Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Debate
To be honest, I am not a political person. It's not that I'm uneducated...It's not that I don't care about real issues. I do care..
Everyday of my life, I pray to my Father to help me to be a light to others. You see, His light is lifechanging. I try to carry it with me to women's centers, the grocery store, my next door neighbor, the nursing home, I try to carry it into unexpected places.
This post isn't about politics. Tonight, I posted on facebook about how extremely tired I am of seeing all of the name calling and hatred..all in the name of politics.
Whatever happened to the old fashioned idea of respecting other's beliefs?
I get especially hurt when I see my own Christian brothers and sisters tossing out words calling another candidate names that I refuse to even mention.. but most involve human excrement.
Is this what we have become? Sometimes, I want to shout out.. Whatever happened to that little thing called, "class?" Prove to me that your vocabulary is bigger than a four letter word, and you have my respect.
I can honestly say that I truly love all people. I don't agree with everyone on all matters, ..but Christ never put red tape around His command to love others.
I love my Republican friends and my Democratic friends. I realize that politics is a lot broader scope than most people realize.
My favorite blog writer once posed the question..she wondered out loud : Who would Jesus vote for?
She answered:
Jesus is on the side of the man with no advocate to speak of...
I add to that..
He walked with the lepers when no one would touch them.
He was on the side of the poor, the downtrodden, the forgotton, the abused.
He never wanted to see anyone fail and the one thing that He hated the most was hypocracy.
One thing that bothers me is when a canidate uses God as a tool for His platform..
If God is being used to collect votes, then I call that hyprocracy.
Especially if the candidate's life looks nothing like the true Christ.
One thing I realize is that we don't live in a perfect world. The world is a sad, sad place.
The things that are wrong go deep. We live in a world full of lies, selfishness, arrogance, greed, hypocracy. We put ourselves over our fellow man and have no qualms about name calling and finger pointing. We play judge and jury.
NO politican can change or fix matters involving the heart. Only my God can change those things.
Do you want to know what the world just might look like if everyone surrended to Christ and developed His perfect character and followed His perfect law?
There would be no lies.
There would be no adultery.
There would be no greed.
There would be no rape or incest.
There would be no murder.
People would love their neighbors and consider others as better than themselves. People would give and share and actually work together to make communities work.... Families would love on one another instead of fault finding and true relationships would be developed.
Why are people so against that?
Would Jesus start wars with other countries and then use His Father as justification? Try explain to Jesus that His Children are illegal? ( in reference to illegal immigration)
Didn't we come to America as "illegals" and then take, by force, land away from the Indians?
Just some outloud thinking.
As human beings has our sense of entitlement trumphed over our call to be merciful and to clothe and feed our brothers and sisters?
If the Bible were actually followed..we would all work. There would be no free rides..But..there would also be no greed nor selfishness among us.
Just some important questions that no politican will ever answer.
Comments are welcome, as I value your opinion
Everyday of my life, I pray to my Father to help me to be a light to others. You see, His light is lifechanging. I try to carry it with me to women's centers, the grocery store, my next door neighbor, the nursing home, I try to carry it into unexpected places.
This post isn't about politics. Tonight, I posted on facebook about how extremely tired I am of seeing all of the name calling and hatred..all in the name of politics.
Whatever happened to the old fashioned idea of respecting other's beliefs?
I get especially hurt when I see my own Christian brothers and sisters tossing out words calling another candidate names that I refuse to even mention.. but most involve human excrement.
Is this what we have become? Sometimes, I want to shout out.. Whatever happened to that little thing called, "class?" Prove to me that your vocabulary is bigger than a four letter word, and you have my respect.
I can honestly say that I truly love all people. I don't agree with everyone on all matters, ..but Christ never put red tape around His command to love others.
I love my Republican friends and my Democratic friends. I realize that politics is a lot broader scope than most people realize.
My favorite blog writer once posed the question..she wondered out loud : Who would Jesus vote for?
She answered:
Jesus is on the side of the man with no advocate to speak of...
I add to that..
He walked with the lepers when no one would touch them.
He was on the side of the poor, the downtrodden, the forgotton, the abused.
He never wanted to see anyone fail and the one thing that He hated the most was hypocracy.
One thing that bothers me is when a canidate uses God as a tool for His platform..
If God is being used to collect votes, then I call that hyprocracy.
Especially if the candidate's life looks nothing like the true Christ.
One thing I realize is that we don't live in a perfect world. The world is a sad, sad place.
