We've used this song recently in worship at Elevation. I also keep hearing it on the radio. I LOVE the lyrics. Every time I hear it I'm instantly encouraged. Just thought I'd share. =) Happy Friday!
Chris Tomiln.
OUR GOD
Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You
CHORUS
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Friday, January 28
perseverance.
Heard this quote today. I think its going to be my mantra from now on. =)
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."
When you fall down (and you will) get back up. I've always heard this idea, but I never really listened until recently. I love jesus, but I'll be the first to admit that a lot of times life still stresses me out. My job drives me nuts. Bills are annoying. I never get enough sleep. I'd LOVE to know if I'm going to get into grad school. Sometimes worldly stuff just gets me in its grip and its hard to focus on Jesus. And I HATE when I complain all morning and at 2 or 3 in the afternoon I realize I've not thanked God nearly enough that day. So, I've been looking up some scripture about perseverance. Its easier to get through all that day to day worldly junk when you know what Jesus says about it... so I thought I'd share.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
2 Thessalonians 1:4
Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Hebrews 11:27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
I'm working hard to persevere. I'm praying you are too.
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."
When you fall down (and you will) get back up. I've always heard this idea, but I never really listened until recently. I love jesus, but I'll be the first to admit that a lot of times life still stresses me out. My job drives me nuts. Bills are annoying. I never get enough sleep. I'd LOVE to know if I'm going to get into grad school. Sometimes worldly stuff just gets me in its grip and its hard to focus on Jesus. And I HATE when I complain all morning and at 2 or 3 in the afternoon I realize I've not thanked God nearly enough that day. So, I've been looking up some scripture about perseverance. Its easier to get through all that day to day worldly junk when you know what Jesus says about it... so I thought I'd share.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
2 Thessalonians 1:4
Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Hebrews 11:27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
I'm working hard to persevere. I'm praying you are too.
Tuesday, January 25
ALWAYS.
Pastor Steven opened Elevation's worship experience with this passage last weekend, and its been on my heart since then.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."
He's always with me. He's always with you too. ALWAYS.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."
He's always with me. He's always with you too. ALWAYS.
Monday, January 24
BIGGER.
FYI This post is about to get real. I'm going to be a lot more transparent than I normally am, and I think that's saying something. Writing this blog literally made me cry... so be kind to it if you don't mind.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a big girl. I've never been very small. I Can't think of one time in my life. That doesn't really bother me though. I am comfortable with who I am. Sure there are times that I wish I was different, but everyone feels that way from time to time. As such, I never really concerned myself with weight loss or healthiness. I pretty much did what I wanted...
UNTIL.
A couple months ago I gave up meat. Upon becoming a vegetarian I immediately dropped about 20 pounds. That feels good. People comment about me and I LOVE it. I can wear jeans that I haven't been able to wear since I was a college freshman... and they didn't even fit all that well back then. Anyway, I didn't give up meat to lose weight (ask if you'd like to know the reasoning behind that decision). I didn't plan on doing anything else to lost weight or become healthier...
UNTIL.
As you know (if you read my blog regularly) I've been actively seeking God on my own for the first time in my life. I used to take in whatever Christian leaders said as the truth and spit it back out whenever necessary (my case of spiritual bulimia). Anyway, I started trying to incorporate God into the things I loved in life... One of those things was following lots of very intelligent Christian bloggers. These guys really know that everyday things (music, art, social media) can be a ministry... which is JUST what I am striving to incorporate into my life. One of the guys I follow is Perry Noble of NewSpring Church (check out his blog... link in my blog roll.)
Pastor Noble recently posted a blog about overcoming obesity. I thought this was a little odd, as I didn't know that he'd ever been overweight in the first place. The essence of his blog was eat less, exercise more. I already knew this. HOWEVER, one point knocked me on my ass (excuse the language... it was purely to make a point... I was pretty taken aback at the following thought.)
He quoted 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which I'd heard plenty of times.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
Now, when I read this verse I always heard 'don't do drugs, don't have sex with random people etc.' and I thought I was doing pretty well with that. But when Pastor Perry read these verses he apparently heard (and I'm quoting)
"I am a steward of the body (temple) that God has given me…and how I take care of it tells the world what I think and feel about Christ."
I literally teared up (and I still do a little even now) thinking that my living an unhealthy lifestyle tells God that I don't love him and I don't value what he's given to me. The more I thought about it, the more I began to see that I had to do something about this. I immediately thought of the following verse from Hebrews (10:26)
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left."
Reading that, how could I knowingly keep abusing God's temple? If someone doesn't think that how we steward the body God gave us matters to him, then that is a SERIOUS spiritual issue. I am under no impression that God is going to be able to fully bless me or use me for his purposes when I have strongholds and areas of my life where I refuse to honor him. And, I'll be honest, there is nothing I want more than to be blessed and used by God, so clearly something has to change.
The church in the US doesn't al all address this SIN. Thats what it is SIN. And this SIN kills more people every year than alcohol... yet for some reason we don't talk about it. ESPECIALLY in baptist churches. Instead we have potlucks and ice cream socials. Well, that's not going to work for me anymore. This is a spiritual issue that needs to be addressed.
