The Blog Post that Proves Christianity

Okay, so maybe this title is a little bold. Proving Christianity is no easy task, mainly because God wants us to rely on a certain amount of faith. He gives us the equation y-mx+b, gives us numbers for three of those variables and expects us to solve for the last variable. It's not black and white like that for all of us, however.  It blows me away how many times I have heard some of the following theories when it comes to religion/heaven:

• No matter what someone believes in, if they're a "good person", their eternity will be spent in heaven.
• All of us on Earth will end up in heaven. 
• What someone else believes is none of my business

Okay, I'm just going to ask some questions here...

So, if all you have to be is a "good person", then why does anyone practice a religion? What's the point in praying and abstaining from sex and not doing drugs and going on mission trips if all you have to be is a "good person"? Further, who dictates what a good person is or not? Doesn't everyone think that they themselves are a good person by human standards? So what/who dictates exactly what makes a good person?

Piggy-backing off of that, if everyone goes to heaven, whether they are a good person or not, then again why does anyone go through the restrictions of a religion? What is the point?

Stopping here for a second, you see my point. If either of these were true, then no one would feel the need to have a religion. I've heard Muslims and Christians both say these things. My question to them is this: if you truly believed either of these things, then why are you restricting yourself with religion? I'm 18 years old. I know exactly what "fun" i'm missing out on by being a Christian. I don't get high, I don't attend the parties on campus, I don't drink, I don't have sex (or anything NEAR it), I don't dress provocatively, and I don't find humor in crude jokes. Is any of that easy as a Freshmen in college? NO NO NO NO NO. So why would I do that if all I had to be was a relatively good person, or, by even easier standards, just a human being? Why would anyone do that?

The point is, from the beginning of time people have believed in something. God, Greek gods, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, or even if you believe in Science (I'm talking to you, atheists). Religion has always been there. The funny part about this is that most major religions share the same Old Testament. The Bible, The Koran, and so on. From this, any logical person could infer that if 99% of people who have ever lived on Earth believed in SOME higher power, then a higher power likely exists. Second, if most religions share the same Old Testament, that's probably true too. The great part about this point is that the religions vary by who they perceive is the prophet described in the Old Testament. For sake of time, it is very extremely clear to me that the scriptures point directly at Jesus with big flashing signs. And if I believe that, then I have to believe the New Testament too. And I believe the New Testament, then I take it very seriously when Jesus tells us that He is the only way to heaven. And if I believe this, then I take each and every soul on this Earth that much more serious. So yes, it is my business what the person next to me believes. They aren't just a person to me. They are a soul, they have a purpose, and they were formed by God. This is SERIOUS business.

So, with all that being said, I prove my point. Yes, the title was bold, and maybe I didn't exactly prove Christianity. However, I got y'all thinking. If you believe in one of the above theories, why? And does that actually make sense/line up with your religion? If you are an atheist,you don't have a code of ethics really. You have nothing to tell you "yes, this is correct" or "no, this is wrong". Therefore, the answer for you is probably yes. However, if you are a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew, does that really line up with your religion? And if you aren't following your religion close enough for the answer to be no, then ask yourself why you are really even in a religion at all.

And all of you- why do/dont you believe in Jesus? Do you understand the facts I stated about the Old Testament? If not, please contact someone. Me, a local pastor, somebody. God is real, Jesus is his son, and he is speaking to your heart. He has provided a way for you to get more information, but you HAVE to take the opportunity. No excuses.

Spirit, Lead Me Where My Trust is Without Borders

I am writing at a much too late time in the middle of the night simply because God is good and he has made my cup overflow yet again. As many of you know, I will be starting college next month. Some of you may have been through this yourself, so you know all about the nervousness/excitement you feel. You honestly do not know what to expect at all, but you are so ready for whatever it is. Just how much would you completely flip if you had to go into this not knowing where you would be living this year? Scratch that, what if you're college let you pick out a roommate that you had gotten to know for months and then told you that there actually wasn't room for you so they would pay for you to stay in a hotel until someone dropped out and you wouldn't actually get to room with your room mate. Yeah, not a cool feeling. Well that was the boat I was in.

I go to a college where the acceptance rate is through the roof. Funny thing is, it's actually one of the most respected schools for many, many majors in the southeast. This means that an insane amount of people pay for the first semester and about 30% of them actually end up dropping out super quickly, which in turn means the school makes thousands off of students they never really believed in in the first place. With this being the case, you must apply for housing as soon as the first inkling of wanting to attend the school actually forms itself into a brain wave and goes through your mind. I, being the indecisive person that I am, decided I wanted to go here in February. Apparently that was too late, hence me being an "overflow" student.