The things that are wrong go deep. We live in a world full of lies, selfishness, arrogance, greed, hypocracy. We put ourselves over our fellow man and have no qualms about name calling and finger pointing. We play judge and jury.
NO politican can change or fix matters involving the heart. Only my God can change those things.
Do you want to know what the world just might look like if everyone surrended to Christ and developed His perfect character and followed His perfect law?
There would be no lies.
There would be no adultery.
There would be no greed.
There would be no rape or incest.
There would be no murder.
People would love their neighbors and consider others as better than themselves. People would give and share and actually work together to make communities work.... Families would love on one another instead of fault finding and true relationships would be developed.
Why are people so against that?
Would Jesus start wars with other countries and then use His Father as justification? Try explain to Jesus that His Children are illegal? ( in reference to illegal immigration)
Didn't we come to America as "illegals" and then take, by force, land away from the Indians?
Just some outloud thinking.
As human beings has our sense of entitlement trumphed over our call to be merciful and to clothe and feed our brothers and sisters?
If the Bible were actually followed..we would all work. There would be no free rides..But..there would also be no greed nor selfishness among us.
Just some important questions that no politican will ever answer.
Comments are welcome, as I value your opinion
The World is Smothered in Red Tape
Ever feel like you are bound up in a pile of red tape?
Today was a red tape day.
Last December...almost a year ago, I had a nasty bout of vertigo. I woke up to spinning rooms and nausea. I somehow managed to drive myself to the nearest Urgent Care.
In my state of sickness, I didn't have time to look for my insurance card. I was told by the billing clerk at Urgent Care that I could pay in cash. So, I was told to pay a certain amount and that would be suffiecent to cover the cost of my care.
So, I gave them the cash.
I also told them that when I found my insurance card I would send them a copy. I pay a lot of money for private insurance every month and thought that maybe, by sending my insurance company a copy of what I paid out of pocket, that they would apply that toward my huge dedctible..
or something like that..
Well, several months passed and I get a phone call from a collection agency, nonetheless.
They told me that I owed Urgent Care more money.. Keep in mind that I paid Urgent Care cash upon my visit..When I left Urgent Care, they told me that my bill was paid in FULL..
So, I spent a good part of the day sorting this out. I was on the phone with Urgent Care and their billing office in Baton Rouge.. I was told that it was their mistake. They apologized for the confusion and told me that they would correct the situation by letting the collection agency know that the matter was resolved..
End of story.
Or so, I thought.
Today, I got a call... Can you guess who it was from?
The same collection agency telling me that I still owed money to Urgent Care..from my visit from over a YEAR ago..
Of course, I was taken aback and slightly frustrated.
So, I called the Urgent Care office once again. They once again admitted their mistake, but told me that I would have to call the Baton Rouge office to get it all sorted out.
So, I called the Baton Rouge office.. No one answered..
All I can say, is that it sometimes seems the world is wrapped up in red tape.
We live in a corporate world where small town values have all but disappeared.
People are no longer treated like humans.
We are business transactions.
We have, as a nation, become so obsessed with the "almighty" dollar that we have lost compassion and forgotten human decency.
Huge business are run like machines. Everything is automated. I can't count the number of times I have called these mega corporations and longed to speak to a "real person" on the phone and been on hold for insane amounts of time while elevator music and advertisements are playing in my ears.
I have learned patience, but I am still frustrated at how impersonal the world and business has become.
About a year ago, I read a story that horrified me.
It was like something out of a science fiction novel it was so grotesque.
There was a man in somewhere USA. His house caught fire. Firefighters rushed to his house, but when they learned that he didn't pay a bill for firefighting services, they sat back and watched as his home burned to the ground. They watched as he wept.
True story.
They refused to fight the fire and save his home with his PET inside becasue he missed a few bills.
I will have to fact check the pet but I'm pretty sure that he had a furry creature inside his home..
I was mortified when I heard this story. I was amazed at the lack of humanity displayed by this man's community. And for what?
The "almighty" dollar. Once again judgment triumphs over mercy in a world of greed.
We have lost sense in a world where money is king.
Is this what money does to us?
Is that why Jesus warned the rich?
I'm not against the rich. I love all people, but even Jesus said that riches tempt us toward greed. I don't have a problem with the rich.. But I do cringe at greed.
I'm going to write more about this later..
But for now, I am cutting my way out of red tape..
Have you ever been caught up in red tape?
Today was a red tape day.
Last December...almost a year ago, I had a nasty bout of vertigo. I woke up to spinning rooms and nausea. I somehow managed to drive myself to the nearest Urgent Care.