I guess the main reason I'm writing this blog is to take ownership of the fact that being overweight (just like every other sin in my life) is my own fault. I hope that you know if you're overweight, or if you are harming your body in another way (smoking, drinking, drugs, whatever) that its a spiritual issue. Being a poor steward of the body God gave you is just as bad as being a poor steward of the money you take in. Apart from totally surrendering that sin to God, its impossible to be totally in his will... and I don't want that for me or for anyone else. To be in the bondage of food (or something else) because we refuse to make the necessary changes (that we know we need to make) is just silly.
So, what REALLY convinced me that it was time to handle this issue, please God with my body, and ultimately get more into God's will for my life? Well, it was this paragraph, that I'm taking from the end of Pastor Noble's blog... (quoting him here)
"BUT…if I can do this…so can you!!! No temptation can overcome someone who is in Christ (I Corinthians 10:13!) This issue IS NOT BIGGER THAN CHRIST IN YOU…in Him you have the discipline, the potential and the victory just waiting on you to LIVE IN IT! (See I Corinthians 15:57-58) You CAN do this…and trust me, when you do you will feel SO MUCH BETTER…you will have the ENERGY to do what you want and need to do and you will have the INTEGRITY to speak to others about how to get past the issues that hold them back…because you fought the one that held you back!"
So, you might not have the weight struggle that I have. But I'm willing to bet that there is something in your life that you can surrender... So. What are you waiting for? Give it up already. After all, that issue is NOT BIGGER THAN CHRIST IN YOU! =)
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a big girl. I've never been very small. I Can't think of one time in my life. That doesn't really bother me though. I am comfortable with who I am. Sure there are times that I wish I was different, but everyone feels that way from time to time. As such, I never really concerned myself with weight loss or healthiness. I pretty much did what I wanted...
UNTIL.
A couple months ago I gave up meat. Upon becoming a vegetarian I immediately dropped about 20 pounds. That feels good. People comment about me and I LOVE it. I can wear jeans that I haven't been able to wear since I was a college freshman... and they didn't even fit all that well back then. Anyway, I didn't give up meat to lose weight (ask if you'd like to know the reasoning behind that decision). I didn't plan on doing anything else to lost weight or become healthier...
UNTIL.
As you know (if you read my blog regularly) I've been actively seeking God on my own for the first time in my life. I used to take in whatever Christian leaders said as the truth and spit it back out whenever necessary (my case of spiritual bulimia). Anyway, I started trying to incorporate God into the things I loved in life... One of those things was following lots of very intelligent Christian bloggers. These guys really know that everyday things (music, art, social media) can be a ministry... which is JUST what I am striving to incorporate into my life. One of the guys I follow is Perry Noble of NewSpring Church (check out his blog... link in my blog roll.)
Pastor Noble recently posted a blog about overcoming obesity. I thought this was a little odd, as I didn't know that he'd ever been overweight in the first place. The essence of his blog was eat less, exercise more. I already knew this. HOWEVER, one point knocked me on my ass (excuse the language... it was purely to make a point... I was pretty taken aback at the following thought.)
He quoted 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which I'd heard plenty of times.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
Now, when I read this verse I always heard 'don't do drugs, don't have sex with random people etc.' and I thought I was doing pretty well with that. But when Pastor Perry read these verses he apparently heard (and I'm quoting)
"I am a steward of the body (temple) that God has given me…and how I take care of it tells the world what I think and feel about Christ."
I literally teared up (and I still do a little even now) thinking that my living an unhealthy lifestyle tells God that I don't love him and I don't value what he's given to me. The more I thought about it, the more I began to see that I had to do something about this. I immediately thought of the following verse from Hebrews (10:26)
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left."
Reading that, how could I knowingly keep abusing God's temple? If someone doesn't think that how we steward the body God gave us matters to him, then that is a SERIOUS spiritual issue. I am under no impression that God is going to be able to fully bless me or use me for his purposes when I have strongholds and areas of my life where I refuse to honor him. And, I'll be honest, there is nothing I want more than to be blessed and used by God, so clearly something has to change.
The church in the US doesn't al all address this SIN. Thats what it is SIN. And this SIN kills more people every year than alcohol... yet for some reason we don't talk about it. ESPECIALLY in baptist churches. Instead we have potlucks and ice cream socials. Well, that's not going to work for me anymore. This is a spiritual issue that needs to be addressed.
I guess the main reason I'm writing this blog is to take ownership of the fact that being overweight (just like every other sin in my life) is my own fault. I hope that you know if you're overweight, or if you are harming your body in another way (smoking, drinking, drugs, whatever) that its a spiritual issue. Being a poor steward of the body God gave you is just as bad as being a poor steward of the money you take in. Apart from totally surrendering that sin to God, its impossible to be totally in his will... and I don't want that for me or for anyone else. To be in the bondage of food (or something else) because we refuse to make the necessary changes (that we know we need to make) is just silly.
