I'm Christian, But I'm Not Christian

   I am a Christian; but, I am not a Christian in the way the world thinks of Christians. 

   I’ve heard some people say that religion is a weakness; because people rely on something else for hope. Many people think that there is no hope left in the world; but that’s a blog for another time. Other people say that religion is just a way that people can control other people. We hear it all the time that religion is this and religion is that.

   And, to top it all off, we hear specifically about the Christian religion and Christians. Christians are Bible thumpers. Christians are hypocrites. It goes on and on. What is a Christian to do in this time that religion is so frowned upon? Believe it or not, I have the answer. We should not be Christian.

   Okay, so at this point you are probably either thinking I’m delusional or I’m a heretic but stay with me on this. People don’t like Christianity because it is a religion; and, because Christians don’t follow what they believe. And, it is true that some Christians have a holier than thou attitude. And that’s why I’m saying we need to get rid of the religion and focus on the relationship.

   The definition of religion, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.” Religion requires humans to do all the work. Humans think they need a god when, in reality, it is the god that needs the human in order to exist and be worshiped.

   The definition of relationship, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “the way in which two or more people or things are connected.” Relationship is totally different from religion. God doesn’t need us to do anything for him. He accepts us for who we are, warts and all. He wants us to love him and be faithful to him, but he doesn’t need it. Now, if a person has accepted Christ into her heart she should want to love God and be faithful to him. In order to do that she needs to follow God and his commandments.

   Every Christian is blessed with one major gift; and that is that they can have a relationship with God, the creator of the earth. God, who cared so much about you that he was willing to send his only Son to die so that his relationship with you could be restored. God reached down to us and wants to have a relationship with us. Can that be said for the gods of other religions? I don’t think so.

   Now, I’m not saying that when people ask you what your religion is you don’t say Christianity. What I’m saying is that we should say “yeah, I’m a Christian; but technically Christianity is a relationship not a religion.” Who knows, that may just spark that person’s interest; and then they may want to hear about the gospel.

   Sure we are to love God and put our faith in him; but we don’t need to strap ourselves to the gospel and slow it down. We need to spread the gospel. And, also admit that we fail at times; but, God never fails. We cannot preach a glorified version of the Christian life because then we are lying; and we are being hypocrites. We need to be honest with others about what our relationship with God is like. It sure ain’t all peaches and roses but, in the end, we know it’s all worth it.

   So, have you been practicing religion or relationship? If you are practicing religion I encourage you to look in the Bible again. Christianity is not all about going to church once a week, maybe reading your Bible here and there, or praying before meals. All that is good to do, but only if you have a relationship with God. If you don’t, you are as bad as the priests back in Jesus’ day.

   I also encourage you to examine your relationship with God. Are you going through the motions and doing only what you think is required of you? God wants to help us grow in him. And, the only way we can do that is by spending time with him and in his word.

   James 1:26-27, Colossians 2:8, John 1:10-13, Revelation 3:20

Who Are You Doing It For?

   Some of you may have heard that I decided to play soccer at Lancaster Bible College again this year. This will be my last season with the team, but that’s neither here nor there. The reason I am telling you this is because of something that happened to me over the years I have played soccer at LBC: I changed.

   In 2013 I began my soccer career at LBC. I was so nervous because the previous goalie was really good and I was starting that season cold turkey. I kept putting so much pressure on myself that I was beginning to have emotional issues. So a really good friend of mine, who I carpooled with, talked with me about what was going on. I told her I felt like anything I did wasn’t good enough because I didn’t do it like the previous goalie, I did one little thing wrong, or because no one was telling me what was right or wrong. She asked me a question that forever changed my life.

   “Who are you doing it for?” she said. I didn’t quite understand her at first so she then said: “who are you playing soccer for?” I kind of had to think about that because I was doing it for a lot of reasons. But, if you know my soccer story, you know it was a rough journey in order for me to decide if I was going to play soccer or not. In the end, I ultimately played because I felt that God was calling me to play. My friend knew the story and said “you decided to play soccer because God called you to. So when you feel like you are not good enough remember that you are always good enough for God.”

   I can’t say I didn’t feel the pressure to do well for my team and others during the season. Or, that I didn’t stress over every little thing that I did wrong. But, that conversation helped me remember that everything I do is ultimately for God. Yeah I will mess up, a lot. But, God doesn’t care. He loves me just the way I am.

   Today in the goal I am a lot more confident in myself. I do mess up, but I think about my mistake for five seconds then let it go. I can’t go back and change what I did; but I can go forward and do better then. And I remember that “If our (my) God is for us (me), then who could ever stop us (me)?” (Our God, Chris Tomlin)

   So, when you do things who are you doing them for? Are you putting too much pressure on yourself? Do you sometimes forget that God loves you just as you are?