In my state of sickness, I didn't have time to look for my insurance card. I was told by the billing clerk at Urgent Care that I could pay in cash. So, I was told to pay a certain amount and that would be suffiecent to cover the cost of my care.
So, I gave them the cash.
I also told them that when I found my insurance card I would send them a copy. I pay a lot of money for private insurance every month and thought that maybe, by sending my insurance company a copy of what I paid out of pocket, that they would apply that toward my huge dedctible..
or something like that..
Well, several months passed and I get a phone call from a collection agency, nonetheless.
They told me that I owed Urgent Care more money.. Keep in mind that I paid Urgent Care cash upon my visit..When I left Urgent Care, they told me that my bill was paid in FULL..
So, I spent a good part of the day sorting this out. I was on the phone with Urgent Care and their billing office in Baton Rouge.. I was told that it was their mistake. They apologized for the confusion and told me that they would correct the situation by letting the collection agency know that the matter was resolved..
End of story.
Or so, I thought.
Today, I got a call... Can you guess who it was from?
The same collection agency telling me that I still owed money to Urgent Care..from my visit from over a YEAR ago..
Of course, I was taken aback and slightly frustrated.
So, I called the Urgent Care office once again. They once again admitted their mistake, but told me that I would have to call the Baton Rouge office to get it all sorted out.
So, I called the Baton Rouge office.. No one answered..
All I can say, is that it sometimes seems the world is wrapped up in red tape.
We live in a corporate world where small town values have all but disappeared.
People are no longer treated like humans.
We are business transactions.
We have, as a nation, become so obsessed with the "almighty" dollar that we have lost compassion and forgotten human decency.
Huge business are run like machines. Everything is automated. I can't count the number of times I have called these mega corporations and longed to speak to a "real person" on the phone and been on hold for insane amounts of time while elevator music and advertisements are playing in my ears.
I have learned patience, but I am still frustrated at how impersonal the world and business has become.
About a year ago, I read a story that horrified me.
It was like something out of a science fiction novel it was so grotesque.
There was a man in somewhere USA. His house caught fire. Firefighters rushed to his house, but when they learned that he didn't pay a bill for firefighting services, they sat back and watched as his home burned to the ground. They watched as he wept.
True story.
They refused to fight the fire and save his home with his PET inside becasue he missed a few bills.
I will have to fact check the pet but I'm pretty sure that he had a furry creature inside his home..
I was mortified when I heard this story. I was amazed at the lack of humanity displayed by this man's community. And for what?
The "almighty" dollar. Once again judgment triumphs over mercy in a world of greed.
We have lost sense in a world where money is king.
Is this what money does to us?
Is that why Jesus warned the rich?
I'm not against the rich. I love all people, but even Jesus said that riches tempt us toward greed. I don't have a problem with the rich.. But I do cringe at greed.
I'm going to write more about this later..
But for now, I am cutting my way out of red tape..
Have you ever been caught up in red tape?
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The greatest compliment I have ever received
The other day someone paid me one of the highest compliments that I have ever received.
It wasn't anything to tout vanity. It wasn't about my hair or my figure or my clothing..You see, the compliment I received had absolutely nothing to do with me.
It is the second time this has happened to me throughout the course of my life. sometimes I can feel Christ walking with me..there are days when I can feel His loving light radiating from within,
It's a light that shouldn't be hidden.
Well, the other day I was purchasing something from the store. An Indian man was at the cash register. He told me very sincerely that there was something different about me..
A while back ago, I was in Jamaica. I was in an atmosphere of clutter and noise. There was a lot going on around me, but I could feel Christ with me and I remember having a calmness and peace about me that could only be supernatually given.. An older, respectful gentleman and native of the country approached me and said, "there is something different about you. You are not like the others."
I don't know if I told the man in Jamaica that Jesus lived within me...but I aim to write a letter to the man in the convenient store and tell him that what he sees is the light of my Heavenly Father that shines through me..
Please don't mistake me..I am not bragging or boasting. I fail. I mess up. I am human, but there are days..when I hope and pray that others can see that the spirit of Christ truly lives within. I pray that I can be a living testimony to His goodness, His power, and most of all, His love.
There are days when I walk and maybe others can't see Christ. They are days when I walk in haste. There are days when I walk in selfishness...but then, there are those days..( and I pray they become more and more regular) when I walk with Jesus and He shines through me in such a way that total strangers can see it and recognize it for what it is.... It is something rare and beautiful..
and it is not me... only the Spirit of the living God who transforms those who seek diligently seek Him..
