In my Absence...

Hey guys!
So, I've clearly been gone for a long time. Too long in my opinion! I'm terribly sorry for my absence, but I've been incredibly busy with school and extra activities and such. Since I've been out of the blogging world for a while, I figured I'd just do a brief blog post about a few (10) Christian songs/Christian Artists that I'd recommend giving a listen to in no particular order. I love music and many of you do as well, I'm sure, so I'm hoping you'll enjoy!

10. Be Thou My Vision- 4Him

I mean, who doesn't love a good hymnal to start off a good playlist? Cheerful, upbeat, and a classic. Be Thou My Vision is uplifting and inspires me to move closer to God so He can be MY vision.

9. The Drop- Lecrae

You want good pump up music? This is definitely a great start! Great for working out or just feeling all around awesome!

8. Not for a Moment [After All]

This song is personally one of my favorite songs when I'm going through tough times. Powerful, moving, and you'll be singing it in your head for days.

7. Good Morning- Mandisa ft. TobyMac

So, I'm not gunna lie. I HATE mornings. Yeah, I know God made wonderful sunrises, but he also made very warm beds, haha! If you need a song just to help you get going in the morning, this is definitely the one! Turn that frown upside-down!

6. All This Time- Britt Nicole

I first heard this song coming back from youth group one day. It's absolutely moving and 100% TRUE! If you're ever feeling alone or down on yourself, listen to "All This Time"!

5. Awake and Alive- Skillet

I personally love Skillet. Everything about Skillet from their Christian songs to relationship songs. Love it all! This song just really hammers in the concept of being alive with Christ. How awesome is that?!

4. This is the Stuff- Francesca Battistelli

For those of us who have a quick temper when we lose things :)

3. The Earth is Yours- Gungor

I love how unique Gungor's music is. Cheerful, alternative music that you can easily sing along to and worship God with. Enjoy!

2. Royal Tailor- Control

This song is so creative and just downright awesome! Saw these guys when they opened up for Casting Crowns and saw them again at Creation this past summer. So much talent!

1. Walking Her Home- Mark Schultz

This song definitely tugs on the romance heartstrings. Brings tears to my eyes every time I listen.

Alright, I could go on forever with different songs and different artists, but I said I was going to keep this brief! I plan on posting more songs sporadically so if you liked this little selection, keep looking back to see more! You certainly won't be disappointed. :)

"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress." Psalm 59:16

Daily Psalm

Psalm 61

Assurance of God's Protection

Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I call 

to you,

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock 

that is higher than I;

For you are my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent forever,

find refuge under the shelter of your 

wings.

For you, O God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of

those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the king;

may his years endure to all

generations!

May he be enthroned forever

before God;

appoint steadfast love and

faithfulness to watch over him!

So I will always sing praises to your 

name,

as I pay my vows day after day.

New Feature: Polls!

Hey guys! I hope you all have been having a wonderful summer. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't posted anything since May. My summer has been pretty hectic, but this blog is coming back to life full force now. Be looking out for new updates and posts in the next week or so. The newest feature is the poll feature! It's located underneath the welcome message, and all you have to do is select the answer you believe in and submit it.

This week's poll about sex before marriage- you have six days of voting left!

Please note: You do not have to be a Christian to vote in this poll. Anyone can vote, and I encourage you to do so. The results of this poll will be used in an upcoming post about purity and what it's like to follow God's word with purity in comparison to the world view of purity.

Patience

Hey guys! I'm not really sure what you guys struggle with at home, but I can certainly tell you that I struggle with patience. I really just can't handle the concept sometimes. A few years ago when I wasn't a Christian, I would pretty much never wait for anything. I lived on impulse, demand, and anger that resulted when I didn't get my way. My goodness, I'm so thankful Jesus has helped me with that sinful part of my nature. However, that doesn't mean that I don't struggle anymore. The problem didn't just obliterate itself (that would be too easy). 


