ACCIDENTAL PHARISEES

So I've broken down and finally made myself take the time to log in and blog. I'm reading the book "Accidental Pharisees" by Larry Osborne right now. It's been convicting and very enlightening. Every week I've written down quotes that stood out to me or started a Facebook status that ended up being one of those annoying, "read more", too long for a status posts so I'd tell myself "I'll just blog it instead". And finally, here it is.

 "Presented with a Jesus-style ministry that attracts large crowds of spiritually uncommitted "whats-in-it-for-me" window shoppers (and then meets their needs and teaches them the counsel of God in a palatable way that leaves them longing for more), the spiritual elite write it off as a compromised ministry with a watered-down gospel."

Do you have a "John the Baptist ministry" mentality or a "Jesus ministry" mentality? People flocked to Jesus. Not necessarily because they all wanted to hear what He had to say but because they had heard rumors of a man who was healing people and performing miracles. It was a fickle bunch. The Bible doesn't always mention all these people's lives being completely transformed. But they left hearing the Truth- no matter what initially drew them there. Whereas, because John was typically in hard to reach places, it was usually the dedicated, committed few who ventured to seek him out. The religious leaders- and even John the Baptist himself who had personally baptized Jesus and heard the Father speak down and call Him Son- were baffled at Jesus's style of ministry. He went to the homes of the hated for fellowship, was friends with a prostitute, called out the high and mighty religious rulers of those days.

Too often today, we want to only cater to the strong, fully-committed Christian and look at it as "conforming to the world" to offer things that appeal to the lost. Experiencing a situation like this myself, the conversation came up between myself and a few family members about the "traditional, conservative" church service being the "correct" way to conduct church. Keep in mind, we were not arguing doctrine. First and foremost, in any church, the doctrine should be sound and truth. This was not an issue with the church mentioned. Rather, the critique was about the worship service not having the traditional choir singing hymns and rather a band playing contemporary music with the lights and screens and such. My uncle made the remark "Do you go fishing without baiting the hook? What's wrong with conforming in that way to the times and people coming in and receiving the sound Word of God?" I remember thinking (and still think) what a great analogy that was. What's wrong with baiting the hook? When it is still a heart of praise and the doctrine is sound? Isn't ,after all, the most important reason church exists and our primary goal as Christians to reach the lost? Why does our focus tend to get so wrapped up in the small things that don't pertain to salvation at all- whether that be the church music, different convictions, etc.

It makes me wonder what would happen if Jesus was here today? Would the majority of us be accepting and recognize Him as the true God? The religious leaders of the day were the most knowledgeable of the things of God and the religious traditions. They were all for God, until the way He interacted with the people and made everything suddenly so accessible didn't go along with the way they thought things should be. Then they tried to kill him.

"As valuable as biblical knowledge is, it should come with a warning label...the more we know, the more we're tempted to look down on people..."

These posts always seem to go way longer than I intend. Thank you to those who actually read these crazy rants I go on. =) A thought just gets in my head and keep growing until I finally can get it out. Maybe none of it makes sense, maybe you read it thinking how completely wrong I am. Completely fine with me. I'm not a bible scholar, teacher, or anything else. I don't claim or even think I have much bible knowledge at all. I just like to share the things I am thinking.

Have a great night. =)

BLESSINGS AND GORILLAS

Running today was miserable! How do all you runners do this in the Texas heat?? I was only able to jog a mile and I walked a lot more than normal, and I still came home more drenched than usual! Why in the world did I just sign up for a 5K at the end of JUNE?! Anyways... up until this point I have just been running (and yoga for stretching after), but today we added a mini-workout after our yoga. We used the app "Gorilla Workout" and did 4 rounds of squats, lunges, and push-ups. Then threw in some crunches in the end. Needless to say, I am sore. Why cant we all just sit around watching TV and reading books everyday and just be magically fit?!

Moving on...God has been so good! He just shows me over and over again how faithful He is when we just put our faith in Him! I am not saying this next part to brag (quite the opposite) or to say that you should do this so all these good things can happen to you...but my husband and I tithed for the first time a couple weeks ago. Sadly, this has always been a really hard thing for me. I am very much the type of person that budgets everything and does not make irrational choices on things I don't need outside of that budget. If you don't have it, don't spend it. And save if you can! So tithing...it goes against everything in my nature. I don't understand the concept of giving money that you don't have and just expecting that somehow money for bills is going to show up. And yes, I do know that part of the purpose in having faith that God provides for you. With that being said, tithing is something that started convicting us both months ago but always got pushed to the back of my mind and ignored. After going to a marriage seminar at church, we finally decided that we couldn't ignore it anymore. So, last month we gave our first tithe. And immediately, I have seen God's blessings!

