On the Surface

Have you ever had a conversation with someone that lasted a little while, but when you stopped talking you realized you really hadn’t said anything of lasting importance? Have you ever taken a class on an important subject and had a teacher who just barely covered the needed information? Or have you gone to a church that ignores the touchy subjects and preaches all fluff?

These things surround us every day, and yet we do nothing about them. I am blessed enough to have a wonderful church with a minister who leaves no subject untouched. My minister says what needs to be said and does not sugarcoat the words so as to make them easier to swallow. I’m so glad I can ask him a question, and he will give me an honest, godly opinion.

Although I have a wonderful church and don’t have to fight very many battles within my congregation, I do face instances everyday that hurt my heart and my soul. For instance, a little while ago, I was in a Bible class with many teenagers my own age. We were asked to find a book of the Bible, and as I flipped to it, I saw many of the Christian teenagers around me going to the Table of Contents to find the book of the Bible. This saddened me that they had not become familiar enough with their Bibles to know the order of the books. (I learned them when I was young by putting them to a melody of a song. And yes, I still sing the song in my head sometimes when I’m trying to find something!) I didn’t think much of this until the Bible teacher asked how many people had read their entire Bible. (Note: This was not a class of new Christians… These were mostly people who had grown up in the church all their lives.) I raised my hand expecting every hand to go up. Of about twenty people, only three or four raised their hands.

This surprised me greatly. I had no idea that so very few high school Christians had read their entire Bible. I didn’t know it was so unusual to have read the entire Bible, much less many times! I just assumed that every Christian had done so at some point in their life. That’s when I realized that the expectations are so low in the present culture that even Christians have succumbed to them.

It hurt me to know that even Christians who had grown up in Christian families were not taking the time to delve deeper into the Word of God.

I have often watched Christian teenagers listen to a powerfully impacting message and say they are going to change and try to do better. Unfortunately, it seems to last not much longer than a week! The hearts of teens today are so hard; it takes many blows to break them down into what Jesus would want. I feel bad for the ministers and teachers who pour their lives into changing teens, only to see results for a little while. It must be so discouraging at times.

And then something else hit me so hard, I was about knocked over.

I realized how self-righteous I was being! I was condemning all these people for not living up to God’s expectations, even though I was also failing miserably! Yes, I may have read the Bible many times, have quiet times daily, and pray, but how many times have I listened to a heart-wrenching sermon and only said, “Hmmm. That’s interesting. Someone should do something about that!” Why can’t I be the person to change that! Why can’t I make a ripple in the pond that will not just scratch the surface, but dig deep into the very core of the lives of people! I want to make a difference!

But I don’t know how. Or at least, I don’t want to know how. I want God to just do it all for me instead of having to work hard and serve others with my life. This is what my flesh desires, but when I was baptized, I made a commitment to serve not my flesh, but my LORD.

I’m challenging you today to choose to find a way to make a difference in someone’s life. If that is by being a good example to your fellow believers, then go for it. If it is serving as a missionary in Africa, then go for it. But whatever it is that God calls you to be, do it for Him alone. Don’t do it so that someday you will have a YWAM Heroes book about you. Don’t do it to make yourself feel righteous. DO IT FOR GOD.

The world may be a place where no one goes deep enough to learn about God and serve Him wholeheartedly, but that doesn’t mean you and I don’t have to.

A Firm Foundation

It seems to me that our world is falling apart.

That sentence is not an exaggeration; rather it is an observation that has been made by many people. So many things are going wrong nowadays. Abortion is no longer looked upon with disdain, euthanasia is becoming more widely accepted, teenagers are idiotic, and marriages are much shorter than God intended. All of these things have become normal and even expected. It breaks my heart to know that I am not a “normal” teenager, but one that is highly unusual. A “normal” teen would be doing things that I would not even like to describe.

All these things have led me to a conclusion about why our world is falling apart. We have taken a world created by God, and sucked all the godliness out of it. God’s design has been thrown out the window, and worldliness has taken its place.

Think of it this way; a builder is given instructions by his superior to build a brick house. While in the midst of the building process, the builder begins to get cocky. The builder begins to value his own ideas over the plans the superior has given him. When the time comes to place the bricks in the mortar, the builder decides that Jell-O would be a better substance for keeping the bricks in place, so he substitutes that in place of the mortar. In the end, the house comes crumbling down.

Is that not what we have done in our world? Have we not become cocky and decided that we are a better judge of our lives than God is? Haven’t we completely rejected the plans God has given us only to trade them in for plans of instant pleasure but future heartache? Why are we so set in our OWN ways?