I hated children a few years ago. Absolutely despised them. It breaks my heart to think that at one point in my life, I thought children were disgusting- not only that, but they were disgusting to the point that I didn't even like being around them. I would become miserable. I was unpleasant to be around, made snarky remarks, and made it quite obvious that I was not enjoying myself.


However, I can now say that I am quite blessed and privileged that Jesus melted the ice around my heart when I accepted him as my savior. I love kids- everything about them. The innocence that hasn't been destroyed by the adult world, the crazy imaginations... even the dirty stuff like cleaning diapers and wiping runny noses. Now don't get me wrong, they can still drive me absolutely crazy. Nuts, even.


I even work at a daycare center. That's pretty monumental for me haha.


It's funny to me how the holy spirit transforms us when we accept Jesus as our savior. I don't really understand how to explain it in words... maybe a conscience on steroids? Even that would be an understatement because it leaves out the wisdom the holy spirit allows us to gain, and I'm eternally great for that because I was so naive and ignorant before I became a Christian. Honestly? If I met myself from two years ago, I wouldn't have associated with myself. That's the truth.


...Anyway. I didn't realize how much my patience had improved until I would tell my friends stories about experiences I had at work. It's funny to think about the awful things that have happened. My money got stolen, some of the kids misbehave constantly, and of course... the occasional kick or slap from a cranky toddler. And every time something bad happened, my friends would ask me, "Why do you work there? Are you ever going to just leave that place? Did you beat the crap out of that kid afterward? (No, I've never hurt any of the children to answer that haha- never, I can't even imagine)" Or, they'd say, "Ew, that's not worth it." 


A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have survived a week at that place. You know what? I wouldn't have survived one day. I had zero patience with children. However, I never really realized how much patience the holy spirit has allowed me to gain throughout the past couple of years until this week. On Wednesday, I went to take a little potty but his little sister wanted to come. I told her that she had to stay outside with the other children, and she didn't exactly like that answer so she slammed the door on my finger. Let me know you, I saw stars. Seeing stars is not just a thing in cartoons. Well, I did a little dance of pain before I realized I was bleeding everywhere. On myself, on the wall... I was a mess. The way the door shut on my finger, it sliced it open pretty badly. However, despite the fury I felt, I was patient. My poor co-worker was trying to help me while taking care of the babies. I was still in the baby room when the child's mother came, but I held my tongue even though I wanted to shout what her child did in both pain and anger, and I didn't say anything. I refused to act on impulse.


My boss let me go early so I could get my finger glued (they used glue instead of stitches because I'm left handed and the cut was on my right hand). I was incredibly frustrated the entire night- and in a lot of pain. However, the next day I realized that I wasn't angry. The holy spirit allowed me to forgive the girl. I didn't act against the girl, nor did I say anything to her mother. Not even the next day when my finger was bandaged up, and no one had said anything (except my boss who had been incredibly supportive of me. She's a wonderful woman). My boss had also told the little girl to apologize, but she wouldn't. I heard my boss tell her to apologize and I patiently waited, but I got nothing. And you know what? That's fine. The damage is done, and I forgive her. I'm still waiting for that apology two days later, and I don't think I'm ever going to get it... but I'm ok with that. The picture below reminds me of how I feel about patience and forgiveness, especially in cases like getting your finger slammed in the door by an annoyed little girl.

I found an amazing quote while I was searching for pictures for this post. Joni Eareckson Tada, Christian author and radio host, said," “The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.” I can honestly say that I've never thought of patience that way, and it's incredibly true! A lot of people give up on the Lord because their prayers aren't necessarily answered the way they want them to be, or maybe their prayers aren't answered the way they want them to be. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and I can't tell you why prayers aren't always granted the way we want them to be, but I do know this- Over the past couple of years, I've realized as my patience with others grew, my patience and assurance in the Lord grew as well. And even in loss and suffering, I've found peace in knowing that God is good. Everything he does is good, even if we don't understand how or why. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow and let God work his miracles. 


