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Showing posts from 2017

Loving like Jesus Does

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Mercy, forgiveness, and grace. These words are all related. How are they related, you might ask? To start off with, they are all: 1. Selfless attributes 2. Characteristics of Christ 3. Characteristics that Christ wants us to have

The Power of Thoughts

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Today I want to write to you about the building blocks of who we are, the words we say, and the lives we lead: Our thoughts. Why do I say that thoughts are the building blocks of life? After all, no one knows about them other than us, so why does it matter so much what we think? Well, we often forget one vital truth - one enlightening and freeing truth -  God knows EVERYTHING - and that includes our most private thoughts! Each and every second of every day, God is aware of what we are thinking. And believe it or not, we can sin even in our own, "innocent" little minds - through hatred, judgement, jealousy, lust, and idolatry. Even thoughts that distract you from following Christ.(Sidepoint: our minds are not innocent. The sin nature still stains our thought-life, even if we're saved). The Bible addresses thoughts frequently, and it addresses the importance of them. Where our thoughts go, our desires follow. As Proverbs 4:23 says, Guard your heart above

6 Things to do in these end times

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Hatred. Shootings. Fires. Political strife. Rumors of war. Why is the world suddenly teeming with terror? Why is it that every time we turn on the news, something horrible is happening. We are living in the end times. The end times described in Revelation.   As Timothy 3:1-4 says, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." The culture depicts this image more and more every day. You can see a glimpse of this through the catastrophes around the world and the politically correct lies on social media. People are becoming continually more immoral. The lines between right and wrong are blurring. And you know what that means - it is easier for the Church t

What are you building your life on?

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In the teen Sunday school class that my brother teaches, we've been going through a 4-part video series called Dug Down Deep . I highly recommend it.  The first session was entitled, "What are you building your life on?"  In other words, what is the one thing that you think about most? What do you fall back on in times of struggle? What keeps you going? All aspects of life begin with our thought-life. (Proverbs 4:23) The answers to these questions vary greatly, even among Christians. We could be trusting in our current circumstance, a steady bank account, or our own self. You may build your life on whatever you want, but there is only one foundation that will give you unconditional peace, joy, and purpose. Everything else - even money - will fade away. (see Matthew 6:19-21) There is only one thing that will truly matter in the long run.  This foundation is - you guessed it - Jesus.  We as Christians may tune this out because we already know it.

5 Things I learned from Family Camp

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My family and I were incredibly blessed last week to have gone to Camp Yolijwa's annual Family Bible Camp. The theme was "Made," based on Psalm 139:13-14: "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful: I know this full well." Every night at camp we went up to an outdoor chapel in silence, and listened to a message pertaining the main point that day. This year's themes were practical, straight-forward, and easy to remember. (Sidenote: that's how a sermon should be - deep and thought-provoking, but still applicable). They directly and clearly stated every Christ-follower's mission: Know, Grow, Bro, Show, and Go: KNOW Memory verse: Psalm 139:13-14 Day one was about the care that God put into designing us - our bodies, our personalities, our lives, etc. Let alone everything else in creation. God spoke into existence things that our l

Purpose: More Than a Church Kid

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I was born into a Christian family, with two older brothers and two godly parents. Growing up, family life revolved around God. We went to church twice a week, where my dad was especially involved. At home, Jesus was mentioned often (possibly daily) and Christian music constantly played on the radio. I heard Bible verses, so I recited them. I talked about God because I heard Him being talked about. The first "salvation" Then, when I was about seven, the thought crossed my mind:  How do you become a Christian? I asked my mom, and she seemed to be excited that I asked. She asked me if I wanted to become a Christian, I said yes, (there's no harm, right?) and she went through the Sinner's Prayer with me. Mom told me that I was a Christian. Whether there was any change - that is up for debate. From the looks of things - the words that came out of my mouth, the scribbles in my prayer journal, and (some) of the actions I took, things were great. However ,