Like Coffee

No one likes studying, especially over Christmas break. Yet here I am, sitting in my local Starbucks, sipping on a piping hot peppermint latte. Coffee always seems to be best when either refreshingly iced or as I like to say, "warming to the soul". In my opinion, coffee can never be too hot. Even if I can only warm my hands against the mug while it's aroma wafts and fills my senses, I am satisfied. Sitting here for a few hours, I've had the opportunity to observe people give their orders. I find it interesting that everyone selects hot or cold coffee, no one desires a lukewarm beverage and if given one they will promptly send it back. Because it is mediocre.

 

Like coffee, people are one extreme or another. We never strive to be plain.

We have been created with passionate hearts. God has given you a passion for Him. When we attempt to live and serve him merely half-heartedly we are a disgusting failure.

He desires us to serve Him with a smoldering love, not one which has grown cold.

"I know all the things you do; that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of  my mouth... I correct and discipline everyone I love, so be diligent and turn from your indifference." - Revelation 3:15-19

The Church of Laodicea had grown lazy. They were neither passionate nor rebellious. Sounds a lot like our culture today. Most people consider themselves as relatively good people, doing good things, doing just enough to get by. Get fired up for God! Church attendance, occasional worship, and watered down service will not be accepted by God as an obedient life.

Ask yourself this question, "Am I hot for God?"

The choice is yours, but there are only two options. Will you be hot or cold?

Because God will expel mediocrity from His kingdom, in the same way you throw away your lukewarm beverage.

Cookie Cutter Christianity

I love to bake. It's a type of therapy for me, a stress reliever of sorts. While my little brother and I decorated our annual batch of Christmas cookies, one phrase continued to pop into mind: "Cookie Cutter Christianity"

It has a negative connotation as believers over the years have gotten the rep of holding each other to standards that don't always have Biblical backing. We shouldn't feel pressured to act or appear a certain way just to fit into the Christian subculture. An example of this is Shia LaBeouf's recent conversion. When he accidentally let some expletives fly while giving his testimony, many Christians went so far as to question his salvation. We need to be patient and show grace to new believers as they grow in their faith. 

However, many seasoned Christians swing to the opposite extreme and cry "Cookie Cutter Christianity" in defense when confronted about their poor reflection of Christ.

Stop using it as a copout.

 We should resemble the God we claim to serve. Because while only God can judge, Matthew 12:33 reminds us that our actions reflect the condition of our heart. And if the Holy Spirit dwells within us, shouldn't God's hand be evidenced in our life? We shouldn't be spiritually stagnant, but should continue to grow and mature in our faith.

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit."

I am not saying that we all need to be identical, unvaried, perfect little cutouts of each other. Remember God has created us with different passions, talents, and desires. Remember not all of us are called to be pastors, missionaries, or leaders in the church. Some of us were meant to be bloggers, or farmers, or engineers, or teachers. Glorify God and serve His kingdom in the way He designed you to. What God desires is for us to seek to please Him in a brilliant display of gratitude. Shouldn't we want the world to be able to recognize us as being different, as being set apart? Shouldn't we want to be molded into the image of Christ?
 
Yes, Christianity can still be messy. 

And even though we may come out of the refining fires a little broken,  by grace we are still deemed beautiful in God's eyes.

"Never forget, you are my handmade creation, a one of a kind, and yes … you are "fearfully and wonderfully made." -Psalm 139:4

Clouds

I feel kind of bad for clouds.

 They have a sad reputation, literally.

They are seen as predictors of bad weather. Indicative of the storm's in our life.

Most of us have studied clouds at some point in one science class or another. Do you remember what they do, other than form thunderstorms?
They serve to expand light and reflect color.

One of the things I love most about God's creation is the personal craftsmanship He paints for us each day in the sky. There is nothing that leaves me more in awe of our Creator than a sunset hike. After having witnessed countless sunsets from various mountain peaks I have come to this conclusion: the most brilliant of sunsets are those with the most magnificent clouds.

 

Jesus' disciples experienced many "mountain-top" moments of their own throughout the duration of His ministry. They also experienced many storms. Matthew 14 recounts for us the one that took place on the Sea of Galilee. The clouds rolled in, their boat was rocked, and they let fear settle in. They failed to trust in the power of their Redeemer and even His Presence there with them, walking on the water, did not bring them immediate comfort.

 

We don't like to admit it, but oftentimes when our faith gets rocked we too forget to see God's Presence.

 

 

Fix your attention on God.



Because, truth be told, the people who most beautifully reflect God's Light are those who have experienced the darkest moments in life. They radiate Christ.

 

A sunset without clouds is much like a life without hardship: bland.

