New Start, No Promises

            For the past few weeks I’ve been contemplating restarting this blog thing. These thoughts come most often during my breaks because I usually find myself bored out of my mind and I need some kind of outlet. I first started this blog to connect more with God. I found that the only way I was really good at that was by studying the bible, and I mean study like taking notes, highlighting, etc. I’m sure you can get some type of idea of how I was reading by my earlier posts on Romans. I assume you’ve also noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve last posted. Well, there’s a pretty good reason for it and a few not so good reasons. Warning: the rest of this post is going to be very self focused, so stop now if you don’t want to read me talking about me. You’ve been warned.
            Basically for the last year, maybe a little more than a year, I haven’t really been “feeling” Gods presence. I’m not really sure when the falling out started or even why for that matter, and I still don’t. What I do know though is that I didn’t give up. One of my very wise youth leaders once told me that even when he didn’t feel God or when he didn’t really want to be around God he still went to church and interacted with his Christian community, so that’s exactly what I did. I kept going to Sunday mornings, doing bible studies, and hanging out with my “church friends” which are just my normal friends (that’s what partially kept me at the church). Eventually I just became too fake at church so I started stepping down from my roles like leadership, book clubs, and bible studies. This is when I really started questioning my faith.  
            We started a college group in February of 2014 and that started many things. Some really cool friendships started to sprout and my involvement in the church was once again a reality. What didn’t start though was the rekindling of my relationship with God. This past year has been quite a roller coaster of faith, or rather the lack there of. However, more recently I’ve been trying to reflect on why I am a Christian, why I believe in God, and what I should be doing/how I should be acting if I truly identify as a Christian. This process has really been the equivalent of trying to do something you know very little about. Like maybe you know the basics of it but doing it on your own is way harder than you thought it’d be. Thankfully I never really had to be alone. This is both a blessing and a curse though, because when your friends have faith it is easy to feel like you have faith too but it’s not always your own. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in it all and you forget that this relationship is solely between you and God, that’s the one that matters, that’s the one that holds your faith.
            An old friend once told me that I needed to be careful as a psychology major because she had seen a lot of them walk away from their faith. At first I disagreed with her but then I started learning some things and I started having questions, then doubts. I don’t know if it was just self fulfilling prophecy and because I had heard it before I thought it was happening but at some point I started to believe that God, Christianity, the bible was all just a made up story, simply a figment of our vast intellect. It was hard to come to terms with even thinking these things.
            I know it’s not a horrible thing to question your faith, the church, or even God but I felt like I was seriously losing my faith, and my relationship with God was already kind of sandy (that was a bad joke, just in case you missed it). So this kind of brings us to where I am now. I’m working on rekindling that fire. I know it might not burn the same and it will probably take a while to get it started, but in the end I hope it will burn brighter than it did before, that’s the goal. I know I’m not going to stop questioning things, that’s not the point. I just want to be okay with questioning them, okay meaning that if I hit a roadblock my faith will be able to withstand it and not crumble. This seems like an abstract idea to me right now but I think I can get somewhere close to that goal.
            I feel like a lot of people my age (and not so much my age) have struggled with faith in the same way I am. Many of us have walked away from the church in an attempt to acquire freedom or independence. I don’t’ think it’s so much that we “gave up on our faith” as we just couldn’t really find a reason to stay. Does that make sense? Not even that we are getting something for our end of the bargain but that there’s no spiritual pull. Maybe it’s us, maybe it’s the messages and we just don’t resonate, or maybe it’s just a time of change. What comforts me though is knowing that I can question it all and it doesn’t matter how long I’m gone trying to “figure out life” He will always be there waiting for me to run back to Him. That doesn’t mean I should just go out and do what ever the hell I feel like though! To me it means trying to figure out why you want to call yourself a Christian.
 On that note, that’s what this blog is going to become: a place to try and figure out why. To ask those questions that rattle our faith and to use the answers we find to strengthen it. I’m not going to make a commitment to this thing, but I’m going to try to use it more (but who knows it could take me another six months to post) and most of these will be much shorter.
 Thanks for reading friends

Romans 11, With A Twist

Hello Friends.  Lets just ignore the fact that I skipped posting last week.

My excuse: classes started.  Even though I only have 4 this semester they are kicking my butt.  For any of you that care, I am taking Statistics (again -_-), Sign Language 2, Cultural Geography, and Ceramics.  I have class everyday! I did this on purpose though because I n  Yes, I am lazy and unmotivated, but I am also a wonderful planner because I am forcing myself to wake up at 7:30 and get going! Yea!

eed something to do to get me out of bed.

