My Challenge. What's Yours?

Well, as is made clear, I am not a blogger. While I find it to be a good idea in theory I can never stick with it. I wonder, is blogging inherently selfish? To think that my ideas are so important that they're worth putting on the internet for other people to read. To think that I'm so interesting that people will want to read anything I have to say. I like reading other people's blogs sometimes. Sometimes they're 'journalist bloggers'.. is that a thing? I don't think I'm a horrible writer. I think some of the reason I don't do it is because I don't have time. Or I don't make time. Or I don't feel like I want people to know my thoughts.

I've changed the name of my blog today. Until now it was "Self Titled". I decided that was arrogant and self-centered and since I have been spending more and more time with God, even my non-existent blog should be more focused on Him than on me. All things that I do should be about Him and sharing the good news that is offered through Him. The more time I spend talking with God and studying His Word, the more peace I get. The less I worry. And the better my marriage gets. And here's something that I have found to be amazing...

He cares about the little things!

He cares about my job; about how I perform in my job. In fact, He's the reason I have the job I do today. And just today, He helped my husband with his job search. You may be wondering how can I know that God actually did anything? It could just be coincidence! No. Have you ever known anything and not been able to prove it? Even to yourself? Sometimes that's how it is with God. I know that He has helped me and been there to influence my decisions. No, It doesn't always mean He's going to answer the way I want, and sometimes He will be silent (I find that those are the times I usually know the answer already, I just want it to be a different one; the one I want but I know isn't right for me)... But He is there and He cares. He cares about how I react to my annoying co-worker. He reminds me EVERY DAY to stop being judgmental and love her the way that He loves her. Right now that is my current challenge. 

So, maybe I'll be on here more. And maybe I won't. I'm done making promises about blogging :) I'm going to make promises to God and maybe I'll get on here and tell you about the things I'm learning. Or maybe I'll just tell you about my day and my annoying neighbors that God keeps reminding me to pray for :) 

In any case, it's nice to spend time on  your computer screen with you. If you're interested, I'd like to hear about what your challenges are... they don't even have to be in relation to God or faith. Don't worry, I'm not gonna throw my Bible at you or tell you just just believe and everything will be alright... Let's just share our struggles and the ways we are trying to be better people on this earth.

ps - yes I'm still going to post on my Health Nuggets page... I mean, I might. No promises ;-)

We Are Funding Society's Violence

I have returned from MTYC - Montana Youth Conference. I wasn't able to attend the whole event this year due to work, but I still enjoyed the time I spent there immensely.

At this very moment I am finding myself incredibly frustrated. I really do love my job but many a time I find that dealing with others is difficult. Yes, the kids are difficult, but that isn't what I'm referring to. I'm referring to the people I work with. Without getting all whiny and specific I will just say that everyone knows best and knows everything. It's hard to stay centered on what is important when my mind is full of annoyance.

I hoped that if I could get on here and talk about some really GOOD things that maybe my dark cloud would lift for a time.

You may know that I have a lot to say about Hollywood and the "Illuminati". I've not always felt the same way about it. Previously I had the idea that it was up to the parents to watch what their kids are exposed to. I still hold true to that idea. And I still think that parents are ultimately responsible. However, I am coming to the conclusion that ...

if society wants to complain about how violent the world is becoming they need to stop glorifying the violence.

 

It's a constant topic of discussion. The world is becoming increasingly violent and selfish. We all realize this. Atheist and Christian alike. Both parties admit that there is a lot of violence and negativity in the world today. There's a lot of disease and pain. We all complain about it, but then march our happy little butts to the theater to watch Saw 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7!

 

We complain about sexual immorality. Men and women are increasingly promiscuous and blame each other for it.

 

I just watched a movie the other day (Dark Skies PG-13). A scary flick about this family who is terrorized by an unseen force... All of the obvious negativity just mentioned aside... one of the things that really struck me was this; there is a scene where a young boy is watching a movie. The boy is about 13. He watches this scene where a boy about his age grabs another girl's boob. Of course when you see this it zooms right in on it as if it were you watching the movie yourself. What disgusted me the most was this whole aspect of the movie had absolutely NOTHING to do with the plot. It was just thrown in there for good measure; just to have sexuality in the movie. And it's not geared towards adults, it's geared towards adolescents. Barely teenage kids.