So, what REALLY convinced me that it was time to handle this issue, please God with my body, and ultimately get more into God's will for my life? Well, it was this paragraph, that I'm taking from the end of Pastor Noble's blog... (quoting him here)
"BUT…if I can do this…so can you!!! No temptation can overcome someone who is in Christ (I Corinthians 10:13!) This issue IS NOT BIGGER THAN CHRIST IN YOU…in Him you have the discipline, the potential and the victory just waiting on you to LIVE IN IT! (See I Corinthians 15:57-58) You CAN do this…and trust me, when you do you will feel SO MUCH BETTER…you will have the ENERGY to do what you want and need to do and you will have the INTEGRITY to speak to others about how to get past the issues that hold them back…because you fought the one that held you back!"
So, you might not have the weight struggle that I have. But I'm willing to bet that there is something in your life that you can surrender... So. What are you waiting for? Give it up already. After all, that issue is NOT BIGGER THAN CHRIST IN YOU! =)
Wednesday, January 19
clarification.
Someone told me the other day that they liked my blog... except for one thing.
Apparently to some my blog's title (The Antisocialite) comes across as EMO. [Please note that this made me laugh.] I'm not at all emo. (I may be a TAD bit of a hipster, but that's a totally different conversation.) I thought the name of my blog was a pretty clever play on words, but apparently not everyone gets it. So, I will briefly explain.
According to the dictionary on my macbook a socialite is:
so·cial·ite (ssh-lt)
n.
One prominent in fashionable society.
So, basically a socialite is someone who makes a point to fit in, be fashionable, and be liked be the world. So, it would follow that an ANTI socialite would be a person who defies fashion and trendiness passively, by just being an individual... the polar opposite of a socialite. This is not to be confused with an antisocial. An antisocialite wouldn't not shun socializing, but rather avoid using it as a lifestyle (as socialites do). Also don't confuse with a nonconformist, who purposely does the opposite of anything they deem to be "in" at a given time as a way to get attention.
So, why is this important?
If you ask me, Jesus was the ULTIMATE antisocialite. He hung out with thieves, prostitutes, lepers, and anyone else who wasn't in the best social circle of the time... and I want to be JUST like him. I'm fairly certain that nowadays if Jesus was walking around with us, he wouldn't be hanging out with Paris Hilton, Jay Z, or whoever is popular at the moment. Heck, he probably wouldn't be hanging out with me either. He was about defying societal norms, and I want to be about that too. I'm doing my best not to fall into the pattern of this world (like Romans 12:2 advises... see below). So, thats where my blog got its title... Now you know.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
Apparently to some my blog's title (The Antisocialite) comes across as EMO. [Please note that this made me laugh.] I'm not at all emo. (I may be a TAD bit of a hipster, but that's a totally different conversation.) I thought the name of my blog was a pretty clever play on words, but apparently not everyone gets it. So, I will briefly explain.
According to the dictionary on my macbook a socialite is:
so·cial·ite (ssh-lt)
n.
One prominent in fashionable society.
So, basically a socialite is someone who makes a point to fit in, be fashionable, and be liked be the world. So, it would follow that an ANTI socialite would be a person who defies fashion and trendiness passively, by just being an individual... the polar opposite of a socialite. This is not to be confused with an antisocial. An antisocialite wouldn't not shun socializing, but rather avoid using it as a lifestyle (as socialites do). Also don't confuse with a nonconformist, who purposely does the opposite of anything they deem to be "in" at a given time as a way to get attention.
So, why is this important?
If you ask me, Jesus was the ULTIMATE antisocialite. He hung out with thieves, prostitutes, lepers, and anyone else who wasn't in the best social circle of the time... and I want to be JUST like him. I'm fairly certain that nowadays if Jesus was walking around with us, he wouldn't be hanging out with Paris Hilton, Jay Z, or whoever is popular at the moment. Heck, he probably wouldn't be hanging out with me either. He was about defying societal norms, and I want to be about that too. I'm doing my best not to fall into the pattern of this world (like Romans 12:2 advises... see below). So, thats where my blog got its title... Now you know.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
Tuesday, January 18
follow.
So let me just go ahead and make the proclamation... I'm fairly certain that I'm not going to be blogging about anything besides faith anymore. If you read my blog from the beginning you can see quite a journey over the last several months. A few months ago I wrote a post about my struggle with faith. I readily admitted that I felt weird writing about being a Christian and that I didn't have the authority to say anything of worth. I used to know a lot about being a Christian when I was a kid, but it never really changed me too much. I just took information in and spit it back when I was supposed to. I recently heard it called spiritual bulimia. Kind of crass, but totally true. So, I all but deserted the Christian faith for a few years post college. Anyway, I've gone over that story in a recent blog, so I'll skip the details. Suffice to say that over the last few months I wanted to find my way back to Christianity. I realized that I was missing something, but it wasn't that old excuse for faith that people presented me when I was a kid. I always felt guilty because I wanted something besides my religion. I thought is was a guy, a drink, a paycheck. Tried that and I was wrong. Turns out the whole time I was being suffocated by Christiainity and what I wanted was GOD. All the STUFF (meetings, trips, do's and don'ts, christian politics, and just CHURCH in general) of Christianity clogged up my mind and heart to the point that I never really got GOD. So, anyway, here's the thing I just realized. I've been a BELIEVER for a long time, but I just became a FOLLOWER.
