Author: Sandie D

Copy of Letter we sent with our Christmas Easter Cards a couple weeks ago.

Merry Christmas and Happy Easter

Our family has been doing something different for Christmas over the past couple of years. This year we are continuing with this tradition.

Christmas day is on December 25th each year. But not in our house. For many reasons, we have moved our Christmas to Easter Sunday. The birth of Christ wouldn’t have happened on December 25th anyhow. December 25th has for the most part become more of a day that benefits stores and has become way to commercialized. The day isn’t about Christ.

There are many people who don’t have the money to buy presents for their children, family and friends. Many goes into debt so they can buy gifts or put bills off in place of gift giving. Not everyone will have a hot meal or be surrounded by loved ones. I have known many who have passed away or committed suicide because the sorrow they have experienced during the most joyous of all holidays. Our daughters have families of their own and by the time Christmas in December comes around, they don’t have extra money they can spend on gifts and such. They also don’t have to worry about which parents house they will go to for dinner. By moving our Christmas to Easter, it gives them the opportunity to pay their bills and not feel stressed over money, gifts or time. I don’t think Christ would want us to go into debt and be stressed out over gifts when it is and should be all about Christ.

I know there are elements of the day that are about Christ and it is a struggle each year when it comes to trying to keep Christ in CHRISTmas. I’m pretty sure Christ would be happy with the way things are now. Christ gets lost in the shuffle. So, at our house we celebrate Christmas at Easter. We celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, while remembering that He died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead three days later. We have a big family dinner that is enjoyed by all.It is very pleasant and rewarding when we do our Christmas and Easter like this. It puts the focus on Christ, instead of all the other things and the man in the red suit.

•    John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

But what is the real meaning of Christmas?

Many would say that Christmas is about spending time with family, gifts under the tree and spreading messages of peace and love to those we care about the most. It is for some a time to send Christmas cards out once a year, playing in the snow and wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas”. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree decorated and Christmas music being sung and played over the radio.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Christmas and Easter is our families most important observances of the year. It is a time of joy. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son into the world to be born. Because Jesus was born, His life and death is about love, hope and truth. When He came into this world as a babe, He brought salvation to all of us. Without Jesus, we would all die because of our sins.

Jesus was born and He died on the cross for all of our sins. When we confess that we are sinners, we can ask Him to forgive us and come into our hearts.

As we get ready to celebrate the birth and death of Jesus Christ, we know that the peace and joy we receive will last forever. God will meet all of your needs.

•   I John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

Why Do We Celebrate Easter?

On Easter Sunday we commemorate the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the grave on the third day after His crucifixion and death on Calvary.
“Jesus said … ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’” (John 11:25–26).
Easter is the day when we celebrate Jesus Christ rising from the dead. Jesus is the Son of God and heroically gave His life to die for our sins. On the third day after He died — the day we now celebrate as Easter Sunday — His friends went to His grave, and found that He had risen from the dead. They saw an angel who told them, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as He said it would happen.”

God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life — of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.”
May God bless you with His joy this Christmas/Easter season!

Question: “What does it mean to backslide?”

Video – Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns

If I were to ask one hundred people what does it means to Backslide? I would get a variety of answers. 

As I was study the topic backsliding, from a Christian point of view, it simply means that we are moving away from God rather that moving towards Him. A backslider is a person who is going the wrong way in life. I am going to be covering the seriousness of backsliding when it comes to ones faith.

A backslider is someone who is heading down a wrong way street, spiritually. At some point in his or her life, they committed to Jesus Christ and to live a life that is morally correct. When I see people who have been on fire for Jesus and they walk back into the life they had. When a person is being a backslider, that means you are moving away from God.

There are a number of families that I am worried about when it comes to them replacing other things in their lives instead of spending time with the Lord. When I talked to them about what they do all day, they will say they play games and such,I can see in one family that somehow they got turned around.The backsliders is someone who has some a lot of things to demonstrate a committment to christ.There ways reverted back to the person they once was.

Answer: The word backslide, in a Christian context, implies movement away from Christ rather than toward Him. A backslider is someone who is going the wrong way, spiritually. He is regressing rather than progressing.The backslider had at one time demonstrated a commitment to Christ or maintained a certain standard of behavior, but he has since reverted to old ways. Backsliding may manifest itself in several ways, e.g., dropping out of church, losing fervor for the Lord, walking away from a ministry or a family, or falling back into old habits.