 

I don't understand why parents allow their children to watch these things. Oh wait... Yes I do. It's because they themselves have become desensitized to the sexuality and violence.

 

We need to stop complaining about the violence in the world and then funding it!

 

There are people who say that watching sex and violence on tv doesn't affect them. I beg to differ.

 

"Here is a key principle of the Christian faith – beholding with open face the glory of the Lord, we become changed into the same image. As we behold Christ, (John 1:29) as we feed upon Him, (John 6:51) meditate upon Him and consider Him, (Heb 12:3) we receive of His Spirit (John 15:26) and we become like Him in character"

 

Even Non-Christians have the same things to say about what we put into our minds...

 

Buddha says - "We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."

 

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale

 

"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes". Mahatma Gandhi

 

It seems clear to me that when our minds take in this sexual content and violence we become changed. WE CHANGE. Psychologists talk about it and if I had more time and energy I would look it up.

 

"It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence".

—The Great Controversy, 555 (1888).

 

 

That is all I have to say about that for right now. I kindof went off on a tangent about media and that was not my aim, but it's what happened. I started talking about focusing on GOOD things and ended up talking about sex and violence. I guess you know what's been on MY mind lately! haha.

 

I am going to take some moments to think about my Kinsman Redeamer and what He has done for me :)

 

 

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Here are more instances in the Bible that talk about our minds

 

 

On a sidenote that's not really a sidenote I'd like to share an article that Stephen Bohr wrote about going to see movies in the theater. Here it is..

 

 

God's Theater of Grace

Ok I know I said I was gonna write about Health & Behavior but I went to SDA Camp meeting in Bozeman last week and I acquired some excellent reading materials and I'm just so excited about some of them that I had to share it first.

I'm only on chapter 2 of Abandon Ship? by Ty Gibson, but I am seriously enjoying it. Have you ever had a thought enter your mind and it's so complicated that the more you think about it the more confused and enlightened you get at the same time? That's how I feel about the Bible. Sometimes reading it is so confusing. I think it's so fantastic that there are people out there that can explain the themes of the Bible without taking anything away from it; without making things up themselves. Because that's important. It's important not to decide for ourselves what the Bible is saying. THE BIBLE INTERPRETS ITSELF! That's one of those thoughts that makes my head spin.

But that's not what I desire to write about today.

As I said, I'm only on chapter two so I can't yet speak for the whole book, but let me give you a little overview about what this book is about.

Have you ever wondered about organized religion? Have you ever been frustrated with it? Been frustrated with the way people treat each other in the church and wonder WHAT'S THE POINT? This book speaks to those frustrations. Specifically in the Seventh Day Adventist church; because Ty Gibson is a Seventh Day Adventist. I suppose that makes sense :)

I've often thought to myself...

If God can see the future and he knew sin would be found in Lucifer and he would become Satan and Satan would deceive the world and as humans we would suffer tremendously, why ever would God even go ahead with creating us?!?!

That's one of those mind-bending things I think about. The answer, to put it simply, is Love. And I know that doesn't make sense because why would God allow us to suffer if He loves us so much? I know. It doesn't make sense. However, if you desire to find the answer to this you can. And it DOES make sense.

In a nutshell, we, humans, on planet dirt, are basically on display for the universe. God would have no credibility if he chose to just not create us in the first place. That would prove nothing except that He has ultimate power and that He is a dictator. Which is not how God is! Yes He has ultimate power, but he does not force anyone to worship Him. Oh it's so complicated! I cannot explain it fully. I can only wonder at how amazing and interwoven it all is.

Basically, God is waiting for "the Grace of Christ to mold our entire being". "it's triumph will not be complete until the heavenly universe shall witness HABITUAL TENDERNESS of feeling, CHRISTLIKE LOVE, and holy deed in the character of the children of God." (from Abandon Ship?).

God is the head of the church, the church is the body. As the church we are supposed to be the head's hands and feet and be the ACTION of the mind of God. Wow! We are on display, in a theater if you will, to act out what Christ does in the the lives of the people God created. To PROVE that Satan is wrong! That God is NOT a forceful dictator. What an honor. No wonder we suffer. Satan is trying his hardest to make things difficult for the church & it's people.

I feel as if I have come to a sufficient ending point in this entry. I know that I didn't explain things very well but  it's one of those things that is difficult to explain. Elizabeth Talbot wrote a book called "Surprised by Love" and it does a great job of explaining some of these things. If you click the link it takes you to the free audio book.