It disgusts me to see how even I as a Christian think I know better than God does! I often make split decisions without consulting God, and I always regret them later. Sometimes my selfishness takes over, and I decide that I will just do what I want so I can have that instant gratification.

God has given us all consciences to guide us in everything that we do, but we often shut them out so we don’t have to take the time to see if our choices are good ones. We need to listen to our God-given consciences so we will not make choices that will require future consequences! Perhaps that little voice in each of our heads is there for a reason! Perhaps we should listen to it once in a while!

One of my favorite analogies in the Bible is that of the man who builds his house on a rock opposed to the man who builds his on sand. When we choose to follow the plans God has given us, we are choosing a firm foundation…one that will never falter. But when we choose our own directed path, it is only a matter of time before the sand shifts beneath our feet.

I hope you and I alike will be able to make the conscious choice to build upon solid rock and follow the plan God has prepared for your life. I pray that the world will see that they are replacing the mortar with Jell-O and will decide to change their wicked ways.

Resounding Words

I have always been imaginative. I lie in bed at night and think up stories and imagine just about everything. I like to imagine I’m in a certain time period and how I would deal with a certain situation. I wouldn’t say I’m super creative (believe me, my artistic ability ends at stick figures), but I’ve always loved to pretend I’m something else. My sister and I still play dress up together, and yes, I still enjoy it.

When I’m lying in bed at night thinking about things and making up stories, I often dwell upon the day that I meet Jesus. I don’t consciously make the choice to think about it, but it just seems to happen. This day obviously hold great importance for me, and it is no wonder that I find it so fascinating. For me, it is just one of those things that I can never create as amazing as it really will be. Believe me, I’ve tried, but it is completely beyond the grasp of the human mind.

Several months ago, the minister at my church preached about going to heaven and the day that we all meet Jesus. For some reason, I had never thought of it that way. I had always thought that only Christians met Jesus, but I was wrong. On Judgment Day, EVERYONE will meet Jesus, whether they go to heaven or not. I have often reflected upon the phrase, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” It has always been special to me, because that phrase is what I live my life for. It holds special importance for me, because it is what I desire with all my heart to hear. The sermon brought an interesting thought to the forefront of my mind: What will those who are not Christians hear on Judgment Day?

This was something I had never thought of before. Perhaps they would hear something along the lines of, “You have fallen short of My glory,” or “You have displeased Me.” Either phrase would send the toughest man weeping and begging on his knees. I can’t imagine what it would be like to see the disappointment in the eyes of Jesus. Can you see now why my life is lived to hear only approving words from my Jesus?

Imagine with me, if you will, what it would be like to die and moments later be standing before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Pretend you have lived your life well; making good money, having a good family, and for the most part, morally. Yet you somehow managed to skip over the pieces containing God. You didn’t really care whether or not Jesus was real, but you lived a good life nonetheless. The minute you see the face of Jesus you realize how horribly wrong you were. You realize the many years you lived on earth were all for naught. Absolutely nothing you did was worthwhile, and you have failed in the eyes of God.

Does that not create a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach? Do you really want your life to end up that way? I’m assuming you don’t.

Whether you live your life morally but without God, or immorally and still without God, you will still hear those same words: “You have failed Me.” Make the choice today to hear the words: “Well done, My good and faithful servant!” It is a choice you must make. Do not delay, for you do not know how long or short your life here on earth is. This is the most important decision anyone can ever make, so choose wisely.

Reflections

This past week was my first taste of summer vacation. It was nice not having to get up and face a day full of Geometry, Government, Economics, Latin, Biology, and many other things. Although I love school, I also love to sleep late in the morning.
While I enjoyed my first summer days I reflected a lot on this past year. This was my first year in high school, and a lot of things happened. Most of these things were good, but even the bad things made an impact on my life.

At the beginning of the school year, I found out what it meant to truly have to work to get good grades. I have always been able to get good grades with little effort, and it was a shock to me to suddenly find that my work was hard. I learned very quickly that high school is NOT all it’s cracked up to be. It may be some of the best years of my life, but the constant studying, writing, and confusion got to me, but I was able to work through it (sometimes through tears) and get the grade I wanted. (Note to readers: If you follow my blog, you probably have noticed that I have not been posting as often as I used to. This is mainly due to an intensive Literary Analysis course. I wrote so many essays, I did not have any creative energy left to put into my blog. I apologize, and promise to post more faithfully this summer.)

In addition to learning how to work hard and do my best, I learned how prayer works. Around Christmas, a dear man, Mr. Scott flew to Jesus, leaving behind six children and a wife. I have never prayed harder in my life. I wanted God to heal Mr. Scott and make everything perfect again. But God didn’t. He took Mr. Scott home, and left the family all alone. And yet, I finally came to understand that I shouldn’t mourn for him! He was in heaven and made whole. Through a dark, sad time of my life, I learned that God’s plan is perfect, and I should never try to override His authority.