I want to say a LOT more about this, but I'm still figuring it out myself. Here are a few related thoughts I'm currently chewing on... most are a combination from sermons I've heard recently at Elevation, stuff I've read in my own personal Bible study (I read Matthew today), and my current pleasure reading 'Irresistible Revolution' by Shane Claiborne.
- What I am > what I do. Therefore I am striving to not worry about what I am going to do, but who I am going to become. I want to be someone who loves God and loves people.
- Love God. Love people. Follow Jesus. Thats really all there is, so I am striving to stop worrying about anything that's not in direct relation to those things.
- Being passive is just as bad as being violent. TAKE ACTION.
- We can worship Jesus without following him. We can adore his cross without taking up ours... But that's not something I'm interested in.
- Sometimes Christian 'stuff' makes so much noise that people can't hear our words. That's not acceptable for me. If something I do makes it harder to hear Jesus, then its gotta go.
- Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.
- We should start out by serving others, but move toward a relationship with those people.
- Everyone in the body of Christ is important. We need to get planted in the local body and EMBRACE OUR PLACE.
- There shouldn't even be a plural form of the word church... there's only ONE body of believers.
- Conversion is a process, not a one time event
- 'There is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.' -Gandhi
- 'We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you life so many people out of the ditch, you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved.' Martin Luther King Jr.
I know all of this didn't exactly 'flow'.... but hope you found at least one piece thought provoking. =)
I want to say a LOT more about this, but I'm still figuring it out myself. Here are a few related thoughts I'm currently chewing on... most are a combination from sermons I've heard recently at Elevation, stuff I've read in my own personal Bible study (I read Matthew today), and my current pleasure reading 'Irresistible Revolution' by Shane Claiborne.
- What I am > what I do. Therefore I am striving to not worry about what I am going to do, but who I am going to become. I want to be someone who loves God and loves people.
- Love God. Love people. Follow Jesus. Thats really all there is, so I am striving to stop worrying about anything that's not in direct relation to those things.
- Being passive is just as bad as being violent. TAKE ACTION.
- We can worship Jesus without following him. We can adore his cross without taking up ours... But that's not something I'm interested in.
- Sometimes Christian 'stuff' makes so much noise that people can't hear our words. That's not acceptable for me. If something I do makes it harder to hear Jesus, then its gotta go.
- Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.
- We should start out by serving others, but move toward a relationship with those people.
- Everyone in the body of Christ is important. We need to get planted in the local body and EMBRACE OUR PLACE.
- There shouldn't even be a plural form of the word church... there's only ONE body of believers.
- Conversion is a process, not a one time event
- 'There is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.' -Gandhi
- 'We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you life so many people out of the ditch, you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved.' Martin Luther King Jr.
I know all of this didn't exactly 'flow'.... but hope you found at least one piece thought provoking. =)
Friday, January 14
take two.
Sometimes I have something that I want to blog about, but I don't quite know how to say it. So, usually I think about it, pray about it, google it for a few days and then it all sort of comes together into something that I can post. The idea I've had in my head this week hasn't really done that. As such, I decided to start typing and see if I can get it to flow. Hope that's ok. I'll be honest. Most of the time these blogs are more for me than anyone else. Its nice to go back to my blog on a down day and read back over the things God's been teaching me. Sometimes it makes it easier to know where you're going if you can see where you've been. I don't even know if anyone else actually reads my blog. Either way, I'm gonna keep writing. Ok, back to what I've been thinking about this week.
This all started last Saturday. Normally I attend the Saturday afternoon service at Elevation Blakney. Well, last weekend I was off work, so I decided to go to a Sunday morning service. Saturday night I went out to dinner with good friends and watched a little football. I had fun, but the whole time I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I really missed that time with God. I mean I knew I'd get it the next morning, but it still made me feel a little off so to speak. I thought about that for a few days. I didn't even realize how much I looked forward to going to church to spend time in worship. So then I started trying to remember having that feeling in the past. I LOVED going to church when I was a kid, but it was a much different feeling. The more I started thinking about it, I realized that I used to look forward to going to see people. I was friends with the other kids in my youth group. I wasn't the most athletic or best looking kid, so I was never very popular in school. But boy did I know lots of Bible verses. I was friendly to everyone. I was one of the popular kids. THAT is why I liked going to church. But now? I know people at Elevation. But in a church that averages close to 8,000 people across four campuses each weekend, how many of those acquaintances do you run into? I realized that I was actually looking forward to singing, praying, tithing, writing down notes from a sermon, finding out the next thing God wants me to know. Since that little revelation from God, I've been POURING over old memories from my church going days as a kid.