After church that same day, we went to Albertson's. We went to Costco before we moved, but it's not very convenient to go to anymore, so we have been trying to find a grocery store that would kinda compare. We started with Walmart. We spent just as much as we did at Costco and the food lasted half the time. We decided to try Albertson's this time even though we'd never used them before. I can literally say I am not even sure what happened! I had the weekly ad and just used that to guide some of my choices. I was excited because I knew we were spending the same amount, but getting so much more (and more variety) then we had been able to at Walmart. Then I proceed to check out, when I learned how much I had actually saved- just using their ad mind you- $140! PLUS, he handed me a 3 inch pile of the store's monopoly game pieces that have coupons inside of them! I walked out completely dazed. I think we found our store.

And then, even BETTER- WAY better- news... My husband got a new job! Without even looking for one! A friend called last week saying that his company was hiring for the same kind of work that Chris does now. Chris sent in his resume and got the job the next day! There's some paperwork and such to do, but he got it! He starts in 2 weeks! His company he works for now is great (great bonuses and insurance) but he has to work 2 hours of overtime every day (10 hr days) to have an even decent paycheck cause the hourly is just not much. Plus he doesn't get off til 7 which puts him home at almost 8pm every night. With his new job, he will be making the same amount he does now WITH his overtime factored in, in a normal 8 hour work day. And he will get home around 3pm! He will still get over time from time to time and insurance (after 90 days). I am so incredibly excited to be able to spend more time with my husband and so happy for him that he can have hours he likes and not have to work such long hours every day.

So, hoping to get things is not the reason at all to tithe (God knows your heart), but I just wanted to say that God truly does bless and provide. I know I have rambled on and on but I couldn't NOT share that praise! Thank you God!

FITNESS

I began running 6 weeks ago. A huge thing for me. I have never been one to exercise at all and pretty much hated running (that has developed into a hate/LOVE relationship). I started running 3 days a week with the Couch-2-5k 8 week program. I only have 2 weeks left. I went from barely being able to run 60 seconds (not kidding, it was pitiful) to being able to run a little over a mile, at this week 6. I know a mile is nothing to you runners who run miles upon miles at a time, but for me it is something. It's an accomplishment. It's having stayed committed for 6 weeks (and still going!) when all I really want to do is sit and watch tv or read a book every day. And it is turning the "I can't" into "I can".

Today, I did my FIRST (I was hesitant, but there WILL be more) 5K at the annual "Coleson's F.R.O.G". ** an amazing foundation that helps families of children diagnosed with life threatening illnesses, such as pediatric cancer** event. My goal was to run a quarter over a mile (how would you say that? a mile and a quarter?.....) before I stopped for the first time, since I was able to run a tiny bit over a mile yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't make that goal. Whether it was due to the fact that I didn't have my running motivator (aka my best friend, Tiffany) beside me to make me pace myself (I go much faster then I should) or because being surrounded by people running faster made me want to be faster, or maybe I just didn't push myself hard enough- either way, I am happy and proud to have finished and to have supported such and awesome cause. And I know one day I will be able to run the whole thing without stopping at all. Who knows? Maybe a half marathon or *gasp* full marathon one day??

Believe it or not, running is not the entire point of this post. Although I did not post 2 days in a row, as my last post

Through all this running, one thought has stayed with me. And that is that spiritual fitness is even more important than physical fitness. I finally started running out of the desperation of wanting to lose all the weight I've gained since I've been married and the frustration of feeling like I have the aches, pains, and endurance of someone more than twice my age at only 25. I KNOW that physical fitness is important and have never been motivated enough to do anything about it. It took coming to a place of "I cannot live this way anymore" to change that. Same goes in your spiritual life. It takes coming to that place of realizing you cannot live without Him, that you cannot do it on your own. When does it become a point to motivate yourself enough to dig into His Word? To cry out for God? To seek Him in all things? Just as there are things we have to do- steps we have to take- to be physically fit, there are also things we have to do to remain/grow spiritually fit. Just like a poor diet and no activity or exercise would stunt being physically fit, so does not digging into God's Word and not developing a relationship with Him.

I am not preaching this to y'all but rather to myself. It has been a strong conviction for me these last few weeks. Remaining faithful to studying my bible has always been a hard thing for me. I always start a devotional or new study with renewed excitement and the best intentions. And then other things begin slowly filling my time. Eventually, I find it has been days, even weeks, since I last picked up my bible other than for church. Desperation and Frustration fueled my running habit. How much more should desperation for God and and the frustration of being unfaithful motivate me to seek Him in His word? With running, I give myself goals and inspiration, while I let reading my bible fall to the side.

I do not mean that physical fitness does not matter. After all, it is God who gave us these bodies and we should cherish them and take care of them for His glory, like the precious gifts they are. **Side note: when you start seeing your body as a GIFT from God instead of your own to do as you want, it makes the wanting to take care of it a lot easier!** I only mean that as important as it is, how much more important is the spiritual being that lives inside that body? It is, after all, the only part going with us when we die. I am challenging myself, and you, to dig into our bibles and develop our spiritual man. Be spiritually fit!

