So I again know I haven't posted in awhile. I really am trying to be better about this keeping a blog thing. Seems it is going to just have to be made a habit somehow. You know I got to thinking the other day about my life in general and all of the blessings that I have. I have great friends, a wonderful family, and marvelous fiance. All of this is such a blessing. Then I noticed that the things I was thankful for weren't the big things in life, but the little ones. I wasn't happy because of all the things I possessed, I was happy because of the people God has allowed me to be surrounded with.
How many times have we made some big fuss over something we owned or something we want? How many times have we let those wants and desires hinder our sight of God? It isn't a bad thing to own possessions. I am not saying that, but as soon as they become a hindrance to your faith...it is time to reassess your life. In fact, I was just talking to a dear friend the other day about this very thing. She had decided to get rid of some of her possessions that she truly loved because she felt that they were hindering her faith. At first I honestly thought she was being over dramatic, but then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did the same thing. How many times had something I wanted or something I possessed distracted me? I can say that countless times I have let "things" get in the way of not only my faith, but in my relationships with other people as well. And in the end, when I assess the things that are important in my life, I realize that I always pick the people God has blessed to surround me with. These people are always there for me and truly mean to help me in my walk with God. And in the end
God has blessed me with something even more precious than these wonderful people. He has blessed me with His mercy and the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ.
So in the end I realize that no amount of "things" in my life can replace the blessing of my salvation. So I leave you with this passage my friends:
"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple. For in the days of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies that surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord."
-Psalm 27:4-6
Praise be to God for His mercy and sacrifice! I will sing and make music to the Lord!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
New Start
So I realized that I am apparently not so good at this keeping a blog thing...I keep getting destructed and forgetting that I have it. It's like when I was 10 and I said that I would keep a diary my whole life so that when I was old I could pass it on to a child and hope that I left some lasting impression on them. Ha!! I kept the diary for two days and then the rest of the pages went unwritten on. Oh well, I guess I will have to make it a point now. I'm starting a new chapter in my life at this point. I have officially started my student teaching and I am not engaged to be married. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. However, I have not forgotten the true purpose of this blog. To record my struggles and triumphs as I try to study God's word.
Well today (or rather yesterday) was Sunday. I ended up waking up earlier than I had planned this morning, so I resigned myself to getting ready for church early and going to Sunday school. I had every intention of being there on time. In fact, I left so that I would be 10 minutes early. Well incidentally, I was in the mindset of my home church and thought Sunday school was at 9:30, but instead it was actually at 9:00. So I go the church a whole 20 minutes after class had already started. So I improvised. I ended up taking a walk and found myself outside the town library. there was a wonderful little bench sitting right there in front of the building. I decided that it looked like a nice enough place to stop and decided to sit down and enjoy reading through the Word on my own. I found myself flipping to Proverbs and read the first five chapters. I have to say that this reading didn't exactly sit well with me. The more I read about Wisdom...the more I realized that I had not been focusing on God a whole lot lately. I found myself identifying with the horrible and unrighteous things that were mentioned in those chapters. Obviously I do not mean that I was doing those things literally, but I found myself realizing that I had been in that mindset. I don't know how many times in the last few months that I have wished ill upon someone that I don't like, or have done things that I knew were wrong or even blatantly lied to someone's face. I remember having a feeling of despair while reading these passages, but then something happened. I realized that it was time for me to start walking back to the church. As I closed my Bible and started the what seemed like long road back to the church, I started thinking. What can I do to make these misdeeds better. What I can I change about myself that will make me seem less horrible. I thought about these things all the way back to the church and as I walked inside, I still had not really given myself any answers to my questions. As the service started I pushed my thoughts from my mind and began the weekly ritual of the Sunday service. And my mind stayed that way until we came to part of the service where we confess that we are sinful beings and ask God to have mercy on us. I realized that in that moment I was truely asking for God's mercy. I wasn't just going through the motions like I usually felt (unfortunately). I kept thinking that there was no reason for God to have mercy on me, but that I was going to ask for it anyway. Later, we read the Scriptures and a passage for the day struck a cord with me. It was from the Luke 14. Jesus was talking about bearing your own cross in order to be a disciple of God. I realized that I was trying to bear that cross (my sin), but was not succeeding. The sermon ended being on that very thing.