I have been thinking about this topic for some time. I want to cover how easily it is for mankind to slip on the slippery slopes in our life. I want to discuss the dangers of backsliding. I’m not sure if this is considered a common term anymore. A person who backsides is a Christian who is distancing themselves from the Lord.

I have been pacifically for a young family who has been getting further and further from the Lord. They don’t say that, but I notice it as well as others do. Before they always made sure of what they did and said when it come to their faith. Slowly, the world is creeping in and trying to stick at them. I totally understand why they don’t feel they can find the right church for them or for others. I find it more disheartened that they do go try out others and not let what happened at once church cause them to make it so someone doesn’t go anywhere. It’s better to keep going forward instead of going backwards which makes Satan upset when you go further.

As Christians, whenever we come across certain Biblical names either of people or places or use of certain words, we may have no other option but to shudder and search our hearts.  Names of people like Judas Iscariot (Matthew 10: 4); Damas (2 Timothy 4: 10); Diotrephes (3 John 9).  David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11: 3-4); Samson and Delilah (Judges 16: 20) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5: 1) point our attention to something very important in our Christian journey.  Then names of places such as Sodom (Genesis 13: 13) and Sardis (Revelation 3: 1) make us have similar feelings.  And to cap it, the presence and use of certain words or expressions In the scripture such as disqualified (1 Corinthians 9: 27); reprobate (2 Corinthians 13: 5, KJV); prodigal; and the expression in Revelation 2: 4, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”; more than anything else, cause us to think seriously about today’s topic

Here are Some verse about Backsliding

• When we wander away from Christ, no loud bang is created because it is a gradual thing. Mention various things a Christian can be involved in that can lead to spiritual decay?  (Col. 3: 1-3; 2 Timothy 4: 10, Prov. 13: 20).  What are the likely outward evidences     or signs of backsliding in a Christian?  (2 Timothy 3: 1-6)
• Fear is a logical response to living outside the will of God. Why do you think Saul was afraid according to today’s text?  Mention other  dangers we are exposed to whenever we fall out of touch with God  (I Samuel 28: 5 & 6; 2 Peter 2: 20-22).
• Our Lord Jesus Christ has made enough provision for us to be more than conquerors. However, every Christian is still faced with the danger and the possibility of spiritual relapse.  What steps can we take or what Biblical guidance can we adopt to survive every temptation that can make us backslide?  (Songs of Sol. 2: 15; Hebrews 2: 1, Hebrews 3: 12-13, Hebrews 10: 29, Matt. 24: 42)

Who is a backslider?  A backslider is a Christian who gets out of touch with the Lord.  This happens when someone who is devoted to God, begins to take his or her relationship with Him less seriously as a result of carelessness, disobedience or negligence.  The backslider is isolated between two worlds – he is not able to enjoy the Lord and he cannot enjoy the world.  Backsliding does not necessarily mean a loss of salvation, but it can certainly lead to it.  This is why the Bible warns believers many times not to compromise their faith in Christ and to repent when they receive the chastening of the Lord.  “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?  He said, do not make light of the LORD’s discipline, and do not give up when he corrects you.  For the Lord discipline those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child”  (Hebrews 12: 5-6 NLT).

A few weeks ago my pastor was doing the sermon. Right now we are in the book of Jude. I was telling my sister Joyce that it is interesting how most churches or people in general will read or study the most known books. For example, we always hear about Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. While he was talking, I couldn’t shake the idea that some of the books, I would just pass over. I knew they were important, but not as important as some, or so I thought.

I pulled out the Bible and was looking through the books of the Bible. I knew them all in order from when I was a child. But, memorizing isn’t the same as studying the entire Bible and the Word of God. Nahum reminds us that God is in control and He won’t let evil to persist forever.

Nahum is considered to be one of the “Minor Prophets.” The Hebrew name “Nahum” means “comfort” or “consolation.”  Nahum is to give the final warning and judgment upon Nineveh, and he also addresses the rest of the Assyrian empire. They returned to wickedness shortly after they repented back in Jonah’s day.

