So you are a Christian...?

Hello dear readers!

It is 9:13pm - a much better time to blog then 2am when all of your thoughts are a bit skewed.  I will need to make this quick because I have to get back to studying for an exam I have tomorrow.  Yuck.  Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about this question - what does it mean to even be a Christian?  It seems like a relatively simple answer...right?  I've also had people ask me - .."so, uh, you are a Christian so that must mean you have to follow a lot of rules and stuff, right?" ... and other things like ... "your a Christian...so you are a 'goody goody, yeah?"...

So essentially, in the "world's eyes," Christianity can mean a few things...

1) You don't party, have sex, or do drugs.  So basically, you don't have fun.
2) You are a good person, and you try to do good things.
3) You are mushy, soft-hearted, and sentimental.  You love children, animals, elderly, the poor, and the environment.
4) You are wrong.
5) You are just nuts.

And to Christians, Christianity can mean a few things...

1) Just believe in Jesus and then you can feel free to do as you please.
2) You should do good things and try and be a good person.
3) You dress up and go to church on Sunday's ...and smile.

...and on and on.

Anyway - so this brings me to my main point: What does it mean to be a Christian?  Because I don't think the answer is as easy as posting "Christian" as your religious views on Facebook.

But... what does it mean to be a Christian at the grocery store?  At the gym?  At the mall?  While waiting in a line? 

If, as a Christian you believe that Jesus is the key to salvation, shouldn't this idea, this love, penetrate everything we do and say?  Yes.  But does it?  Not often.  Why?

In James it explicitly says that faith without deeds [or actions] is worthless. 

Did you catch that?

Worthless.

worth·less 

1. having no value: having no financial or other value or usefulness
2. lacking good, attractive, or admirable qualities: having no good, attractive, or admirable qualities at all

Having no value.  Lacking good qualities. Having no good qualities at all.

I will be the first to say I know my actions don't always line how they should  I know that I do not always display Christ the way I should.  I know that I am human.

But.  I don't want that to be an easy way out...an excuse. 

I want more passion, more persistence, more of Jesus - simply put.

The ultimate goal is to serve Jesus and glorify God.  I want to serve Jesus through my career, my life, my relationships, my money, my possessions... but I don't want any of those things taking the place of Jesus - because ultimately - all of those things will fade - but He will remain forever.

So my prayer is this...
1) I want more passion to serve more boldly and to live out the truth I read about...and not just let God's word be a nice thought in my heart.
2) I want my actions = my words = my thoughts.  I don't want to say one thing, do another - or even think another for that matter.
3) I want to see Christianity for what it really is...not some label or a title.  But what it really means.

Be blessed!

In Him,

Samantha 

[James 2] - DO stuff. Walk the Talk.

Hello dear readers!

It seems to be a current theme that I'm now up at midnight blogging when it used to be that if I wasn't in bed by 10pm I would feel guilty.  Oh well.

So, I'm still reading James.  Still being highly convicted by this really short book in the Bible.  The power of words never ceases to amaze me.

I'm not going to discuss the entire chapter this time, I'm just going to pull out one thing that stuck with me in chapter 2 and that is this: you have to do stuff.

This theme shows up somewhat in chapter one as well but it becomes clear in chapter 2.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? (v. 14)

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is DEAD. (v. 17)

...but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (v.  15)

It seems that within the "American" church today people are okay with coming Sunday mornings, listening, and letting it float out the other ear.  And I'm not saying I am guilty of these same things.  But we simply cannot just listen...we must act.  And its not even a suggestion in the Bible.  It clearly says faith by itself is DEAD...d-e-a-d, caputski, gone, nada, nonexistent...

So, you could have ALL the faith in the world.  You could read your Bible every day.  You could pray ever hour.  But without action... what is your faith, really?  I question myself a lot with this - if I believe in a heaven and a hell, a hell where there is real fire and people really suffer, and a heaven more wonderful then my brain can comprehend...then why do I not share my faith more often and with a greater sense of urgency????  This question literally keeps me up some nights.

