Day: August 23, 2013

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Published on by Sandie DLeave a comment

Tonight I was on Facebook and posting interesting cloud pictures. I came across a image that was shared by a few different people on Facebook and I found it to actually be sad. I posted the image so you can see what I’m talking about and I’m sorry if it is off a bit due to some of the content of the picture. I try to keep my blog clean.

First off, I want to give you definitions of Religion and Faith- There is a difference. 

Religion/Religious

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a super human agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
 
Faith:
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.:to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
 

Image The reason I find this sign sad is that people many times views religion as faith. We can be religious about anything from waking up at exactly 6 am or checking out Facebook each and every day to see what is going on. When religion is compared to a penis, I find this a horrible in so many ways. As a Christian I find it offensive. Maybe I shouldn’t be offended, but I am. There are so many things wrong with this on so many levels. Some may think it is humorous our innocent, but I find it demeaning and distasteful. But of course that is my opinion and I am just one person. 

People have the right to believe whatever they want: And for the most part this is true, people do have that right. Just because you have a right to believe something doesn’t make it right. If that was the case there Hitler had the right to hold his beliefs. There are some that complaint that saying there is only one to be saved is that Christians are intolerant and narrow-minded.  I find it important to say that we have the right to believe what we do, and to speak openly about it. At least here in the United States and most of the civilized world. If someone chooses to not believe the Gospel after I share it with them, the important thing is that I did as God commanded me to do and followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The decision to accept Christ isn’t about me, it is between a person and God, they don’t reject us, but they are rejecting God if they choose to do that. To me there is nothing more important than sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

When I seen this image and others like it on Facebook, I couldn’t help but ask myself why as a Christian I find it important to share my faith;

PEOPLE ARE LOST

2 Cor. 4:4 states that, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the Image of God.”

It completes our (my) joy. If we are enjoying our walk with Christ, our Christian experience is still incomplete unless we can share it with others. There is nothing like sharing something that has made our life joyous then sharing with those we care the most about. We want them to experience that same joy and not miss out of what they can also have. We don’t want our loved ones, friends and acquaintances to be hurting. We want them to be happy.  Our joy is complete when we get the chance to share that joy with others.

ImageLove of God: For me the greatest motivation is the love of God. There were many in my life that never gave up on me. They seen the path I was going down was not the path towards God. Looking back through my life, I can see that God put people in my life that brought me closer to him. There were times I thought they were my stumbling blocks. They got in the way of me wanting to have a good time and I didn’t always appreciate their insistence and intrusion. As I look back the love and those people I once called stumbling blocks were the ones that lead me down the path I needed to go and found Christ waiting for me at the cross. I didn’t always appreciate what they said and I thought they were trying to throw God words at me. Now, I find that those God words are the words I needed and that we all need. I have no problem being a stumbling block for others if it helps them get to know and accept Christ.

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Willcox Church of the Nazarene

I have shared this in a previous blog. But to this day I still remember when I was baptized. I wanted to be baptized when I was much younger. My friends and I would take turns baptizing each other in irrigation ditches in Hyder, AZ. I bugged my pastor and on my 14th birthday at the Southern Baptist Church in Willcox Arizona I was baptized. Pastor Randy Tipton was the minister at the time. We had to use the Baptist Church for baptisms since the Nazarene Church I went to didn’t have one. I was so overjoyed and I was set to go on a mission to Africa. Well, that never happened. God had other plans for my life. But the day I was baptized was the greatest day in my life.

ImageSome would say that couldn’t be. The greatest day that I have ever had should be when my children were born or I got married. But that isn’t the case. I was blessed by God and given my daughters and my husband. God comes first in all things and He blesses us with those we need. We may not see things as blessings, but they are. People may not see a Bible verse or kind thought posted on Facebook as a blessing, but maybe there is someone out there that needed to hear those words at that time.

If someone gets offended by some of the posts I put up about my faith, then that isn’t my problem. My problem is not doing what God wants me to do. God takes care of all things and it’s up to the one receiving the message if they want to read it, delete it, accept it or question it. 

ImageFinally, I believe that without a personal relationship with God through Christ, it is difficult to find real meaning in this life. Without God, a person tries to fill their life with activities, things and even people to fill a void, a void of meaning. If someone believes that death is the end of their life, then the end of life is nothingness and life simply precedes death; there is no real meaning. But if a life ends by beginning new eternal life with Christ, that is totally different. In this way it can be said that the real meaning of life is eternal life in Christ! 