OBVIOUSLY I was bummed beyond words. I had plans to skip "The Great Move In Day" and just wait until I had to move in. I didn't even want to look at the pile of junk I had just bought for a dorm I would have to wait weeks and week for. And I was super bent that I just spent months getting to  know a girl I thought I would be living with but actually would be no where near. Not to mention, we planned for our room to be super cute and matchy and that no longer would be the case. I was not a nice person today by any stretch.

Then I decided it was time to put on the big girl panties and deal with it. After all, this was my first experience with "The Real Word" and hey, "The Real World" never really had sparkling reviews did it? I was going to give it to God. I didn't know why I had been the one that was homeless. I thought I had done everything right in my college search, right down to making sure the school I wanted to go to was also the school he wanted me at. But I knew that his plan was what mattered and i was going to make the best out of it. Who knew, the person I did end up rooming with might need Jesus. I trusted that he knew what he was doing so I finally gave over the reigns, 100%.

I then made the hour long trek to an amazing worship service that is held on Tuesday nights. When I arrive, I look at my phone and see that my room mate had texted me... We had gotten a dorm. Yes, it's the crappiest dorm on campus and yes, we will have to relocate after Christmas due to renovations, but I am no longer homeless...

Praise God!! 

So as I go into worship and begin singing "Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders, Let me walk upon the waters, wherever You would call me" it hits me... God needed me to learn how to trust him. I have just entered a world where I do things on my own, which means plans will go, well, not as planned. I have to be able to fully know that no matter what happens or where I go it's in his plan and God has a hold on my life. I am about to walk into more of a battle field than I realize. Its a battle for souls. If I cant trust God, how can I convince anyone else to do the same? I know that even when it feels like things are upside down, its part of his plan. Just because I don't have it all figured out doesn't mean he doesnt. We never know what mission opportunities we have laid out before us and it is absolutely essential that we walk into the unknowing with a smile on our face so that others may ask why in the world we are so happy when everything seems to be going off the tracks. 

I am so glad to have had him teach me this lesson with his own hands and his own voice. It is certainly something I will never forget. If you havent heard the song Oceans by Hillsong (or if you've just heard the really bad radio version), the link is listed below. Please listen to it! It is one of my all time favorite worship songs and it always reminds me that he is the calm in the storm. With Jesus, you dont have to walk on water. You can just swim. He will keep your eyes above the water, even when the waves are taller than you can see. But trust is the key. God bless. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

The Big Bible Challenge

Since December 27th, 2012, I have been in a one year bible study plan. The plan was to read through the bible, starting in Genesis and ending in Revelations, in one year. I am proud to say that...

I DID IT!!!

I finished my one year plan about 2 weeks ago, which was 3 weeks ahead of schedule. I encourage all of you who havent already done something similar to challenge yourself. Reading ALL of God's word is so important. I can not begin to describe the blessings I have received in doing this or how God has talked directly to me from his word. You will never understand this until you just do it. I found the biggest blessings in the most surprising of places, places in the bible that Christian pastors often dont include in their Sunday sermon. I have probably learned more from the Old Testament about Jesus than I have from the New Testament, and I never thought that would be so. 

Another great reason to take this challenge (which I will include below) is because it allows you to be in the word every single day. Seriously, if you got anything out of this post, it needs to be this: read scripture EVERY SINGLE DAY. God will use his word to bless your life specifically for that day. Daily doses of scripture transform your thoughts and bring them to God. I am a firm believer that nothing will lift you up better than daily scripture and prayer. The way that this challenge is laid out, you will be dealing with manageable chunks of scripture that you can easily fit into 20-30 minutes of your day. It's worth the sacrifice, I promise.
So here is the challenge! It may seem like a lot, but you have an entire year. It works. There is no reason you can not do this challenge, it just takes a little will power and prayer. Good luck!

The Big Bible Challenge 

(I got this challenge from my study bible, so don't think I came up with this myself)

• Monday-Saturday: Read 3 chapters a day. 
• Sunday: Read 5 chapters 

Extra tidbit of help: To get the most out of this experience, write/highlight/underline important things to you as you go along. A bible that is falling apart belongs to someone that isn't. :)

