"Its (not that) Complicated" a book review

The cute cover caught my eye; the convicting words caught my heart. 


   The book, "It's (not that) Complicated" by sisters, Anna Sophia and Elisabeth Botkin, is marketed as a guy-girl relationship book, which it is, but the well thought-out and Biblically sound principles that they bring to the table, go far beyond this single area of relationships.
   It's most basic premise is a call to love our brothers-in-Christ more than we love ourselves, but I found myself being convicted more over the way I loved, (or, more accurately, did not love) my family members, close friends, and even God.
    In short, this book broke me. It broke my pride, my self-conceit, and my hypocrisy. It held a mirror to my face, and bid me see what manner of person I truly am, and not what manner of person I think I am. Hard on the flesh? Definitely. But oh how glorious for my soul!
   I would encourage anyone struggling in their relationship with God, friends, family, or even guys, (since, that is, in fact the main theme of the book) to get their hands on a copy of this book and then buckle up, because you will never be the same. 


*You can purchase the book, by clicking on the link above, which will take you to the Vision Forum website. 


** The Botkin sisters, have written one other book, and have many audio resources, but I'm not sure that I would not recommend them. Most of what they write and say, seems quite biblically sound, but there are some things, that I'm not sure I can completely endorse. So, if you are inclined to study more of their works, please use discretion.

In His Presence

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

-Psalm 139:7

   As I have been reading "Loving God with all Your Mind:, I have been learning to think on what is true (Phil.4:8), and to apply that to my life. I'm not very good at it yet, but today as I was memorizing and meditation on Psalm 139:7, I realized that this is a very important Truth, one that should impact every moment of my life. The Truth is this: God is with me every moment of every day. Yikes! That is a scary reality, as I think of all the things I have done, that I would never think to do if I knew that I was in the presence of the King of the universe. But how am I to act now that I know? Since I found this Truth in the Psalm's, I decided to look at a couple more that dealt with living in the presence of the Lord. After my quick search, I found three verses that  I think lay down some good guidelines. 

   The first one is: "... come before His presence with singing," Psalm 100:2b. Even though we are always in His presence, I think this is a good practice to have in the morning, as we consciously enter His presence at the start of our day. Isn't the first sound we often hear in the morning, the singing of the birds? 

   The next verse I found is: "...in Thy presence is fulness of joy..." Psalm 16:11. This one is one, that sometimes I just have to believe, even when I don't feel it. It is a Truth that is often hard to understand, but since the Bible says it, I just have to believe, that God will supply the joy that He says is found in Him.

   Finally, I found Psalm 31:20, which I think is one of my favorites: "You shall hide [those who fear You] in the secret place of Your presence...". I love it! He hides us and shelters us in His presence! What a wonderful Truth to have tucked away, ready to throw at the enemy. 

   I know that there are many more Truths to be found, but I don't have enough time or space to get them all down, so I will let you mine for the rest. I hope that this verse has challenged you as it has me, and that you will keep it in the back of your mind as you go throughout the day. 

"We ought to try to live so we would feel all right if we should find Christ walking with us someday."

-a character in Grace Livingston Hill's book, "Cloudy Jewel"

Just Trust

 ⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

                              -Proverbs 3:5-6

  ( Sorry about the lack of posts recently! I've been attempting to absorb some important spiritual truths, but haven't been able to articulate them very well yet- they are kind of slippery! )

   I was reading a book (by Lori Wick!) the other day, and in a conversation between two of the characters, this verse came up, and even after the characters were finished discussing it, it remained in my mind. I have known this verse since at least elementary school, and possibly even earlier, but it has gripped my heart in a whole new way these last few days. The first word, alone, has caused alot of heart searching- Trust. When I think of the word trust, I usually think of the 'faith fall' illustration. You know, the one where the speaker has a volunteer fall backwards into his arms, on the promise that the volunteer will be caught. My teachers at school used to use that, and I would always try to make myself as invisible as possible, in case they decided to start calling names. Even just for fun with friends, I can't do it! As I once said to a friend of mine, "If I'm driving, I don't trust anyone else on the road, but myself." And that seems to be my motto with the rest of my life. Now, disclaimer- I'm not a hyper paranoid, control freak- at least not badly, but, I find that I have trouble trusting God to do what is absolutely best. As soon as I decide, to 'faith fall' into His will, a million what-if's start banging around in my mind, and before I know it, I no longer have that sweet, child-like trust in my Heavenly Father that I know I should have. And He has not even given me a reason not to trust Him, in fact, it's just the opposite, He has been more faithful than I could ever dream. Yet, so often I lean on my own understanding, simply because I can see the end, because I think I have it planned out, because it feels the safest. Oh, what have I missed, because I would not trust with all my heart, my dear Father, who loves me? 

