Food for Thought

“The Bible is not a book for the faint of heart -- it is a book full of all the greed and glory and violence and tenderness and sex and betrayal that befits mankind. It is not the collection of pretty little anecdotes mouthed by pious little church mice -- it does not so much nibble at our shoe leather as it cuts to the heart and splits the marrow from the bone. It does not give us answers fitted to our small-minded questions, but truth that goes beyond what we even know to ask.” ― Rich Mullins

for King & Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Thursday night was amazing!!!!!!!!!!

 

     I went to the for King & Country concert with my best friend Cindy! I loved it! If you have never seen them- you must! I love their music and have been wanting to see them for two years.  

     I had so much fun!! The whole experience at the concert was just awesome! First off- I was shocked by the amount of adults/older generation that were there. I wasn't expecting that generation there. Second- I was moved by how many teenagers were there also, lol. That sounds like I didn't expect anyone to be there. It's just that sometimes in today's world you wonder about the next generation. (That's left for another day though.)
     During the Q&A someone asked what they would say to teenagers who are having problems staying strong in the face of our world.... Joel's advice was this: 'Know the truth and pursue the truth. "What is good, what is right, what is true..." Follow the truth as closely as possible, and lean on those who know the truth.'  I wish I had someone who said that to me when I was I high school. It is something that I will hold on to. They are a really good band. They love God, value family (their parents, and Luke's wife and son travel with them), and they are huge supporters of Compassion International. I will definitely see them in concert again!


     I first found for King & Country on youtube when I was searching for Christian music and they just released their video for "The Proof of Your Love"... life changing! The song and the video are life changing....you should watch! ;)
 

Sunday School

     It was my Sunday for our Jr.-Jr. Church (ages 5 and under). It definitely requires patience when working with toddlers, lol.  I had 3 kids three years old and under, and we tried to learn about Moses and his staff!
     We took wooden spoons as our staffs and then we colored snakes on the other side for our serpents. We had some pretty good looking staffs!

A little music....

Every time this song comes on the radio goes up!

This is my current favorite and really speaks to me right now!

 

 

Awesome Weekend!

      Saturday was my first day of CLI (Church Leadership Institute)....amazing! I enjoyed it so much! My teacher is funny, and I'm the youngest one enrolled but everyone in class is incredibly friendly. It's kind of mind blowing to be in a class with four pastors. I learned so much in my first day, lol. I'm pretty sure I have a sermon put together, lol. It's nothing like when I went to college at Evansville, but in a way it kind of is. 9am to 3pm is basically a note-taking, discussion-group with lunch for an hour and a couple of hot chocolate/bathroom breaks! My class is Intro to Old Testament, and we covered quite a bit of Hebrew. It's very cool to realize how the entirety of the Bible works together to reinforce itself. Just the Hebrew meaning of the names (people, places, and events) alone is that wow/duh factor, lol. It was so much fun, and I'm kind of bummed my next class is three weeks away.

      Sunday was a very good day as well! We had our church picnic after service by the local playground. Baptists sure know how to cook (says the diabetic, lol)!! Lunch was awesome, and if you went away hungry you had problems of your own, lol. After my husband, son, and I finished eating we walked over to the playground to try everything. It was awesome! The thing I love most about our church is that I trust every one of them to keep an eye on my son. Three years old- he loves to move! It's not just them keeping an eye on my son- it's that we all watch the kids no matter who they belong to. My husband and I were out there with our son, but it didn't take long for the rest of the kids to run out and play. I love the fact that the kids feel like they can play with us. I remember growing up, there were some adults who you could ask to play with you and there were some who didn't do that kind of thing. I am blessed that they know they can run out and play and hang out with us.
     After we walked home and had our naps, I finished painting the last of the blue for my son's Batman room! I'm so excited to be doing this for him- he is super excited as well!

Why Not?

Today is the five year anniversary of my baptism!! It was an incredibly special day, and here is something I wrote a couple of months after it...