Nahum was chosen to comfort those who were oppressed in the kingdom of Judah. Nahum told them to rejoice because Nineveh will be justly punished.  While the book of Jonah records Nineveh’s reprieve, Nahum predicts its destruction. Assyria was the archenemy of Israel and Judah. It was used by God to punish the inhabitants of Israel who had turned to idol worship and other evil practices.

In Nahum 1 God triumphs over his enemies, regardless of how strong they are.  As I read more and study it, it seems as if there are a couple specific sins that Nahum  mentions about Nineveh:

1. They are greedy and full of lustful pleasures.
2. They have no mercy even though they have great strength. They aren’t remorseful when it comes to destroying and killing.

In the days of Jonah,  Nineveh turned away from their evil ways and they served the Lord. . But 150 years later, Nineveh returned to their old ways such as idolatry, violence, and arrogance (Nahum 3:1–4). God sends one of His prophet Nahum to Nineveh to warn them of the judgment that will destroy their city and exhorting them to repentance. The Ninevites did not heed’s Nahum’s warning, and the city was brought under the dominion of Babylon.

Does the book of Nahum apply to us today? Yes!

 God is patient and slow to anger. Even though He is patient, He isn’t going to deal with mocking. I would like to use the United States as an example of how Nahum still applies to us today.

In the past 20 plus years, our country has changed. The United States was founded on the principles that are found in the Bible. We have been a nation over 200 yrs. Our country is getting further and further from God. We are going in the opposite direction. As a Christian, I know and I do believe that our only hope is in Jesus Christ.  We could easily become the next Nineveh at the rate we are going.

We are living in difficult times, but I know that the Lord is good! When life comes crashing down on you and you have faith in God and believe, you will discover that peace can be found in the midst of the storm. God won’t allow wickedness to exist forever.

• Nahum 1:7-8, The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end;  trouble will not come a second time.  They will be entangled  among thorns and drunk from their wine;

I would have to say that we shouldn’t expect God to bless us if we are unwilling to believe and let Him be the One in control of our lives.  I have found over and over again that my stubbornness and control issues doesn’t get me very far. There have ben times when I have wondered why God will let His children go through difficult times. Basically, when we put our trust in him despite whatever our circumstances may be, things will work out according to His will.

In closing I just want to add that the Bible is a book of hope for the future when the God will secure lasting peace among all peoples and nations (Isaiah 9:6-7). Nahum also predicted a time of peace beyond this troubled world.

The Grace of God which promises the deliverance of Judah from the oppressive hand of the Assyrians, is seen particularly in the introductory verses, where Gods divine attributes are emphasized. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked…. The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him . The LORD is patient and gracious to all those who trust in Him.

Today at church, my pastor touched on a subject that could have easily gone south real fast. That’s because Pastor Ray covered the topic of how we should watch our hearts and tongues so we don’t hinder those who are doing good by sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. I have to admit that this very small book was a book I didn’t really pay much attention to. But after today, I figured that there is a powerful message in this letter that is addressed to Gaius.

3 John 9-12

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰ So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

As I was reading and listening to the sermon today, I was thinking about how those who are believers and love the Lord should also love our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we show love and kindness to those who love the Lord, we are blessed.

I also imagined what it must have been like to hear Gaius warn Demetrius about Diotrephes about not buying into his evil ways and nonsense. It is like, “dude, this guy is bad news and spreading lies, you need to take care of this since they won’t listen to me!” There are many high muckity mucks that are still spreading lies and are evil to the core. You only have to turn on the news to know this. We need Demetrius in our world and even more we need Jesus.

Christians and churches could probably learn a lot when it comes to how Gaius was dealing with differences that existed among Christians. Gaius was a faithful servant that loved the Lord and helped those who needed help.  I would think it would have been super exciting to be part of the winning of souls for Christ and to hear about grace and kindness of others from him firsthand.

Demetrius was for the most part liked by all and respected. This is the main reason why Gaius sent Demetrius. He instructed them to be prepared to bear their testimony to others.

• 3 John 12– Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

I have found over and over again that when I have people around me that are Christian and good examples of Christ, it makes me a better person and gives me a sense of peace and happiness.  It is also awesome to know that even though I am far from perfect and I make a ton of mistakes in my life, God still loves me.