UPDATES

Man, it's been almost 2 months since my last post! Life is just flying by. I am not even sure where to begin to update you. Here's the highlights of the past couple months, in chronological order for your reading pleasure. First, and most importantly, THIS happened!

I am an aunt (10 times over)! My sister had her fourth baby, and first girl! Her name in Peyton Lee and she is absolutely perfect. I am so in love with her and have decided that maybe having a baby girl one day wouldn't be so bad. The cuteness of bows and clothes and all those fun things may just make up for whatever extremely emotional teenage years she might have.

A belated, blog-official "Congrats" to my beautiful sister Sarah and bro-in-law Mark!

(I took this series of pics as she was sleeping on my chest. so amazed at the range of emotion I captured. What do babies dream of???)

And then...did my first big (ish) home DIY project. My dining table.

Before

After



We also canceled our cable, officially decided on TBT for our home church, searched and searched and finally found an apartment, I learned to shoot a gun, had my very first jury duty, and started running. And that brings us to today. I think.

I had something I wanted to write about, that is actually the reason I finally picked up the ol' computer, but after the updating, I think I will save that for...tomorrow? Two days in a row? We will see. 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I recently downloaded this Bible app (YouVersion) that has these built in reading plans that you can choose from. Plans include reading the whole bible in a year to various topical studies ranging from a few days to a few months.

I started a "She Reads Truth" ("an online movement of women committed to daily reading and being changed by God's Word" is how their series of plans are described) 11 day study of Philippians. Today was my last day and the devotional that stood out the most to me. It covered Philippians 4:10-23, which includes one of my favorite bible verses:

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NIV

(thinking about it now, this translation actually makes you want to read what came before this verse with the use of "all this", whereas growing up I only knew the KJV which states "all things". Makes a difference. What comes before the verse is very important and puts the devotional part into even more perspective for me.) I encourage you to go read the passage in it's entirety if you haven't already.

We all know this verse very well. We use the KJV phrasing "I can do ALL THINGS through Christ which strengtheneth me" to motivate ourselves through some unpleasant chore or as we study for that test we think we will never pass. And while, God can and will help us through all the trying times in our life, this verse means so much more.

Philippians is a book written by Paul while he is in prison. Yet he was content in the Lord and was writing to encourage THEM! How many of us complain to anyone who will listen at the slightest trial we face? I don't say that to say that talking to people through hard times is wrong. We all get discouraged and need prayer and encouragement at many times throughout our lives. But we need to ask ourselves if we are letting Satan rob us of our joy? Are we letting trials and tribulations weigh us down and distract us from the things of God rather than bring us closer to Him and strengthen our belief that He is stronger than any battle? God wants us to praise Him in ALL things. This is what Paul was writing about. He was rejoicing in his life in Christ and was encouraging the church to do the same!

I am going to end this with a passage from the devotional I read tonight (over Philippians 4:10-23) that stood out to me the most and maybe it will give you a different perspective about Philippians 4:13 too.

 

"I can do all things through Him that strengthens me. Lord, help us not to cheapen this passage by casually muttering it before quickly muttering something that you may or may not have called us to. When we really see it, in context, in light of Paul's life- it means so much more. It CAN mean so much more to us.

Paul is talking about need and abundance. He can take hunger or plenty when the Lord is the One strengthening him. And we can walk in the same way. And that truly means so much more to me than knowing I could run a mile in under ten minutes or achieve all my personal financial goals.

We serve a God who doesn't just save us from our sin, doesn't just redeem our life from the pit, He also says- Hey, whatever life situation I hand you for the sake of my glory: if it's plenty, if it seems like not enough, if it's easy or rough- I'm going to give you the strength to get through it. Because I love you and because that's the best way for it to happen and you can trust Me.

Woosh. That's good stuff.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you."

<3

TWENTY THIRTEEN

Today is the first day of a brand new year. 2013.

Crazy how the years just keep flying by. 2012 was an awesome year for me. My husband and I got to have a wedding (on our 1st year anniversary) and finally share that moment with our family and friends. And we got to take our very first trip together- our honeymoon! We were blessed to get the opportunity to go somewhere we've both always wanted to go- Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida! 2012 also brought new jobs for the both of us and blessed us in more ways then we could have imagined. Although it was a great year, I am only more excited to see what 2013 may bring.

I have seen so any complaining or making fun of the timeless tradition of making new year resolutions. While I am not someone who necessarily makes resolutions, what is wrong with that? Yes, you might fail by February.and yes, it's good to make changes and goals at all time and just not on a predetermined date. But it's the way a brand new journal makes you want a new pen to write in it, a new house may be a good time to change your style, or how when you get that new unscratched phone, you promise yourself that this time you wont ever throw it in your bag or in the same pocket with your keys. New things make us think we can change. So I say, a new year is a fantastic time to make new goals and changes for the better.

My goals are simple (well easier said then done, I guess) this year: drink more water and less soda, make healthier choices, make more time for God, friends and family, and follow God's direction in my life as I continue seeking Him in all things for myself and my family.

2013 will bring great things.