That’s enough about me though, let us talk about Jesus!

Romans 11 is worded slightly weird.  There are certain things that Paul says that are just worded backwards and kind make God out to be somewhat of a favorites kind of guy.  He’s not.  I mean, He has His covenant with the Jews and all, but just to be clear right off the bat, God doesn’t have favorites.

There is only one part of this chapter that I really, genuinely loved.

Verses 16 – 23

16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

            Here Paul was talking to the Christians. He is warning them not to feel superior because God rejected some Jews. Abraham’s faith is like the root of a productive tree, and the Jewish people are the tree’s natural branches. Because of faithlessness, the Jews were the broken branches. Gentile believers have been grafted into the tree like a wild olive shoot. Both Jews and Gentiles share the tree’s nourishment based on faith in God; neither can rest on heritage or culture for salvation. This is from my footnotes.

            What I loved about this was how it talked about getting your roots right, and how none of us are saved just because we have Christian parents, churches, friends, anything! We have to own our faith! We need to make it our own, and we all deserve to do this. Take up your cross and follow Him. Let your roots be steadfast in Him. Build your house upon the rock!  It’s all throughout the bible. A constant reminder that it our roots are not in God we cannot bare good fruit, we can’t be a light to others, we will not have a relationship with Christ, and we cannot own out own faith. It is that Hardcore!

            Think of these roots as your heart, or better yet, your brain (I am sick of people acting like the heart does all the work). If your brain did not connect to the rest of your body, you wouldn’t be able to function. This is also a kind of cool analogy because neurons kind of look like trees, haha.  Anyway! Brain equals roots! We need to set our mind on God in order for our bodies to function properly.  Without Him our brains can’t function and we will not have roots to our body. Is this making sense? We would be body dead. Unable to act or control anything that happens to us and unless our minds (our roots) are strong enough we will become the devils puppet. 

Do you get it? Unless our minds are strong enough we will become the devils puppet!

Think about that this week and here is your challenge: make your roots stronger this week! Build upon the rock, take up your cross, you can do it.

Have a beautiful week! Love you!

Song of the week:

The Best Is Yet To Come

By: Stacy Kent

Because it is a wonderful song and she has a beautiful voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5zWotTNXoM

Romans 10

WooHoo! Still keeping on schedule!

Also, I have an awesome little announcement. I am going to start doing testimonies of people that have an impactful story, so everyone! I will be doing one a month starting in February.  Chelsea Zerwehk  I am really excited for this little segment and hope if reaches the readers (you) in a different way than the previous post have been.

will be the first to share.

If you guys ever have any ideas or request feel free to share them with me.  Also, if you wish to share your testimony on the blog let me know, because I would be more than happy to ‘publish’ your story.

Anyways…on with Romans 10!

I didn’t really get interested in this chapter until about verse 9 when Paul explains to us what we need to do in order to be saved; “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  I think my favorite thing about this is that there is no guessing.  We don’t have to try and figure out what we need to do to be saved, we are told, straight up.  It’s not living a sin-free life, or giving all our money away, or being a pastor.  Nope, it’s simply believing and having faith, which when you kind of think about it, isn’t a huge task to ask of us.  Countinuing off of verse 9, I also really verses 10 – 13:

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."”

I love how verse 10 breaks it down, kind of, and tells us what we get from believing and living with God, righteousness and salvation. That’s a pretty good trade-off, but this also means that we can’t only believe.  We must confess with our mouth, actions, and hearts that we have faith in God.  It says in Matthew 10:33 “if you deny me before man I will deny you before my father.”  I feel that that verse is one that gets overlooked a lot and isn’t really recognized for its harsh truth.  As Christians we hear these verses all the time and they begin to lose their sting, but I want to encourage you to look at the word in a new light because it’s important that we still take these verse seriously and that we are still convicted by them.

The next little bit that stuck out to me was verse 17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”  What jumped out at me in this verse was hearing, we learn and grow by hearing and listening.  Think about it…how did you find out about God? From someone telling you, right?  Whether it was the church, a friend, a parents, etc. but someone one in your life told you about the Christian faith, and that’s why you’re here now.  The seed has to be planted for a relationship to grown, and for some people in your life you may be the only one willing and able to plant that seed, so I encourage you to keep an eye out for opportunities to share and if and when that opportunity presents itself to you, don’t pass it up.

