Category Archives: Christianity

In Christ Alone: Worship Wednesday

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This week at church we sang “In Christ Alone” and I love this song. It is that constant reminder that Christ is where it all is. All my hopes, dreams, security, and faith should lie in Christ alone. Christ conquered death and there is no power on earth that can exceed his. So I went to find a video version of the song.

I came upon Christina Grimmie’s version on Youtube and I just started crying. For those of you who don’t know she was a singer who became popular on Youtube. She was killed last year after a concert and was only 22. It hit me that as I am hearing this song she is currently understanding it at a level I can not comprehend.

As Christians I think it is safe to say that we all think about Christ saving us and being in his presence. But I am honest, I can’t fully comprehend it and I am sure that when we are with him we will understand it more fully. I find that intimidating. The unknown of death is kind of just that. I know that I will be with Christ but I have know idea what that really means other than total peace and a joy that exceeds all understanding. The idea of it makes me cry, good cry but cry nonetheless.

I look forward to the day when there will be no more worry and no more questions and we will see Christ face to face. But I know that even while I am here on earth that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ and his sacrifice for me.

Worship Wednesday: Basic Instructions

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Everything in my life right now seems to be about prayer. My church is part of a community, 21 days of fasting and prayer. My scripture writing this month is themed on prayer. So I am taking the hint and focusing more on prayer!

This song is a little different than my norm but it is one of my favorites. If I really want to shut everything out I just crank this up!

What are you focusing on this week for worship?

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: Worship Wednesday

I know that most don’t view Christmas music as worship music but I do! Think about it, the Son of God is born and you are called to worship. What more is there than that? “To free all those who trusted Him”

And my verse for today is a classic. I remember each one of my kids learning this in Awana. They don’t teach it to children because it is an easy verse but because it is intrinsic to our faith! Romans 5:8 reminds us that God didn’t wait for us to be fixed. He sent Jesus to die for us while we were sinners and through that we come to Him!

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Did the Resurrection Surprise Satan?

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(Once again I began musing during Sunday School. This is a little scattered;)
So jump to the New Testament. Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God. So much so that he tempted Christ, right? And the Messiah was promised and prophesied that he would be killed and raised on the 3rd day. So I never really understood Satan’s motivation for Christ’s crucifixion. What do I mean & where am I going with this rambling?

I knew that Satan wanted Christ killed to silence Christ since I was a child. The whole from the murder of the babies when Christ was born and Judas with the betrayal, etc. But that was an “official” thing to me because Satan was Christ’s enemy. Because I was raised with the whole story, I never could wrap my head around the fact that Satan didn’t know the whole story too. That Christ would have to be killed in order to be resurrected and save everyone. Satan knew the prophesy, knew God, and knew who Christ was. So why would he want Christ crucified to be resurrected?

It wasn’t until I read the death of Aslan and the next day in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that I really had any idea what Satan might have felt at the crucifixion. The White Witch wanted Aslan killed be the sin of Edmund had to be paid according to the rules of Deep Magic. Aslan’s sacrifice just meant she got to take him out of play in her mind. But when Aslan came back to life the next day he told Lucy and Susan that while the witch knew the magic, she didn’t know the deeper magic.

I saw the parallel between Aslan and Christ and realized that while Satan knew a lot about God, way more than humanity did, he didn’t know it all. There were deeper truths. Upon Christ’s sacrifice, He would be resurrected and we could all be saved. I think it surprised Satan. I think he also rues the role he had in making it all happen.

Arkansas and Their New Abortion Law

© Rcyoung | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
© Rcyoung | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

So, Arkansas has done the revolutionary. They have passed a new abortion law that is banning abortion past 12 weeks. It is called the Human Heartbeat Protection Act because 12 weeks is when the heartbeat can consistently be detected by abdominal ultrasound. Not only did the bill originally pass the Arkansas legislature, the Senate also over rode the veto of Governor Mike Beebe by a vote of 20 to 14.

If it stands this will be the most restrictive law on the books anywhere in the country. But of course there are already lawsuits in the works. The claim is that this new law violates the limit set by the Supreme Court of 24 weeks based on viability. I am not sure that I am familiar this supposed 24 week minimum allowance set out by the Supreme Court but I do know that other states have been allowed to place higher boundaries but I wasn’t familiar a minimum viability rule…

If this law stands it will be a wonderful step for the pro-life lobby and babies!!

(HT: New York Times)

Quality Time: 5 Love Languages

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Quality time is really mostly about focused attention and quality conversation. (The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters but a man of understanding draws them out. Proverbs 20:5) Quality conversation is about understanding versus fixing which is the difference between listening and speaking.

7 Keys to Quality Conversation:
1)eye contact

2)don’t listen and do something else. Undivided attention… If you can’t stop just be honest. Say you will talk in a set amount of time or set a specific appointment time.

