Twitterpated

   One day I was outside on a very nice day with my students. A newer teacher was with me. I heard the tweet of a bird. Looking on my right, I saw a female cardinal. I pointed it out to my co-teacher. Then I saw a male one and pointed it out as well. The next thing I said elicited an interesting response from the new teacher I said, "they are twitterpated."

   Her mouth dropped and then she laughed. I said, "what? They (the kids) don't know what that means. I'm shocked you even know what that means!" The only reason I knew was because of Bambi.

   This got me thinking about how we don't know things unless they are explained to us. It is the same way as with the gospel. We don't know about it until someone tells us it.

   We are called to spread the good news with others. Matthew 28:19 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We are to make sure that others know about Christ and understand who he is and what he did for us.

   So, do you know who Christ is? How can you spread the Gospel each day?

https://youtu.be/U10BeV4r1JE?si=pSXMcPol1QFAHYGv

He Lifts Us Up

 The sun has just risen over the African plain. Animals tread across the ground all headed toward one particular rock. They stand waiting to see something special happen. Suddenly a baboon walks up to the top of the rock. He lifts up… a lion cub! The next king of the pride lands has been born!

If you did not guess, I was describing the beginning of an amazing movie: The Lion King. In the beginning of the movie, Simba, the next king, is born. After he is born, he is presented to his people. The way he is presented is by Rafiki lifting him up before them. It is a surreal moment. These animals are looking at the one who will lead them next. 

What does that have to do with Christianity? Well, we are born common. We are born sinners, unholy. God cannot be with anything unholy. Thus, we have a conundrum. Or we did, that is until Jesus died for our sins. 

Jesus became the perfect sacrifice. He died on the cross to take away our sins. In doing that he gave us a choice. We can choose to follow ourselves and keep sinning, or we can ask for forgiveness. We can trust in Jesus as our personal savior. 

If we do that, he lifts us up just as Rafiki lifted Simba up when he was born. When we are born again, Jesus lifts us up. We are now royalty. Wait, where did that come from? Romans 8:16-17 says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” When we become born again, we become children of God. Thus, we are royalty. We are heirs with Jesus. Now that brings about good things and some challenges but that’s a blog for another time.

The point is, we are saved. We are royalty. We are in God’s family just by choosing to accept Christ as our savior. It’s mind boggling!

So, are you a part of God’s family? How can you spread the gospel today?

https://youtu.be/wXlxCFzcLV4

Your Everyday Impact

   One tradition I have at the end of the school year is asking the students who are graduating what song they would like to dance to on their last day. This year many of the songs we danced to at holidays were songs by Christian artists. I didn't expect them to impact the children as much as they did. They were so impacted that many of them said they wanted to dance to Shooting Star by Owl City.

   This made me think about our impact that we have each day. By choosing to find songs by Christian artists, with a good message but not too didactic, I was able to reach those kids. It was something little but it could make a huge impact on their lives.

   Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." In using songs by Christian artists I was reaching students. They were learning good morals and having fun while they were doing it.

   Have you ever thought about this in your daily life? Is there any way you could do or change something little in your life to make an impact for the kingdom?

https://youtu.be/jjJeAh7sCuk?si=ww-ILgtiZHxpFo8V

Who You Are

   We have all gone through that time of life: middle school-early adult years. That is the time where we search for answers: why are we here? Who are we? Who do we want to be? All of these questions have to do with our identity. I think that's why many movies enjoy focusing on identity a lot; it is something we are all searching for.
   In the movie Moana, a young child named Moana, is chosen by the ocean to restore the heart of an island. Moana goes through many trials until she gets to the point where it is too hard to continue. She begins to wonder why the ocean chose her. She did not feel special at all and wanted to give up. Of course, Moana just needed a reminder of who she was. 
   Moana was called because she stood apart from the rest of her people. She never gave up (until that point). She realized that the call is inside her just like the call is inside us. She realized that her heart was for her people and doing what was best for them even if it was hard. That's why she was chosen. She would not have been able to complete her mission if she did not figure out where her heart was.
   Just like Moana, we are chosen. When we are born God wants us to come to him. He calls us. We all go through different trials in our lives. We have a choice, we can choose to give up and walk away from our destiny. Or, we can be like Moana and never give up even when it's hard. In those times we need to remember we were chosen for a reason. We are children of God. We need to lean on him for strength and do what he calls us to do.
   So, do you believe you are chosen for a reason? Will you choose to never give up on what God calls you to do? What can you do to remember who you are, and why you were called, when trials come?