One of the hardest things that happened to me this year was finding out that my closest friend is moving to Fiji. This friend has truly been my kindred spirit through some very difficult times in my life. This friend has helped me stay away from the things that make me stumble and has encouraged me every step of the way in my spiritual life. For one to three years, I will have nearly no contact with her, and will no longer be able to enjoy her companionship. I love you, my friend, and am praying for you with all my might. Through this difficult experience, I learned that I do not lean on God hardly at all. I like to be in charge, and I like to know exactly what is coming up ahead. God showed me that I cannot always be in control. I have to let go and let Him take the wheel.

In March, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a chronic nerve disorder that causes severe fatigue, joint pain, and brain fog. I felt sorry for myself for quite a while, and felt pretty sad. Fibromyalgia never goes away, and I will have to live with it for the rest of my life. I was sad for a long time, and then I realized that God has given me this condition for a reason. I do not have any idea what that reason is yet, but I am sure it will be revealed to me eventually. God once again showed me that His plan is perfect and I should never doubt it.

Although all these things so far have been bad, there have been many good things, too. However, it seems that the most important lessons are learned from the more difficult things. This year, I have learned: what true joy is from my cousin Esther, what it is to be seven years old in the Lord, how important and supportive my family is to me, what complete forgiveness feels like after a rocky friendship, and what an awesome God I worship.

Thank you to all my readers for sharing my journey in Christ, and for supporting me along the way. Please leave comments, as they are a great encouragement to me.

A Bleak Surrounding

Our country is headed for a recession. Only 4% of Americans have a Biblical worldview. Drug use is becoming rampant among junior high students. The majority of high school students do not graduate with their virginity still intact.

We are living in a very bleak surrounding.

If you turn on your television, you will see reports on the news of absolutely horrible things that are happening to people every day. You will see murder, cheating, lying, and a world with no hope. We may be great at keeping our world “green” but we sure aren’t keeping it moral.

I do not watch hardly any television or read any of the popular books because they are so filled with evil. Lying has become okay, and truth has become relative. Christianity has become scarcer and Agnosticism and Atheism is growing.

If you are not a Christian, I don’t know how you can keep on living. Obviously the
world is not what it should be, and it will come to an end someday. If the world keeps getting steadily more evil, what is the point in prolonging your distress? Wouldn’t it be easier to just give up hope and die?

I have good news and bad news. This world will come to an end. It will get worse and evil will appear to prevail. This is not the bad news, however, because Jesus is coming back to take his followers to a new earth that is emptied of evil and is perfect because God made it! Revelation 21:1 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea.” Can you imagine what it will be like to go to a completely new world?! This is the good news: If you believe and follow Jesus Christ, you will go to the new earth and live with Him forever. The bad news is this: if you do not believe, you will go to hell and will suffer eternal separation from God.

This is the bleak surrounding. As humans, we can handle turmoil in our lives, a bad economy, and poverty. But we cannot handle complete separation from God. It is God’s will for all people to love and obey Him, but because we are idiots, we reject God’s will and try to make one of our own. The separation of heaven and hell is great, and there is no way to do over your life once in hell. Do you really want to die not believing in God and then stand before Him on judgment day knowing that you have rejected Him all your life? How terrible it will be for those who did not believe and finally see that they were the ones who were wrong. Can you imagine what the screaming will be like when their fate is announced?

In a world that is falling apart, it seems as if there is no hope. Yet in a world where evil is rampant, there is a shaft of light piercing the darkness of Satan. This light comes from the only one who emanates absolute truth, agape love, and amazing grace. This light is our Redeemer, Savior, and Everlasting Hope. In a world with no love, no truth, and no trust, God shines his glory to those willing to accept it. I plead with each and every one of you to receive the truth before it is too late. Do not let the bleak outlook of the world envelop your senses. Do not let Satan win the battle over your life now, for Jesus will prevail in the end.

An Eternal Holiday

Did you have a good Easter? Was your day filled with presents and candy? Or was it spent worshiping God’s Son who died for your sins?

It amazes me how the world can simply remove the true meaning of Easter from the world and convince so many people that it is about the Easter Bunny or egg-dyeing or candy. How many people do you think woke up this morning with a stomach ache from all the candy and food? How many people didn’t enjoy their day just because they knew it would be over too soon?

All the world gets after Easter is a stomach ache and a bummed spirit.