I would hate to think that my actions, words or anger would prevent someone from knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savor. I also get a lot of things wrong when it comes to my understanding of the Bible. I have no doubt that when I get to Heaven, I will have a whole lot of things wrong.  There has been times I have had falling outs with fellow Christians and usually it is because I misunderstood or they did. I would prefer to say that they did, lol. I think if I would have read this small but powerful book I could have saved a bunch of heartache and hurt feelings over things.

In closing, I just want to say that we must follow that which is good since those who walk in love and are faithful are born of God. It isn’t a good idea to be selfish, proud or wanting to be all powerful.  I strive to be a good example of who a Christian is. I hope and pray that people can see that I am a believer and follower of Christ. I find it exciting to think about my connections and interactions with those who are like minded. For myself, I would have a hard time finding life pleasing and happy if I wasn’t around those who are like minded. How awesome it is going to be to see the multitudes that have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Those who know Christ and are known to be Christians, should be willing to help those around us and share the truth and Gospel with them.

If you haven’t heard about the lottery reaching over a billion, you must be living in a cave. I have thought about what I would do if I won that much money like millions of others have done. I honestly don’t know and can’t conceive what it would be like to have that much money. I don’t think that people that live in a normal lifestyle would know what to do with a billion dollars.

As I considered what I would do with that much money, I would for sure make sure to find a reputable financial advisor and not tell anyone right away. Since most states they make you disclose who the winners are, being anonymous may not be so easy. People have been killed and had to file bankruptcy since you will have more friends than you ever had before.

I was telling a friend that I would be sure that the friends I had before would be the friends I trust. I could imagine people descending and becoming vultures when they find out who won that amount of money. You would have every scam artist, long lost relatives and so called friends coming out of the wood work.

I can’t say I wouldn’t blow any money, because I know I would. I can’t imagine not doing a dream vacation, but I would get bored if I traveled all the time and wasn’t home. Here is my list of things that I would do if I won that amount of money.

1. Find a good financial advisor and lawyer
2. Buy a house that is easy to maintain. It wouldn’t be a mansion. Maybe a 3 or 4 bedroom house that is about 2500 square foot with a 3 car garage.
3. A new truck/suv for Chuck and a Ford Mustang Cobra for me.
4. A motor home so we can go on vacation and travel a bit
5. Of course I would donate to my church because if what I donate can make a difference to others and share the Good News with others, it is worth it.
6. Open a Christian Book Store that has an internet café and diner attached to it. It would be a pay it forward diner where the homeless could find a hot meal through vouchers. The vouchers would be distributed via churches and the shelters.
7. I would help my family out to an extent and trust funds would be set up for my grandkids. I believe if you give and give, it really isn’t doing anyone any good. Helping is one thing, enabling is another thing.
8. Starting a animal shelter/rescue would be one of my top priorities also. There are many homeless animals and they deserve to be loved and taken care of.
9. I would try to keep my life as normal as possible. I think people get in way over their heads when they win huge amounts. I would prefer not to win over changing the kind of person I am.

Today’s sermon touched on a blog post I started some time ago, and I pretty much left it in draft format. With today’s sermon I figured I should finish up that blog.  Basically the post is on how we make things much more complicated when it comes to our faith and belief in God. I don’t think God intended things to be so complicated. Pastor Rays sermon touched on this today.

I was born in Indiana, my grandparents and our family didn’t live far from Nappanee Indiana where the Amish are all over the place.  My grandparents lived off the land and they raised their own livestock.  One of the many positives about living the way we did and the area is that my views of Christianity are still like they were then.  My views when it comes to my faith and belief in Christ is simple.

My grandma was a Sunday School Teacher at a Methodist Church. In our area besides Amish and Methodist, there were Pentecostals, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Mennonites and Baptist. At least those are the ones I was aware of. She would read from the Bible at night and that was it. There weren’t other books. The Bible was the Only book that mattered.

Now days, there are hundreds if not thousands of belief systems. I can imagine what my grandma would say about all of the nonsense going on these days. She would be rolling in her grave if she knew. She would be sure to tell us all what she thought and she wouldn’t care if someone got offended.