I think of the fruits of the Spirit..when we walk with Christ..we begin to see more of these fruits in our lives.. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" ..
When we walk with Christ, we become those things..because those are His qualities.. HE had all of those things.. He gives them to us as He carves Himself into each of us..
The other day I read a blog by my favorite writer, Stephanie Cherry.. It taked about our spiritual footprint.. IT asks the question..are we showing the true Christ?
Here is the text from www.stephaniecherry.com
It wasn't anything to tout vanity. It wasn't about my hair or my figure or my clothing..You see, the compliment I received had absolutely nothing to do with me.
It is the second time this has happened to me throughout the course of my life. sometimes I can feel Christ walking with me..there are days when I can feel His loving light radiating from within,
It's a light that shouldn't be hidden.
Well, the other day I was purchasing something from the store. An Indian man was at the cash register. He told me very sincerely that there was something different about me..
A while back ago, I was in Jamaica. I was in an atmosphere of clutter and noise. There was a lot going on around me, but I could feel Christ with me and I remember having a calmness and peace about me that could only be supernatually given.. An older, respectful gentleman and native of the country approached me and said, "there is something different about you. You are not like the others."
I don't know if I told the man in Jamaica that Jesus lived within me...but I aim to write a letter to the man in the convenient store and tell him that what he sees is the light of my Heavenly Father that shines through me..
Please don't mistake me..I am not bragging or boasting. I fail. I mess up. I am human, but there are days..when I hope and pray that others can see that the spirit of Christ truly lives within. I pray that I can be a living testimony to His goodness, His power, and most of all, His love.
There are days when I walk and maybe others can't see Christ. They are days when I walk in haste. There are days when I walk in selfishness...but then, there are those days..( and I pray they become more and more regular) when I walk with Jesus and He shines through me in such a way that total strangers can see it and recognize it for what it is.... It is something rare and beautiful..
and it is not me... only the Spirit of the living God who transforms those who seek diligently seek Him..
I think of the fruits of the Spirit..when we walk with Christ..we begin to see more of these fruits in our lives.. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" ..
When we walk with Christ, we become those things..because those are His qualities.. HE had all of those things.. He gives them to us as He carves Himself into each of us..
The other day I read a blog by my favorite writer, Stephanie Cherry.. It taked about our spiritual footprint.. IT asks the question..are we showing the true Christ?
Here is the text from www.stephaniecherry.com
About five years ago there was an unsung film made. The premise was simple. What would happen if all of the Hispanic people disappeared from the state of California? The point was to show how needed the Hispanic people were. I am not sure if it was meant to be comical, but it turned out to be. All the Hispanic people disappeared and the white people had no idea how to function. (I know this is controversial. Stick with me.) There were no nannies to raise their kids or migrant workers to grow their crops. No one even wanted the jobs made available because the pay was too low. I am not sure if it got the impact the film makers desired.
I only know that it made me think.
What if all the Christians disappeared? Are we genuinely providing a service that would be missed by those around us? Would the people on your street be effected? I thought about all the nice programs we have at church. If we only serve punch and encourage the people around us, would the people outside the walls of our church notice our departure? Perhaps, we don't act very Christian and some people would be thankful we were gone. What do you think would happen if everyone in your church disappeared? Have you left enough of a spiritual footprint to be missed? What could be done to enlarge that footprint?
What is God calling you to? You know He's calling when you realize the task is not safe.
What if all those "radical" Christians disappeared? The ones who are always challenging people to think about how they are living? The George Müllers? The Francis Chans? The lost people might notice. Would you? Would you be happier that they were not upsetting your nice little life? Would life be easier if the people whose lives call out a different standard for you to live simply vanished?
We have become accustomed to hearing a sermon and not reacting. Are you giving God lip service? What if God told you to sell your house, or your mini van, or your jewelry and give to the poor? Would you do it? Or will you turn to your husband and say, "that was a really great message" and never live it out? - stephanie cherry
"You show that you are a letter sent from Christ . . . written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
in a distant, faraway land
Last night, I recalled something that my aunt told me. One day she mentioned that a lady at her church was in charge of an orphanage in some distant, faraway, land.
Of course, if I can't remember the name of the country...otherwise, I wouldn't call it some distant and faraway land..
anyway, in some remote corner of the world, there is an orphange. My aunt said that what makes this orphanage special is that the children are treated like royalty. The cooks dress up in chef attire at mealtime. The volunteers who serve dinner dress in butler uniforms. They eat from fine dishes and the tables are lined with elegant linens.
