Like I mentioned in our previous post, yesterday was baptisms at church. 161 people baptized! Pretty awesome. Derrick had never been baptized before, so we signed him up. Later I decided that even though I was already baptized at the age of 4, I wanted to be supportive of him and also renew my commitment now that I have a better understanding of what it means to be baptized. A few people from our Committed Couples class came for support and took pictures and videos for us, and actually went through the effort to make us this beautiful video that we can hang onto forever:
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Storing Our Treasures In Heaven
"I can't help it," said Ruby pitifully. "Even if what you say about heaven is true -- and you can't be sure -- it may be only that imagination of yours -- it won't be JUST the same. It CAN'T be. I want to go on living HERE. I'm so young, Anne. I haven't had my life. I've fought so hard to live -- and it isn't any use -- I have to die -- and leave EVERYTHING I care for." Anne sat in a pain that was almost intolerable. She could not tell comforting falsehoods; and all that Ruby said was so horribly true. She WAS leaving everything she cared for. She had laid up her treasures on earth only; she had lived solely for the little things of life -- the things that pass -- forgetting the great things that go onward into eternity, bridging the gulf between the two lives and making of death a mere passing from one dwelling to the other -- from twilight to unclouded day. God would take care of her there -- Anne believed -- she would learn -- but now it was no wonder her soul clung, in blind helplessness, to the only things she knew and loved.
Anne of the Island - Chapter XIV "The Summon"
A few mornings ago, I woke up, shuffled to the kitchen to get my morning coffee, and sat down at the computer. One of the first things I do is check my email for a daily devotional that I receive from Internet Cafe Devotions. Next, like almost any other American, I check my Facebook. One of the leaders from my church back in Michigan had posted in their status the parable of the 5 talents in Matthew 25 ("Talents" refer to Greek money). If you don't know the story, it's about a master who entrusts 3 of his servants each with a certain amount of talents according to their abilities. The first servant, who was given 5 talents, went right away to invest the talents and returned with double the amount. The second servant did the same. However, the third servant buried his one talent and left it there until his master returned.
Their master returned and asked what each servant had done with the talents given to them. The first two came forward and in response the master praised them, saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things! Come and share your master's happiness!"
When the third servant explained what he did (or didn't do) with his talents, the master was furious. He thought that if anything, the servant should have placed the money in the bank so he could at least return it with interest, rather than hiding it out of sight and out of mind. He took the talents from the servant and gave it to the one with 10 talents, saying "Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
From these two readings, I feel like God has been trying clarify a few things for me.
1. We need to keep our focus on storing our treasures in heaven. Who wants to be like little Ruby Gillis, afraid to die because everything she ever invested in or cared about was here? That isn't what we were created for, and I think one of Satan's strongest weapons is making us believe that we were created for this world. So we fight through this world, trying to make a name for ourselves, focusing on being successful and famous...for what reason? Money? Prestige?
But...it isn't about us. It never was about us.
2. Use the talents you're given. Do not hide them away to be "practical" or overly cautious. The master called his servant wicked and lazy for doing so! The servant's reasoning made sense. He knew that his master had harvested where he hadn't sown and gathered where he had not scattered seed. But he hid his talent because he was afraid.
Have you been given a talent that you're not using? Perhaps you've buried it away because you were afraid. It didn't seem practical. But do you remember what it was like when you were using it? Perhaps it made you come alive. Perhaps that is when you felt closest to God.
There is a reason.
Now, I'm not saying to impulsively dive into things with nothing but feelings to back you up. For instance, I am about to be licensed in Cosmetology. I like cosmetology, I am good at cosmetology. But is it my passion? ...No, not really. But now I feel confident that I will always have a job to help support my family, and that is something I am very happy about. However, I have put my real talents in a little hole I dug and buried them hardly with an afterthought. I felt it was needed as a sacrifice...but now that I'm nearing graduation, I will have more time to dedicate to my true passions. By day I can work in a salon (which has its own perks for creativity and meeting new people), but in my free time I can turn back to my writing and music. If God wants more to come of it, then wonderful. I would love nothing more. It's no secret that making a living from anything that has involvement in the arts is a difficult thing.
Fear.
We need to remember to keep our treasures stored in heaven.