I’m not sure if the name on the building is as important as Who they believe in and that they believe in the whole Word of God, not just a part of it. To many people like to pick and choose what they like or not like. There are many churches and communities that say they are Christian, but are they really?  Churches and belief systems differ just as much as humans do.  Has Christianity become to complicated or is it us that complicates Christianity? Life is complicated, not God.

• I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

I can’t help by wonder how many people who goes to church really understands what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ. How many people sit in pews and goes through the motions of playing church? Is God real to everyone at church?  Or He this big spirit in the sky that is going to send lightening bolts down to earth? OK, I guess He could send lightening since God could if He wanted to.  I also wonder if everyone who goes to church have a hunger and longing for God?  I don’t think that everyone who goes to church is a Christian. I also don’t think that all Christians goes to church. The reason I can say I know this, is that I have friends, acquaintances and family that goes to church and they don’t get it. I also have friends who don’t go to church regularly and they have more faith in their pinky than some have in their whole body.

Anymore many are choosing their own paths when it comes to God.  It isn’t hard to realize this in this generation of technology.  Nevertheless It amazes me when I hear people talk about how as long as they believe in God, nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter if they believe in the same God as in the Bible.  As long as they believe in someone or something, it doesn’t matter.

A lady that I know says that she is a Christian. The reason she says that is that she “thinks” there is a higher power and that she is a good person. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone and does good, then she is all good in the “God” department. She told me that she use to go to church, but it was full of people who weren’t who they say they were. They had just as many issues and problems as she did and she wanted nothing to do with any churches or “God”. She also said that “she doesn’t need to have someone save her.” Let’s say, I was about to get a mallet out and hammer her with some truth.  But, I can’t make people believe unless they want to. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I have a hard time when people don’t use common sense, lol. Makes no sense to me, but I guess that’s why we have “free will.”

I knew I couldn’t hit them with a hammer, but it did get me thinking about what is it that keeps people from believing in the “One True God.” As a Christian, it broke my heart that she felt this way.  I then asked myself how is it that as a Christian, that I have somehow missed the golden opportunity to witness to my friend. Since I am a Christian, I want to please God and I want to share the Good News that Jesus paid the price and we can all live forever.

I gave my life to Him a long time ago and my faith is everything. The more I think on things and I do a lot of thinking,   I have come to the realization that we have many rules and regulations that doesn’t need to be there when it comes to our relationship with God. Maybe that’s because we live in a world full of rules and regulations.

Finding the right church isn’t easy. It can be quite complicated, which is what it seems Satan enjoys. Believing and trusting in God isn’t intended to be complicated like I said, we complicate things.  I think Satan is enjoying the smoke screen and wants us to believe that is difficult to be as perfect as we “think” we should be when it comes to being believers in Christ. Let me get this out of the way right now! There is NO WAY you are going to be perfect. God knows we can’t be perfect. He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins because only because of Christ can we live forever.

• The word “perfect,” in the Bible  mean “complete” or “finished.” Jesus was made “perfect” through suffering (Heb. 2:10; 5:8–9). He completed or fulfilled God’s plan for Him as our Savior by suffering for us.

We put God in a box and we want to throw in the things we like here and there. I wondered why there are so many churches and divisions. It makes it easier to justify what we feel comfortable with. Like my friend who said, she believes in a “higher power”. A higher power is in my  way of thinking a “do as you please” kind of mentality.  Everything is all good, no matter what. My friend once told me that while Christians want to believe in “this God”, they didn’t want anyone to rain on their parade. I don’t honestly get how people believe this way, if they do, why believe in anything at all?  That’s a whole other topic though.

When I think about my own faith in Christ, I have come to understand over many many years that faith is more than just going to church, my faith is a way of life. My faith in Christ is more of a personal relationship instead of being impersonal. When a person believes and puts ones faith in Jesus Christ we have assurance in our own salvation.

• I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

In closing I just want to say that for me, Christianity is simple. It is more than a religion it is a way of life that is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. When someone believes in Jesus Christ, lives are transformed. Good feelings and deeds aren’t needed to have eternal life. When you trust in Jesus Christ, admit you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is all that is needed. It’s that simple.