   John 1:12 and Romans 12:1-21

Team Effort: Soccer Lessons

"You can't win a game by yourself. Soccer is a team sport."

   Once I had a player who was very much a me player. She felt she had to do everything herself. She would dribble up the field instead of passing to the open player. She would shoot from strange angles. And, if she did pass to her teammates, she would yell at them if they messed up. It just wasn't the greatest situation for her or the other girls on the team.

   I thought about what I could do to help her understand that soccer is a team sport. I enjoy doing what I call experiments at practices. If my team is having a problem I do an object lesson to help them learn a lesson. This time I asked for 4 volunteers. I set up goals on a small field. Then I had one player against the other 3 players. That doesn't seem fair does it? Well, it wasn't but I was making a point. The girl by herself lost. The 3 girls won. The 3 girls won because they worked together to score. They played as a team. The girl by herself had to play every position.

   It is the same way in life. If humans were meant to be alone God wouldn't have created Eve. We are relational beings. We don't all have the same abilities either. Romans 12:4-5 says: "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." Just like in soccer there are many positions, there are many positions in society. Every position is important. If we didn't have sanitation workers everything would be dirty. If we didn't have builders we wouldn't have buildings to work in. If we didn't have assistants we wouldn't be able to focus on big projects.

   It's the same way in the body of Christ. Everyone in the body of Christ has different gifts. If we didn't have someone in the body then the body wouldn't be the same. We all work together to reach the lost for them to join the body of Christ. It is a team effort. One person can't reach all the lost. It is a team effort. I pray that we support one another as we do our work for Christ.

   So, are you trying to be a lone ranger and reach others on your own? What can you do to reach the lost today?

   Image from here.

Got Passion? An Easter Blog

   "He has risen." If you go to church and you heard that more than likely you would reply with: "he has risen indeed." That's a great saying but I wonder if it has become common place.
   I'm not saying it isn't great to remember that Jesus has risen. What I am saying is I think that we do not have the passion we used to have when we say it. Think about when you were a child, or when you first became a Christian. When you heard "he has risen," how did you reply? Did you say "he has risen indeed" very quietly or like you were bored? No! I'm pretty sure you would have jumped up in your seat, if it was appropriate, and yelled "HE HAS RISEN INDEED!"
   Why do I say that you would have yelled it? I say that because when we first become Christian we have a fire for God. We have been saved from our sin. And, we have been saved in a most unexpected way. God came down to take our sin. He showed us love in the most unconditional way. Shouldn't we shout that to the world?!
   But, as time goes on, we take it for granted. "Oh, yes I know Jesus rose from the dead. I know pretty much all I need to know about him. No, I don't feel I am called to go places to share about him. Someone else can do that, I don't want to risk my neck." Rather than sharing the greatest story of love ever told we sit back. We become lukewarm, selfish, and hypocritical. Then we wonder why people don't want to hear about Jesus.
   We have a chance to share the good news. We should want to share this news with everyone! This isn't just a story from history. It is a story that is continuing on and that we get to be a part of. That's why we should have a passion for sharing this news. We should be yelling in church and everywhere "HE HAS RISEN INDEED!" We should be willing to tell others about him no matter the cost because he paid the ultimate price for us.
   So, do you still have a passion for Christ? Are you sharing the good news of the gospel? If not, what can you do to share the gospel? 

   Mark 16:5-7, Matthew 6:21, 1 Corinthians 10:31

   Image found here.