Notice the last verse... "but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" ...I read this verse and just stopped.  The next day I was driving in my car and really noticed those people standing on the corners with signs... God, do you mean I should do something about their physical needs?  The answer I received back: yes.  So I found a gas station, bought groceries, and brought them back (after trying to park on an interstate..this is difficult.).  I handed the man four bags of groceries.  He was crying.  I desperately wanted to share more of Jesus with him, but fear kept me from doing so.  So as I handed them to him I said something along the lines of "Jesus loves you! God bless you!  Good bye!"  ... Next time, I know I need to stop...pause... and actually have a conversation.

But the point is this... you can't just believe.  You can't just listen.  You can't just read.  You can't just pray.  You must, must, must act and do as Jesus did. 

Faith + deeds = bingo.

So, what will you do this week?

That is up to you.

Be blessed!

In Him,

Samantha

Idol Sickness

In 2 Kings it reads: they followed worthless idols, and they themselves became worthless.  I heard this verse read today - and it literally caused me to stop and think.    


We often times think of "idols" as statues, witch doctors in another country, possessions, or people who we literally worship.  Idols are much more then this.  An idol is anything that takes precedence over God in our lives.  An idol can be food, money, a job, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a spouse, a celebrity, school, you name it.  


In America, we're really good about disguising our idols.  And we probably have more of them in our culture then anywhere else.


We value the fact that we can make our own decisions and choices and yet we're really slaves to the worldly things that consume us.  


We're all longing for that hole in our life to be fulfilled - we all want to be satisfied.  Many of us however, chose to fill that hole with idol after idol moving onto the next when the first doesn't fulfill.  The devil continually looks for ways to fill our longings with things that will ultimately steal, kill, and destroy us.  


Often times, the idol he gets us to follow won't even be something that is blatant, especially within the "Christian" sect.  


For example, recently I found myself thinking often about my future career, and the longing to have a family.  Those two things are not bad things to think about - but they began to consume my thoughts, my ideas, and invade most parts of my day - becoming my idol.  


If we allow ourselves to be consumed with idols in our life - and start to follow worthless things - we will ultimately become those things.  We become what we consume our lives with.  


So whats your idol?  
Food?  Money?  A desire for a spouse/significant other?  A career?  A job?  Technology?  Pride?  Competition?  Music?  Industry?  Reality TV?  A celebrity?  A sports team?


Identify it.  Thats step one.  


Papa God I pray that we are so consumed with You and the things of eternity and of Your Kingdom that earthly things don't even compare.  I ask that You would reveal our idols to us God and begin to revive our hearts with a new passion for You.  Papa, we live to glorify You and make Your Kingdom known.  


In your beautiful son Jesus name,


Amen.  

Love for Enemies

Tonight, I just wanted to share a piece of whats been on my heart.  And I truly want to get better at this blogging thing, since I just noticed I haven't blogged since March!  So much to tell, and so little time.  I am committing to get better. 


Luke 6:27-36 has been on my heart lately.  Quite a bit.  Here is the Scripture:


 ²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.
   ³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.


In the Christian culture it is said "love your enemies" - and everyone says it like its the simplest thing to do.  It is not.  Doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who mistreat you are definitely not the easiest things - at least not in my book.  


For a long time now, Jesus has been teaching me how to love other people.  And I mean it - love.  Not just tolerate or put up with but -  L-O-V-E.  


Our lives speak volumes to those around us.  If we begin to show others the love that Christ has for us, what a testimony that will be to others about Jesus.  


People don't want to often times listen to our words (take it from someone who makes public attempts at evangalization) - BUT - they can't help but gaze at our actions.  I say that with the intent of keeping Jesus at the forefront of everything we do.  


Challenge: try loving your enemies.  Really loving them.  Not out of self righteousness, not out of pity, or expecting anything in return...just genuine, heart-felt love.  