Lastly I want us to notice verse 21: “But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.’”

I like that this verse reminds us to not always think that the people in the church are always the most spiritual.  Sometimes they are the ones that are most blind, and sometimes it takes a “non-believer” or a new Christian to open there eyes a bit.  So just a little reminder, don’t be afraid to ask questions or challenge what someone else says, because maybe they really need the eye opener.

I am back at school coming this Monday, so I hope I am able to stay on schedule.  I have a lot to write about.  God has been working wonderfully in my life this past month, and I thank him everyday for it.  I have been pushed out of my comfort zone so many times this month, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me in this coming year.  Alright, I am done talking about me (for now).

Have a wonderful week friends!

Romans 9

Hello all and happy night before most of you have to go back to work/school.  Fortunately for me I have nothing but time on my hands so I am able to stay “on schedule.”  So here we are, Romans 9 just above halfway done.

There are 3 critical points within this chapter that I want to touch on, the first being in verses six through eight. 

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Here Paul is referring to the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17.  It is not by biology or flesh that we are Abraham’s decedents, therefor inherits to the promise, but through the promise we are decedents.  I feel that this is an idea that is often overlooked by most readers.  We are simply sons and daughters of Abraham, and I knew when I was little I definitely thought we all came from him.  I blame this on the song we used to sing in Sunday school “father Abraham.” Here is the song if you so wish to hear it.  However, there is more lineage than that, but I don’t know it.  Every promise God makes in the bible is a promise to us now because we know it is a wholehearted promise. 

The second point is verses eleven through sixteen.  Here Paul will truly show us what God’s about and will break down for us what we are in His likeness.  These verses, for me, are very convicting.

for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

God knows our hearts before we even develop them.  He knows who is pure and who is stone.  He does not reward one over the other though and he does not hold our coldness against us.  He simply uses the one that allows themselves to be used.  Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 in verse 15 and here we are shown that out God cannot be controlled and He is not at are beck and call.  So often we question and challenge Gods will for our lives, but who are we to do this against our creator?  My foot notes put Gods way simply for us: “Keep in mind the kind of God we worship: He is sovereign; he is not arbitrary; in all things he works for our good; he is trustworthy; he will save all who believe in him.  When we understand these qualities of God, we know that his choices are good even if we don’t understand all his reasons.” 

Let that sink in…

In verse twenty and twenty-one we are given a summarized illustration of the verses above:

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

The last point I want to touch on is in verses thirty to thirty-three. 

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

Paul is making an extremely important point here.  It is made numerous times throughout the bible but we, having the forgetful nature that we do, need to be reminded constantly.  The point being: actions speak louder than words.  The Gentiles, Gods not chosen people, gained righteousness through their actions and faith, not through the law.  Where as most of the Jews stay so strict to the law that they are distracted by it.  The Gentiles understood Gods grace and did their very best to honor him with their lives.  My footnotes so nicely put that here “Paul explains that God’s plan is not for those who try to earn his favor by being good; it is for those who realize that can never be good enough and so must depend on Christ.”  The Jews worked to be good enough and the Gentiles lived by favorite saying: “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”  Another wonderful point that my footnotes make is about verse 32.  Many people feel that they need to earn their way into heaven when this is not the case at all.  “God asks us to be humble but many of us are unwilling to humble ourselves because that requires us to put our will at Gods disposal.”  This ties nicely back with verse 20, we think we know what is best for ourselves when in actuality we know nothing.  Maybe we don’t feel that God taking away our child, parents, pet, ect. was fair, but it was best because out of that we have been able to turn to God and grow in our relationship.  We grew in our relationships with those who love and care for us, with our church family, and so much more. 

God made us strong enough to deal with whatever he throws our way, he gives us the tools we will need and he will always be there.  God tells us this in 1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Challenge of the week:  Look at everything you life right now good, bad, difficult, happy, heartbreaking, etc. Now…thank God for it, all of it. Whether he is blessing you or challenging you, you are growing. 

Also, here is a fun little story I found, it’s really short: http://2good2lose.com/thoughts.shtml 

Iron Sharpers Iron

Happy Hump Day!

Jeez! This week is draggin'

So, I've been kind of busy with midterms, paper, work, church, blah blah blah....excuses! I know.

But I was reading my Bed Time Blessing and really liked todarrows (todays/tomorrows)...

Oct. 16

Believers who are growing toward maturity share in mutual feelings - mutual woes and mutual joys.