My cousin George is a pastor of a little church in Knox, Indiana. He posted a status on Facebook today that was is simple, but at the same time powerful. The question he posed is, “Do you try harder to spend time in the world than you do with God.” It doesn’t take a whole lot of words for me to get thinking about things. Thanks for the thought for the day George, it’s always a good reminder to stay focused on Christ.

So, here are some of my thoughts when it comes to his question.

• In 1 John 2:15 it says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

If we look at what this verse says, it is telling us that we are suppose to be “lovers of this world.” If we love things of this world, then we are enemies of God.

I had to go look up what it means when we are told to “not be part of this world.”  The word world refers to a world system ruled by Satan, we can more readily appreciate Christ’s claims that believers are no longer of the world—we are no longer ruled by sin, nor are we bound by the principles of the world. In addition,

• (John 17:14) “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Simply put, Jesus is telling us that we shouldn’t become attached to the things of this world. This isn’t something that we should take lightly. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be an enemy of God. It’s easy to fall into the ways of this world if we aren’t careful.  This is a serious matter.

Since I am a believer in Christ, I know that as a Christian I am set apart from the world. For those who are believers this means that we should be living a holy and righteous life. We shouldn’t take part in sinful activities that are condoned by the world. I’m not saying this is easy, because it isn’t. It’s something I strive to do each and every day.

It’s difficult to understand what it is that we have to do when it comes to living in this world and still not being a part of it. The best way I can think to describe what it means is that we need to be living examples of Christ. I make it a point that I do things that are pleasing to God. I want people to look at me and know that I am a Christian. If people look at me and don’t see Christ, then I am missing the mark and not doing what God is wanting.  As a believer in Christ, I have the desire to live my life for Christ.

• (Romans 12:1-2)  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

There are times people will say that in order for a person to be a Christian, you can’t have fun. There are too many rules and regulations. I guess I don’t see it this way.  I don’t miss the things of this world. Material things are temporary. I don’t find joy in going out partying or in activities that are for the moment. I find joy in helping others, praying and doing the things that make a difference to others and to God.  All of the things of this world will pass away. My life and the lives of all mankind will pass away, but because of Jesus dying for my sins on the cross, I know that this life is temporary.

• (Matthew 7:16-20) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Toby Mac has a song out called “Lose my Soul”.   The song simply say’s, “I don’t want to gain the whole world and  lose my soul.” This is one of my favorite songs out there. If you haven’t heard it, you may want to take the time to really listen to the words.

The Chorus to “Lose my Soul”

I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away let me hear the people say
I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul
Don’t wanna walk away let me hear the people say

In closing I just want to leave you with a few questions. You are more than welcome to comment to this post and share our thoughts and answers if you like.

1. Is losing your soul for worldly possessions, lusts and wealth worth it to you?
2. At the end of the day and the end of your life, who or what is more important to you?
3. How does the world influence the way you live your life and resist temptations?
4. How have your choices and actions affected those around you?
5. Can people tell that you are a believer in Christ? Or are you just going through the motions?

When you like or share a comment, picture or link with others, you may want to be aware of the dangers that are affiliated with what seems like a harmless way to make the world better. Well, at least your friends and acquaintances world better.

There are a lot of scams out there. I’m pretty sure most have seen the pictures that says “Like and Share This picture and you will become a millionaire”. Or, you may have seen the ones where they are saying that if you like this picture and share it Jesus will bless you. Lately there has been a picture of a dog that has a piece of ham across it’s face. Yet people are sharing it like crazy because a hoax is going around that this poor dog has been burned. We need to click and share his picture to show him some love.

Over the past few weeks or so, there has been a popular hoax that involved Mark Zuckingberg the owner of Facebook. If we like and share the picture then he will give us like 14 million dollars. The only one that was getting rich off of this scam is the ones who came up with the scam to begin with.  Those who create these pictures and pages are making huge commissions because we click and like a picture.

My daughter Jessica was talking about one of the hoaxes going around and I wish it was true for her sake since she is pregnant. She was saying how Cold Stone Creamery would give a free ice-cream to pregnant women if they are showing and looks pregnant.

These types of pictures are designed to tug at your heart strings. The way it works is that someone will create a page and they start posting inspirational quotes and images. Once you like and share the post or image, it will start showing up in the news feeds. The more we share and like a page, the more it will show up. It eventually takes on a life of its own.