He doesn't answer you right away? Believe me, he hasn't forsaken you. He loves you dearly! Just be patient. Patience is strength. 


And, if you still haven't accepted the Holy Spirit to help you with patience, just keep Galatians 5:22-23 in mind, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

God Bless everyone and thanks for reading!

A Crown of Thorns Just to Win Your Heart

Hey everyone! It's been too long since I have posted, but things are quite hectic around here with work, school, and Nationals for debate coming up. So, I am terribly sorry. Please forgive me? :)


So, as the title mentions, the song "Alive" by Natalie Grant is stuck in my head. I had heard it before, but I really meditated on the lyrics while I was driving home from my eye doctor appointment (Oh, and my eyes are just fine. Nothing's changed- not that it even mattered. I just hate saying something and not explaining because people over think things.). I think the lyrics are absolutely beautiful. Oh! Here's the lyrics, you know, in case you don't have time to actually listen to the song:

Who but You, could breathe and leave a trail of galaxies and dream of me?

What kind of Love is writing my story till the end with Mercy’s pen?

Only You.

What kind of king would choose to wear a crown that bleeds and scars to win my heart?

What kind of Love tells me I’m the reason He can’t stay inside the grave?

You. Is it You? Standing here before my eyes, every part of my heart cries

Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won

Alive! Alive! Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before

I am His because He is alive.

Who could speak, and send the demons back from where they came with just one Name?

What other heart would let itself be broken every time till He healed mine?

You. Only You could turn my darkness into dawn; running right into Your arms

Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won

Alive! Alive! Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before

I am His because He is

Emmanuel, the promised King the baby who made angels sing

Son of Man who walked with us, healing, breathing in our dust

The author of all history, the answer to all mysteries

The Lamb of God who rolled away, the stone in front of every grave

Alive! Alive! Look what Mercy’s overcome; Death has lost and Love has won

Alive! I am His because He is alive.

Alive! 

... However, you should still listen to the song, eventually, because Natalie Grant's voice is phenomenal. Seriously.

The lyrics are so visual and beautifully crafted that I actually lost focus while I was driving, but it was ok because I was at a red light. But seriously... The lyrics, "What kind of King would choose to wear a crown that bleeds and scars to win my heart," are so powerful alone. Just that one line alone packs a powerful punch. Think about it for a moment. How many kings how you studied about that would do that? Oh sure, there were great kings who took care of their people and protected them, but do you think they would have placed a crown of thorns on their head to win your heart? Would you have mattered to those other kings?

Passion of the Christ: Crown of thorns after scourging

I just want to take a few moments to focus on the time frame from when Jesus first went to Pilot to the crown being placed on his head. It wasn't like he was simply betrayed by his own people, the crown was placed on his head, and he walked off to the cross. Nope, not even close. The reason that line of the song hits me so hard is because of everything Jesus went through before the crown was placed on him. You see, Pilot didn't find any faults in the people, but he was essentially overpowered by the crowd. The entire crowd wanted Jesus killed for teaching against the Pharisees. So, as a compromise, he decided to punish Jesus severely by being scourged so if he brought Jesus back to the crowd afterward, they might take pity on the man.

What exactly did being scourged entail? 

Well, the Romans had torture perfected down to a science, and they had discovered that a person could survive 40 lashes during flogging, but they limited it down to 39 so no one broke the law. So, Jesus was whipped with a switch, but he continued to stand and didn't say a word. That didn't please the Romans and they had Jesus flogged 39 times before the men were forced to stop. Flogging wasn't just being whipped with a switch, either. Oh no, that would have been too merciful. Roman flogging was designed to essentially rake a person's back. The whip, or flagrum, would have been made with leather strips that had a variety of pain devices attached to the bottom of the leather strips including beads, scraps of metal, shards of glass, and bones. The beads and other various pain devices would create deep contusions while the leather strips alone would cut the person's back. However, once the objects, such as bone, were embedded into the skin, the Romans would pull on the whip so it went directly across the criminals back and shredded it.