Absolute Surrender

I have been reading a wonderful book by Andrew Murray, on the topic of surrender, and I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes (so far) from it.

- God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you.


-And that is what we should seek for-to go on our faces before God, util our hearts learn to believe that the everlasting God Himself will come in to turn out what is wrong, to conquer what is evil, and to work what is well-pleasing in His blessed sight. 


-If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God now, and prove how gracious your God is, and be not afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow.


-Be not afraid, but come just as you are, and even in the midst of your trembling the power of the Holy Spirit will work.


- When God has begun the work of absolute surrender in you, and when God has accepted your surrender, then God holds Himself bound to care for it and to keep it.


-God is willing to maintain our life. Only let our absolute surrender be one of simple, childlike, and unbounded trust.


-Denying self must every moment be the power of your life, and then Christ will come in and take possession of you.

Go Low

I wanted to share with everyone, a wonderful post, written by a wonderful God-loving girl. This post has caused me to do alot of soul searching, (which explains the lack of posts recently) and I hope that it will inspire you as well. If you enjoy this one, check out the other recent posts on her blog, they are all equally as inspiring! 

go low

Photo Credit

If the Christian life could be a picture, I'd say it would be a road. It passes through valleys, mountains, rain, sun, night, day, minutes and epochs. The end is sure but unknown; the distance is measurable. People walk that road, some going backwards, some plodding forward, some running hands-to-the-sky, most milling around and some sitting, exhausted. And at the beginning of the road, just after the narrow gate, there is another wall-like structure. No door. Too high to climb. Too far to go around. It's certain that the traveler who makes it past the gate is on the road -- no questions there. But he is stuck at this wall. He is stuck. Some make it through -- they must, somehow, because the road stretches on. But for the most part there is a whole crowd standing beside that wall, clogging the road, jostling the seeker who tries to get close.

For the longest time, I remember standing outside that wall, staring it up and down and around to figure out how to get past it. I could hear the singing of those on the other side, their feet pounding the ground as they moved closer and closer to the finish line -- and I wanted what they had. Badly. My heart thrilled whenever it thought of the possibilities on the other side of that wall. It was everything I desired. But it was always like an outsider looking in: I wanted it, but I didn't have it, and I didn't know how to have it. I had no part in that business beyond the wall.         read the rest here

Gimme' that Old Time Religion

A think lot of people now-days have this idea of past Christians as being stuffy, legalistic, and hypocritical; considering the outward show of religion, as more important than true salvation. But as I have been reading some writings for young women, on outward conduct and the workings of Christian religion; I would have to challenge that long held belief. These people got it! Their religion (yes, I said the "R" word!) was more than pithy sayings and raising hands because of an emotional high. It was more than, empty words and time wasted on self. These people, allowed religion to change their lives! They carefully ordered their lives around the pursuit of God, and guarded their time against idleness and self-gratification. They regularly came before Christ, whether they felt like it or not. And they came to him with a (horror of horrors) righteous fear of Him. They recognized Him as their Lord and King, and didn't brush Him off as a causual 'buddy' or 'best friend' as we are apt to do today. Of course there were some who took it too far and became fake, but unless you can look around today and say that some people haven't taken this "relationship, not religion" thing too far, then there is no question that we have something to learn from our elders.
   Now I have some questions. What if we, today, took our que from the great Christians of the past and lived out our belief's instead of hiding behind our Christian freedom? (Which, by the way, is a valid belief, as long as it is kept within the proper bounds.) What if we chose prayer and Bible study, over fleeting amusement? And what if we did this all, in the spirit of loving Christ and honoring Him? I think that we could make a huge difference!!!