Have you ever seen the pictures that says to click here and see what happens? So you click it and nothing happens.  When, actually a whole lot has happened. You just gave access to someone that you don’t know. You gave them access to your friends, family and other content that you have posted on Facebook.  When the pages begin to gain momentum and they get more and more hits, then all the sudden advertising stops popping up like crazy. It isn’t just pictures, but they also gain access through games, polls and those cute little things like “who are you most like” or ” who were you in a previous life?”

The ones that gets me is the ones that wants us to share out of support for someone else. What I am meaning is that it will say something like, “My sister thinks she is ugly, like this photo to show her how pretty she is.” In most cases, there isn’t a real sister. It is a ploy to get you to click on said image so someone can make money off your year likes and shares. Have you ever noticed how when you go to Amazon or search for a product, it will show up all of the sudden as an advertising on the news feeds or the side. When you click and share things, you may have allowed malware to be loaded into your computer. Viruses and other things have basically infected your computer without you even noticing it.

OK, So I gave you some warnings about scams, but what can we do about it? There are ways to secure your Facebook page and to not send your friends to the wolves.

If you use the “Friends” setting on your Facebook instead of “friends of friends“, then that is a step in the right direction. This setting will allow only your friends to view your posts, not everyone else. You will find these settings under your privacy settings at the top of the page.

Before you like or share a picture or post be sure who you are sharing it with. You can set up by clicking on custom on your post. If you see a globe it means that what you are posting or sharing is a public post. Everyone can see it. So make sure you want everyone to see what you are posting before you click post.  If you see two heads, that means you are posting it for “friends of friends”. If there is just one head, that means that only those on your friends list can see what you are posting.

If you have liked something and I have done this many times, you can unlike it. Go to your profile and choose the  “more” button.  You will see where you are given the option to “unlike”. This is an awesome feature since there are times I have liked something and regretted it later. I have some friends on Facebook that is over zealous when it comes to liking things. On my page, I made sure that I don’t get all the news feeds and I will let them know that whatever they are sharing is a scam or a hoax.  You may also want to make sure you don’t have your phone linked to your Facebook page. People that you may not know can now call you if you list your phone.  On my cell phone I have hundreds and hundreds of peoples names and numbers that are on my facebook page. This is possible because numbers are synced through google chrome. I had to go in and edit my info to make sure to not make it so people can call me through Facebook.  Click Here for information on editing that.

There are places you can go when it comes to making sure if something is real or not. The place I go to is “Snopes.com”. You can search for whatever it is that you are looking for. If you check it out to begin with, you may save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run.

Now, there are times when I share posts and those are from places that I know are legit. Usually the ones I share are places that are secure and known.  If you see something I have shared, I have checked it out.  If you are careful social networks like “Facebook” can do great things like connecting with friends and family. I would just recommend that you go into your privacy settings and make sure your information is secure. The world doesn’t need to know everything about you. If someone see’s my posts and pictures, that means you are on my trusted list. Not everyone can see everything I post on my wall.

Lastly, I just want to say that if you aren’t sure if someone sent you something, just ask them.

This is the time of the year when people make resolutions about things they need to change. Each year I do a post on what my resolutions are. They are pretty simple. I don’t make resolutions. But, I do try to change the way I look at things and to be thankful for the blessings I have been given.

Yesterday at church we had a guest pastor. He spoke about resolutions Christians should make. I have to say I was a bit lost in his sermon. The sermon just kept going and going. What I did get out of it is what I make each and every day. The most important thing is to trust in the Lord. I figure if I do that and treat people the way Christ would want me to treat them, then I will be OK.

In no way will or is my life perfect. I make daily mistakes and I always strive to walk closer to the Lord. This is something that I choose to do.

Here are some good resolutions for Christians and what I will continue to do and strive to do better.

• Sharing the Gospel with the world
• Study the Word of God
• Pray, Pray and Pray some more
• Spend more time talking to people and less time on Facebook.
• Stop being so negative. There is enough of that going on in the world.
• Talk less and listen more ( something I need to do)
• Don’t be deceived by Satan.