When it Rains, it Pours

     It's pouring. Elongated strips of lightening light up the sky like the sun. Rolls of thunder make the foundations of your house tremble. Wind sounds like a freight train. It's pitch-black (between the bolts of lightening) and limbs are flying off of trees constantly. You are scared out of your mind, helpless, in a state of panic. What do you do? Do you trust God through the storm?
     The scene above is something that every single one of us will encounter over and over and over again. It's the storms of life, the times where confusion is clouding your vision, the times where fear makes you freeze in your steps. This is the time where the majority of new believers abandon God, as well as a large percent of veteran believers. So what do you do? Are you going to trust God through it? Or are you going to take the easy way out and bail?
    A lot of people don't see that the easy way out is giving up. They think the easy way out is blindly trusting God. It's easy to cling to your beliefs, even if you can't exactly explain why you are doing so. It's easy to not give up on something because, after all, the only reason you still are a believer is becuase thats the only way you have been identifying yourself. Its easy because being a Chrsitian has become your identity and you're not going to give up on it. Right? Actually, wrong.
     It's not easy. It's really, really, really hard. When things are going wrong in your life and you're in the storm, it's easier to let your breath quicken and abandon ship. It's hard to take one deep breath and trust that no matter how long it takes, no matter how rough the storm is, you will trust that God will deliver you. It's a fight to not question why God is putting you through things. Its really really easy to say "I'm not doing this anymore," and choose to believe that God doesn't guide and direct your paths. Turning your back is so easy.
     What's the hardest part of it? God doesn't give you any guarantees. He doesn't tell you when the storm will end, if it ever does, and he doesn't make it any less rough because you're a believer. All God gives us is the promise that it will end (weather in this life or in death, we don't know), and that He is enough. Even if your entire life is falling apart, God is enough. You could have absolutely nothing, but God is still enough. Are you going to believe that? Are you going to be able to swim in the most choppy of oceans, but trust that God will keep your head above the water? I'm telling you now, it's HARD. 
      But its not in vain, that I promise you. Your view on the storm is exactly that... your view. You want to be happy and positive? Do it. You want to be sad and moan? You can do that too. It all depends on what you want to put your values in. When you put them in God and the furthering of his kingdom, you're choosing to be happy. If you want to measure your life through the eyes of this world, you're choosing a long and hard path of despair. I encourage you all to take the hard path- the happy one. Put your faith in God. He IS faithful. He will pull through if you are keeping your eyes on him.
John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may find peace. In this world you will face tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

"

Nature is God's Love in a Painting

I am forever obsessed with clouds. I don't think there is ever a day where I'm driving and I am not in total amazement at the sky. No matter if there is barely any clouds in the sky or if they're taking over, they are always spectacular and breath-taking and awe-inspiring. And any time I see them and I appreciate them, I give thanks to God for giving me such a view and the vision to be able to see them.

I'm sorry, but that's gorgeous. I don't think there's ever a time when clouds aren't incredibly beautiful. Even when it looks like a gray sheet over the sky, I can still appreciate that the clouds make the colors of the earth pop out and come alive. There are so many things about the universe in general that are breath-taking, and we don't appreciate it enough. The turquoise ocean, the bright fall trees, the red hazy mountains, an orange sunset, a night time sky full of milky stars.
        When I think about these things, I become overwhelmed with God's presence. When we think about creation in Genesis, we often times choose to focus on the creation of us too much. What about when God made land and water and sky and animals. What did he have in mind? He made the earth ready for us to inhabit and he made it to be beautiful. Adam and Eve lived in a garden, a place where you appreciate nature.God made the earth for us to enjoy, and He did it out of his love for us.
    I'm not trying to go hippy on you, but we do need to appreciate this gift more. In truly appreciating the world, we will come to have a greater respect for it. Remember every time you look at the sky or the trees or the ocean that God made this view for your eyes and your heart. He took the time to create for you a masterpiece in the day and a spectacular view at night. His works are never ceasing, always beautiful, and forever a physical and visual token of his love for us. Have you thanked God for the cool air you breath, the sunshine on your skin, the plop of acorns on the ground? Have you thanked God for the leaves you have to rake or the rain you have to walk through? Have you even tried to see the beauty in the inconveniences of nature as well? Every aspect of the earth is a blessing being rained down on us. Take advantage of it.

Being the Answer

Recently in my 1-year bible study plan (Yes, I’m keeping with it!), I have entered into the book of Acts. I’ve already read most of the New Testament before, however this book I never actually got to. When I was a “baby Christian” a few years ago, I wanted to feed my soul with what most of us want to be fed with: Matthew-John, Romans –Revelations. I skipped right over Acts and told myself I’d eventually get into it when I got done reading “all the good stuff”. Well, I’m to it now, and I have to say it is definitely part of the good stuff (and of course the rest of the bible is still good stuff too!). If you haven’t read Acts, it’s pretty much all about how the disciples grew the new faith of Christianity after Jesus was taken back up into heaven. It’s a book that highlights missions and what that means, and it’s fascinating and seriously encouraging to those wanting to further the ministry. “Missionaries” can look to this book and mold how they want to spread the good news.