I shall yet praise Him

 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

                                                                     - Psalm 42:5

   There isn't a lot I have to say on this verse. It has just been on my heart alot lately, and I wanted to share it.

   It seems like alot of times, when I want something from God, (Not like new clothes or a new phone or anything 'surfacy' like that, but truly legitimate requests, as in seeking His will or His strength), I come to Him with a demanding attitude. Not a persevering attitude, but a demanding, impatient attitude. I believe that we are to come boldly before God and present our requests with an audacious spirit, but I sometimes forget, in my desire to be bold and audacious, that I must have faith. I can't storm God's throne room and lay out my petitions, if I don't believe that He can fulfill them. And I think that's been my mindset for far too long. I've been crying out to God in desperation, without remembering that "I shall yet praise Him". 

   I hope this verse speaks to your heart, as it did to mine, in a different way, of course. In fact, I would really encourage you to read the entire chapter and even the next one, as they go together and lay out the idea in even broader terms. Have a wonderful day, and don't forget to praise God!

   

The god of Emotions

   Now, if you are a guy trying to read this post, it may not make alot of sense to you since you operate on a more 'rational' level (at least that's what I've heard), but you are welcome to persevere and see what you can get out of this.

   I have never thought of myself as an overly emotional person. I mean, sure I tear up at the end of a sad movies, and funerals, and end of camp speeches like any self respecting girl. Sometimes I even get a little misty when I have been provoked and frustrated beyond the call of duty, but I never fly off the handle. (I leave that to my sister! hehe!) I don't become irrevocably depressed when things don't go my way, I don't have frequent and dramatic mood swings, and I don't fall to pieces when the guy I like gets a girlfriend. (which of course rarely happens!) So, I must not be an overly emotional person! Right? Ya, well, I was wrong. I am just as much of a slave to my emotions, as the girl that goes through Kleenexes like a smoker through cigarettes, except I think I'm worse. The worship of my emotions is causing me to pay a higher price than any Kleenex box, it is causing me to sacrifice a growing knowledge of and love for my Savior! 

   You see, I've been nursing a cold, since Friday (courtesy of Mrs. Amy Smith), and when I get sick, even just a little, it wipes me out! I am not one of those who can bravely march through illness without complaint. Nope, when I get sick, I need: my bed, my medicine, my mommy and some old movies, along with lots of rest and possibly my own drink refiller. Through this, I have been neglecting God. But I'm soooo tired, and I'm  sure God want's me to get my rest so I can feel better instead of waking up early to spend time with Him. He really couldn't expect me to be able to concentrate on prayer and reading the Bible with my head hurting so bad. Well, you know, I'm sure He wouldn't mind if I skipped my devotions, since I really need to catch up on something else, just this once won't hurt! Sound familiar? But the thing is, these excuses aren't just reserved for when I'm sick. If I'm tired in the morning, I turn off my alarm. If there is a really good movie on or I'm behind on laundry I postpone my quiet time. If I am reading a good book.... you get the point. Then God tapped on my shoulder and showed me how I was allowing my emotions to dictate what I did and did not do. He showed me that it is possible to control them, not in my strength but in His. As I was mulling all this over, He showed me once more how my emotions were taking over, by leading me to todays Revive Our Hearts which was on, guess what? Exactly, emotions! Is He good or what? I can only praise Him for His faithfulness in taking situations that have to potential to draw me away from Him, and turning them into learning moments that can propel me farther into my walk with Him. How great is our God!

Sunrise

²²It is through the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

²³They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.

                                                         -Lamentations 3:22-23

These verses were the first things to come to mind as the wake up committee (aka Lacey) opened my curtains this morning. I had been dreading getting out of bed, until I caught a glimpse of the glorious sun shining in my window and the all around "spring look". This wouldn't have made such an impact on me though, had yesterday not been dark and dreary. I think that sometimes that is how life is, dark days and nights come, but with them come's the hope of the next morning, hope of the sun. And when we experience the darkness, the light seem's so much more beautiful! This isn't going to be a long or eloquent post, but I hope that this beautiful truth encourages you as it did me. Oh, how faithful our God is!