May your mind continue to spin with the amazing things that you can learn from the Bible!

...aaand I'm a slacker!

I am such a slacker. If you know me at all you probably know that when things are sticky I tend to disappear, or at least I stop putting my feelings out there publicly... except for the usual sarcastic snarky facebook post from someecards.com. Somehow they always know how I'm feeling :)

This time I'm not even gonna bother promising to write more. I'm just gonna write when I feel like it.

So... updates... I can't remember if I'd moved since I posted last. I think I had because I was listening to The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite on drives to and from work and I remember driving on the road I live on now as I listened. I'm still in Hamilton, living in quite an awesome location in my opinion, although I'm a little nervous about fire season this year. :/ ... work is the same; ups and downs... of which I cannot post because I wouldn't want the wrong person to read it and think I were talking about them :) I have enough drama in my life. But work is going well overall. ... I've made some new friends, lost some as well. Still single.. calm yourself!

My walk with the Lord has taken some wrong turns of late. It really quite frustrating. To go from walking so closely to really struggling. I realize that it's all me. I'm the one who has turned away. The prince of earth (aka Satan) has done quite an excellent job of making this world a very distracting place to live. I could blame him entirely but I am the one with the brain and the ability to make my own choices. Fortunately God is longsuffering and eternally patient. No doubt He is frustrated with me however.

So here I am, pondering life and love and work and friendships. I have nothing more exciting to write about. I'm not even reading any...... no wait.... I did read some pretty good books actually. I'd forgotten about that. I read one about Health & Behavior... I'd been planning to write about it. I don't have my notes with me, but it will be my next project on here.

Being called weird is like being called limited edition, meaning you’re something people don’t see that often. Remember that.

-unknown-

 

stay tuned!

and here's a funny for you grammar nazis...

tattoo spelling errors 

why do I ever think it has anything to do with me?!?

Seriously. I don't know why I have these delusions that my life in Christ has anything to do with me!

Last week was kindof a tough week spiritually. See, I work really hard, a lot for several days, then I have a few days off and I crash. I crash and I eat bad food and watch crap television and can't get out of the funk.. then I go to church and whine when I can't get people to focus. Um, hello Ciara?

How do you expect to be a blessing to anyone when you're being crabby pants yourself? Going to church isn't about being blessed by others, it's about BEING the blessing TO others!!! It's not about me at all. It's about Jesus. All the time. Every second of every day, and especially on Sabbath!

So last week I had a whine session with my mom about it and she talked with me and gave me exactly what I needed, like she always does. I am grateful that I have that. But not everyone does. Some people don't have that person they can talk to. Maybe their week was even worse than mine. Maybe they didn't pray at all and are having an even worse spiritual low than me. Maybe it's been that way for a long time.

Jesus doesn't want me to whine about it. He wants me to get up off my butt and do something to help someone else.

I've also been doing a lot of thinking about prayer lately. I've learned a lot about it. Pretty sure I am that God has placed that in my path for a reason. Everywhere I turn I keep hearing stuff about prayer. So obviously that's what God wants from me. And I think I'd like to talk to you about it as well. So stay tuned for that next time.

Remember, if you're feeling down, talk to Jesus about it. Ask him to send His angels to give you some help with whatever it is you're feeling and what you're dealing with... and He will.

Remember, God does not step in where He's not wanted. So ask Him for special help and He WILL help you! Claim His promise!

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

You were born for a dream in the heart of God!

I was watching New Perceptions on Hope Channel this morning and there was something that stood out to me. (Hope Channel is free by the way, if you don't get it just call up your provider and they'll get it set up for you. Sometimes they have to come out and do something to your satellite but that's all). Dwight Nelson is doing a series of sermons about Radical Faith. They're all online so we can all enjoy them. I just tuned in today & missed the other 5, but you betchya I'm gonna go back and listen to the others. The message was fantastic. It reminded me of the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, which I have not finished but have started reading.

Do you remember the story of the rich young ruler? It is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. A young ruler asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. He was a good man living a good life; he kept God's commandments. But he wanted more, he wanted a real relationship with God so he asks Jesus what he needed to do.

