Keep Calm And Write On

I have committed (admittedly, rather late in the game,) to read through the bible in one year, and although I am months behind the people who began in January, I am finding that while on this reading plan, I find little nuggets of hidden wisdom-treasure that I would not have seen in my usual perusing of the psalms and proverbs.    One such nugget is the below verse that gave me reason to pause.  Matthew 10:16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."  Shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves? What does that mean, exactly?  Well, there's a prevalent thought among Christian circles; in order to stay pure followers of Christ, we must completely cut ourselves off from the outside world. The focus becomes entirely on keeping ourselves 'pure' and we forget completely to be sharing the news of the gospel in the world around us.  This is why I don't understand the Amish faith. Certain aspects ...

  Although a little ashamed that I didn't know round one of the NFL draft was tonight, I am watching nonetheless. And I can't help but wonder...how cool would it be to have a voice just thunder out over the crowd and call you to something big. Suddenly, the cycle of monotony is broken, and your potential for greatness is recognized.  And then...it hit me. Every. Single. Christian knows this feeling. We know what it's like. We don't have to wonder what's like to have a higher calling. Just like celebrities and athletes, we have an entire world watching us. We are called to be committed, single-minded followers of Christ who readily accept the challenge of being more and doing more. Instead of a voice announcing our draft into one of the top NFL teams, we have within us the voice of the Holy Spirit that prompts us to a higher standard of living. Not to draw attention to ourselves or to win more games for a certain denomination, but to further the kingdom of Christ...

Every once in a while, when I happen across a Bible verse that fits my situation perfectly, the hair on the back of my head stands up, and I wonder if it was written expressly for me.  2 Timothy 1:6-7  "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind."  I have been told I have a 'servant's heart', and a spiritual gifts inventory once told me my spiritual gift was compassion. Now, I could have been putting those to work for Christ in a much greater fashion, but when opportunities are presented to me, I tend to drag my feet. My mom often reminds me that fear doesn't come from God. Any fear you have about putting into use the gifts that God gave you comes from the enemy. It seems that Paul was telling Timothy this very thing. If Paul wrote his letter to Timothy in 2012, he might say;  "Timo...

Okay, I'm going to admit it....I'm a total geek.  Not only am I a geek, but I'm a geek who watches Lego Ninjago: Rise of the Snakes .  With my siblings, of course. to...ah...filter it?  That's not going to fly, is it?  Yeah, I didn't think so. But it's not like I play the online games....or have the wallpaper on my desktop...Those people are just weird . Anyway.... From episode one, my mom decreed Lego Ninjago to be a cross between Star Wars and Kung Fu Panda, and I'd have to agree. Much like star wars, there are so many parallels between the world of Ninjago and Christianity that I almost have to wonder if that was the creators' intent. Let's start with the characters. Sensei Wu has taken it upon himself to train and prepare the four ninja to follow their destinies, after having supplied them with the four elemental weapons of spinjitsu. Kai, ninja of fire, Jay, ninja of lightning, Cole, the ninja of earth, and Zane, the ninja of ice...

"as far as the east is from the west,    so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." Romans 8:1   Everyone knows the story of Jonah, right? The guy who was swallowed by a fish and stayed there for three days and three nights because he as running from God's direct order to go to Nineveh and warn them to change their evil ways and turn back to the Lord.  Most people know the rest of the story, too. Nineveh repented. But Jonah still wanted the whole city wiped out. He wanted them to pay for their sins, even after God had recieved them with grace.  Gut check: how many times have I done that? how many times have I thought it unfair that 'sinners' live in prosperity while 'model christians' sometimes struggle in this earth?  Take a new spin on this: how many times have you had a hard time believin...

I learned a neat trick from my grandpa when I was younger; if you make a diamond shape out of the thumb and pointer finger of each hand and look through the diamond with one eye, it has the same effect as bifocals.You can see a 1 millimeter diamond clear as day.  Now that you've done it yourself, (because I know you have) allow me to make a spiritual application here. when you hold the fingers up to your eye, you may think you can see quite a lot, but really, you can only see a fraction of the bigger picture.  The problem arises when someone sees only a small part of a situation and assumes that they see the whole situation. This is especially frustrating for people struggling with disabilities and 'invisible illnesses'. It is incredibly frustrating and disheartening when someone makes assumptions based on what they see, and don't give enough thought to what they can't see. If someone appears to be 'lazy' to you, maybe they really struggle with pain and ...

  I feel like I'm standing on the edge of something great. I wrote those words two months ago in my journal, although having absolutely no idea what that something great was at the time. Although now, I think I have a pretty clear picture. Although now, I don't feel like I'm standing on the edge of a high place, I feel like I'm at the foot of a mountain, looking up at an incredibly steep incline, and I feel so insignificantly small. I've come to accept what I believe to be God's will for the summer after graduation....although what happens after that, I haven't the foggiest. After I climb and conquer the mountain of my fears and insecurities, then I will once again be standing on the edge, with great things behind me and greater things before. Standing on the edge of everything familiar, ready to once again dive deep into the waters of life with a leap of faith, and embark on the next chapter of this adventure we call life.  I'm struggling.....wi...

  As I was writing an email related to a ministry opportunity, I caught myself wondering why. Why do I do what I do? For what purpose was I given a heart to see special needs kids impacted by Jesus Christ? Why am I so far from the cut-and-dried norm of society? In a world that places so much emphasis on pursuing one's own happiness, why do I feel like my life's mission is to love on those that the world looks down upon? Am I giving up anything in order to do this? By walking a way contrary to the rest of the world, am I forgoing happiness? "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8 I may be forgoing happiness as the world defines it, but this verse seems to define happiness differently. The precepts, or 'guiding principles' given by God  are where my heart draws joy from. At some point in their lives, everyone comes to a crossroads and has to make a choice; l...