     I distinctly remember the morning of my baptism. While getting ready at home I received a phone call from a friend. After the pleasantries were exchanged I was asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I said, "Absolutely."
     "Why?"
     "I have to do it."
     "Is someone making you?" he asked.
     I paused at this, because my response was so automatic it startled me. "No one is making me do anything. I need to do this, something inside me says it's right. It feels like something will be missing until I do this."
     "Why?"
     I asked him, "Why not?" I literally mean why not?!
     I know that I have needed God for a very long time. It is something that I struggled to learn growing up. For a long time I felt drawn to be baptized, but I never understood it. I just knew that it was something my family had done when they were little and that I needed it done. Then when I finally learned of it, I didn't want to do it publicly. Honestly, I was embarrassed and partially thought that it was something just between me and the Lord. Then it was explained to me that baptism is a public declaration of my love for God. It made me think some more (which I do a lot of). Love is all He asks for. John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." I knew then that nothing would stop me from being baptized. God has loved through it all, more than once I know that God had to of had his hand on me to make it. I can give Him this! I have the need to do this, and it is my gift to give my heart to Him.
     I had to stop worrying about others opinions of my getting baptized. There were some close people that were not there for me on that day, but there was a hundred times as much happiness there with me that day. I had finally found that missing piece.

Does that answer your question?

Trivia

Here's something cool I just learned:

'Testament' and 'covenant' both mean the same thing in Hebrew...

'Covenant' means 'promise' or 'to promise.'

So the two parts of the Bible mean "Old Promise" and "New Promise."

Enjoy that food for thought!

Sunday's Sermon

     Yesterday was amazing at home as well as at church. My Pastor can always make my hair stand up, and yesterday especially got to me!

"Christians have accepted that because we are all yet sinners we have no right nor do we have any business standing up to someone else about their sin." -Shelly Zook

     It's so true, and that itself is so sad! Do you have that one friend or even family member that you don't bother to correct or try talking to because you know they will throw your own past back at you? I do, and it's actually a couple of family members.
     Being a Christian means we have a responsibility! We are to love and save the world, but that doesn't mean we back down or allow ourselves to be walked on! Be bold- loving, but bold. We do not sacrifice our morals to prove our love as Christians.
     How can we do this?! They will call us hypocrites or bring up that thing I did when I was a teenager... We have the power to do this because of Jesus Christ! He died for us. We are a part of the Kingdom of God! So why are we allowing guilt over something we have been forgiven for to control our witness and the saving of another person? Read it this way: We are ignoring our forgiveness from God so we can feel guilty and not help or witness to someone else... That sounds horrible. Is that really what God wants us to do?
     I am so blessed that I have a couple of best friends that call me out when I mess up, and that God forgives me. Being a Christian is not easy, especially surrounded by people of the 'the world'. Jesus said:

"If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." -Matthew 10:14

     It is also mentioned in Mark and Luke. We are not asked or told to stand and accept it.
                                                          It really makes you think...

*Inspired from Pastor Shelly Zook's sermon "Regret-FULL."*

About...

     How can you be a Christian in today's world? Is it even possible? It is really hard sometimes for sure. The world is teaching us that it is okay to be or do anything we want- except to be a steadfast Christian. Sometimes you think about the Bible stories and think how can that kind of God exist today? "Things were different back then than they are today." No, I don't believe so. People have been the been the same for thousands of years.
     The past five years my life and choice to follow God have been incredibly challenged and incredibly blessed. Everyday I relearn how relevant the Bible is today in my life-in this world. Some people think that being a Christian is supposed to be easy, steady, and even unchanging...how wrong this thinking is. Being a Christian is about constant growth, change, and especially challenges.
     This is my growth in keeping faith and following God. In five years I have changed a lot as a person, and my goals/wants for life. No matter what we face it is all about keeping faith, praying, and allowing yourself to be changed for God's will in our lives! I pray this blog helps you in some way.