Pastor Terry was kind enough to point out something, which until this day I did not fully understand about this particular piece of scripture. Many times when we think of bearing a cross, we think of some great burden or duty that God has bestowed upon us and that we most endure in order to be His child, but that is just it. We are sadly mistaken with this. In all actuality, the cross that we must bear is our sin. And I have to say that we are not able to bear that cross. Anyone who tries to bear that cross on their own will fail. We must realize that we do not have the ability to bear our own crosses of sin, but that that was why Jesus was sent to this earth to die for us. He is here to help us bear our cross. Something that we can not do on our own. So the next time you think about baring a cross, remember that it is only through the grace of God that you are able to do so. Never forget that we are nothing without Christ, but that because God took mercy on us and loved us, He sacrificed His only Son in order to save us from certain damnation. I pray that this thought never leaves your mind, but stays there to remind you that you must live by faith alone, which God has so mercifully bestowed upon you.
Well today (or rather yesterday) was Sunday. I ended up waking up earlier than I had planned this morning, so I resigned myself to getting ready for church early and going to Sunday school. I had every intention of being there on time. In fact, I left so that I would be 10 minutes early. Well incidentally, I was in the mindset of my home church and thought Sunday school was at 9:30, but instead it was actually at 9:00. So I go the church a whole 20 minutes after class had already started. So I improvised. I ended up taking a walk and found myself outside the town library. there was a wonderful little bench sitting right there in front of the building. I decided that it looked like a nice enough place to stop and decided to sit down and enjoy reading through the Word on my own. I found myself flipping to Proverbs and read the first five chapters. I have to say that this reading didn't exactly sit well with me. The more I read about Wisdom...the more I realized that I had not been focusing on God a whole lot lately. I found myself identifying with the horrible and unrighteous things that were mentioned in those chapters. Obviously I do not mean that I was doing those things literally, but I found myself realizing that I had been in that mindset. I don't know how many times in the last few months that I have wished ill upon someone that I don't like, or have done things that I knew were wrong or even blatantly lied to someone's face. I remember having a feeling of despair while reading these passages, but then something happened. I realized that it was time for me to start walking back to the church. As I closed my Bible and started the what seemed like long road back to the church, I started thinking. What can I do to make these misdeeds better. What I can I change about myself that will make me seem less horrible. I thought about these things all the way back to the church and as I walked inside, I still had not really given myself any answers to my questions. As the service started I pushed my thoughts from my mind and began the weekly ritual of the Sunday service. And my mind stayed that way until we came to part of the service where we confess that we are sinful beings and ask God to have mercy on us. I realized that in that moment I was truely asking for God's mercy. I wasn't just going through the motions like I usually felt (unfortunately). I kept thinking that there was no reason for God to have mercy on me, but that I was going to ask for it anyway. Later, we read the Scriptures and a passage for the day struck a cord with me. It was from the Luke 14. Jesus was talking about bearing your own cross in order to be a disciple of God. I realized that I was trying to bear that cross (my sin), but was not succeeding. The sermon ended being on that very thing.
Pastor Terry was kind enough to point out something, which until this day I did not fully understand about this particular piece of scripture. Many times when we think of bearing a cross, we think of some great burden or duty that God has bestowed upon us and that we most endure in order to be His child, but that is just it. We are sadly mistaken with this. In all actuality, the cross that we must bear is our sin. And I have to say that we are not able to bear that cross. Anyone who tries to bear that cross on their own will fail. We must realize that we do not have the ability to bear our own crosses of sin, but that that was why Jesus was sent to this earth to die for us. He is here to help us bear our cross. Something that we can not do on our own. So the next time you think about baring a cross, remember that it is only through the grace of God that you are able to do so. Never forget that we are nothing without Christ, but that because God took mercy on us and loved us, He sacrificed His only Son in order to save us from certain damnation. I pray that this thought never leaves your mind, but stays there to remind you that you must live by faith alone, which God has so mercifully bestowed upon you.