Passion of the Christ : Jesus being flogged.

Now, Jesus wasn't only flogged from behind. Once his back was destroyed, the men turned him over and flogged the front side of his body. By the time the Romans would have finished, literally chunks of his skin and tissue would have been missing from his body. Isaiah described what Jesus would look like before the crucifixion in 52:14 when he says, 
" As many were astonished at you,
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,and his form beyond that of the children of mankind. " 
And truly, he wouldn't have looked human. No matter how graphic movies and depictions may be of the crucifixion, we simply cannot capture what that moment looked like.


After the scourging, after all of the excruciating pain, and after all of the disfiguring blows that Jesus received, they placed a purple robe around his raw wounds, mocking him as the king of the Jews...


...and THEN two men placed the crown of thorns on his head. And that's only the physical torture that he endured! He was also spit on, slapped, and mocked throughout the entire punishment.


So, after all of the torture he endured by being scourged, he chose to silently take the pain from the thorns. Jesus could have simply decided to call it quits. In John 10:18, Jesus says, "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded." He could have shown them proof that he was the Messiah and stopped the torture, but what good would that have done for our sins? For us? Jesus was the perfect lamb, and he loved us so much that he took the crown in silent agony before being sent back to the people, and to ultimately be crucified. Jesus wanted to save us, and he knew he had to die for us for God's wrath to be satisfied.


To me, that's powerful. I get all fired up just thinking about it! I try to think about the pain my Savior endured, and I simply can't. I mean, I freak out when I stub my toe or get a nasty scrape. I can't picture missing chunks of my flesh. I simply can't. He loved me enough to go through with that! He could have stopped it at any time, but he didn't because of his love for me and for all of man kind. All of us! Including the men who beat him and spit on him! Can you even picture that?


So, I go back to my original question that I got from this song: How many kings do you know who would take that thorn of crowns to win your heart?


I only know one King, my friend, and it's the King of Kings- My Jesus. My personal savior, my father, my teacher, and my King. The one true King whose love is eternal. I can certainly can tell you He has won my heart.


Now, has He won yours?


I pray that if he hasn't, please read the book of Mark in the Bible. It doesn't matter what you've done in your life, and it doesn't matter what anyone tells you- Jesus came to Earth, took that beating and crown, and he died on that cross for you. He loves you.
Do you love Him?


God Bless

Misconceptions about Christians

Background
Hello! I'd just like to humbly say before I really get into the topic that this is the first time I've tried blogging. So, please bear with me! Also, I'd also like to address that I will go into topics on this blog that can be disputed by different religions as well as different denominations of Christians. I'm going to try my hardest to keep beliefs dictated by specific denominations out of this blog and keep to scripture (an exception might be a blog post specifically about denominations because there are so many of them). 


I thought beginning with misconceptions about Christians to not only break the ice a little, but to also show what some opinions are of other people who don't share the same faith. There are so many misconceptions, and you know what? I completely understand why- for multiple reasons. The main reason I can understand why people have so many negative opinions about Christians is too many people who claim to be Christians certainly are not. For example, a person can be born into a Christian family and decide that they are Christian by "blood", but they certainly don't act Christian. Yeah, sure. Anyone can sit in a pew every single Sunday morning, and listen to an hour of preaching. That doesn't make one a Christian. Not even a lifetime of good deeds alone can make someone a Christian. You see, when people turned their backs on God, we became separated from Him. 