 

 

There is no reflection of the Son evidenced.
 It is quickly fading.

 

We should not seek to avoid clouds or the trials that rain upon us.
Rather, we should embrace the glorious rays God can create in the midst of adversity.

A life free of clouds no longer holds any attraction to me.

 

Because clouds add color, display God's brilliance, and enable us to reflect The Son.

Thankful for Cancer

Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of year. I'm not simply talking about the crispness of the air, the leaves changing to flaming hues, the fact that I can once again wear leggings on a daily basis, or consume everything pumpkin.

It's true beauty lies in the fact that as a nation we reflect on God's blessings in our lives over the past year. There is nothing more beautiful than a thankful heart.

A lot happens over the course of a year. I've shed tears of grief as loved ones have passed away and tears of joy as new ones have been born. I've witnessed countless friends join together in the covenant of marriage. I've completed nursing school. I've moved back and forth between my homes and groups of friends that are 2,000 miles apart. But the single most influential event in my life this past year, was my dad's diagnosis of that dreaded word no one wants to ever hear the doctor say: cancer.

My faith was put to the test in a way I never fathomed it would be. My dad was diagnosed with Stage 3 Cancer while I was out of state for college. I was on my own to deal with the news and there was no one I could turn to- save God. The result is something I still struggle to put into words. After hanging up the phone with my mom that bitterly cold morning, I cried out broken in prayer. I didn't even know what to pray for, but God knew my heart. I was washed over with an incredible sense of peace before I could even muster an "Amen". That same sense of overwhelming peace has stayed with me each day since.

I'm convinced it's a result of my complete trust and dependence in God. The Holy Spirit has begun a new work in me and I can now proclaim wholeheartedly, "I am thankful for cancer!"

Wait, what? Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain.

I am not thankful because of the havoc it has wrecked on my earthly father, but because it has drawn me abundantly closer to my Heavenly Father.

 I have never been more aware of how truly blessed I am than in this current season of life.

 I have never been filled with such an overflow of joy.

 I have never been stronger in my faith.

Would I ever wish for my dad to experience cancer? Of course not.

But we live in a fallen world and the effects of sin are evidenced in our broken bodies. It amazes me how God, in His goodness, uses trials to strengthen our faith and point us to the cross. If you're struggling with the concept of why bad things happen to good people and find yourself asking how a Sovereign God could possibly allow it, I encourage you to look at the glass as being half full rather than half empty. I pose this question to you:

Why has God gifted His love and salvation to a fallen people?

We are not deserving of God's blessing. We are not deserving of the forgiveness of our sins. We are not deserving of salvation and eternal life.

We are deserving of hell.

And in this here lies the beauty of the Gospel! That God in His love and mercy, sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross and bear the entirety of God's wrath against all mankind. Through repentance and faith in Christ we are offered the gift of salvation.

We don't know what the future will hold in store, but we do know with absolute certainty that God will give us the strength to endure it.

I can say with confidence that I have never experienced God's Presence as acutely as I have the past year. It has been a difficult journey, but a beautiful one as I have watched God carry me each step of the way. And I would not change any of it.

Because God Is Good All The Time!

Folly of Feminism

I am a woman, and I am not a feminist.

Here's the deal:

I believe that men and women were created in God's image, making them equal in value and dignity- that makes me a Christian.

I believe that men and women should have equal rights and protection under the law- that makes me a libertarian.

This is different than feminism.

Feminism tells us that gender roles are bad, that there should be no differentiation between male and female in the public sphere. That gender should be ignored in order to create a fair playing field. This is a clear contradiction of what God has intended for us.

 In Genesis 2 we read:
"18 Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.' 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
'This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of man.'
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." (ESV Bible)

God created woman as a helpmate to man. There were certain roles that Adam could not complete and so God created Eve to fulfill them. God has created our genders to compliment each other in areas that the other lacks.

In Ephesians 3 Paul tells us, "wives submit to your husbands" and "husbands love your wives". As women, we are to submit to our husbands in the home and in the church. And husbands are to put their spouse's needs before their own, serving them in sacrificial love, which Christ so perfectly modeled for us.

 Gender identity has been distorted by sin, but was not a result of the fall.

 "Christ did not come to destroy gender distinctions but to repair them so that they might operate in such a way that shows His glory"

 Wives are to submit to their husbands rather than seeking control, and husbands are to love their wives, leading with grace and greater care for their spouse than themselves. This was God’s intent from the beginning. In light of this truth, we should neither view it as a competition between genders, nor seek to absolve gender identity because neither male or female is superior or complete without the other. God purposed it that we should benefit from each other. And when we deny that, everyone loses.