I will post soon - much to tell about YATEC! (Young Adults Together Encountering Christ)


In His name, 


Samantha

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt

So I've been reading this book lately entitled: "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt" by Kevin Dedmon.  Excellent book by the way, check it out if you have some free time.  Anyway, so the book describes a treasure hunt for the ultimate treasure -- people!  Its a treasure hunt like no other - thats for sure.  So tonight, along with a few close friends, we decided to go out into the city of Willmar and try it out for ourselves.


Simply put, each person prays and has his/her own list.  You write down six locations, six names, six appearances, six things people may need prayer for, and six unusual things that come to mind that God reveals to you.  After this, you start hunting.


So our first location came up to be Wal-Mart.  We did some neat things there, but nothing hit me personally there.  Then onto Cashwise.  This is where I really saw God start moving and revealing "treasure" to me.  Keep in mind, before this, I had hardly done any evangelizing and I was scared half to death.


One of my friends had "Abbie" on his list.  We knew our friend Abbie was working so we went to see if she  needed prayer.  Turns out, she was having knee pain - which of course - happened to be on his list.  Three of us prayed for her knee, right there smack dab in Cashwise.  As we were praying, her knee "popped."  Healing?  Perhaps.


After this, we traveled on some more.  I was getting excited now to find a treasure of my own.  I spotted a young boy wearing a sea blue sweatshirt.  That was on my list.  I trembled.  What do I do now! I thought to myself.  I selfishly ignored it - and walked on.  Minutes later, there he was again - right in my path.  I ignored it a second time.  I didn't see him again until we were about to leave.  We entered the video section and there he was once again, looking at video games this time.  I panicked.  Okay God - I thought - I'll do it, I'll do it!  So with the help of a friend, I approached him.  We began talking and it became easy.  By God's grace I knew he was in 7th grade and my friend Andy knew he liked math, this made the conversation more interesting.  Also, the three of us had all grown up going to St. Mary's church - another interesting connection.   Finally, I spat it out.  I told him that his sweatshirt color was on my list and asked if I could pray for him...he agreed!  Woofta.  So, I did just that.  Andy and I both felt like the young guy was going to be a leader so we just released God's blessings over him and said goodbye.


Now, I was really on fire.  I wanted more of God and I wanted to reach more people with the good news of the Kingdom!


Next, we went to Culvers.  Immediately I noticed a young gal (mid twenties maybe) wearing a bright pink shirt.  Sure enough, I had bright pink on my list.  I heard someone call her name - Sara - also on my list.  I asked her how she spelled it due to the fact there are a few ways to spell Sara.  She spelled it for me just as I had wrote it not an hour before.  I proceeded to tell her that I was on a treasure hunt, then handed her my list and asked her if she related to anything on it.  She held it for quite some time, really taking into consideration everything on it.


She then began to tell us a story of how her mom lost her job because of a false "money" stealing accusation.  And how her and her mom were low on "money" and how she was the only source of income currently.  And wouldn't you know it -- I had "money" under "things people need prayer for."  She allowed me the privilege to pray for her out loud.  After that, we began sharing Jesus with her....


God is so very good...and He is above the rules and the boxes we try and put Him in...

A Generation Deceived

One of the biggest lies that bombards us from the media is that women, especially young women, must be THIN.  Not just average, but thin. Average, is no longer good enough.  Average is the ‘new’ overweight. This thinking has led to the destruction of many young women and the increasing advancement of bulimia and anorexia.  Currently today, two-thirds of underweight twelve-year-olds consider themselves fat. 

The media purposefully alters images of women on the front of magazines.  Why?  So that women will fall for the trap and be deceived by the lies.  The lie that we are indeed too large for our own good.  The lie that we are indeed not yet beautiful enough but must buy their new “must have” product in order to make ourselves look and feel more beautiful. Their goal is to make sure that you feel the need to buy their products.  And they will push any angle in order to get this accomplished. 

Take a look at the latest magazine covers. Almost always you will find something on the cover to help alter yourself.

