christians live a fuller life than people who rely on alcohol or drugs for a good time so to speak.
When spending the day with my friends, I had so much fun just being ourselves and us just being friends and harassing each other or whatever. Chiara being Elvis, or getting excited over Kurt Cobain's guitar, to Danelle randomly yelling at people through the car window. Sure it may see silly and to some stupid, but we had so much fun just being ourselves and didn't need anything to help us have that fun and enjoy our time together. Being a Christian does not mean that fun is sucked out of life and you need to go through life being a boring person, though I will admit there are some Christians that are boring and don't know how to have fun, but that is their personality not the fact that they ar Christians. Christians don't just sit around the house doing nothing or only watch or listen to certain things.
I admit there are times when I have a drink or two, but it is not for the sole purpose of having fun. Drinking is not the basis for me to have fun or to enjoy the life that God has given me. Enjoying life is about enjoying the things God has given us, enjoying friends, family, life on this earth, just reacting and acting the way however we feel like. Being a Christian means noticing the small things and appreciating them. Out of everything that I may do in life some of the moments that I enjoy the most are moments like I had today with my friends, or times I spend with the people I care about the most. The point is being a Christian does not under no circumstances mean you don't know how to have fun.
Mar 19, 2009
Family
There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and that is kind of how I see a church family sometimes. I have been in churches where they pretended to care inside the church walls, but as soon as you left those walls, you didn't hear much from them. But I have to say the church I am at now, is a family through and through. The younger girls are my sisters and I talk to them all the time and we spend time together outside of church. Some of the guys like Cliff and Eddie are like my brothers: I could see them both protecting me the way my brother always has. Pastor Paul and Dave are like fathers and Shirley, Debbie and some of the other women are like my mothers. And it isn't like that with just me, but everyone else that steps foot through those doors.
No matter what one of us is going through we are all there supporting each other. We stand together as one, the way a family would. Parents of young children (babies) barely hold their children, everyone else within the church wants to hold the child. In fact myself and another one of the teens debate over who gets to hold Pastor's granddaughter. I think when it comes to church it needs to be like that, churches need to feel like a family inside and out. You cannot leave the church on Sunday and that be the end of the friendship/kinship. We are a family in the name of God so why should we not think or talk to each other outside of the church? Some of the closest people in my life are those from within the church.
I think of how the disciples were and whenever I read the Bible I get the sense that they were like a family as well. Supporting each other and being there if one another was dealing with something. We refer to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, so shouldn't we act like it? Shouldn't we be able to forgive the way we would our birth siblings? I know I couldn't be angry at my brother for long, so why should I hold something against my spiritual brothers and sisters? I support my family through and through, so I should be support my church family as well. Family is important, no matter if it is a birth family, adoptive family or church family. God created us all as equals and I think he thinks of us as family as well, and why shouldn't we be? We are equal, we are family in the eyes God. We shouldn't be spreading rumors, treating each other with contempt, grudges and more. We need to act like a family.
No matter what one of us is going through we are all there supporting each other. We stand together as one, the way a family would. Parents of young children (babies) barely hold their children, everyone else within the church wants to hold the child. In fact myself and another one of the teens debate over who gets to hold Pastor's granddaughter. I think when it comes to church it needs to be like that, churches need to feel like a family inside and out. You cannot leave the church on Sunday and that be the end of the friendship/kinship. We are a family in the name of God so why should we not think or talk to each other outside of the church? Some of the closest people in my life are those from within the church.
I think of how the disciples were and whenever I read the Bible I get the sense that they were like a family as well. Supporting each other and being there if one another was dealing with something. We refer to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, so shouldn't we act like it? Shouldn't we be able to forgive the way we would our birth siblings? I know I couldn't be angry at my brother for long, so why should I hold something against my spiritual brothers and sisters? I support my family through and through, so I should be support my church family as well. Family is important, no matter if it is a birth family, adoptive family or church family. God created us all as equals and I think he thinks of us as family as well, and why shouldn't we be? We are equal, we are family in the eyes God. We shouldn't be spreading rumors, treating each other with contempt, grudges and more. We need to act like a family.
Mar 16, 2009
Empasses
I think every so often God puts us through certain hardships and trial, empasses in life to bringus closer together. Closer to Him as well as closer to each other. Right now my church family are all dealing with different things together and seperate lives. Through all of this we are growing closer and stronger together because we are supporting each other and standing up against those who are opposing us.