So with that realization I sat down to pray. It sounded a bit like this: "God, I know you have blessed me with many talents. Many talents that are my true passions. Many talents that seem to be the best way in which I've communicated with you and vise versa. More than anything, I want your will to be done in mine and my husband's lives. I have buried some of the talents you have given me and stored my treasures on Earth instead of Heaven. God, I just want to do the right thing in the first place. I don't want to make any movements unless I know for sure that it's what you want, and if you have to wave it in front of my face so that I may figure it out, then please do so!"
Would you believe, God has used my work in Cosmetology to connect me to people that have led me to avenues for the other passions in my life? As long as we are storing our treasures in Heaven, we cannot fail. Sometimes it may seem as though as we are failing, but that's all part of the adventure. Sometimes...things need to be broken down to create something bigger and better. It's in those times when God reminds us that we need Him, and everything does not end here.
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity pp. 136-7
I challenge you today to evaluate your talents. I'm not saying "hey, you probably chose the wrong path in life so you should drop all that right now and start all over again!" What I'm saying is that perhaps you have some talents and passions you were given that you haven't pursued in a long time. Maybe you could dedicate some time to that thing this weekend. Pray about it.
If we invest in our talents, they will multiply and we will have an abundance. So when we get to Heaven, God can say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!"
Their master returned and asked what each servant had done with the talents given to them. The first two came forward and in response the master praised them, saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things! Come and share your master's happiness!"
When the third servant explained what he did (or didn't do) with his talents, the master was furious. He thought that if anything, the servant should have placed the money in the bank so he could at least return it with interest, rather than hiding it out of sight and out of mind. He took the talents from the servant and gave it to the one with 10 talents, saying "Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
From these two readings, I feel like God has been trying clarify a few things for me.
1. We need to keep our focus on storing our treasures in heaven. Who wants to be like little Ruby Gillis, afraid to die because everything she ever invested in or cared about was here? That isn't what we were created for, and I think one of Satan's strongest weapons is making us believe that we were created for this world. So we fight through this world, trying to make a name for ourselves, focusing on being successful and famous...for what reason? Money? Prestige?
But...it isn't about us. It never was about us.
2. Use the talents you're given. Do not hide them away to be "practical" or overly cautious. The master called his servant wicked and lazy for doing so! The servant's reasoning made sense. He knew that his master had harvested where he hadn't sown and gathered where he had not scattered seed. But he hid his talent because he was afraid.
Have you been given a talent that you're not using? Perhaps you've buried it away because you were afraid. It didn't seem practical. But do you remember what it was like when you were using it? Perhaps it made you come alive. Perhaps that is when you felt closest to God.
There is a reason.
Now, I'm not saying to impulsively dive into things with nothing but feelings to back you up. For instance, I am about to be licensed in Cosmetology. I like cosmetology, I am good at cosmetology. But is it my passion? ...No, not really. But now I feel confident that I will always have a job to help support my family, and that is something I am very happy about. However, I have put my real talents in a little hole I dug and buried them hardly with an afterthought. I felt it was needed as a sacrifice...but now that I'm nearing graduation, I will have more time to dedicate to my true passions. By day I can work in a salon (which has its own perks for creativity and meeting new people), but in my free time I can turn back to my writing and music. If God wants more to come of it, then wonderful. I would love nothing more. It's no secret that making a living from anything that has involvement in the arts is a difficult thing.
Fear.
We need to remember to keep our treasures stored in heaven.
So with that realization I sat down to pray. It sounded a bit like this: "God, I know you have blessed me with many talents. Many talents that are my true passions. Many talents that seem to be the best way in which I've communicated with you and vise versa. More than anything, I want your will to be done in mine and my husband's lives. I have buried some of the talents you have given me and stored my treasures on Earth instead of Heaven. God, I just want to do the right thing in the first place. I don't want to make any movements unless I know for sure that it's what you want, and if you have to wave it in front of my face so that I may figure it out, then please do so!"
Would you believe, God has used my work in Cosmetology to connect me to people that have led me to avenues for the other passions in my life? As long as we are storing our treasures in Heaven, we cannot fail. Sometimes it may seem as though as we are failing, but that's all part of the adventure. Sometimes...things need to be broken down to create something bigger and better. It's in those times when God reminds us that we need Him, and everything does not end here.
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity pp. 136-7
I challenge you today to evaluate your talents. I'm not saying "hey, you probably chose the wrong path in life so you should drop all that right now and start all over again!" What I'm saying is that perhaps you have some talents and passions you were given that you haven't pursued in a long time. Maybe you could dedicate some time to that thing this weekend. Pray about it.
If we invest in our talents, they will multiply and we will have an abundance. So when we get to Heaven, God can say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!"