Please don't think I'm about to bash on the church I grew up in or the people who taught me about Christianity as a kid. Thats not my intention at all. The faults of my past are just as much mine as anyone's. Somehow I really just missed what being a Christian is all about until a few months ago. I wanted to be a Christian. [And I know that God knows I wanted to love him. I honestly didn't know the right way to do it though. I'm glad He knows my heart even when my actions don't match up.] I wanted God's blessings and love. I wanted to serve him. I wanted to love people like Christ did. But for some reason I just never quite felt the thing I saw some other Christians expressing in their worship and in their lives. When I was in high school I thought that the way to be a Christian was to not drink, not cuss, not use drugs, not have sex. Thats pretty much all anyone ever said to me. I avoided that stuff, but I wasn't ever really all that happy. I still didn't love God or people like I wanted to. Well, then I graduated and moved out on my own. I experimented with some of that stuff, thinking that maybe then I would be happier. Well, things got worse. The drinking didn't make any difference. The boyfriend didn't make me feel complete. Well, eventually (within the last 6 months or so) I decided that turning back to Jesus was the thing to do... but I didn't want to do it the way everyone around me did church as a kid. I knew that it didn't work.
The more I think about it the more I realize that the reason I couldn't make it work when I was a kid is that I was trying to fit into the Christian mold. Ok, sure lots of people get up really early and read their Bible and pray in the morning... after all, in youth group thats what they told us good christians did. Good Christians listen to 91.9 (our local contemporary Christian station) because thats the only holy music. There are countless other things I could name, but you get the point... This stuff doesn't work for me. I HATE getting up early. I want to listen to The Beatles. And to be honest I don't have the self-discipline to avoid sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll just because all the preachers I knew when I was a kid told me I was supposed to. I just don't. That's not me. And I was turned off by Christianity when I was a young adult because people told me all this stuff about me was bad.
This time around though, I found Christianity for myself instead of listening to what other people told me. I don't like to get up early. So I don't. I go to church on Saturday night. I read my Bible and pray at lunch time. I don't like having to tote a big bible around all the time. So I don't. I pull up a bible app on my blackberry whenever I want to read. I don't like wearing dresses or high heels. So I don't. I wear converse and a hoodie to church. I listen to secular music. I watch TV. And I look for God in all that everyday stuff... because he's there. He speaks to me all the time through stuff that isn't labeled Christian. And all that other stuff... sex, drugs, alcohol. Yeah, I avoid it. But this time I know that avoiding it won't make me a Christian. I know that I'm a Christian because I love God more than anything else and I want to please him. I avoid sin because I love God more than I love my own pleasure. I love making him happy. I know that sin disgusts him, and when you love someone, you never want them to feel that way.
Most importantly, I know that I can't love God or people enough on my own. Its seems weird to ask God to help me love him. But the fact of the matter is I need him. And if I need him to help me love him in all his perfection, then I sure need him to help me love fault-filled human beings... including myself. Its a CRAZY cycle. The more I pray and ask God to help me love him, the more I love him... which causes me to want to pray and ask for his help and read his word and worship him more... I just can't believe it took me until now to figure this out. I wish someone had clued me into this so long ago... its what I was missing that makes being a Christian work like its supposed to. I grew up thinking that the only thing I could do was love God. And that the way I proved that I loved him was by not sinning (especially those "big" sins)... but I was wrong. I can't even do that. I need him for EVERYTHING, even loving him. Then, I have to stop thinking this way, relying on God, in order to engage in those intentional, "big" sins. I'm no longer having to stop and wonder if I'm doing it right, a thought that CONSUMED me as a young person. Now I am freed up to love and worship and give and serve without guilt or worry or fear. I mean yeah, I fall down still... a lot, but I know that it doesn't mean I don't love God (which I thought when I was a kid). It means I have something else to rely on him for... it means he's going to save me from something else, and I'll get to experience his love and power in a fresh, new way. And that is a goooood feeling.
This seems like a lot of rambling to me... but I'm posting it anyway. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This all started last Saturday. Normally I attend the Saturday afternoon service at Elevation Blakney. Well, last weekend I was off work, so I decided to go to a Sunday morning service. Saturday night I went out to dinner with good friends and watched a little football. I had fun, but the whole time I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I really missed that time with God. I mean I knew I'd get it the next morning, but it still made me feel a little off so to speak. I thought about that for a few days. I didn't even realize how much I looked forward to going to church to spend time in worship. So then I started trying to remember having that feeling in the past. I LOVED going to church when I was a kid, but it was a much different feeling. The more I started thinking about it, I realized that I used to look forward to going to see people. I was friends with the other kids in my youth group. I wasn't the most athletic or best looking kid, so I was never very popular in school. But boy did I know lots of Bible verses. I was friendly to everyone. I was one of the popular kids. THAT is why I liked going to church. But now? I know people at Elevation. But in a church that averages close to 8,000 people across four campuses each weekend, how many of those acquaintances do you run into? I realized that I was actually looking forward to singing, praying, tithing, writing down notes from a sermon, finding out the next thing God wants me to know. Since that little revelation from God, I've been POURING over old memories from my church going days as a kid.