Abide in Me

⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

                                                                   -John 15:4-5


   This year, instead of making a list of resolutions that I won't keep, I decided to choose a word that correlates with a verse to use as my 'word of the year'. Can you guess what it is? Yes, it's 'Abide'! God really laid this concept on my heart last month, as He took me through a cleansing process. He brought me to a place where I saw myself as I am, and showed me that as long as I tried to make myself holy, I would fail, but if I let Him mold me, then I could gain even greater ground. At first it was hard for me to understand how doing nothing could accomplish anything, but then He showed me that I could do something, I could simply abide in Him. So this is my goal this year: to learn to abide in Christ every moment of every day. I have found that listening to an audio bible as I clean my room or do laundry is a very practical way to accomplish this. (here is the one I listen to online) There are a lot of verses that come to life when you hear them compared to simply reading them. Another way that I'm working on, is choosing a verse or quote to meditate on if I have some mental down time, such as while I'm doing laundry or sweeping the floor, and you can't beat prayer as a way to stay close to God. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this, and if you have any ideas for practically living out the call to abide in Christ I would love for you to share them!

Eternity Perspective

¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 
                                                                     2 Corinthians 4:17-18

    I wonder how often we see our daily lives as eternal, as vessels to impact eternity, as Paul does in these verses. Knowing the American way of life as I do I would venture to guess that few of us do. I know that I don't. I get caught up in myself, and what I want to do -whether that be watching television, reading a book, or just sitting around- and totally miss out on the fact that God has a plan for this moment of my life! So, often we quote Jeremiah 29:11 and use it to soothe our worries for the future, without realizing that it also applies to us now. It applies not just in a passive way either, this thought that God has a plan should spur us to action now!
    Step back with me for a moment and lets take a look at our lives. I once read that the average person spends approximately 4.5 hours a day on the computer and television. (This does not include texting, or videogames which can cause some people to easily rack up 10, 12, and ever 16 hours using some sort of media!) Now if Mr. Average keeps up the 4.5 hours a day thing, he will have, by the time he dies at 75*, have spent 14+** years on the computer and television!
   Oh, my friends, life is so short already, how can we justify squandering the time that we do have in such a manner? This time is not given to us, that we might spend it for ourselves, but that we might spend in the service of Him who gave it to us. We have not been placed here haphazardly, nor has our allotted time been given us randomly. We have been placed in our families, in our churches, and in our generations, that we might impact certain people. The time that we have is to be used as a tool to further this end, please, let's don't squander it on the temporal things of this world. I don't know about you, but it would absolutely break my heart if on judgement day, Christ asked me what I did with the time He had given me, and all I had to give Him was dust, when He deserves all that I am. We only get this one chance, this one gift of time to work for Christ, may we spend it with eternity in mind.



* This, of course, is assuming that you began seriously surfing the web at 2 months. (hehe)
** This is according to my very faulty math skills, and it does not take into account the other forms of media that are popular today (i.e. texting, videogames, etc...)

Dead Prayers

   There are no possibilities, no necessity, for prayerless praying; a heartless performance, a senseless routine, a dead habit, a hasty, careless performance - it justifies nothing. Prayerless praying has no life, gives no life; is dead, breathes out death. Not a battle-axe, but a child's toy, for play, not for service. Prayerless praying does not come up to the importance and aims of a recreation. Prayerless praying is only a weight, an impediment in the hour of struggle, of intense conflict, a call to retreat in the moment of battle and victory...
   The process of hindering prayer by crowding [it] out is simple and goes by advancing stages. First, prayer is hurried through. Unrest and agitation, fatal to all devout exercises, come in. Then the time is shortened, [and] relish for the exercise palls. Then it is crowded into a corner and depends on the fragments of time for its exercise. Its value depreciates. The duty has lost its importance. It no longer commands respect nor brings benefit. It has fallen out of estimate, out of heart, out of the habits, out of the life. We cease to pray, and cease to live spiritually.