   Colossians 3:23, Romans 8:31, 1 Corinthians 10:31

Special Edition: The Shutout

   For those of you who are questioning why I am writing this on a Wednesday and what a shutout is stay tuned. After a game of soccer at Lancaster Bible College my teammates came running onto the field and group hugged me. Not only did we win 5-0, but I also broke the record for the most shutouts in Lancaster Bible College Women’s Soccer history. If you do not know what a shutout is it is when one team wins the game and the losing team does not score.

   You may be wondering why I am writing this. I am not doing this to toot my own horn. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I want to thank all of those who I have played soccer with or who have coached me throughout the years. Soccer is a team sport. When I earn a shutout I don’t think that I earned it, even if I did make a few saves, I think that my team earned that shutout. Every time I look good on the field it is because my team helped make me look good.

   I also want to thank my coaches that I’ve had throughout my life. They helped shape me and mold me into a better player and goalkeeper. I specifically want to thank my goalie coaches Blaine Gorman and Jon Martin. Both of you have helped me so much by pushing me to be my best and encouraging me no matter what.

   Finally, and this thanking is not necessarily in a specific order, I want to thank God. He is the one who gave me the ability, passion, and talent to play soccer. For those of you who know my soccer story, and those of you who don’t here is the link to it, you know that the reason I am playing soccer is totally because of God. There have been a lot of ups and downs during my time on and off the field; but through it all God has been there helping me up when I am down.

   So, you may not be able to relate to this post. But, the next time you get honored whose glory will you be reflecting? Will you thank those who helped you get there?

   1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Colossians 3:17

The Second Anniversary of The Shoe Blog

   Today is the second year anniversary of my blog The Shoe! Which got me thinking about what I have wrote thus far. I look back at all the blogs I have written and it is neat to see the transformation of my writing. Also, I look back and see what I went through.

   Looking at my writing I can see that I have definitely changed over the years. God continued to shape me and mold me into who I am today. And, the neat thing is he continues to help me grow.

   An example of this would be when I am tempted to do something wrong, like think about how easy it would be to get revenge on someone who hurt me, my own words come back to me. In that specific case my words about how powerful the dark side is (The “Force” Within blog link). Not only do I keep myself accountable with my words but now I have other people who are keeping me accountable; because they read my blogs and remind me of the words I say.

   Also, if you do not know me, I actually used to be a very pessimistic person. There are times where I am still pessimistic. But, I have been taught to find the positive in everything. So, in my writing I try to look at the bright side. The reason I do that is because I have a hope in Christ. More and more during the day I find myself catching when I have a negative thought, then I try to turn my thoughts into positive ones. (Fixing My Eyes blog link).

   Finally, I’m not going to lie it is not easy to keep up with this blog sometimes. I know I only post once a week but I have times where I am super busy. Sometimes I do wonder if it is worth it because I do not get many people looking at my blog. But, a wise man once said that “God can use these posts in His time and way for His glory.” When I am tempted to stop blogging I remember that I’m not actually doing it for me, though writing does help me cope with the woes of life. I do what I do because God gave me a gift and I want to reflect his glory(The Character of Love blog link).

   So, are you following your own words? Do you have others keeping you accountable? Are you able to find hope in everything because of the hope you have in Christ? Finally, are you using your gifts to reflect God’s glory?

   Galatians 6:1-5, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 5:16

When Tragedy Strikes: Remembering the September 11th Attack

   Before September 11, it seemed like the United States was untouchable (other than a few wars that didn’t necessarily affect our land directly); but that day we quickly learned we were not. Today we are paranoid. We turn on one another because of a few events, like the twin towers being crashed into, which people who follow the devil created.

   But, at the same time, hope comes out of the ashes. We band together after tragedy. Out of the ashes we become stronger. Every time tragedy strikes we have a choice. That day we could’ve sat back and said we have been beaten; or, we could rise up and help those in need. I’m proud to say we rose up, banded together, and turned back to God.

   There are a lot more tragedies happening in the world today. We still have a choice. We can choose to sit back, give up, sulk, and become bitter when bad things happen. Or, we can turn to God, trust him, band together, and help one another.

   On this day we remember September 11, 2001. We remember those who lost their lives in the attack. We remember those who gave their lives to save others or stop more attacks. And, we remember how we all came together after this tragedy. We became stronger. We became A Nation Under God again.

   So, when tragedy strikes I want you to remember you have a choice. You can become bitter or thank God for your blessings. You can turn away from help or you can trust God. The next time something bad happens what will you choose to do?

   John 16:33, Psalm 34:18, Romans 12:19

God's Plans for You

   “God has a plan.” “You will make it through.” “Do not stress, trust God.” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard these sayings while at Lancaster Bible College. Over and over I hear “trust God.” I see their point. It is important to trust God; but so many times when people say trust God they quote a verse. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about backing up what we believe with verses. But, the particular verse I am talking about is Jeremiah 29:11 which says “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

   Sounds like a good verse for God planning for us right? Wrong, that particular verse is not talking about plans for us. It is talking about God having plans for Israel. So many times we take verses out of context. That verse is taken out of context because it is talking about Israel; but we can have confidence that God cares for us. He loves us just like he loves Israel. God does have plans for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” God has a plan for us but we need to trust him.