Mark 10:²¹ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

This message is not solely for the rich. It is for all of us. We need to get radical. Jesus must have been so sad when the young ruler walked away. He was given the option to become a disciple, there could have been 13 instead of 12, but he was not willing to part with his possessions. 

How many times have we asked God why we don't feel a deeper connection to Him? We pray and pray but nothing seems to happen. Jesus died for us! That's radical! What makes us think that we can get away with any less and still 'get to heaven'. We are special. We are an IMPORTANT part of God's plan for this planet.

I loved this quote below from Dwight Nelson from his sermon this morning. It made me realize how important each and every person is in God's plan.

"There is no one on the planet that can fulfill the destiny that you were born for. You were born for a dream in the heart of God. If you say no that portion of God's dream will never get fulfilled. Nobody can step into your place." 
- Dwight K. Nelson

I thought of this song and thought it was a perfect match.

How special is THAT!?

We all fail. I fail every day. I do well in my own eyes and then just the other day I fell completely flat on my face. I failed so hard it's not even funny. So I had a bit of a pity party and whined to Jesus. Eventually I had to get over it. God knows we cannot do everything right, however that is not a very good excuse. I apologized and I am getting back up and trying again.

"Not because we FEEL it but because He SAYS it. We need to live by FAITH, not by FEELINGS. Faith and Trust in God's word." 

- Stephen Bohr 

We don't always feel forgiven and that is part of satan's snare. "I am not good enough to enter heaven, I am not good enough to even try to follow Jesus." I have to know that I am forgiven when I ask it because He said so!

a continuous filling

Hello friends. I have just returned from 3 and a half days at the Montana Youth Conference (MTYC) in Eureka Montana.  This is their 4^th year putting this on but the first time I have attended.  I wanted to write about my experience before it left me. I am so thankful for what God has allowed me to see this year. I’ve attended two excellent programs in the past 6 months and it has helped me to remain focused. As you may know, it can be hard to stay focused on Jesus and His work if we are not fully engaged and filled with The Holy Spirit.

Speaking of being filled, that was the theme of this years’ MTYC. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they SHALL be FILLED! Matthew 5:6

A promise from Heaven. If we hunger and thirst after Jesus we will be filled.

This past week was just what I needed to get back on track. I was living day to day and not focusing on Jesus. I was cramming in my Sabbath School lessons on Friday nights and Saturday mornings instead of working on them throughout the week. Granted I’ve been very busy. I’ve spent this past month moving and packing up and entire house with my mom and other family. But that is an excuse and it’s not even a very good one. God should always be first in my life.

So I went to MTYC. If you know me at all you know that I’m a “slow friend maker”. Everyone there either already knew a bunch of people or they came with someone. For the first few days I felt out of place socially but still enjoyed the daily presentations. I forgot to ask God to help me socialize with everyone. I just kept expecting everyone else to do the work. Well by the time Sabbath rolled around I decided that it was going to be a special Sabbath. I asked God to help me and fill me and work in me. And of course he did. I started being more social and opening up a little.

They even did outreach that day and it was the very first time I’d done anything like that. Wow. It was truly a blessing. Nothing obvious to the human eye came of it but it did something for me. We knocked on people’s doors and talked to them… SCARY! But I did it and I praise God for that.

And not only that… I had another triumph. The day I left I had some extra Glow booklets. I stopped at a gas station about 3 minutes after leaving the church. After spending 4 days in the church and with other MTYC youth, walking into a gas station felt like another world. I felt like I was a foreigner in another land. But I had decided that it was going to be the first time I gave out a Glow booklet on my own. I was so scared but God gave me the courage and I did it. I gave it to the clerk… and then ran out of the gas station!!! But I felt so good!

All the way home I prayed. I’d listen to music and talk to God. The whole 4 hour drive home God prompted me every hour to speak with Him. It was amazing. And since returning home He has reminded me to stay connected with Him. I have had my shortcomings as I always do, but I am determined to walk in faith with God and increase my walk daily. Some days have been more difficult than others.

I have also discovered www.audioverse.org. It’s been a blessing. I’m a brain person and I love to learn. I love filling my brain with God’s teachings. The Bible is SO FULL of information! It’s so deep and intricate and I love it! Somehow there is always more to learn.

Well that is all I can write for now. My aim is to continue learning and I hope that I may share some of my thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to share this little story. I’ve been blessed. May God also bless you in your life with what He knows best you need.