                                            - E.M.Bounds in Purpose in Prayer

In the Wilderness

 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness
                                                         -Mark 1:12

   There is an important principle that is mentioned in three of the gospels, but is often overlooked by many of us today, and that is the principle of preparation. In our society today we can cook a meal in 5 minutes or order one in two. Unless the battery is dead, our cars start when we turn the key (no more of this hand cranking business). And instead of having to "prime the pump" water comes out of the faucet with the slightest push on the knob. This mindset seems to have crept into our walk with Christ, and we expect to become 'fully equipped' Christians within minutes of our salvation. We discard seasons of waiting on God's direction as "wasting time", and we jump headlong into Christian ministry without the slightest particle of preparation. Jesus Christ, the son of God, perfect, sinless, and "fully equipped unto every good work", spent forty days in the wilderness in preparation for His ministry. It wasn't because He was second guessing God's call, or postponing the inevitable, it was that He understood the importance of spiritual, physical, and mental preparation.
   I like to think of this in relation to the Sabbath. Did God really need to rest on the seventh day, or was He setting a precedent for us? Likewise, how much of Jesus' time in the wilderness was necessary and how much was for our benefit?
   Our world has changed in the last 100-200 years. We no longer live the simple, slow paced life that our ancestors did, and we expect God to adapt to this. In reality, He is the same "yesterday, today and forever" and He is calling us to adapt to Him. He is to be found not in the hustle and bustle of every day life (though He is most certainly there) He is instead to be communed with in the quiet place. Are we listening to His direction, and allowing Him to sanctify and prepare us each and every day?
   Yes, that idea for an orphanage in Zimbabwe is a wonderful and God given idea, but have you spent time allowing God to prepare you and to give you His directions? Yes, that is a wonderful, godly person, and you feel God wants you marry them, but have you spent a season in prayer, waiting on His timing? Yes, going to church on Sunday is an excellent thing to do, but have you prepared your heart for the sermon?
   God sanctifies and refines us through the little things He places in front of us, the small daily tasks or steps of faith. But if we are too busy  jumping into the next big thing, then we may miss the simple yet essential lessons, or the small but beautiful truths that come to us in the wilderness. Do you have a wilderness where you can retreat for quiet and rest, or do you only know the bustle of the city? Christ is calling us to "come away" with Him. Will we listen, will we respond?

Conforming to anti- conformity?

   Yesterday I read a very convicting post, and while not all the illustrations apply to me, the core of the post hit me between the eyes.
   I am a people pleaser, and not just any people pleaser I am an opinionated people pleaser. Course, thing is, my opinions are geared toward pleasing people. (oxymoron? I think, yes.) I decide not to conform to the world and in doing so attempt to conform myself to a different group of people, albeit more Christ-like. Now, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with doing things the same as other people (anti-conformity for any other reason that following Christ is just as wrong), because if we are all following Christ's lead, there may very well be some aspects of our lives that look like someone else's. I am saying, however, that when we begin following others instead of Christ, we will just be conforming in a different way.
   I love to read, and I love to learn about how to be a Christian. Mix these two loves together and you will know why my Christian Living books are knocking other books off my shelf. Now, I think that it is very important to fill your mind with edifying literature, but in my case, I have been taking the opinions of others at face value, making them my opinions, instead of letting God's word guide my convictions as I discussed in a previous post. As, true as something may be, I am robbing myself of a strong and sound faith. I will be more prone to be 'tossed... about by every wind of doctrine', instead of being 'firmly planted' as God has called me to be.
   Is there any place in your life where you are conforming to someone else's standard? (and again don't freak out if someone else holds some of the same views and convictions as you, that is to be expected) I know that I'm not the only one who struggles with this. If you are, what are some ways that you can get back to Christ? For me, this means laying aside all of my Christian Living books for then next week or so, but it may look different for you. Do you have any beliefs that you are not convinced about? Let's take the next few days and together search our lives. Lets pray that God will 'try our reins' and 'search our hearts'. If you want to I would love to hear what you have discovered. (and if you have trouble commenting, try commenting under 'anonymous' and then leaving your name so I will know who you are) And don't forget to pray for me, as I hammer out my own faith and attempt to conform to the person of Christ instead of someone else's pattern.

