Thank You, Lord!

Second term of Spring Semester has begun! On one hand...not enough time for studying (and sharing) His Word. On the other hand...only 7 more weeks until I will have a whole summer to do so! Yay! Plus, it isn't all bad. This term I am taking Religion in America and American Religious Traditions. Excited to see what I may learn!

So, posts will be infrequent, but I just needed to share something quickly. Sarah Young wrote a daily devotional book called Jesus Calling. Have you read it? If not....GET IT! I have many daily devotion books and this one seems to always speak to my heart, touching on something personal going on in my life that day. To get the most out of each day's devotion, I often change the tense, turning the message into a prayer of sorts. Sorry Sarah, hope that is okay!

Today's topic for March 25th was about thankfulness. This one act is so often repeated throughout scripture. The first "Christian" book I read, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is ALL about being thankful - for All things. Ann points out how beauty and blessings can be seen even in the "ugly" things or trials, or mundane, everyday simple-ness. I am in the midst of her "Joy Challenge" of writing down 1,000 things for which I am thankful. Today's post in Jesus Calling is just one more reminder of how incredibly important the act of thanksgiving is to our lives, as well as to God.

Here is how I formed today's "prayer".....

"Glorious Father, let thankfulness temper all my thoughts.

I know that a thankful mind-set keeps me in touch with You.

You hate it when Your children grumble, casually despising Your sovereignty. Thankfulness is a safeguard against this deadly sin.

Furthermore, a grateful attitude becomes a grid through which I perceive life.

Gratitude enables me to see the Light of Your Presence shining on all my circumstances.

I will cultivate a thankful heart for this glorifies You and fills me with Joy. Amen."

Who does not want to have a heart filled to overflowing with gratitude? I, for one, would much rather have an immediate reaction to difficulty be thanking God for one thing or another. Even during the storms, there is ALWAYS something for which you can find thanks. My goal is merely to continue to practice this. every. day. Don't laugh....I have Post-It Notes all over my house as reminders. How do you practice thankfulness and gratitude for God's gifts?

Closer

I have been struggling to explain the massive 'overdose of God" I have experienced this last month. As I've said before, I have an insatiable hunger and thirst for His Word and the depth and severity of the cravings have not subsided.

 I found myself running in all directions, grasping every single 'Christian' possibility, hoping to soak up information, yet not able to concentrate completely on any one specific resource at a time.

This continued to the point of exhaustion and confusion - I did not truly know from where my information was coming. I was questioning the integrity and validity of everything I read. Essentially, I was pushing myself away when what I really wanted was to move closer.

To move closer. I thought that if I was attuned to each and every Christian blogger, author, musician, speaker AND devotional, I would be able to soak up even more of His Word.

The result? I was so bombarded by information, opinions, and directives - not to mention the time it took to read all of these sources - that I was ultimately moving, not closer, but further away, from what I truly sought.

Come on...my only and important goal of moving closer to God's Word really isn't that difficult...as long as you push aside all the 'other' resources and concentrate on the one-and-only, tried-and-true, honest and full-of-promise source available. The Bible.

A newbie mistake? Heck yeah! But, a valuable lesson, as well. My hunger and thirst are not sated. My desire to ingest all information is still strong. And I continue to read my main daily devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and still follow my favorite bloggers Jen Hatmaker and Ann Voskamp, and still dig deeper into topics and questions I come across.

The only difference now? God's Word...the one thing of which I was seeking more...is the first source I use and the only one I fully trust. 

But there is a silver lining to my lesson learned. In all of my mad searching, I actually did accomplish a lot of research on topics I am interested in, as a New Believer. New posts coming soon!

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Questions Too Embarrassed to Ask - Part 1

Questions Too Embarrassed to Ask - Part 1

When I said my early childhood was religious-free, it was true...partially. I was baptized in the Catholic Church, but also attended Catechism through my First Communion. As a teenager, I would occasionally attend church with my parents or various close friends. In adulthood, I was exposed to many devout Christians throughout my life. So, how exactly did I get to my age without knowing even the basic (embarrassingly so!) facts? Fact(S)...as in MANY!