As a Christian, I find that social media is a wonderful way or reaching people that I may never get a chance to meet. God uses social media to advance His kingdom and as a Christian, I’m just one of His tools. I try not to offend, but at the same time I have a deep desire to share the goodness and joy that Christ has given to me. I respect people of all faiths and I try not to judge. It isn’t my job to judge others. My job is to be a voice in a world that needs to know there is hope through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Click here for one of my favorite songs by Carmen- Not Ashamed

  • I would be interested to hear why others like to share the Gospel or why they have a problem sharing it. It could be anything from being uncomfortable, nervous, fear or what others think, non believer or so on. 

My Take on Big Brother

Published on by Sandie DLeave a comment

I almost always do at-least one blog on my favorite reality show. This is the time to do it. Even though if the end doesn’t go well, I may be venting. If you’re not a Big Brother watcher, this blog post may bore you. 

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Big Brother is in full swing right now. Big Brother is one of the very few shows I like to watch. I don’t exactly know why I like to watch it but I do. Maybe it is because I find it interesting to see human nature being acted out live and you really get to see what people would do for money.

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Aaryn- The worst of the mean girls

This year has been a bit disappointing. Well not a bit, really disappointing. The house-guests are a bunch of mean and racists guests. Big Brother is a game and that is all it is. People are the pawns and one by one they are picked off until one remains. Normally there is a melting pot of different types of people that are thrown together and have to live together. But this year it seem’s like they got the yuppy, mean girl club going on. Which bothers me. It isn’t fun or interesting to see people like Aaryn, Gina Marie, Kaitlin and Amanda treat others horrible, They have said some of the most horrible racially induced comments I have seen. And people are worried about Paula Deen using the “N” word way back when.

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Candace

These mean girls treated Candice horribly. Candice is African American and they made horrible comments and flipped her bed. Candice was in tears and was so hurt by the comments and the treatment she was getting from the mean girls. Howard came into the have nots room and prayed with her and consoled her. She was a basket case. I think those girls needed to be giving penalty points for their actions.

Then you have Jeremy that acted as a child. He took Jessie’s hat and though it was fun to wipe his but with it. These are all things that teenagers do to get attention and have everyone notice them. The mean girls reminds me of those girls in school who thought they were all that and would walk the school like they owned it and they could have any guy they wanted. It is disgusting.

Andy is the gay guy this year. I really liked him to begin with. But lately he is just someones puppet. She says what anyone wants to hear and is getting just as bad as the mean girls. It’s terrible that he has this ugly side to him that is very unbecoming.

There are only a few in the house that I thought was playing the game and that is genuine. Those few are Jessie, Helen, Elissa and Judd. Some who watch the show may be surprised to see that I said Helen. The reason I said that is because she is acting like a mom to all these children in the household. She stirs the pot every now and then, but she tries to keep the peace and moderates. She can be irritating because she goes on and on and it get’s old. I think this week she will be evicted from the house and sent to the jury house.

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Elissa

This year I would say that Jessie and Elissa are my favorites. Howard and Candice is up there pretty high too. But they seem like they have good hearts. I didn’t think I would like Elissa because she is Rachael’s sister. But she seems very sweet and someone that would be fun to get to know. You can tell her family means the world to her. She is nothing like her sister. Rachael is a very whiny and get on your last nerve kind of person. And her laugh made me want to cringe. I do hope that Elissa will turn the tables and make a move. Everyone seems afraid to do that.

I understand that Big Brother is all about outwitting the other house guests and that most times they all give into lying. Every year there has been those who are stronger than others and make life miserable for the rest of the house-guests. Evil Dick is a good example. He knew how to push people and would teeter on a fine line for most of the game. Then you have Dan. I think Dan had to be the best player of all time. This year it isn’t about the game as much, it is pure hatred brought on by those who feel they are supremem over the others.

Aaryn and Gina Marie will find out when they get out of the house that because of how they acted on live TV that they will no longer be modeling and bother are out of a job. Aaryn was a model in Texas and her parents had to hire someone to clean up her image. I say, “Good Luck on that one.” She is thinking everyone likes her and that is very far from the truth. She will go down as the mosted hated in all of Big Brother history.

Gina worked with pageants in New York or New Jersey and she lost her job. The company said that they were happy to see the real Gina Marie. They never seen this side of her and they are grateful to Big Brother.

I will be glad for this season to be over and hope that the next one will be better and they will get real people in there. Not girls that look perfect, but then you get to see just how ugly these pretty girls are.

I started on this topic the other day and didn’t want to post it till tonight’s live eviction. I have to say I was happy that Elissa got Head of Household and that she gets letters from home and to see pictures of her kids. So many of the house guests have been horrible to her and it is nice to see her win something when it counted the most.