It's Not a Place, It's a People

   There are many people in the world today. We all come from different places, have different experiences, and have different ideas/opinions. Many people have very strong opinions about God and religion, which means they have strong opinions about the church.
   The church started back after Jesus' death. On the day of Pentecost many of Jesus' followers were in one place. Then the Holy Spirit came upon them. They were able to speak in different languages and many were saved that day (Acts.2).
   Now, when Jesus left, he told his Disciples to, "go and make disciples of all nations" (Mat.28.19). But, the disciples stayed in Jerusalem. See, these people where under the impression that the Jews were still the only ones who needed to hear about Jesus, or they may have been uncomfortable leaving Jerusalem. Whatever the case may be they decided to stay in Jerusalem. That is not what they were called to do so God caused Christians to be persecuted so that they would leave and spread the good news (Acts.8.1-3).
   Wherever the apostles went they preached the good news. Many came to Christ and churches were created. Now, here's the thing about these churches: they were not buildings. These churches were the people. It did not matter where they met, they met in people's homes and studied the word/listened to the word.
   This principle reminds me of a quote from Thor: Ragnrock, "Asgard's not a place, it's a people." We could truly say of the church "The Church is not a place, it's a people." Many times I think we get caught up in thinking the church is a building; or that if we are Mennonite or Pentecostal then we are against each other because we have differing opinions.
   It does not matter what denomination you come from, as long as we believe that Christ died for our sins and we must accept him in our hearts and follow him then we are united. Are there churches that don't preach that message? Yes, and those who preach that message will answer to God. But, the point is, many times we tend to focus on the differences of the church. It is time we focus on our similarities. We are one Church because we are one people who believe in Christ. It is time we unite to preach the message to all nations just as the early church was called to do. If we do not, we are disobeying God and hindering others from hearing about him. 

   So, do you believe that the church isn't a place, it's a people? Are you willing to unite with others churches to spend the good news? What can you do to spread the good news of the gospel today? 

   Image from here. 

Helping the Lost Get Home

   “See, that’s where I belong. That’s home. That’s why I came back, ‘cause you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.” This is a quote said by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Through this whole movie Bilbo is battling with his own emotions. He has to decide what he will do. He has to decide if he will join the dwarfs in their quest, or if he will stay at home in his comfort zone.

   It is an interesting tale because Bilbo has not been outside the Shire, his home, ever. And that is why I find a particular scene from the movie so profound. It is the scene where Bilbo says that quote from above. Check out the scene here.

   At the beginning of this scene Bilbo has a choice. He could have easily run away. The dwarves always doubted him and he would just be proving them right. He has not been much help up until this point on the quest. In fact, he has been more of a hindrance than anything. But, Bilbo does not run away. He wants to prove to the dwarves that they were wrong about him. And, he does. He comes back in order to help the dwarves get back home.

   I have written about the concept of home before (link here). It is difficult for some people to feel like they have a home. But, for Christians, no matter where we go we can have confidence that our home is heaven. Home is where the heart is and our hearts belong to Christ. Non-Christians do not have a home.

   In the clip Bilbo said that he has a home but the dwarves do not. Bilbo is like a Christian. He is always willing to help others no matter the cost (at least toward the end of the movie). Bilbo wants to help the dwarves get home. That is how Christians should be.

   We need to be willing to help others no matter the cost. We have a home, and we know that home is in heaven. But there are lost souls out there who do not know Christ. Christians need to follow the Great Commission. We need to come alongside unbelievers and show them that they do have a home. They can have a home in Christ.

   Also, throughout the movie, Bilbo is an example for the dwarves. All the dwarves know is how to fight and pillage in order to get what they need. Bilbo is innocent and always tries to do good by people. He becomes the dwarves’ friend and is able to influence the dwarves in a good way.

   Christians too need to become friends with unbelievers. That way we can influence them in a good way. I’m not saying that we need to do the things that our unbelieving friends do. I am saying that we can talk with them, get to know them, and show them the light of Christ by leading by example.

   So, are you following the Great Commission? Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone in order to reach others? Are you being a role model for non-believers?

   Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:8

How Salty Are You?