I cannot imagine I am the only person in the world feeling so illiterate about Christianity...so I am going to post sometimes about "questions I was too embarrassed to ask." Literally. I have read many books, articles, websites, etc. geared toward new Christians. They provide many wonderful and important truths: what it means to have everlasting life, how one goes about receiving that gift, and the importance of sharing the Gospel, among many other topics. However, I have yet to find the book that begins at the. very. bottom.

Who is God? As silly as it sounds, this was one of my ponderings. Something I was consistently confused about. When I pose this question, I do not mean literally "Who is God," but more: Who is God and what is the difference between Him and Jesus? I know Jesus is the Son of God. But, to whom do I pray? Jesus? God? And then add in The Holy Spirit? And what do I call each? There are so many titles used for each person in different circumstances, I was baffled. This is what I learned (and to my credit...it really isn't all that simple).

The Beginning. To be fair, I will never assume everyone knows any detail. Genesis, meaning "beginnings" and "origins," is the first book of the Old Testament of the Bible. It sets the stage and introduces God and the beginning of his creations. The very first line of the entire Bible is, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God. The beginning. The Creator. An infinite being who was not created by anyone before Him, but who has always been there. John 1:1 tells us, "In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God. The Word was God." What does the term "The Word" mean? According to the study portion of my Bible, it is referenced as many things throughout scripture...all different, yet concluding the same. Basically, The Word is the source of God's message to His people through the prophets, and God's law, his standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). In other words, it is the Bible filled with God's words and commandments on how believers are to live their lives.

The Man. The Gospel of John continues with, "So the Word became human and made his home among us." (1:14). God planned this long before His birth, for Isaiah told us of His coming, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6). When Jesus Christ was conceived, God had become a man - a human (although still completely divine), one in which people could see, touch and hear. Up until that point, people knew God only partially since the concept was difficult to understand. Once God was in the form of a human, people could finally know God. And more importantly, Jesus was the perfect picture of God's holiness, the example every other human should strive to emulate.

Continuing the Spread of God's Love. Even if Christ had remained on earth in human form, sharing The Word of God would have been difficult to do alone. Once He returned to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit so that God would be with us and within us always. The Spirit has the ability to comfort us, guide us to the truth, remind us of God's Word and fill us with the Power of the Lord (see John 14-16). The Holy Spirit is Jesus and God, in spirit form, filling each believer with God's goodness, promises, peace, joy and love.  

What is the Bottom Line? To make the answer simple...at least this is what I have concluded as the simple answer - as always, correct me if I am wrong...

God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (also known as the Trinity) are all one and the same - merely in different forms. God continues to be our divine Father, the creator of all, and the Infinite and Sovereign Lord. His son, Jesus Christ, was the image of God in a completely human form. He presented the example and model of the perfect human - one who lived among us for 33 years, lived as a human and experienced emotions, situations and experiences all humans go through, and the only human ever to be completely without sin. Jesus died so that we, as believers, would never perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). When Jesus returned to Heaven to live at the right hand of God, He sent God in the form of the Holy Spirit to fill all believers with comfort, love, hope and joy and to serve as a reminder of how each believer should live.

I know, this isn't very clearly described. It is still difficult for me to write clearly about a concept in which I am still learning. But, that is why I am doing this. I want to share what I find as I learn. As always, I would love to hear opinions or thoughts on my interpretations or questions from other newbies! Please follow my blog to receive new post notifications via email. Always welcoming fellow journey-ers!

A Sinful Nature

Sinful Nature - Romans 6

I have found a name to what I am experiencing! This amazing, wonderful and joyous feeling I have every day. This craving and hunger I cannot sate. And finally, it is a desire that is good and healthy and glorious! "Sanctification" - the change God makes in our life as we grow in faith. That is me! Growing in faith. Slowly and surely...but every day becoming closer to God and digging deeper into His Word! Love. Every. Minute.

So..."SIN." The "power of sin" is our rebellious, sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. Although we may give in to our sinful nature, it is not us that is evil, but sin. We may have chosen to live righteously and accept the gift of eternal life, it does not mean we are not immune to sin. We merely are no longer a slave to sin - and are freely able to choose to obey God wholehearted, or allow sin to control. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires (Rom 6:12).