Please don't think I'm about to bash on the church I grew up in or the people who taught me about Christianity as a kid. Thats not my intention at all. The faults of my past are just as much mine as anyone's. Somehow I really just missed what being a Christian is all about until a few months ago. I wanted to be a Christian. [And I know that God knows I wanted to love him. I honestly didn't know the right way to do it though. I'm glad He knows my heart even when my actions don't match up.] I wanted God's blessings and love. I wanted to serve him. I wanted to love people like Christ did. But for some reason I just never quite felt the thing I saw some other Christians expressing in their worship and in their lives. When I was in high school I thought that the way to be a Christian was to not drink, not cuss, not use drugs, not have sex. Thats pretty much all anyone ever said to me. I avoided that stuff, but I wasn't ever really all that happy. I still didn't love God or people like I wanted to. Well, then I graduated and moved out on my own. I experimented with some of that stuff, thinking that maybe then I would be happier. Well, things got worse. The drinking didn't make any difference. The boyfriend didn't make me feel complete. Well, eventually (within the last 6 months or so) I decided that turning back to Jesus was the thing to do... but I didn't want to do it the way everyone around me did church as a kid. I knew that it didn't work.
The more I think about it the more I realize that the reason I couldn't make it work when I was a kid is that I was trying to fit into the Christian mold. Ok, sure lots of people get up really early and read their Bible and pray in the morning... after all, in youth group thats what they told us good christians did. Good Christians listen to 91.9 (our local contemporary Christian station) because thats the only holy music. There are countless other things I could name, but you get the point... This stuff doesn't work for me. I HATE getting up early. I want to listen to The Beatles. And to be honest I don't have the self-discipline to avoid sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll just because all the preachers I knew when I was a kid told me I was supposed to. I just don't. That's not me. And I was turned off by Christianity when I was a young adult because people told me all this stuff about me was bad.
This time around though, I found Christianity for myself instead of listening to what other people told me. I don't like to get up early. So I don't. I go to church on Saturday night. I read my Bible and pray at lunch time. I don't like having to tote a big bible around all the time. So I don't. I pull up a bible app on my blackberry whenever I want to read. I don't like wearing dresses or high heels. So I don't. I wear converse and a hoodie to church. I listen to secular music. I watch TV. And I look for God in all that everyday stuff... because he's there. He speaks to me all the time through stuff that isn't labeled Christian. And all that other stuff... sex, drugs, alcohol. Yeah, I avoid it. But this time I know that avoiding it won't make me a Christian. I know that I'm a Christian because I love God more than anything else and I want to please him. I avoid sin because I love God more than I love my own pleasure. I love making him happy. I know that sin disgusts him, and when you love someone, you never want them to feel that way.
Most importantly, I know that I can't love God or people enough on my own. Its seems weird to ask God to help me love him. But the fact of the matter is I need him. And if I need him to help me love him in all his perfection, then I sure need him to help me love fault-filled human beings... including myself. Its a CRAZY cycle. The more I pray and ask God to help me love him, the more I love him... which causes me to want to pray and ask for his help and read his word and worship him more... I just can't believe it took me until now to figure this out. I wish someone had clued me into this so long ago... its what I was missing that makes being a Christian work like its supposed to. I grew up thinking that the only thing I could do was love God. And that the way I proved that I loved him was by not sinning (especially those "big" sins)... but I was wrong. I can't even do that. I need him for EVERYTHING, even loving him. Then, I have to stop thinking this way, relying on God, in order to engage in those intentional, "big" sins. I'm no longer having to stop and wonder if I'm doing it right, a thought that CONSUMED me as a young person. Now I am freed up to love and worship and give and serve without guilt or worry or fear. I mean yeah, I fall down still... a lot, but I know that it doesn't mean I don't love God (which I thought when I was a kid). It means I have something else to rely on him for... it means he's going to save me from something else, and I'll get to experience his love and power in a fresh, new way. And that is a goooood feeling.
This seems like a lot of rambling to me... but I'm posting it anyway. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tuesday, January 11
obsessed.
I've been reading Francis Chan's book 'Crazy Love.' When I started the book I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. I'd just read 'Sun Stand Still' and lets be honest, its hard to follow a book written by your own pastor. haha. I'm happy to report though, that this book is indescribably good, absolutely amazing. God has spoken to me through every page. In fact I've read most chapters twice. I've looked up every reference in the book. I really wanted to get the full effect of every word I suppose.
Chan writes at length about being a lukewarm Christian... if you can really even call you a Christian when you are lukewarm. He described the Christian life as being like swimming up stream. Sometimes you'll come to an obstacle. Sometimes the current will pull you down a little. But as long as you are always ACTIVELY swimming, pursuing Christ you're ok. But then I began to wonder... shouldn't it be more than just swimming up stream? Chan had then answer. I came to a chapter that I dare say is changing the way I look at my Christian life. Profile of the obsessed... here's just a FEW of the characteristics of someone who is totally in love with Christ. (paraphrased from Chan).