3)Listen for emotions

4)Look for body language: fidgeting, furrowed brow, wringing hands, eye watering

5)Refuse to interrupt

6)Reflective listening like “What I hear you saying is…”

7)Share emotions

There are definite personality differences that are common and understanding them (and which on you are) will make quality time better and easier.

Dead Sea: Content to not speak, Have a large reservoir so it isn’t that they aren’t experiencing emotions;).

Babbling Brook: In and out! Be it thought, action or emotion…

Ignoring the personality differences can be dangerous to relationships! After a time in marriage the Babbling Brook feels she doesn’t know the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea feels he knows everything! Decide to exchange 3 feelings each every day. If you are the Dead Sea remember 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 “We have spoken to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange- I speak as to my children- open wide your hearts also.”

But quality time doesn’t have to just be about staring into each others eyes over candlelight. It can also be about quality activities. Make sure you do activities both like or just 1 like but give & take. Take turns people;). It is about the time you are spending together. Like on date night…we want to do something (at least until the kids go to bed) but don’t have a big activity. Do you know how many times Jeremy has gone shopping with me;)?

Quality time isn’t that complicated. And frankly it is necessary in some quantity for every relationship! Next week we will look at receiving gifts!

{Over the next 7 weeks I am going to be doing a series on The 5 Love Languages (by Gary Chapman) in my Sunday School class. I decided to share my talks over here. As you may see, it isn’t aimed only at couples or children but all;). Be nice, I am nervous as it is;). }

Words of Affirmation: 5 Love Languages

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Words, Words, Words. It is amazing to me the something that takes so little effort can have a huge effect on everyone. The Bible speaks over and over about the power to bless with our words but

Proverbs 18:21 cuts to the chase with “The tongue has the power of Life and Death.”

I don’t know the source by I remember hearing that humans are the only species that can leave their dead walking having killed them with a word. Ouch!

For some of us whom Words of Affirmation is the primary love language, it is even stronger!

4 ways to figure out if some receives in Words of Affirmation

1) The person who lavishes compliments

2) The person who asks you what you think about something they did (sometimes inadvertently)

3) The person who holds on to negative words from others

4) The person who wonders what people meant by that

 

Types of Words of Affirmation

-Gratitude Hebrews 10:24 Says “Lets s consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

-Encouraging Words: We are commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to “Encourage one another and build each other up”

Gary Chapman gives multiple examples of this in the video and the book but starts with the weight loss one. And he is not alone, I have heard that example (going both ways) numerous times. (Really? Can we just for a minute pretend that we have issues, goals and aspirations in our marriages? ) But seriously, the standard encouraging word is dealing with slaying a challenge.

But not all words of Encouragement are tied to a specific venture or challenge. We are told to “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.” Hebrews 3:13a

I love in the movie The Help the maid said to the kid she cared for every night “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”

-Kind Words: Dr. Chapman refers to using Kinds Words in the face of conflict. Using Ephesians 4:32 “Be Kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you” and Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away anger”

-Humble Words: Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”

How you express any of these words should be humbly! It really boils down to what my mom always said (and probably all of yours said it too), “It isn’t what you say but how you say it”. And that goes for your non-verbal communication too. We all know it but it is just a reminder.

So for those of you whom “Words of Affirmation” are your first language. Help people out! The responsibility can’t always be in someone else’s court.

But for the rest of you…

Chapman recommends you make a list of nice things to say and then say them. I am going to go a step further and recommend that you memorize them. It is always awkward to have someone converse by reading a script;).

He also recommends keeping a list of affirming things you hear or see and use them later. “Danger Will Robinson” Use them with caution…. That can come off so fake in some situations and a big hit in others. If you are using Shakespeare or Mr. Darcy, you may have a win. It will be obvious they are not your words but it will seem like you put effort into searching them out. If you are using some text book affirmation in the office you are going to come off sounding like Michael Scott from The Office. Just make sure it seems genuine and heart felt no matter who you are talking to!

A great way to avoid any awkwardness you are feeling is texts, email, facebook, and notes.! The written word is a great way to communicate. And part of what has been most dear in notes is when someone references a scripture they are praying for or an attribute they feel I am fulfilling.

As many of you know, I live “virtual” life with friends I have never met or only see a couple times a year. Emails, tweets and Facebook posting are our relationships;). When I get a post from a friend that just says thinking about you… My squeezes a little, possibly like the Grinch’s when it was growing, but it makes me smile and feel valued. The kind of valued that makes me want to do stuff for them;).

It really is, to use one of the most over used words of the decade so far, all about being intentional. If keeping a list of coworkers and marking when you make a point of saying something nice, do it. If it is making a point to write your children notes about the things you admire about them and then passing them out over time… what ever works!

In all things (and words) love!