This is one of the best benefits of being part of the body of Christ and a major reason why we need to be involved in a local church. In that local community we have a context in which we can rejoice with each other and weep with one another.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15

This kind of reminds me of Proverbs 27:17 "as iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another"

As Christians I think it's important for us to lean on our church body, our friends, and so on. They are there to help us, hold us accountable, and remind us what we need to be doing when we stray.  

I myself am beyond blessed with most of the people I have met within my church. They are loving, open, and (literally) always there for me (even at 1 in the morning and an hour away).  

I know for some of us, including myself, we may be a little introverted and don't really like opening up to others, or we may feel that we are burdening them with our problems. Try to be open and try to stop that thought process. Our church family is there for us. We should be able to or at least try to trust them and be open with them even especially when we have no one else to turn to.  God might just be forcing you outside of your comfort zone to begin a friendship or show you something you've been asking to see.

So if you need to talk or need pray or you're struggling with anything or everything try not to let insecurities or fear hold you back. Look to your church family for support, comfort, and love. 

¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:10-13

Rock Bottom

Alright, tonight is going to get a little personal and is going to encourage you to be really vulnerable, honest, and humble with God.  Part of it is going to focus on the parable of the wise and foolish builders and the other will focus on why we tend to push God away when we need Him most.  Why we try to do things ourselves and don’t realize how badly we need Him till we’ve hit rock bottom.

I know we have all probably had our doubts in faith but what do we do when those doubts start to consume us and the devil gets that hold on us?  You’ll find out in this post.  For starts though it’s all about building your house (faith) on a rock and not in the sand, just as the gospel of Matthew tells us “those who build among the sand are fools.” This adorable little video does a great job of illustrating Matthew 7:24-27, and for those of you who prefer the text:

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The verse I want to focus on here is verse 27: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  I want you to notice a specific word, crash. This is what happens when we build our faith on the sand.  It’s not sturdy or strong and it will Not hold its own when it’s challenged, it will crash and you will crash with it.  This is that rock bottom that I mentioned in the intro.  I know not all of us will experience rock bottom, and that’s wonderful, but I know we will all experience a fall.  In some way or another we will stray from the Shepherd.  The parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 gives us a good idea of the relationship between ourselves of God.  However there is a myth or whatever that takes this parable a little further.

It is told that before the shepherd placed the lamb (that strayed) on his shoulders, he broke its leg, so it could not run away again. Then by the time the leg has healed the lamb has learned to stay near the shepherd and trust him.  Whether this is true or not I still like it.

The breaking of our legs is that rock bottom we hit, and as we heal from the pain, or whatever it was we lean on God and his strength to carry us.  I hit what I think, and hope, was my rock bottom a little over a month ago.  I wont go into detail, but since then I had really seen a difference in Gods presence in my life.  I am being put into challenge situations that have been helping me grow and that are teaching me to go to God first.  I was humbled when I was broken.  During this past month or so I have really been meditating on Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  My pride is slowly crumbling and every time I think I can do something on my own I remember this verse, because my plan will do nothing but hurt me.  One thing that is very important about this verse is that it’s not saying that God will never break us, or knock us down, or that things will be easy.  It is saying that everything God does to you will make you better if you turn to Him while you’re going through it.  Remember to always look for that light at the end of the tunnel.

Now.  Here is what we have to do.  Let God break us.this song, or find a song that really speaks to you, listen to the lyrics and go back to you’re rock bottom.  Focus on who you were when you were there.  Remember the feelings and the thoughts of that state.  Now start moving forward and focus on each significant event where God showed you He was there and when you leaned on Him for strength.  Focus on how your faith became stronger with each passing trial and how you were able to learn and grow from each one.  Now focus on your present relationship with God.  On your current faith, feelings, and thoughts.  Notice how far you have come and thank God that your rock bottom was your new beginning. Be humbled that He left his flock and found you to save you from the world.  I want you to try and do something.  You’re going to go on a little soul search.  Now, I know this post is already really long, but take 5 more minutes.  I want you to listen to

If you have not hit your rock bottom spend the time of this song thanking God for the people and trials He has put in your life to help you make your faith strong, and pray for those in your life that may need a little help with this.  Pray for the ones struggling to build their foundation or for the ones still stuck on the sand.

I really hope some of you found a little hope within this post or a little relief.  Sometimes simply knowing that God does these things to strengthen us helps us out.  I hope you have a beautiful weekend and if you’re here in Southern Cali. don’t go outside, because those winds are crazy!

Links in post

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlPMld7ScU0

Song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkZDJY31RX4