But there is good news, too. If you are a Christian, you know that we celebrate Easter for a much more wonderful reason. We are celebrating the resurrection of Christ who takes away the sin of the world! Without this monumental occasion, there would be no eternal importance to Easter, Christmas, or Good Friday. The world misses out on an extremely important part of one of the most important holidays!

Can you imagine celebrating Easter only for the food, candy, and gifts? Can you imagine never knowing what Christ did for the world and how we can enter eternity in heaven through it? Can you imagine that kind of spiritual darkness?

I have been raised in a Christian setting my entire life, so I don’t know what these things truly feel like, though I believe it would be truly horrible. God has made it our mission to make sure no one has to live in that type of ignorance! I think it is crazy how people say that Christians are the ignorant ones… Aren’t we the ones that truly understand what life’s importance is?

What did you do to spread the message of Easter? Did you invite someone over to your house to share the marvel of Christ’s resurrection? Plan ahead next year if you didn’t, so that you may share the joyous news of the empty tomb!

It saddens me to walk into Wal-Mart, Target, or just about any store and see only chocolate bunnies, sugar coated peeps, and creamy eggs. What about the cross? What about the true meaning? Why can’t the world see that not every holiday is just about the material things?

It is up to us as Christians to expose the true meaning of Easter to the world. There will be many who will refuse to see it, but many hearts will be touched by the message they have never heard. We all must try harder than ever to expose the world’s temporary pleasures and instead reveal the everlasting meaning of Christ.

“He himself bore our sins, in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed!” 1 Peter 2:24

A Bunch of Smart Idiots

Recently, my family watched the documentary entitled: “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” This was produced by the popular comedian Ben Stein who used his own money to fund a movie that supported the Christian perspective of intelligent design. In this funny, but rather shocking movie, Ben Stein goes around asking evolutionists and intelligent design supporters and professors about their viewpoints of how intelligent design is being stamped out of public school systems, colleges, and America as a whole. Some of the remarks that come out of the evolutionary scientists’ mouths are shocking and frankly, they made me mad. One professor stated that religion should be kept separate from science, and should be something that people do on the weekends as a hobby, not something that should play a role in a person’s entire life. Another said that man did evolve, but not for a purpose. They were put on earth simply to be born, live, and die. What a lame existence! Yet another stated that religion should be slowly eradicated so it would stop causing
problems between people.

I think Ben Stein met and talked to a bunch of smart idiots.

It struck me though, that the evolutionists were so sure that they were right and that the believers in intelligent design were absolutely 100 percent wrong. It didn’t matter what anyone said to them, they would not be swayed in their judgment. One professor said that he went into a high school biology class a Christian, but after reading his text book and taking a semester class from an evolutionist, he gave up his belief in God and became a devoted Darwinist. Sadly, this same man was diagnosed with a brain tumor late in his life, and this still did not shake his belief in Darwin’s theory. I don’t know if this man is still alive, but I pray that he found (or finds) God’s truth before his death. The evolutionists were not willing to even listen to a creationist’s perspective they were so sure they were right! I think that happens a lot in a Christian’s life, because they are so sure they are right about something, but are not willing to listen to another side. I agree that sometimes it is dangerous to let an idea enter your head, but shouldn’t we at least give a person with a different view the opportunity to tell us why they believe how they do? We may even come to find that we are wrong!

I think what struck me most was what that one professor said about church and religion becoming something one does on the weekend, and the weekend only. It’s like when people are “Christian” on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday don’t count. I don’t think on Judgment Day God is going to judge us on what we did only on Sundays. Religion is not a hobby or a social club; it is something to take seriously and live out every day. So many churches have enough activities to fill a person’s social calendar, but they are not meeting the people’s spiritual needs. I don’t want a church that just gives me stuff to do… I want one that will help me grow in my EVERYDAY relationship with Christ, and my spiritual walk with God! If I never mature in my faith, what is the point? The humanist view of how church should be something that is enjoyable, fun, or entertaining is ruining many churches throughout America.

I find it sad and disturbing that politicians are trying their hardest to separate religion from government, when our own Declaration of Independence names God as our Creator! The Declaration does not say, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by that which they evolved through with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” No! It says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The authors of the Declaration were not trying to separate religion from government, they were trying to ensure that they always went together! The idea that man was created by God was not even questioned. I think it is sad that the theory of intelligent design isn’t even the primary scientific explanation that is taught in public schools today. I don’t think Creation is looked upon as a scientific theory (or law), but it is seen as a stupid, unbelievable idea that the Christian fanatics thought up.

I wish I could say that one day everything would be better, and creationism would be re-established, but I’m not so sure. Our country needs every Christian to fall to their knees in prayer for it, or it may become worse than a Communist country. Please join me in praying for America and its future.