One resolution that I work very hard at is sharing the Gospel with anyone and everyone.  This is the resolution I want to cover a bit in this blog post. This is one of the reasons I started to blog. I think about what people are missing out on when they don’t have a personal relationship with Christ. There is a whole lot of excuses when it comes to not going to church or believing in God. The more excuses I hear, the more I wonder if those who profess to be Christians really are. I have no right to judge others on what they believe. But it makes me wonder and I make sure in my life that I follow the examples that Christ gave me.

The other day I was listening to a friend discuss how they have stopped going to church some time ago. They weren’t happy with the music or how people looked. I guess in my mind, it isn’t about the music or how people appear. I only worry about what Jesus thinks.

They were talking about how difficult things have been and have started reverting to their old ways with drinking and thinking. Today I was discussing with a friend on how I use to hang out with people I shouldn’t have and I worked all the time, so I couldn’t go to church. Eventually it became easier to stay home from church and rest up on days I didn’t have to work.

About 20 yrs ago, I made a resolution to God that I wanted to live my life with more intent on my walk with Christ. Excuses are just that, they are excuses. For me, I had to look at things in a different way and make conscious decisions. If I wanted to live my life in a way that is pleasing to God, I needed to change. For 20 plus years, that is the resolution I have made to God. I make sure that I remember all that He has given me.

Going to church isn’t going to save you. But, it is important to be around like minded people. There is an old saying, “you are who you are around”. I know this is true. I didn’t like who I was when I was around other people that didn’t care about God. I am a much happier and mentally healthier because of my relationship with Christ.

Finally, I want to say to those who think they can keep doing what they are doing and you think you are pleasing God by making excuses and following the patterns of this world, you are being deceived. Each and every one of us will have to stand before God when we pass from this world.  You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but it is each persons choice.

Our family doesn’t worry about all of the gifts and such like many do. We have our Christmas Tree up, but that is only because I had all of my Christmas things out for a ladies luncheon at my church. There are no gifts under the tree, just the lights and some precious memories of Christmas’s past. We do our gift giving at Easter when we celebrate the birth, death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have pictures of grand-kids and ornaments that were given to me over time. This year I added a new ornament in memory of my mom who past away recently.

This year I know many who are spending this very special day in Heaven. I can only imagine what the celebrations are like in Heaven. I know one day this is a celebration that I look forward to. Some of the people that I will be thinking of that is now with Jesus is my mom Winnie Elder, my friend and previous pastor Harry Myers and my childhood friend and like a sister Robin Evans.

Robin Evans

My Mom- Winnie Elder

I can picture my mom and grandma sitting around and chatting over all the crazy things that has happened since she went to be with Jesus in 1973. I can picture the biggest smile come across Harry’s face. Harry must have been overjoyed to see Jesus face to face. I wonder what Harry and Mattie had to say to each other. My imagination goes crazy on that one, lol. Then Robin who has had many heartaches must be very happy and realizing what peace really means. Robin had a love for the Lord. I also wonder what the conversations are like for her as she talks to her oldest sister Cheryl, her dad and nephew Brandon.

Harry Myers and Cheryl

Harry Myers

Here on earth, I don’t foresee any peace until Christ comes again. It is nice to see that people truly know what Christmas is about each and every day. Not just on December 25th.

My thoughts and prayers goes out to all who have lost a loved one or who may be going through a hard time. When I have my hard moments or things seem dark, I have always found that turning to Jesus is the only way to make it through those dark days. Jesus is the light of this world.

• John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I came across this poem a little earlier about what the true meaning of Christmas is;

True Meaning of Christmas

In todays’ day and time,
it’s easy to lose sight,
of the true meaning of Christmas
and one special night.

When we go shopping,
We say “How much will it cost?”
Then the true meaning of Christmas,
Somehow becomes lost.

Amidst the tinsel, glitter
And ribbons of gold,
We forget about the child,
born on a night so cold.

The children look for Santa
In his big, red sleigh
Never thinking of the child
Whose bed was made of hay.

In reality,
When we look into the night sky,
We don’t see a sleigh
But a star, burning bright and high.

A faithful reminder,
Of that night so long ago,
And of the child we call Jesus,
Whose love, the world would know.

written by Brian K. Walters