“Abs in under 5 minutes” …because your not “sexy” enough…

 “5 tricks to dieting” …because your not “thin” enough…

“Making the cut” …because your not “athletic” enough…

“How to make him want you more” …because your not “desirable” enough…

“Turn your B’s into A’s” …because your not “smart” enough…

“10 steps to a better you” …because your not “good” enough…

Here is a glance into the life of a twelve-year-old girl.  This story is taken from “Lies Young Women Believe.” 

Caitlyn was twelve when she began to believe that she was fat.  At fourteen she began to do something about it.  Most days she just didn’t eat.  She scheduled her high school classes so she wouldn’t have a lunch period.  If she ever caved in and ate, she ate a lot.  Then she felt forced to throw up…and to demand a four or five mile run of herself.  By the time she was in high school she’d starved herself down to eighty pounds; her period had stopped, and doctors were concerned that she’d have a heart attack.  While she was getting treatment, she couldn’t stand the weight she was gaining, though she was still considerably underweight.  To punish herself, she stuck a rusty nail in her arm and left it there for days.  By the time it was discovered, the infection was so bad that the doctors feared Caitlyn would lose her arm, if not her life.

Believe it or not, I knew many girls that went to these kinds of extreme lengths, even in my high school.  Girls I was friends with would often push food around their trays, making it look like they were eating.  Others would just skip lunch entirely, opting to hide out in the locker room or other areas.  


Currently, I hold a job at a local gym and I see young girls come in and workout for hours at a time when I can see the bones in their legs and arms and they look as if they could fall apart at any instant.  My heart yearns to reach out to these girls, but most of them don’t even know they have a problem.  One young girl comes in each day and works out for roughly four hours at a time.  She looks breakable and spends the entire four hours doing a pure strenuous cardio workout.  I understand marathon runners who have to train sometimes hours at a time (mostly because I am a runner), but this is not anything remotely similar.  This is abusing her body because she doesn’t feel that it is currently good enough the way it is.  This, is dangerous.  And this, is a lie. 

Back to the story in Genesis – Eve.  Eve cooperated by listening to the lies that Satan was feeding her.  The first lie that Eve, and we, are prone to make is sticking around long enough to actually listen to the lies that Satan tells us. 

The first mistake we make is to actually listen to something that is a lie. 

You don’t have to touch it, like it, believe it, agree with it, repeat it, - you just have to listen. 

Caitlyn was an athletic middle student then became a fashion&beauty image-obsessed beauty queen. It just takes the initial listening…She began feasting on magazines that gave her advice on men, friendships, social issues, and contained images of sensual photographs of half-naked young women, pro-homosexual articles, and advice on sex…she made the mistake many young women make, believing the lie that “It can’t just hurt to look, …right?” 

We need to run from anything that would send us in a direction that is contrary to God’s purpose for our life. 

“Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies” (2 Timothy 2:22-23)

Flee. Run. Get away. Sprint. Go. Hustle. Hurry. Escape. Bolt. Fly. Breakaway.                     
From anything contradictory to God’s TRUTH. 

It is hard because our culture has a way of convincing us that it is not harmful to listen to music, books, read magazines, date non-Christian men, watch movies that are indeed harmful to us.  Of course not all books, magazines, movies, and music are bad.  But I think we need to be more cautious.  We know we’re not supposed to lie, do drugs, get drunk, have sex with multiple people, and yet many Christians enjoy watching television programs that flaunt these themes, listen to music and sing popular songs with unwholesome lyrics, flock to theaters to see a movie with “just one little sex” scene.  Why? 

We know we shouldn’t have idols, spend excessive money, and be consumed by physical beauty but yet we buy Teen Vouge, Seventeen, are obsessed with jean labels, and spend over an hour working on our hair and face every morning.  Why?

DON’T cooperate with Satan.  Steer clear of the lies and the mess and destruction he wishes to impend on your life.

After listening to the lie, we DWELL on it.  And let it soak.  This is mistake #2.