   God gives all of us gifts. We may not know what we are to do with those gifts but God knows. I do not know what is going on in your life; but I do know that everyone experiences doubt at one point or another. You may doubt some of the gifts God has given you, but trust him. It is only through the storms of life that you realize what you are truly capable of.

   So, do you believe God has given you gifts? Do you believe God has a plan for your life; and will give you opportunities to use your gifts?

   Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

The Myth of Entitlement

   “I deserve it.” “I won it fair and square.” “I have a right to it.” This has become the normal perspective in today’s society. But, do we really deserve everything we think we do? Do we even deserve everything we have?

   Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We do not deserve anything we have. What we really deserve is death. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned they should have died. But, God was merciful and did not physically kill them. Instead they lived the rest of their lives apart from God, which is like death. Then later they did die physically.

   Now, when we are born we are sinners. We chose to sin and when we do we deserve death. Just think about that. Let it really sink in. You work in order to reflect God’s glory. You do your best to provide for your family. You bust your butt every day to get money. Don’t you think you deserve a little something?

   If you answered yes to that question you may be falling into the myth of entitlement. I'm not saying that you are full of yourself; but you need to understand that we are small fish in a big sea. God cared enough to save all of the small fish in the big universe. Also, you need to understand that God is holy. He cannot be with anything that is unlike him. But, because of Jesus’ work on the cross we get what we do not deserve: eternal life. Think about that. Because of someone else’s work we have eternal life. There is nothing else we can do in order to gain that gift. We need to believe in Christ in order to get that gift.

   We do not deserve anything except death. We can do good deeds, help others, work really hard, and pray a lot but none of that matters unless we have Christ as our personal savior.

   So, on this Labor Day I want you to ask yourself have you fallen into the myth of entitlement. Do you realize that the only thing you deserve is death? Do you have eternal life through the work of Christ?

   Romans 5:12, John 14:6, Genesis 3

What Would You Do if Your Faith Was Tested?

   Once upon a time you woke up on a Sunday morning. You get dressed in your Sunday best then get your children up. The children are tired but you know they will eventually get up. Then you go downstairs. Your little girl comes bounding down the steps in her pink, flower dress. She is squealing with delight because she gets to go see her friends at church today; and she gets to learn about God.

   You start to eat your breakfast when you realize your teenage son isn’t up yet. You yell upstairs “it is time to get up.” After a while your son comes down the steps. He asks the same question he asks every week: “do I have to go to church?” To this you answer “yes.” After some grumbling, your son gets his breakfast.

   Then you all pile in the car and head off to church. When you get there you are greeted by one of the Elders. An old friend comes up and asks how you are doing. After talking for a little you drop your little girl off at children’s church. Then you walk into the sanctuary and sit in your normal seat.

   The service begins and you start singing I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin. Suddenly you hear a commotion at the back of the church. You hear yelling and then shots are fired. The music stops. Time seems to slow down as men in masks carrying guns come in. They yell at everyone to line up along a wall. Quickly everyone listens. You look around the room and see fear on everyone’s faces. Sweat begins to drip down your face.

   A man with a gun walks up to one of the Deacons. The Deacon has been a part of the church for a long time. He gives money to charities, volunteers at homeless shelters, and leads Bible studies. The man with the gun says to the Deacon: “denounce your faith in Jesus Christ today, and you will live.” The Deacon looks around nervously. The man with the gun says “choose now!” Then he puts the gun against the Deacon’s head. The Deacon falls to his knees and wails “I denounce my faith in Jesus Christ.” Your mouth drops.

   The man with the gun moves to the next person. This person was a troubled young adult. His body is covered in tattoos; you know that he drinks and that he has been arrested many times. You heard that the boy had accepted Christ just last week; but you don’t know if it is true. The man with the gun says to the boy “denounce your faith in Jesus Christ today and you will live.” The boy looks down nervously. You think you know what he will say. Abruptly the boy looks up and says “how can I denounce the one who has given me life?” The man with the gun pauses for a little then pulls the trigger. The boy slumps down in a pool of blood.

   Your mouth drops again; but even further this time. And, time slows down again. You cannot believe the boy said that. It takes you a while to register that the man with the gun has come to you. He says “denounce your faith in Jesus Christ.” You look around and everyone is staring at you. As you look around all you can think about is your little girl. Then your eyes stop on your teenage son. He looks at you nervously waiting for your answer. You want to be a good example for your children; but how can you do that if you are dead. The man with the gun yells “choose now!”

   Our country hasn’t quite gotten to the point where our faith will be tested like this; but there will come a time when our faith will be tested. What would you say or do in this situation? What would God want you to do?

   Matthew 16:25, Matthew 10:39