Monday, December 7, 2009
My Return and Advent
Well, sorry that I have not posted for over a month, but it seems that my focus on this little project was redirected to other things. Like my segway away from God for a while. Not so much a complete desertion, but the desire to not really want to look too deeply into God because I knew that some of the things I was doing were wrong. However, none the less I am back and ready to refocus. After all, would faith really be faith if it was just a walk in the park all the time?
So today (or rather yesterday) was the 2nd Sunday of Advent. I remember making the comment earlier that it was refreshing to go somewhere where Advent was still celebrated. I guess it is frustrating now to see that most of the world only celebrates Christmas itself. I feel that some of the meaning of Christmas is lost because people don't celebrate Advent. Oh sure, you see some people with those little Advent calender's hanging up in their homes and they say that they recognize it, but in reality they really have no idea of what it really means to celebrate Advent. They don't see the need to lite the Advent wreath candles or count the weeks of Advent. And it is because they don't know the meaning behind them. They just see it has another church season without really knowing what it means to celebrate it.
Advent is the season we prepare for the birth of Jesus. The candles of the Advent wreath are lit for a reason and each one has a meaning. The first candle is the prophecy candle that reminds us that the birth of our Savior was foretold by the ancient prophets. The second candle is the candle of the way that reminds us that Christians are lost in sin and that Christ is the light sent into the world to lead them out of darkness. The third candle is the candle of joy. It reminds us that all the joys of this world are fleeting and only true joy can be found in Christ. The fourth candle is the candle of peace. It reminds us that Christ comes to bring peace to the world and to the people's hearts. The fifth and last candle is the candle that symbolizes the birth of Christ to remind us of the blessed day when God became man to take away the sins of the world.
This is the meaning of the Advent wreath. This is the meaning behind Advent and why it is celebrated. Advent is meant to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of our Lord. We are to remember the prophecy that God gave to us about the coming of His son and the reasons by which He sent His son to earth to become man. So the next time you look at an Advent wreath or one of those cheesy so called "Advent calendars". Remember that the real reason for Advent is the preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He was born to make.
So today (or rather yesterday) was the 2nd Sunday of Advent. I remember making the comment earlier that it was refreshing to go somewhere where Advent was still celebrated. I guess it is frustrating now to see that most of the world only celebrates Christmas itself. I feel that some of the meaning of Christmas is lost because people don't celebrate Advent. Oh sure, you see some people with those little Advent calender's hanging up in their homes and they say that they recognize it, but in reality they really have no idea of what it really means to celebrate Advent. They don't see the need to lite the Advent wreath candles or count the weeks of Advent. And it is because they don't know the meaning behind them. They just see it has another church season without really knowing what it means to celebrate it.
Advent is the season we prepare for the birth of Jesus. The candles of the Advent wreath are lit for a reason and each one has a meaning. The first candle is the prophecy candle that reminds us that the birth of our Savior was foretold by the ancient prophets. The second candle is the candle of the way that reminds us that Christians are lost in sin and that Christ is the light sent into the world to lead them out of darkness. The third candle is the candle of joy. It reminds us that all the joys of this world are fleeting and only true joy can be found in Christ. The fourth candle is the candle of peace. It reminds us that Christ comes to bring peace to the world and to the people's hearts. The fifth and last candle is the candle that symbolizes the birth of Christ to remind us of the blessed day when God became man to take away the sins of the world.