There is always going to be empasses in life and sometimes they are hard to deal with and seem to try and drown us, but when we rely on not only God, but our church family we will have the strength to make it through. We would have the strength to deal with whatever it is we need to deal with and move on and grew stronger in Christ. When the Bible talks about fellowship, it means being with other Christians, being with our church family and supporting each other, and giving each other the strength to make it through.
Other times we need these empasses to see how strong we really are. I mean since some things have happened dealing with our church, things seemed to have um gotten better. More children are in junior church, more women are coming to ladies meetings, more people are coming to church and it seems people are giving more as well. Sometimes the hardships in life just opens your eyes to things you didn't know without them
There is always going to be empasses in life and sometimes they are hard to deal with and seem to try and drown us, but when we rely on not only God, but our church family we will have the strength to make it through. We would have the strength to deal with whatever it is we need to deal with and move on and grew stronger in Christ. When the Bible talks about fellowship, it means being with other Christians, being with our church family and supporting each other, and giving each other the strength to make it through.
Other times we need these empasses to see how strong we really are. I mean since some things have happened dealing with our church, things seemed to have um gotten better. More children are in junior church, more women are coming to ladies meetings, more people are coming to church and it seems people are giving more as well. Sometimes the hardships in life just opens your eyes to things you didn't know without them
Mar 13, 2009
Stress and Faith
Lately I have been so stressed out that I have all these knots in my neck. Today I woke up and I can barely move my neck without excruciating pain. I have been doing a lot of thinking today on what I could do about this stress, some I can control and deal with on my own, while others I have no control over because it deals with other people in my life. Sometimes there is nothing that we can do about the stress in our lives and if we don't do anything about it the stress can lead to depression and I know mine has. Right now I have a heating pad on my neck to help with the pain, but what can I do. Psalm 46 tells us that God is our strength and refuge: always ready to help in time of trouble. That is what I need to put my focus on: back to God not the stress that is in my life. What good is it to focus on stress when there is nothing that can be done about it?
I was reading an interesting post about stress and faith on the faith and health connection blog. Dale Fletcher (the author) was talking about how David's family relied on the strength of the Lord to help them through their heartaches and troubles, why can't we do the same thing? Why do we find it so hard to put trust and reliance on God during our troubled times of stress and depression? We pray to God for guidance and help, then when He sends the guidance we ignore what he says and then get angry at him for it. If God didn't want us to turn to him during troubled times there wouldn't be stories in the Bible of him being there for David, Samuel, Daniel, even Jesus. God craves for us to rely on him and allow him to be effective in our lives and focus our attention on him.
I know how hard it is to focus on God when so much seems to be going wrong in life, but that is partly the point. To struggle to keep our focus on him which would help our strength of faith to grow. What would we be if we didn't have God to rely on and to help us through our hardships?
We need to rely on God more for our stressful lives and learn that God is there to carry us through. Fletcher brings up a good point in his post that the "longer one stays stressed, the more likely the body will eventually pay the price" How many times has stressed cause people to get sick? I know lately my body has been more of rebelling against me because of the stress.
I was reading an interesting post about stress and faith on the faith and health connection blog. Dale Fletcher (the author) was talking about how David's family relied on the strength of the Lord to help them through their heartaches and troubles, why can't we do the same thing? Why do we find it so hard to put trust and reliance on God during our troubled times of stress and depression? We pray to God for guidance and help, then when He sends the guidance we ignore what he says and then get angry at him for it. If God didn't want us to turn to him during troubled times there wouldn't be stories in the Bible of him being there for David, Samuel, Daniel, even Jesus. God craves for us to rely on him and allow him to be effective in our lives and focus our attention on him.
I know how hard it is to focus on God when so much seems to be going wrong in life, but that is partly the point. To struggle to keep our focus on him which would help our strength of faith to grow. What would we be if we didn't have God to rely on and to help us through our hardships?
We need to rely on God more for our stressful lives and learn that God is there to carry us through. Fletcher brings up a good point in his post that the "longer one stays stressed, the more likely the body will eventually pay the price" How many times has stressed cause people to get sick? I know lately my body has been more of rebelling against me because of the stress.
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