So picture it like this. When we were separated, we were on two different cliffs. There was literally no way for us to get to Him. No amount of good acts we did, no matter how far we tried to jump to get to the other side, it didn't work. However, God still loved us in our world of sin so he sent his only son for us.
You see, people would sacrifice lambs in an attempt to be cleansed of their sins. However, Jesus was the only pure lamb. He was the only sacrifice strong and pure enough to cleanse all of our sins. For the people thousands of years ago to you and I today, our sins were wiped away by Jesus when he was nailed on the cross, died, and finally rose again to conquer the death we would always meet. With his death, a bridge to God was finally made. The only thing we have to do is accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior and have a relationship with him. What does that entail, exactly? Well, get into His word, and communicate with him. To non-believers, communication may sound "dumb" or "obsolete". Most people have seen others pray. While watching someone pray, you don't see God speak back to them right? Do you literally hear a voice speak back to them? No, of course not (and if you have, God bless you because that's a miracle). However, when you accept Jesus Christ as your own personal savior, you are filled with an incredibly powerful guide called the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, God communicates with us. It's where most of our personal convictions come from, and The Holy Spirit helps guide us on the path God wants us to travel down.

I'd like for you to please keep that example in mind when I delve into these popular misconceptions.

Misconception 1: Christians have to be perfect

Oh goodness, I wish I could be perfect! I think we'd all like to be perfect, wouldn't we? That's why society is so obsessed with getting nice clothes, makeup, the best appliances... everything materialistic to look perfect on the outside. I'm guilty of this too! I've tried to improve on not putting my materialistic desires high up on my priority list, but it's certainly difficult. However, it's more than just an outward appearance that we humans strive to be perfect in. We try to mold our personalities into what society wants us to be. In high school, it's become the "norm" to party, drink, and have sex. It's not uncommon to walk down the hallways at school and hear teenagers talking about how they don't remember the previous weekend. It isn't uncommon to hear gossip. It isn't improbable to hear people insulting others and fighting. Why? Because reputation has come to mean everything. Why do people get drunk? It makes someone popular. Why do people gossip? People want to know everything about everyone else to make themselves feel better about their own lives and their own sins. 

However, just because this truth has been revealed to us through scripture and conviction, none of us are perfect. No human, Christian or not, is perfect no matter how much we pray to God or try to be like Jesus. Isaiah 64:6 says, "We are all infected and impure with sin." ALL of us. Every single one. None of us live up to God's standards because we're all sinners. Christians struggle with sins and Earthly desires just as much as anyone. Lust, greed, gossip, foul language, drinking, drugs, anything you can possibly think of! 

We struggle just as much as everyone else. The main difference is how we handle our struggles. In Psalm 91:14-16, God reveals to us a key piece of truth, "Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation." We pray to God and ask for help. We don't carry all of our sins and struggles on our own back. We have our God to help us- that's the difference.

You see, we don't have to be perfect because God loves us for loving him, and he loves us to help us even when we don't deserve it. Christians mess up. We do. I certainly do- a lot more than I'm probably willing to admit a lot of the time. We can try to be perfect, but we will always fall short of the glory of God. Anyone who claims to be a "perfect" Christian needs to pray for wisdom because my goodness, they must seriously be struggling with a pride problem. No one is perfect. No Christian is perfect, and no Christian can ever be perfect. Why? We're all infected with sin.

Misconception 2: All Christians are judgmental 

If you've been judged by a Christian, I'm terribly sorry. I can tell you it is a very difficult to resist the urge to judge lots of things, even as a Christian. Defying human nature is incredibly challenging, but it's not impossible. For those of you who are not Christians who have been judged by a Christian for who you are, there is no reasonable excuse to give you, and again I cannot express how sorry I am. Here's why: Christians were all once guided by sins and led a naturally sinful life. Christians still sin. Ever tell a white lie? I'm a Christian, and though I'm ashamed to say it, I've told many of white lies. No, I'm not a pathological liar by any standards. However, I've slipped a white lie to a teacher or friend in the past. It could have been something as harmless as, "No, I don't have a pencil, sorry." One, I certainly had a pencil and just didn't want to give it to you. Two, I'm not sorry. Two white lies in one sentence. Less than five seconds. Two sins, one sentence, five seconds. Yeah, I said this to someone like three days ago. 