Friends, this is beautiful.
I began to think about how service is at the very heart of Christianity. These children who have never known the love of a parent, who have been kicked to the curb and left behind by flesh and blood through whatever circumstance, can see the love of Christ through the faithful service of others.
God states in His word that we are to be servants. It is our duty to serve. It's our calling, our purpose.
Sometimes, we think that God wants us to be royalty, here on Earth..but, in truth, there is nothing greater or more beautiful that sacrificing self in such a way that others are lifted up and made to feel special, wonderful, and beautiful.
Many of us spend our lives trying to attain riches, but to be truly riched is to give and serve in love. There is no greater joy, nor any greater calling.
On another note, I can't help but think of all of the people who have made me feel special and loved throughout the course of my life. The moments that have stood out the most and shined the brightest for me, are the ones where kindness abounded..love flourished. The ones, not of harsh criticism, but of unconditional love. My most memorable moments are marked by humilty. When others have humbled themselves to be kind to me..along with the moments when I have humbled myself to show love..
Isn't that how we all want to be remembered?
I read a verse that spoke to me yesterday.
"You show that you are a letter sent from Christ..written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." - 2 Corinthians 3: 1-3
We are letters. Living testimonies. Our days make up stories.
What kind of story are you writing with your life? Who holds the pen? Who is the author?
Sometimes, the greatest stories are birthed from the darkest moments..they happen when that monumental light shines out of the darkness. They are when adversity is overcome.
Let God hold the pen and write your life.
Here are some verses to reflect on...
Will you take them seriously? Will you be a doer of the Word, Will you let God write the story?
"Set your eyes on things above..not on things below."
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." -Matthew 23:12
"Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works ( note..it doesn't say material possessions) ...and generous to those in need, always being ready to SHARE with others.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others as better than yourselves." Phillipians 2:3 .. How is that even possible you ask? Only through the spirit of Christ are we able to have that kind of love.
on another note.. I just got off the phone with my aunt. She said Viki YoHe is the name of the lady who runs the orphanage. It is called, New Destiny for children, and that distant, faraway land that I spoke of earlier..is Uganda. She gave me more details on the orphange..that is why this post is different than the original.. :)
Of course, if I can't remember the name of the country...otherwise, I wouldn't call it some distant and faraway land..
anyway, in some remote corner of the world, there is an orphange. My aunt said that what makes this orphanage special is that the children are treated like royalty. The cooks dress up in chef attire at mealtime. The volunteers who serve dinner dress in butler uniforms. They eat from fine dishes and the tables are lined with elegant linens.
Friends, this is beautiful.
I began to think about how service is at the very heart of Christianity. These children who have never known the love of a parent, who have been kicked to the curb and left behind by flesh and blood through whatever circumstance, can see the love of Christ through the faithful service of others.
God states in His word that we are to be servants. It is our duty to serve. It's our calling, our purpose.
Sometimes, we think that God wants us to be royalty, here on Earth..but, in truth, there is nothing greater or more beautiful that sacrificing self in such a way that others are lifted up and made to feel special, wonderful, and beautiful.
Many of us spend our lives trying to attain riches, but to be truly riched is to give and serve in love. There is no greater joy, nor any greater calling.
On another note, I can't help but think of all of the people who have made me feel special and loved throughout the course of my life. The moments that have stood out the most and shined the brightest for me, are the ones where kindness abounded..love flourished. The ones, not of harsh criticism, but of unconditional love. My most memorable moments are marked by humilty. When others have humbled themselves to be kind to me..along with the moments when I have humbled myself to show love..
Isn't that how we all want to be remembered?
I read a verse that spoke to me yesterday.
"You show that you are a letter sent from Christ..written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." - 2 Corinthians 3: 1-3
We are letters. Living testimonies. Our days make up stories.
What kind of story are you writing with your life? Who holds the pen? Who is the author?
Sometimes, the greatest stories are birthed from the darkest moments..they happen when that monumental light shines out of the darkness. They are when adversity is overcome.
Let God hold the pen and write your life.
Here are some verses to reflect on...
Will you take them seriously? Will you be a doer of the Word, Will you let God write the story?
"Set your eyes on things above..not on things below."