* People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly. Obsessed people love those who love them.... AND THOSE WHO HATE THEM.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus care more about God's will and his kingdom being advanced on this earth than about their own safety or comfort.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect with the poor and needy. They know Jesus talked a lot about the poor because it was important to him.
* People obsessed with Jesus are more concerned with pleasing Jesus that fulfilling the status quo, obtaining wealth, or living the American dream.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that pride is a lifelong battle. They are continually seeking to be humble so that their good deeds might make Jesus known.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that service isn't a burden. Its a joy.
* People obsessed with Jesus give freely. They know that others matter just as much as they do.
* People obsessed with Jesus think about heaven. Their life is ultimately focused on eternity.
* People obsessed with Jesus is characterized by committed, settled passionate love for God. above and before every other thing and every other being.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus don't mask the ugliness of their sin. They are raw with God. He is their safe place and provides peace.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus know that Sunday morning isn't enough. they meditate on His words day and night.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus are more concerned with their character than with their comfort.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that true intimacy with God is impossible if they are trying pay God back or be worthy of his love. Instead they revel in their role as a chile of God.
These thoughts are changing the way I think about my faith. Hope they make you think too. Go get Chan's book. Its AMAZING.
Chan writes at length about being a lukewarm Christian... if you can really even call you a Christian when you are lukewarm. He described the Christian life as being like swimming up stream. Sometimes you'll come to an obstacle. Sometimes the current will pull you down a little. But as long as you are always ACTIVELY swimming, pursuing Christ you're ok. But then I began to wonder... shouldn't it be more than just swimming up stream? Chan had then answer. I came to a chapter that I dare say is changing the way I look at my Christian life. Profile of the obsessed... here's just a FEW of the characteristics of someone who is totally in love with Christ. (paraphrased from Chan).
* People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly. Obsessed people love those who love them.... AND THOSE WHO HATE THEM.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus care more about God's will and his kingdom being advanced on this earth than about their own safety or comfort.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect with the poor and needy. They know Jesus talked a lot about the poor because it was important to him.
* People obsessed with Jesus are more concerned with pleasing Jesus that fulfilling the status quo, obtaining wealth, or living the American dream.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that pride is a lifelong battle. They are continually seeking to be humble so that their good deeds might make Jesus known.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that service isn't a burden. Its a joy.
* People obsessed with Jesus give freely. They know that others matter just as much as they do.
* People obsessed with Jesus think about heaven. Their life is ultimately focused on eternity.
* People obsessed with Jesus is characterized by committed, settled passionate love for God. above and before every other thing and every other being.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus don't mask the ugliness of their sin. They are raw with God. He is their safe place and provides peace.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus know that Sunday morning isn't enough. they meditate on His words day and night.
* People who are obsessed with Jesus are more concerned with their character than with their comfort.
* People obsessed with Jesus know that true intimacy with God is impossible if they are trying pay God back or be worthy of his love. Instead they revel in their role as a chile of God.
These thoughts are changing the way I think about my faith. Hope they make you think too. Go get Chan's book. Its AMAZING.
Sunday, January 9
overwhelmed.
I'm one of those people. You know, the ones who worry... a lot. Yep. I know I shouldn't. I know its not helping me. I know it makes me moody and keeps me from sleeping. But I worry a lot. Usually though, I find small ways to reduce that stress and worry into a manageable load. Lately though, thats been easier said than done. Lots of things are changing, and I have a lot of decisions to make in a rather short amount of time. Anyway, I've been praying constantly over what to do. Today though I found an unexpected amount of comfort at Elevation.
This week started a new sermon series called 'Get Back.' The series is all about recovering your spiritual momentum. Throughout the sermon Pastor Steven just kept going back to the concept of not asking God WHY, but asking God WHAT --- What's next? What do you have for me? What do you want me to do? It was such an affirmation that its ok that I don't quite know where I'm going. It doesn't mean you're doing something wrong if you don't have it all figured out. As Pastor Steven went on to explain we should be looking for natural means to make room for a supernatural occurrence. His encouragement was to 'prepare for the blessing you're praying for as if its already yours.'
The Pastor specifically said, maybe all your friends are engaged and moving on to new life experiences, and you're wondering what's next for you. I'm not ashamed to say that that sentence was straight from God's heart to my ears. I may be being overly vulnerable here, but I do feel like I'm a little behind the rest of my friends in some ways. I'm still waiting on the perfect guy, the perfect job, and plenty of other things. I'm just trying to do the best I can where God put me. On the other hand though, I'm aware that I am loved by a perfect and holy God and everything will come about in his time. God reassured me of that today thanks to a wonderful sermon at what I'd say is the best body of believers on the planet.
Oh, and to top it all off, the theme of the sermon series was based on the Beatles song 'Get Back.' Everything from the videos, to the printed material, to the music had a Beatles flair to it today. And think I'm reading too much into this if you want to... But EVERYONE knows how much I love the Beatles. I just felt like God was saying 'not only do I know what word your spiritual life needs today, but I know you personally, who you are, what you like, what you want and need, and what I speaks to you most because I love you... and this service is for you.'