We begin to dwell on what we can’t have and can’t do rather than focus on the amazing and abundant gifts God has already given us.  God is a generous, loving God – that is truth. 

In Deuteronomy 6, God reminds us WHY he places “rules,” not to suck the fun out of our lives but to prosper us.  He has our best interests in mind. 

Do you believe this? Do you believe God has given his children “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3) or do you dwell on the boundaries He has placed in your life and forget that the limits for your protection. 

Enough focusing on the forbidden – more focusing on the blessings!

Messages fired at you constantly tell you that “your not beautiful” and “your not enough” …is it any wonder that our generation struggles with the sense of self-worth and identity?  We can’t afford to dwell on this to lose even a minute of focus on God’s goodness.

Time to listen, read, study, indulge in, relish, love, adore, GOD’S TRUTH which is found in HIS WORD. 

God’s word is an essential part of our armor against Satan’s subtle attacks.

But sad to say, much of this generation doesn’t know Scripture.

Many Christian teens are not falling outright for Wicca, Buddhism, or Scientology.   BUT many Christian teens are being influenced by them…often times integrating half-truths from them into  the Christian faith because they are not well grounded in what God says. 

I fell for this mistake. 

When I began college at age 16 I was not grounded in my faith because I grew up thinking that religion was about practices and rules, not a relationship.  So when I entered college I was quick to fall for Satan’s trap of lies.  I began doing things to merely fit in with the crowd.  I still went to church every Sunday and assumed I was Christian because I was following the “practices” and because my parents were Christian.  I was entirely wrong however.

One girl said this:

“I don’t want to be challenged to read the Bible by my youth pastor or to fast from something in my Christian school chapel.  I want to hear from God myself.  And right now, I just want to hang with God.”

Scary.  In order to hear what God’s saying to you and to understand His plan and purpose for your life, you have to be reading and dwelling in His Word.  You don’t have to search mystically for His voice, he wrote it down for you. 

If your going to win the battle Satan is waging against you, you have got to be getting yourself grounded in Scripture and be able to speak it accurately to those who are parroting Satan’s lies in our culture. 

If you are not filling your mind with God’s truth, you will end up believing his lies whether you want to or not.  And what you believe will determine the way you live.

You may find yourself skipping class or talking back to your parents.

You may be prone to lying or looking at porn.

You may overeat or starve yourself.

It doesn’t matter how we act it out, every sin begins with a lie.  And these lies will eventually become patterned.

Eve listened to the lie: She got close to the Serpent and entertained his suggestion.

Eve dwelled on the lie She conversed with him and considered what he said.

Eve believed the lie: She believed the Serpent’s promise was more trustworthy than what God had said.

Eve acted on the lie: She ate the fruit. 

You can chose to feel differently.  Spend time retraining your mind with TRUTH.  You can win this battle. 

Start diving into God’s word…

We are to be Salt for the Earth!

Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Here in good old Minnesota, we are seeing a ton of salt on the road these days.  So I thought it was only appropriate to write about salt this evening!

Back in the day, salt was used for many purposes.  Here are just a few:
1) To flavor
2) To heal
3) To preserve

So what did Jesus mean when He told us we are meant to be salt exactly?

We are to flavor the life of those around us.  If we truly treated each person we came into contact with like a child of Christ can you imagine what a difference this would make?  Flavoring the life of others does not have to mean evangelizing on the street corners and preaching in the bars.  Think of all the people you have a direct relationship with; friends, family, co-workers, classmates, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, gym friends, the list goes on and on.  We can make a difference just by starting with our already formed relationships.  My heart has been convicted lately because I know that I haven't been all I could be to those around me.  I haven't treated those around me like children of God lately - and that needs to change.  We need to examine our hearts and if our relationships seem less than Godly, then how can that be fixed?

Over and over again in the good book God commands us to love Him, and love others.  Easier said than done.  But just take time today, or tomorrow to examine the relationships you have with others.  How can we shine God's light into their lives?  Which relationships is God calling you to heal, or to preserve?

More thoughts soon.
Blessings!