This is the meaning of the Advent wreath. This is the meaning behind Advent and why it is celebrated. Advent is meant to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of our Lord. We are to remember the prophecy that God gave to us about the coming of His son and the reasons by which He sent His son to earth to become man. So the next time you look at an Advent wreath or one of those cheesy so called "Advent calendars". Remember that the real reason for Advent is the preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He was born to make.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Conservatives Political Views
I was watching a popular video on youtube the other day that had been made by the "Amazing Atheist". He was commenting on the September 12 march on Washington. In the short 6 minute video he proceeded to lump all conservatives together and rip them apart. I remember being immediately offended by him not because of his views, but because he chose to look at all conservatives in a stereotypical kind of way instead of doing the research. He accused us of all being idiots who didn't know anything about what we were talking about politically. Is that true? Do conservatives really not know what they are talking about? That may be in many cases. I found that many of the conservatives I know personally and have observed in the media really don't know what they are talking about. Isn't it our job as politically active adults to know the details of our political views before we voice them? Maybe we should allow this video to give us a wake-up call and realize that we can no longer just assume about what side we are suppose to be on on an issue. We should do the research and then make our decision based on the facts that we have found. Know what you are talking about before you open you mouth to speak your opinion. The better prepared you are to defend yourself, the more convincing you will sound to those you encounter.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Who Wants To Be Like The World?
My parents came to visit this weekend and we made the decision to see the movie Julie and Julia. It was a cute movie, but before the movie had started I found something that both upset and disturbed me. There were a few adds before the movie and one of them was for a body fragrance. Needless to say that what was in front of my eyes was both suggestive and almost indecent. It portrayed two women that apparently could not resist this one man (who I could assume was wearing the body fragrance) and intended to rip his shirt off and rub themselves all over him. I think it can go unsaid that I was extremely uncomfortable and even embarrassed to be watching this with my parents sitting right next to me. I tried to pass it out of my mind when the movie started and enjoy the rest of the night. Later today, however, I found myself thinking about this very inappropriate commercial. I was surprised, yet not surprised that it was a public add. I immediately had the thought that what if a child had been with me? I would have immediately covered their eyes and probably have told the employees that I did not appreciate the ad and felt it was inappropriate. I realize that unfortunately this is the way the world has become. It is completely focused on pleasure and sex. The world has become so corrupt and wicked, which again makes me ask the question of why so many churches feel they need to be more like world. Have they not thought about the consequences of this? It just seems like spiritual suicide to do such a thing. Why would you jeopardize your faith just to bring a bigger audience on Sunday morning? More Christians need to face the fact that what a preacher has to say on a Sunday morning not everyone is going to want to hear and that is because it is the truth. Who after all wants to be told that they are a sinner and can do nothing to redeem themselves? It is within our human nature to want to have some hand in our salvation, but what people need to realize is that we are sinful human beings worthy of nothing but damnation from God, but that through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ are sins are forgiven and that we are given mercy and life everlasting. I know that people don't want to hear that they are sinners and useless in God's eyes, but that is what they need to hear in order to fully appreciate the sacrifice and gift that God has given to us. And the sooner they realize it, the better.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Frustration of Facing Communion Issues
Why is it always around "communion chapel" at the college that people decided to discuss with me how wrong they think my view of communion is? Going to a Free Methodist affiliated school means that I am surrounded by praise and worship theology and fighting just to get a word in edgewise in any theological conversation. They are all so busy telling me I'm too close minded to realize the close mindedness of their arguments. Yes, I practice closed communion. Yes, I think that it is wrong to have open communion. And before I even have a chance to explain myself everything blows up in my face. "Well that's not fair to exclude people from communion. You are just exiling anyone who comes to your church and turning them away." How is this true? Am I telling visitors that they are not welcome? No! I am just telling them they cannot commune with us. Does anyone ask why? No, they are too busy condemning me to even hear my explanation because if they heard it, they might change their minds. Communion is one of the holy sacraments that the Lord Jesus Christ issued to use and practice faithfully. It is a serious and important time when communion is taken and should not be done lightly. That is why pastors in the Lutheran faith tell people that they are not allowed to communion unless they are of their congregation. They want to make sure someone knows what they are doing before just waltzing up to communion nonchalantly and taking it. "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1Cor. 11:27-29) So you see the seriousness of taking the Lord's Supper. It is there to give you forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through Jesus Christ, but taken in an unworthy fashion condemns the communer. The pastor of any church should be aware of this. So to prevent those who would condemn themselves before God, the Lutheran church has closed communion where an individual who is not a member of the congregation must talk with either an elder of the church or the pastor himself before communing. I hope that those who read this realize the importance and seriousness of the Lord's Supper. And maybe next time those looking from the outside in will think twice before condemning me.
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