Renewing our minds

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
                                                -Romans 12:2



   I've heard the first part of this verse many times in conjunction with messages on being yourself, so when, during a quiet time, I read the full verse in its proper context, it provided me with a full day of meditation. As I took the verse apart phrase by phrase, God revealed to me such incredible truths! As I said before, I had heard all about anti-conformity, but I wasn't sure how to go about it until I read the second part of the verse, and then it made so much sense! I realized that if I was filling my head with worldly things then I was going to conform to the world, but by filling my heart and mind with God's word I would slowly begin to look more like Him. This really excited me; I had never heard about this remedy to conformity, and it was so simple. Then I read the last part and I had to stop and think for a minute. What did 'prove' mean? I looked it up in "Vines Expository  Dictionary of New Testament Words" and this simple definition: "to test, prove, with the expectation of approving", really brought the whole verse into a new light. When we begin to renew our minds, not only will we begin to look less like the world and more like Christ, but we will be better able to discern, "to test" and "prove" His will. So often we over complicate the process of discerning God's will for our lives, but here He has given us a simple and effective formula. He is telling us that if we will only abide in Him and continually renew our minds by spending time in His word, then His will, is not going to be so hard to find, and that is an incredible promise!

Modern Rome

³⁰ and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 
                                       -  Matthew 23:30




   The crowd perches on the edge of their seats as the lion stalks out of its cage. As one, they swing their eyes to the trembling victim in the middle of the arena. Hushed whispers and little else can be heard as the lion circles its prey. If your close enough, you can count its ribs and see the cold, hungry look in its eye. Suddenly, as though some-how connected, the lion and crowd surge forward, reveling in the carnage.

  Know what that is? Yep, you guessed it, the Colosseum; the most astounding symbol of human depravity, probably ever. But you know what, when you turn the hard, stadium seating, into plush chairs, and the lion into a zombie, I have just described the nightly scene in many homes and theaters nation wide. Think about that one! 

   We can condemn the Romans for their depraved blood lust, and thank our lucky stars that we live in a civilized era, but the truth is, Americans today are just as blood thirsty as the ancient Romans!  

   I see your head nodding through my computer screen, but I'm about to add a twist that might get you where it hurts. You ready? The difference between the bloody arenas of yesteryear and the high tech t.v. screens of today, is this: while in Rome the Christians were the ones suffering for the entertainment of the masses, the Christians in America are the masses. 

   You can spit and sputter all you want about how there is a difference, but I fail to see how watching zombies suck peoples brains out ( I guess that's what happens?)  and watching lions rip them to shreds is that different. Oh, and lest you use the argument that its not real, I want you to consider the motive. Why is that even an option for Christians today? Our God is a God of life and of light, not of darkness and death. We are called to live in His glorious light, and no where in the Bible are light and death compared. In fact, darkness and death are more often used, consider these verses: Job 3:5, Psalm 107:10-11, and Psalm 107:14. 

   Now I don't say these things to judge anyone, but to exhort my brothers and sisters in Christ. (and contrary to popular belief, sometimes that includes saying hard things) I am saddened by the state of modern Christianity, it has all the weakness of the world and none of the strength of Christ. And I truly believe that once we stop acting like the world we will shed it's weakness and its inhibitions and learn to live productive, victorious lives. Lets step out and live differently. Let's show with our actions (or lack thereof) that we are sick to death of this 'arena Christianity' and we are ready to live outside of modern Rome, 'in a land where we'll never grow old'.