Although the little lie I told my friend seems harmless, it's still against God's Will and God's desires for me. Sin is sin. It doesn't matter which way you slice and dice it. Lying, swearing, sexual impurity. They're all sins and an abomination to God. There's really no way around that. People can try to judge and make one sin seem worse than another, but God doesn't see it that way.

I'm going to be honest here- I used to be incredibly judgmental. When I first became a Christian, I was too afraid to associate with anyone who wasn't a Christian because... I really can't even fathom why I would have done such a thing now. I guess I thought that my salvation would be ruined? I don't know. It seems ridiculous now, but it's the truth.

Well, God had to convict me an awful lot. He first began to show me these verses, Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Those verses really hit me hard. I had been judging people my entire life without any remorse. I still catch myself saying something dumb every once in a while. 

It's judgmental Christians that get images such as this so popular on Google and meme sites. Simply because it's true; Christians openly judge, thinking they have the right to play God. We don't. We'll be judged for doing such a thing. I just wish people would pay better attention to such details.

For example, I have a great friend. She's one of the best friends that I have ever had, and she's not a Christian. She struggles with lust. Well, one day she was telling me about a weekend when she had done several things I would consider morally incorrect. Well, I slipped up a bit and said that what she was doing was disgusting. Well, needless to say, I was really convicted again because I hurt her feelings. It was difficult to swallow my pride and apologize, but I did. I had no right to judge her. We're called to love, not judge.

Misconception 3:Christians always try and shove their religion down your throat

I found that one online when I was researching opinions on Christians- yes, I actually care about what non-believers have to say. And no, I don't argue with people online about my beliefs. Trolls on you tube *sigh*. Anyway, I will say that yes... some Christians do that. And most Christians will share the Gospel casually with their loved ones because it's an important part of their lives and in truth, we would like for more people to be Christian. However, a lot of people go about it the wrong way. In fact, a lot of people just don't know when to stop talking and put themselves in the other person's shoes. I mean, if an atheist starting yelling at me or telling me a bunch of weird "facts" and statistics, I'd get a little defensive too.

The way Christians communicate is key. However, when most Christians discuss religion with non-believers, it's almost always about how they are wrong and only Christianity is right. Or how they need Jesus (which is not wrong) by pointing out all of their flaws (that's wrong). Ever notice that? How often do you come across a Christian who just talks about God's love and grace rather than topics such as abortion and homosexuality? Of course people are going to think Christians are shoving religion down people's throats when there are extremists holding up signs at funerals saying, "Fag enabler" or "God hates America." Who wants to hear that as a non-believer? I don't even want to hear that non-sense now... I would have walked away and never turned back if that was thrown in my face! 

Please note: This is not what I consider to be a form of biblical Christianity. It's a spiteful group of people who have clearly misread their bibles. Particularly the parts about judging, making disciples, saving the lost, and being Christ-like. Please do not associate this "church" with any other form of Christianity. They may get the most attention, but most of us are not like this. Not even relatively close.

It is part of our relationship with God to want to spread his love to other people. Here are a couple of verses that tell us exactly what our role is with bringing people to Christ as Christians:

Matthew 28: 19-20

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Please realize that not everyone will shove the gospel down your throat. Many Christians will be patient with you and just love you until you come around to asking questions or just mention small things here and there. Also, most Christians have good intentions with trying to convert nonbelievers to followers of Christ. You see, we want to see everyone in heaven. And as Christians, we feel the only way to do that is to have a relationship with our savior Jesus Christ. So, next time when you're sitting with a friend who is pestering you about the gospel, even if you really don't get it or want to... please try to remember that your friend just wants to see you in heaven and that they care about you.

God Bless everyone! I hope this post helps clear up a couple things for you. :) Thanks for taking the time to read it!