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm overwhelmed today by how prefect our God is and how much he loves me. I hope you know He feels the same way about you. =)
This week started a new sermon series called 'Get Back.' The series is all about recovering your spiritual momentum. Throughout the sermon Pastor Steven just kept going back to the concept of not asking God WHY, but asking God WHAT --- What's next? What do you have for me? What do you want me to do? It was such an affirmation that its ok that I don't quite know where I'm going. It doesn't mean you're doing something wrong if you don't have it all figured out. As Pastor Steven went on to explain we should be looking for natural means to make room for a supernatural occurrence. His encouragement was to 'prepare for the blessing you're praying for as if its already yours.'
The Pastor specifically said, maybe all your friends are engaged and moving on to new life experiences, and you're wondering what's next for you. I'm not ashamed to say that that sentence was straight from God's heart to my ears. I may be being overly vulnerable here, but I do feel like I'm a little behind the rest of my friends in some ways. I'm still waiting on the perfect guy, the perfect job, and plenty of other things. I'm just trying to do the best I can where God put me. On the other hand though, I'm aware that I am loved by a perfect and holy God and everything will come about in his time. God reassured me of that today thanks to a wonderful sermon at what I'd say is the best body of believers on the planet.
Oh, and to top it all off, the theme of the sermon series was based on the Beatles song 'Get Back.' Everything from the videos, to the printed material, to the music had a Beatles flair to it today. And think I'm reading too much into this if you want to... But EVERYONE knows how much I love the Beatles. I just felt like God was saying 'not only do I know what word your spiritual life needs today, but I know you personally, who you are, what you like, what you want and need, and what I speaks to you most because I love you... and this service is for you.'
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm overwhelmed today by how prefect our God is and how much he loves me. I hope you know He feels the same way about you. =)
Tuesday, January 4
conviction.
I signed into blogger with the intention of expounding on my New Year's blog. Before I write though, I always read new blogs that were posted by those I follow. After reading a very powerful post today from Carlos Whittaker, I decided to repost his words instead of what I'd originally intended. I'll get back to that eventually.... but this post spoke to me so strongly that I HAD to share it. Hope you find it as inspirational as I did. FYI LosWhit's words follow. (I can't take credit... this is WAY too good!)
"It is relatively new. To a degree.
I mean the stained glass windows of the churches of yesterday were created by amazing artists and, I’m sure, in somewhat of a hope that it will allure people to worship their God more intensely.
But I’m not sure that people came to a church service in order to stare at the windows for an hour.
Somewhere in the last 20 years a slew of churches have grabbed a hold of a new “outreach” strategy.
If we build it they will come.
So we create attractional services to attract people to see God for the first time.
Which…happens.
Which…works.
But I can’t help but imagine what would happen if we took the “attractional service” budgets and began to dump them into the “attractional Christ follower” budget.
I think some HD projectors might disappear.
I think some subs might disappear.
But in the end I think that having 200 “humans” outside the walls of a church building who are more attractional than any programmed hour could provide literally multiplies your efforts 200 fold.
Or am I crazy?
I’ll answer that.
I am.
But Islam is not the fastest growing religion in America because of their services.
It is because of it’s followers.
We Have To Stop Thinking That Our Sunday Services Will Reach America.
They will reach part of America.
A very small part.
And the rest of America will be reached by the Christ followers we build in our churches.
I think it’s important to stare these concepts straight in the face."
Wanna read more from Carlos Whittaker? Check out www.ragamuffinsoul.com
Seriously, if you aren't following this guy, then you're missing out!!
"It is relatively new. To a degree.
I mean the stained glass windows of the churches of yesterday were created by amazing artists and, I’m sure, in somewhat of a hope that it will allure people to worship their God more intensely.
But I’m not sure that people came to a church service in order to stare at the windows for an hour.
Somewhere in the last 20 years a slew of churches have grabbed a hold of a new “outreach” strategy.
If we build it they will come.
So we create attractional services to attract people to see God for the first time.
Which…happens.
Which…works.
But I can’t help but imagine what would happen if we took the “attractional service” budgets and began to dump them into the “attractional Christ follower” budget.
I think some HD projectors might disappear.
I think some subs might disappear.
But in the end I think that having 200 “humans” outside the walls of a church building who are more attractional than any programmed hour could provide literally multiplies your efforts 200 fold.
Or am I crazy?
I’ll answer that.
I am.
But Islam is not the fastest growing religion in America because of their services.
It is because of it’s followers.
We Have To Stop Thinking That Our Sunday Services Will Reach America.
They will reach part of America.
A very small part.
And the rest of America will be reached by the Christ followers we build in our churches.
I think it’s important to stare these concepts straight in the face."
Wanna read more from Carlos Whittaker? Check out www.ragamuffinsoul.com
Seriously, if you aren't following this guy, then you're missing out!!
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