   How salty are you? That may seem like a strange question. Some of you are probably thinking "I'm not food, why do I need salt on me?" Others may be thinking, "I didn't just work out, I'm not sweaty. And, I wasn't just in the ocean." Still others may be thinking, "You're crazy, where are you going with this?" For those of you in the latter category: thanks, I know I'm crazy but, as always, I have a point.

   I will tell you that I hope I'm salty. As well as I know I'm salty because my dog licks me :D Before I get to the reason why I want to be salty let me tell you a story. One time I was at a Jr. High soccer game. One of my High School players volunteered to be ball girl (If the ball goes out of bounds she gives the player a new one and gets the old one to make the game go faster).

   We were standing on the sideline talking about how things were going. I was semi-upset with her because she wasn't playing on my sister's team that season and I joked with her about it. She said, "are you salty?" She meant "are you jealous?" I said, "no, well maybe a little, but if I am that's actually a good thing according to the Bible." She laughed and one of the other coaches came over and was confused. I explained Matthew 5:13, which says: "But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

   Jesus was speaking in a riddle, which is typical of him because he wants to find the seekers. He wants people to dig deeper into his words and find meaning. What Jesus is talking about in this verse is that if we are not doing our jobs then what good are we? Salt has a job. Salt's job is to flavor things. But what's the point of putting salt on food if it isn't going to add flavor?

   In the same way, what's the point of us going into the world to do our jobs, or make disciples, if we are not actually going to do our job. If we are lukewarm in our faith how are we going to spread the saltiness? How do we flavor others with the good news of the gospel? We don't if we are not doing our job of spreading the good news.

   In the end, in my story, the player and the coach had a good laugh. Even though, originally, I used the verse out of context. I corrected myself and had a good conversation with the player (who is a believer) and the coach. In that little episode I was spreading my saltiness (the good kind, not the jealous kind), which is exactly what we are called to do.

   So, are you salty? Are you spreading your saltiness? How can you spread the Gospel today?

   Matthew 28:16-20 and Luke 14:34-35

   Image from here. 

Our Salvation is Protection: The Armor of God Series

   "No man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men: neither is there any other thing which keepeth us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief" (John Calvin).

   I grew up in the church my whole life. When I was in second grade my Sunday school teacher asked us if anyone wanted to pray "the prayer" to accept Christ. I thought I understood what that meant so I prayed the prayer, but I wasn't sure. When I was going into 4th grade I was at Camp YoliJwa and I prayed to redirect my life to Christ again.

   When I grew up in went to camp YoliJwa again the year before 11th grade. My counselor told me that she used to do drugs. She had other issues too. She got so low that she took pills to kill herself. But, the overdose didn't work. She sat in her room and saw a Bible. She was really mad at God so she threw the Bible. The Bible hit the wall and fell to the ground. My counselor went over and picked it up. A specific verse jumped off the page at her Romans 8:38-39 " For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." She had thought she would never be worthy of anyone, let alone God. She prayed the same prayer I did.

   The helmet was another vital piece of a soldiers armor because it protected the head. Many enemies would go for the head because it was a quick way to defeat the enemy, thus why the helmet was needed.

   In the life of a Christian the helmet of salvation is our knowledge of salvation. We know we are saved but our job isn't done. We are called to go save others by sharing our testimonies. Both my counselor and I prayed the prayer of salvation but our testimonies are not the same. Some people may relate to my testimony more than hers and vise versa. But we both share our testimonies to reach others nonetheless.

   Christians have our story as a tool to help us spread the Gospel. Our testimony is also a defense like the helmet. There are times when we all get really low. But if we know what we believe and why we believe it we can say "Jesus is my lord and he has saved me." That is the knowledge we can rest in and share with others.

   So, will you put on the helmet of salvation if you have not already? Do you find rest in the fact that Jesus has saved you? Will you spread that good news with others? 

   Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 19:25-26, Ephesians 6:10-18
   Image from here. 

Break Down the Wall

   Have you ever been hurt by someone? I'm sure that we all have. When we get hurt we have a choice. Let me tell you a story that way you can see the choices.