          Well, as I was reading the other day, I came to the last passage in Acts 8. Philip was being led by God to Gaza, but on his way he encountered an “Ethiopian eunuch”  (a very high official in the society) who was traveling back home from Jerusalem. Philip noticed that he was reading scripture and the Holy Spirit asked him to go and talk to the guy. So he walks up to the guy and asks such a bold question. He says “Do you understand what you are reading?”. I mean, that’s a bold question! Imagine someone from a different religion walking up to you while you are reading the bible and asking you if you even know what the heck that thing is talking about. But I very strongly believe that the Holy Spirit wasn’t only guiding his heart but his mouth as well and God knew exactly how to get to the heart of this man. The Ethiopian immediately opens up to this stranger and responds “How can I unless someone explains it to me?”. Wow. Let that sink in. If you continue to read, the Ethiopian converts to Christianity after Philip takes the time to teach him what he believes and why.

          Why is that question so powerful? That single question motivates me to get up every morning and put a smile on my face even when I don’t want to. It makes me want to talk to strangers who don’t yet know Jesus and invest my time in them. That question expresses need that every day we as believers neglect. Someone out there is trying to know Jesus and to understand the Bible and talk to God, but they just don’t know how. I’m a believer in missions and going to other countries and teaching people who know NOTHING about Jesus, but I’m also a huge believer in reaching out to those who pass along our very own path who are crying out for help on the inside. To a normal passer-by, this man probably seemed pretty put-together. The guy is reading scripture! Who would have every thought he of all people needed saving? Unless someone invested some time into him, they may never see the front he had put up.

          I know I have talked a good deal about missionaries lately, but I just want to hit home the fact that you don’t have to go to Africa to be a missionary. You can start right here, right now. If you aren’t just telling people about Jesus through words, but actions, you are a missionary. I encourage you to see those in need and look for those who may only have a need on the inside. Someone who maybe looks like they have it all together may be the one that is falling apart.

Romans 12:12-13  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

The Proverbs 31 Woman

     Women everywhere, young and old, seem to constantly be making a statement along the lines of "I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman". I myself have put that out there into the Twitter world many times, making the point that I will always be striving to become that woman. In case you are unfamiliar, a "Proverbs 31 woman" is a woman that the book of Proverbs describes. If you haven't read it, I'll get you up to speed: this woman is super woman and us ladies need to accept the fact right here that we will never be this woman. Verse 27 points out that she "doesn't eat the bread of idleness", and I'll be the first to fess up: No woman can ever turn down a good source of carbs, am I right? ;)
        Aside from the whole bread business, becoming this woman is a tough gig. A lot of times I think girls put it out there that they want to be more like this, but they're not really sure what all this means. Taking a look at the main points of the passage, we will have to:

-Constantly provide our husband/boyfriend with support and encouragement

-Put our hearts into everything we do, even if it means working long hours

-Always extend a hand to the poor                                                         

-Not fear when life gets hard                                                                

-Choose a respectable boyfriend/husband                                            

-Not be needy                                                                                     

-Exude confidence in all situations                                                           

-Be smart, wise, and on point with our speech                                    

-Seek God with all our heart, mind, and soul                               

    I dont know about you, but to me that seems like a lot to keep up with constantly at first glance. It's actually kind of overwhelming. As women, we want to be a pleaser. It's actually in our God-given blood. God tells Eve that she will forever be submissive and seek approval from Adam. We want to make others happy. What happens when we can't keep up that end of the deal (which is often)? Something called an emotional break down happens, which results in no one on the face of the Earth wanting to come into contact with us because we're... well... crazy. The truth of the matter is that we will NEVER be able to be a Proverbs 31 woman all the time. We won't be able to hold it together. We won't always help the poor. We will snap at some people, ESPECIALLY husbands/boyfriends. We won't be confident or wise, and sometimes we'll get lazy. Something that's also in our blood? Failure. We will try to be this amazing lady and we will fail. 

          As disappointing as that seems, there is one thing on that list that doesn't have to fail. As long as we are seeking God and his will, we will forever be successful. In seeking God, we are forever noticing that we can't live up to these standards, but He can. He is our grace. If we keep our eyes on Him, all these other things will come along too. When we get weary and tired from trying to become this woman, we can rest in Him and know that it's okay. He is enough, He can do this, all we need to do is let him lead us. And suddenly being the Godly woman that Proverbs 31 describes doesn't seem so difficult. 

           So ladies, I hope and pray that you make an asserted effort to seek God and ask him to help you become this woman. Men (if you've stuck around this long), I hope and pray that you are seeking to find a woman just like this, because you need her. And I hope and pray that God uses you to become the hope that the world desperately needs. 

       Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who loves the Lord is to be praised".