Monday, January 23, 2012
This is TRUTH.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
I like this verse a lot. If you're just joining us, or passing by, or perhaps you have been here a while and forgot, I named this blog Aletheia because Aletheia is the greek word for truth.
Truth.
Allow that word to sink in for a moment. What is truth? Sometimes truth is hidden beneath a surface of confusion, deceit, lies, or misconception. Other times, truth is the elephant in the room that no one wants to admit is there. When truth is revealed and acknowledged, only then can it shine its light on our lives and purify that misty surface or stuffy room.
Today I want to discuss the truth found in 1 John 1:9 (and to credit my source, I got the idea of this verse from Bethannie who posted this as her status on FB). Sometimes it seems as though we walk around with the notion that God already forgave us, so we can go on living our lives however we wish and just know that you're forgiven, whether you're actually sorry or not.
But what about this verse? It says, if we confess our sins...THEN God can forgive them and CLEANSE us from them.
So what does that mean? Well, if you read the verse before and after that, it explains: "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the TRUTH. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:8, 10)
Wow. So if we don't confess that we have sinned and ask for God's forgiveness, we are actually calling God a liar? No matter how much we convince ourselves or others that we have done nothing wrong, we are calling God a liar and his word has no place in our hearts. Ouch. That's pretty serious. So what do we gain from that?
Nothing.
What do we gain from humbling ourselves, confessing we were wrong, and asking for forgiveness?
Eternity.
You know, this makes me think of an email I received this morning. I won't go into much detail, but a few years ago when I was in college I was renting out a house with another girl. You know when you're starting off in life and perhaps haven't lived with other people before, it takes some adjusting. Well, there wasn't very much "adjusting" going on, and I ended up moving out. We tried to leave on a good note, but we just weren't seeing eye-to-eye.
This morning I went on my Facebook and had a message in my inbox from this girl apologizing for our failed attempt as roommates. Even though it was about 3 or 4 years late, I really appreciated that email. That email alone was a victory for God's truth. She not only took a stand to bring peace to the situation, but she just took a stand for God, and has finally been able to be purified of the situation. I had to do the same. But we couldn't forgive each other fully until we asked God and asked each other for forgiveness.
1 John 1 is all around a good chapter, but let me share one more verse from this chapter that shows us that when we allow victory for God's truth and God's forgiveness of ourselves, we are also allowing fellowship with each other. So, we're actually feeding our relationships with other people when we admit that we're wrong to ourselves, to God, and to each other. It is then when we finally choose to die to ourselves, and live in Christ.
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Regardless of who you are, Christ cannot wash us clean of sin if we don't admit that we have sin! That is exactly what this chapter is saying! What do we gain from that? Self satisfaction, thinking we're right? No! We gain NOTHING. If anything, you'll lose your relationships with other people, you'll lose the chance at a pure relationship with God, you will lose your opportunity for a full, pure life. Is that really worth it? Is it really worth losing all of that just so you could say you were right? I desperately hope your answer is no.
This is truth. This is Aletheia. I'm taking this straight out of the bible. Let me reiterate one more time:
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."
1 John 1:7-10
I hope this speaks to you today. I know it has spoken to me. Take some time today and read through 1 John. It's an amazing book that tackles sin and loving God over the things and ways of the world. There are only 5 chapters in the book of 1 John, and I invite you to read through them and discover truth. Feel free to post your thoughts and experiences. I would love to read them. :)
Blessings and aletheia.
I like this verse a lot. If you're just joining us, or passing by, or perhaps you have been here a while and forgot, I named this blog Aletheia because Aletheia is the greek word for truth.
Truth.
Allow that word to sink in for a moment. What is truth? Sometimes truth is hidden beneath a surface of confusion, deceit, lies, or misconception. Other times, truth is the elephant in the room that no one wants to admit is there. When truth is revealed and acknowledged, only then can it shine its light on our lives and purify that misty surface or stuffy room.
Today I want to discuss the truth found in 1 John 1:9 (and to credit my source, I got the idea of this verse from Bethannie who posted this as her status on FB). Sometimes it seems as though we walk around with the notion that God already forgave us, so we can go on living our lives however we wish and just know that you're forgiven, whether you're actually sorry or not.
But what about this verse? It says, if we confess our sins...THEN God can forgive them and CLEANSE us from them.