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." -Matthew 23:12
"Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works ( note..it doesn't say material possessions) ...and generous to those in need, always being ready to SHARE with others.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others as better than yourselves." Phillipians 2:3 .. How is that even possible you ask? Only through the spirit of Christ are we able to have that kind of love.
on another note.. I just got off the phone with my aunt. She said Viki YoHe is the name of the lady who runs the orphanage. It is called, New Destiny for children, and that distant, faraway land that I spoke of earlier..is Uganda. She gave me more details on the orphange..that is why this post is different than the original.. :)
Terribly Interesting: Subdue the Earth
Terribly Interesting: Subdue the Earth: My daughter loves Thomas Nelson's animated and book series Gigi God's Little Princess. In one episode, Gigi goes to a dolphin show. We had t...
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Pam Stenzel - Sex Has a Price Tag
A few weeks ago I was sitting in a church service and a lady told me that everything that happened in my past was all for a reason.. The mistakes I've made, the hard things I've endured, would allow me to reach others in a unique way.
A week later a cousin that I rarely see or talk to, sends me a text and asks me if I want to be involved in teaching a class on purity.
It's amazing how God told me that He would use the failures and hurts of my past and then provide the direction and the opportunity to use it to reach out and speak to others.
I don't consider myself a speaker. The truth is that when I talk about anything personal, I usually end up in tears. But, I'll risk it if it means that young men and women can know that God's plan for us is to remain pure until marriage.
The truth is that I didn't wait. I should have. I could've avoided a lot of heartache.
What's sad is that purity is not the norm. It is the exception. There are very few people that have had the courage to wait. They have weathered ridicules and taunts. They have resisted temptation and pursued a life of godliness and holiness. I commend them. They are very few.
We live in a society where we deem it "old fashioned" to stay pure.
Ive heard stories of people who have lived promiscous lives. They decscibe thier lives as empty, void.
I've walked down those corridors..searching for meaning through, what I thought was love.
There were times when I turned to humans to find solace.. It was comforting for a time, but I found that I was always lacking..always craving something more pure and more true.
I didn't know Christ at the time. I believed in Him, but I didnt really know Him. I wasn't sure that I wanted anything to do with Christianity because of all of the hypocracy that I had seen.
I remember when I truly grasped what Christ's love really was. It was something that transcended anything physical. It was a love that reached far beyond those narrow borders. It was something surreal and yet attainable. It was there laid out as a hope and a promise.
I have not been disappointed in it since. It is a love that requires giving..a fire that burns bright through sharing. Words truly can't do justice to God's love. It is something that has to be felt and experienced. But the beautiful thing is that it can be experienced by all who seek and those who truly desire His guidance.
anyhow, My cousin recommended that I watch these videos by Pam Stenzel. She is going to show them to the class. All I can say is that everyone should watch these. Parents should show them to their young teens.
A week later a cousin that I rarely see or talk to, sends me a text and asks me if I want to be involved in teaching a class on purity.
It's amazing how God told me that He would use the failures and hurts of my past and then provide the direction and the opportunity to use it to reach out and speak to others.
I don't consider myself a speaker. The truth is that when I talk about anything personal, I usually end up in tears. But, I'll risk it if it means that young men and women can know that God's plan for us is to remain pure until marriage.
The truth is that I didn't wait. I should have. I could've avoided a lot of heartache.
What's sad is that purity is not the norm. It is the exception. There are very few people that have had the courage to wait. They have weathered ridicules and taunts. They have resisted temptation and pursued a life of godliness and holiness. I commend them. They are very few.
We live in a society where we deem it "old fashioned" to stay pure.
Ive heard stories of people who have lived promiscous lives. They decscibe thier lives as empty, void.
I've walked down those corridors..searching for meaning through, what I thought was love.
There were times when I turned to humans to find solace.. It was comforting for a time, but I found that I was always lacking..always craving something more pure and more true.
I didn't know Christ at the time. I believed in Him, but I didnt really know Him. I wasn't sure that I wanted anything to do with Christianity because of all of the hypocracy that I had seen.
I remember when I truly grasped what Christ's love really was. It was something that transcended anything physical. It was a love that reached far beyond those narrow borders. It was something surreal and yet attainable. It was there laid out as a hope and a promise.
I have not been disappointed in it since. It is a love that requires giving..a fire that burns bright through sharing. Words truly can't do justice to God's love. It is something that has to be felt and experienced. But the beautiful thing is that it can be experienced by all who seek and those who truly desire His guidance.
anyhow, My cousin recommended that I watch these videos by Pam Stenzel. She is going to show them to the class. All I can say is that everyone should watch these. Parents should show them to their young teens.
Part 1 of 6
Part 2 of 6
Part 3 of 6
Part 4 of 6
Part 5 of 6
Part 6 of 6
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