Is the 'sinful nature' that exists in all of us, the negative and evil power that can lead a believer to commit suicide? Not, as I previously pictured, Satan himself or a demonic presence in our hearts, but the area of sinful desires that exist in all of us. Negativity or sin, in one form or another - adultery, abuse, addiction, bullying - may be the 'sin' in one's life, growing and growing inside until it is all-consuming - it controls  them - once again becoming a slave to evil - losing any love, peace, joy and power the Holy Spirit would provide.

  

When we died with Christ, we were set free from the power that sin had to control our lives (v. 7). We no longer are required to be a slave to sin. We have the choice; do we become slaves to sin - which leads to death? Or, do we chose to obey God's teaching, break free from the bondage sin has on our lives, and become slaves to righteous living (v. 16-18)? Duh? Isn't the answer obvious and easy? Okay, maybe not so easy for new believers. What does becoming a "slave to righteous living" actual mean? And, how exactly do we accomplish this?

First, to "wholeheartedly obey" (essential in reducing sin's hold) means to give yourself fully to God. You must love Him "with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matt 22:37). Ask Him to put you to good use, whatever way He sees fit. To avoid sin, try to remember these steps:

1. Identify your personal weaknesses. Everyone has them. Honesty is essential in this step.

2. Recognize the things that tempt us. Or, the "triggers" you know will increase your desire to sin.

3. Stay away from that source of temptation. At least as much as possible. When unable to avoid the temptation, asking the Spirit to control your thoughts and desires is smart.

4. Practice self-restraint. Obviously, you will be doing this if #3 is impossible.

5. Consciously invest time in good habits and service. I replaced smoking, drinking, and all the activities I once deemed "fun," with studying His Word. And, this was not a difficult achievement, I wanted this change!

Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY!

6. Lean on God's strength and grace! Seek Him constantly! Talk to Him repeatedly throughout the day! Pray for strength to overcome any sinful power and avoid any sinful temptations, desires and thoughts that go against His Glory!

Journey With Me?

My life has been transformed. Following a few years of tragedy and sorrows, I knew I needed something to help get my life back. It began slowly....very. slowly.

Although I was baptized Catholic, my family was not religious. I always considered myself a 'Christian,' yet never associated myself with a particular denomination, nor was I a member of a particular church. I was one of those "nones" that you read about. The middle generation who considers themselves spiritual, believes in a higher being, thinks they have a relationship with God, but also bucks the system by declaring it 'not necessary' to attend church or read a Bible to be Christian. Oh, what a turn my life has taken!

Not long after my mom (who was my best friend) passed away, I read Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life. Although I had no recognition or understanding of any biblical references since the only scripture I could list by heart was 1 Corinthians 13, it - ignited is too strong a word - lit a small flame inside my soul. 

Max Lucado was the next stop in my journey. I had come across a devotional post somewhere and really enjoyed his writing. Ran out and purchased or was given five or six of his books - still unread. A big turning point occurred when I purchased One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, completely on a whim...thinking I may have heard good reviews. I now own five copies to have on hand to give to those I believe need some joy in their lives. I still consider Ann Voskamp one of the pivotal people in the experience.

Like I said, my journey has been slower than slow. Almost two years passed between reading One Thousand Gifts and my current location on my walk. Although a close friend is an active member of a church I thought I liked, I still had not brought myself to attend a service. Why? Did that mean I had crossed a line? Now I was truly a church person? It was when my 3-year-old daughter attended Vacation Bible School and the parents attended a short bible study at the same time - that is when My Journey Full of Grace and Joy fully began!

Today, I regularly (for the most part - but give me a break...I do live in MN) attend Sunday service and Women's Bible study, I am still so incredibly uneducated when it comes to God's Word! Embarrassingly so! I will not go into the details I learned about the birth of Jesus while watching a video of my daughter's. Sad.

Now at current day....this is my blog. This is my study notes. Not necessarily posting them to have them read by anyone. But I know how I learn best, and by picking out points and reading and rereading verses I am more apt to understand - therefore retain the information. However, if other 'newbies' would like to walk along, I would welcome that. My hope and prayer is that it is God's purpose and plan for me to become knowledgeable and educated in His Word (to be honest, I experience an insatiable hunger and thirst for anything God), so that I may be able to walk along with other new believers - fill them with God's promises of hope and joy and peace as they experience their own life-altering journey. So, if you are reading and have thoughts, questions, or even criticism and corrections...please comment!!! I am so excited!