Planking

³And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 
⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
                                  - Matthew 7: 3-5

     I memorized these verses several years ago for my Bible class in school and they sounded pretty hilarious to my childish mind. I would imagine myself with a board sticking out of my eye, hitting peoples heads with it as I turned to look at them. And while that is amusing to think of, its also painful, because with my (slightly) more mature teenage mind, I can see so clearly the truth in it. You see, I have a problem with pride...not one of those little annoying habits, but a serious problem. I can honestly say that 97% of all of my sin issues have their origin in  pride. It especially manifests itself in my judgmental spirit. I can profess to love someone dearly, as mentally run over every thing about them that bugs me. I can hug them and laugh with them as I plot how to tell them just exactly what I think of a certain character flaw that they possess. I can tell them I'm praying for them and try to give them a spiritual lift, when not ten minutes earlier I was gossiping about how they really need to get right with God because their life is going down the drain. And especially frustrating to me is when I'm supposed to be listening to a great sermon, but I'm really sitting there wondering if so-and-so is paying attention to the message. (as if I am!)   In fact, just to be honest (and also to practice some much needed humility) I'm sitting here writing this right now, trying not to hope that certain people will read this post.
   The more I reflect on this tendency, the more I realize that I truly am hitting people in the head! I try to help them see the error of their ways ( in a rather self-righteous way) when in reality I'm pushing them farther and farther away because of this painful plank.
   I'm going to end this post a little differently today. Instead of asking everyone to search their hearts or join me as I seek to rid my life of this pesky problem (though that would be great!). I am instead going to ask for prayer. Pray for me that I will allow God to have His way in my life, no matter how hard it may be on my pride, and that I may become an empty vessel, ready to be filled with Him and poured back out. And that maybe, I won't hit anyone else in the head with this plank.

No Boundaries

We are apt to say that because a man has a natural ability, therefore he will make a good Christian. It is not a question of our equipment but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a question of natural virtues of strength of character, knowledge, and experience- all that is of no avail in this matter. - Oswald Chambers


   I think that a lot of times we as Christians get really hung up on the whole spiritual gift thing. We take tests to determine our spiritual gifts, and then get boxed in by the results. Now, I am not saying that its wrong to take these tests, they are great ways of determining our strengths and weaknesses, but I am saying that we don't need to live by them. The whole point of the Christian life, is to showcase Jesus, and to let Him live in and through us. We can't do this if we are dependent on our own strengths, if we shun a wonderful ministry opportunity that Christ is calling us to, because public speaking is not on our list of spiritual gifts. Christ said that in our weakness, His strength would be made known. (2 Corinthians 12:9) We cannot, must not, limit God. We cannot not put boundaries around ourselves and expect to live a victorious Christian life, that glorifies our Creator. We must die to self, and in doing so die to all of our strengths and all of our weakness, and adopt Christ's. And guess what? He doesn't have limits; His weakest is stronger than our strongest. (1 Corinthians 1:25)  We must learn to live in a strength not our own. We must learn to live a life with out boundaries.

Cultivating Biblical Friendships

I found this great acrostic for the word friend the other day that talks about how to cultivate biblical friendships, and since thats kinda what I talked about in my last post, I wanted to share it with everyone!

F- find a common interest and pursue it

R- remember to be open and honest with each other

I- intercede together

E- encourage each other

N- nurture your friendship

D- discover God together

Our Hope

                 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
                                                                               -Jeremiah 17:7

The events surrounding the predicted rapture this weekend have been disturbing to say the least. But I think the thing that got to me most in all of this madness, was the reports of mothers killing their own children and then committing suicide. I couldn't fathom the kind of fear that would drive people to this extreme, but then I realized that its the fear of those who have no hope. Its the fear of those without the Lord. I am so blessed to live in a family that has grounded me in the Christ and has taught me of salvation so that I don't have to live in this fear. But what of the others? The ones who live with out hope, without truth? What chance do they have to live in peace, and to have the ability to laugh at the days to come? Absolutely none, unless we tell them the Truth. As I thought about this, I began to wonder what part Christians played in all this. Could we have prevented this senseless loss of lives? I believe that we could have. I believe that if more of us had been bolder in our stand, and told others of the Truth, not as many would have believed the lie. Maybe not all would  have accepted, but more might have had the chance. We have been given the most incredible gift in the world, the gift of life, the gift of hope, the gift of peace, and we do wrong to hide this gift! Matthew 5:15 says:"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." Oh, let us not hide our hope, but let us set it out for all the world to see!