{Over the next 7 weeks I am going to be doing a series on The 5 Love Languages (by Gary Chapman) in my Sunday School class. I decided to share my talks over here. As you may see, it isn’t aimed only at couples or children but all;). Be nice, I am nervous as it is;). }

5 Love Languages: Intro

5 love languagesLove, love is the most desired and most confusing word in the world… It is this ethereal thing we all strive for but seem to have no grasp of. But is it more than that? It is! To steal from DC Talk in the early ’90’s Love is a Verb. Love is an action, a decision, a course.

Many of us have heard of the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman over the years as it spread like wild fire through churches and Christian society in the late 1990’s. They are that way we choose to communicate and receive love through actions and words. Usually it discussed with in the relational confines of marriage and children. But love is to go beyond those relationships to all people. In John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And in 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We are to show love in all relationships. But how do the 5 Love Languages play into it? Well, remember the last time you performed beyond yourself at work? Or had someone go that extra mile? Well, the 5 Love Languages may have factored into that. Not that I am saying they are a manipulation tool by any means but those can be signs of Love Languages being spoken.

The 5 Love Languages are

Words of Affirmation

Quality Time

Gifts

Acts of Service

Physical Touch

Understanding how people communicate love and appreciation is key to making the most out of relationships in every circumstance! Have you ever had a boss that you just go that extra mile? Have you ever felt someone was ungrateful or taking you for granted? It was probably just different languages;). You give someone so much of your time or gift but they are frustrated? Well, that happens beyond marriages too;).

And this isn’t only about learning how to read other people and how they receive love. How about when you are the one frustrated and they aren’t at all? Do you even know why? That is when knowing your own love language is key too! I know I have struggled with this for years! As frivolous as I feel it might be… While I am very demanding because I like some of all of them;), my primary love language is words of affirmation. In my heart I feel it is frivolous because it is just words but… It is;). Knowing and accepting your love language helps and helps you see others’ more clearly.

So that said as we start this journey. Share around in the comments what you think your love language is. And tell of 1 way you have shown someone love in their Love Language over the holiday (beyond Santa visiting)!

 

{Over the next 7 weeks I am going to be doing a series on The 5 Love Languages (by Gary Chapman) in my Sunday School class. I decided to share my talks over here. As you may see, it isn’t aimed only at couples or children but all;). Be nice, I am nervous as it is;). }

Why I am Pro-Life All the Time

Yes, I realize that I am sticking my head into a lion’s mouth. I understand that this is controversial. But I feel this is a subject I have to address.

There is so much fighting out there about pro-life/pro-choice. It gets ugly. It gets personal. It is a war on women, imposing morality on others, so on and so forth. But if you are pro-choice do you really understand why someone like me is pro-life? Do you think it is because I like kids? Do you think it is because that I think that having kids is something that everyone needs to do?

No. It is because I don’t believe killing a baby. Be it due to duress, inconvenience, inability to provide or anything else. And I believe that for all intents and purposes life begins conception. Babies are born at 22 weeks and go on to become completely healthy, normal children. We know that they are moving in response to their environments before then. So how can we say that isn’t life?

Yes, then comes the whole “what about incest and rape” thing. Well, those who know me well know that I try to be logical. So if I believe life begins at conception it is logical for me to believe that is still a baby. Would it be logical to kill a baby due to someone else’s crime? Not in my opinion.

Stop! Don’t freak. Hear me out. I understand that pregnancy is a result of rape. I am not an idiot like Akin. But, did the baby do anything that it deserves death? No. Yes, the woman didn’t do anything wrong either but I saying that she should carry this child to term. Why should she be asked to suffer? Well, crime is crime because of the victims.  This is another part of that victimization but it isn’t the child’s fault. I am not asking that woman to raise that child because there is always adoption and she can’t love that child due to the violence that brought about, please place the baby for adoption(often you can choose the adopting parents!). But that isn’t the child’s fault. We don’t allow post birth babies to be killed even when they are used as a reason for a crime committed against someone do we? Like domestic violence where the connection between an abuser and victim that can’t be severed is the child? (And yes, I really believe that. If know someone who is in that situation who needs help finding and actually choosing a home for that unwanted child let me know and I will help.)

So all that said. I value life and I consider pregnancy to be life. I am not asking you to agree with me but to respect that. Can you? Can you go beyond your own values to believe that I actually believe mine? If so don’t ask me to pay for it. I am not talking about outlawing it, just don’t make me pay to help you end what I consider a life. Can you understand that? I am not talking about arresting people or anything like that. I am just asking that my government not use my money for it. And that includes the schools transporting girls to abortion clinics.

Period….

(Post Script: I am not talking about what to do if a mother’s life is in danger. I am not qualified and those situations are unique. That is a medical situation and not always a choice. Just thought I would include that.)

(This may sound odd but I have also written political posts over on LabelDaddy, feel free to check those out as well. They sponsored a political post. The subject was my choice and my opinions alone.  But these are my views and not necessarily LabelDaddy’s views)