So what does that mean? Well, if you read the verse before and after that, it explains: "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the TRUTH. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:8, 10)
Wow. So if we don't confess that we have sinned and ask for God's forgiveness, we are actually calling God a liar? No matter how much we convince ourselves or others that we have done nothing wrong, we are calling God a liar and his word has no place in our hearts. Ouch. That's pretty serious. So what do we gain from that?
Nothing.
What do we gain from humbling ourselves, confessing we were wrong, and asking for forgiveness?
Eternity.
You know, this makes me think of an email I received this morning. I won't go into much detail, but a few years ago when I was in college I was renting out a house with another girl. You know when you're starting off in life and perhaps haven't lived with other people before, it takes some adjusting. Well, there wasn't very much "adjusting" going on, and I ended up moving out. We tried to leave on a good note, but we just weren't seeing eye-to-eye.
This morning I went on my Facebook and had a message in my inbox from this girl apologizing for our failed attempt as roommates. Even though it was about 3 or 4 years late, I really appreciated that email. That email alone was a victory for God's truth. She not only took a stand to bring peace to the situation, but she just took a stand for God, and has finally been able to be purified of the situation. I had to do the same. But we couldn't forgive each other fully until we asked God and asked each other for forgiveness.
1 John 1 is all around a good chapter, but let me share one more verse from this chapter that shows us that when we allow victory for God's truth and God's forgiveness of ourselves, we are also allowing fellowship with each other. So, we're actually feeding our relationships with other people when we admit that we're wrong to ourselves, to God, and to each other. It is then when we finally choose to die to ourselves, and live in Christ.
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Regardless of who you are, Christ cannot wash us clean of sin if we don't admit that we have sin! That is exactly what this chapter is saying! What do we gain from that? Self satisfaction, thinking we're right? No! We gain NOTHING. If anything, you'll lose your relationships with other people, you'll lose the chance at a pure relationship with God, you will lose your opportunity for a full, pure life. Is that really worth it? Is it really worth losing all of that just so you could say you were right? I desperately hope your answer is no.
This is truth. This is Aletheia. I'm taking this straight out of the bible. Let me reiterate one more time:
"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."
1 John 1:7-10
I hope this speaks to you today. I know it has spoken to me. Take some time today and read through 1 John. It's an amazing book that tackles sin and loving God over the things and ways of the world. There are only 5 chapters in the book of 1 John, and I invite you to read through them and discover truth. Feel free to post your thoughts and experiences. I would love to read them. :)
Blessings and aletheia.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Who's Doing The Judging Here?
I've seen this video floating around Facebook for a few days with people flaring up in anger claiming that Rick Perry is a homophobe.
However...I don't necessarily see where he was speaking AGAINST homosexuality. I think the point is that we're expected to support an openly homosexual lifestyle, but the Christian lifestyle is being criticized and expected to be kept low-key. People posting this video and bashing him for supporting an open Christian faith and saying he's speaking against homosexuality (which really he wasn't) is just proving his point further.
I just say this because every day I see Christians are constantly being judged and ridiculed by people claiming that the opposite is happening. In my business I'm surrounded by people who live a homosexual lifestyle and I nor anyone else looks down on them or judges them. Some of these people are my favorite to be around. But word gets out that I'm a Christian and people don't even try to be subtle in their judgement (I'm not referring to everyone, a lot of people have been accepting). There are and have been Christians out there that have given us a bad name, but there are also wicked people who do bad things in general, but does that mean I need to judge the entire human race? Every day it gets easier for people to be homosexual, and harder for people to be Christian. I believe this is the point he was attempting to make.
Just look at Tim Tebow. I don't care what you say, he's pretty darn good at what he does. But just because he's open about his faith, people have ridiculed him publicly over and over again. Yet, look at all the famous people "coming out of the closet" and people are cheering them on. Who's doing the judging here?
Just look at Tim Tebow. I don't care what you say, he's pretty darn good at what he does. But just because he's open about his faith, people have ridiculed him publicly over and over again. Yet, look at all the famous people "coming out of the closet" and people are cheering them on. Who's doing the judging here?
We are all human and we all deserve to be loved and respected. Whether we agree with each other's personal choices or not, this is one thing I think we can all agree on. Stop judging each other. Whether I believe that man and woman were specifically designed for each other doesn't mean that the person who chooses otherwise deserves to be tormented. But it would be nice if we as Christians could receive the same courtesy in return. Because whether you realize it or not, the tables have turned significantly in the last few years, and Christians are no longer doing the majority of the judging. Not at all. And I say this even from personal experience.
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