   Once upon a time there was a fairy named Maleficent. She fell in love with a human. The human loved her for a while but one day he was told that anyone who killed this fairy would be king. He went to her and gave her a drink that made her fall asleep. He decided not to kill her but take her wings instead.
   The fairy became queen of the forest. She put up a thorny wall all around the forest because she did not want any human to ever get in the forest again.
   When we are hurt, we have a choice.  One choice we can make is to put walls up. If we put a wall around out heart then we will never be hurt again. It would be nice to never have hurt enter our hearts but there's a problem with this. If we have a wall hurt can't get in, but love also can't get out.
   We are called to love others and be a light to the world. If we have a wall up that means we will not get to know others. We will not spread God's love to others. He lets us be a part of his story by spreading the news of the Gospel. We cannot do that if we don't get to know others, care for them, and show God's love to them.
   The story doesn't end there. In time, the king had a child. The queen of the forest came to the kingdom to interrupt the celebration of the child's birth. She put a curse on the child. The child would prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday and fall into a deep sleep, until true loves kiss woke her. The child was taken to the wild so that she would never see a spinning wheel.
   The fairy watched over the child to make sure that her curse would come to pass. But, as the fairy watched the child she began to love the child. She even took the child to the forest. The fairy broke her walls down to let the child in. 

   The story continues but I don't want to spoil the ending. If you didn't guess by now that is the story of Maleficent. Maleficent went from having walls up to tearing them down. She could have gotten hurt again by this child. But, it did not matter because she loved and cared for this child.
   We can choose, when we get hurt, to put walls up or to love others no matter what happens to us. We could possibly get hurt by that person again; but if we put walls up then we are not showing God's love to the world.
   Jesus never put walls up. He was hurt by many but he still showed love to those people. He died for the people who loved him AND for the people that hurt him. If we call ourselves Christians then we must follow Christ's example. We must show love to all, even to those who hurt us. Will it be easy? No. Will it be worth it? Maybe not in this lifetime; but in heaven it will be.
   So, what will you do when you get hurt? Will you choose to put walls up or to love others no matter what?

   Psalm 149:14-16, Philippians 2:4, 1 John 3:17-18
   Image found here.

The Train of Choices

   Imagine you are walking down the street. Suddenly you look over and see a train blowing its whistle. Down the tracks you see a car that has crashed on the tracks. The family in the car seems to be safe but they cannot get out because the doors are jammed.
   You look over at a different set of tracks and see a construction worker working on the track. Then you turn your head and see a track switch. If you do not pull the lever then the family will be killed. But, if you do pull the lever, the construction worker will be killed.
   A millions thoughts rush through your mind. You try to yell to the construction worker but he doesn't hear you. You think, "is it God's will that the family dies? Should I just step back? Or, should I save the family and let the one construction worker die?" In a split second you pull the switch.
You continue to yell, but the worker doesn't hear you. The train is closer now and it is just about to pass you. Suddenly you realize that the worker is someone close to you (friend, family member, etc.). You frantically look at the switch. You still have time to pull it and save your loved one, but then the family would die. What do you do?
   I first heard about this story in my philosophy class. My professor posed these questions to us. Obviously this exact situation may not happen in real life, but what if something like it happened? What if a new family came to church and then a terrorist group came in. Then they gave you the option of choosing between your family member's death or that new family. You have no idea if that family is saved. Hopefully you know if your family member is saved. What would you do?
   Here's the moral of the story. Talk with your family to make sure you know they are saved. Even if you know they are saved, talk about what you would do if something like this would happen (maybe not with little kids). It will be a difficult conversation but we have a calling. Once we became Christians we were called to follow the Great Commission. We know where our family members are going but we do not know for sure where others are going. It is our job to make sure that everyone knows the word of the Gospel. That way, if this situation ever does happen, we can say with confidence I know where I am going and where my family is going. Then we will be with God in Heaven.
   So what would you have done if you were in that situation? Will you take it upon yourself to talk with your family about what you would do in this situation? Will you follow the Great Commission and spread the good news so that none will perish?

   Matthew 28:16-20, John 14:6, Proverbs 3:5
   Image from here.

Protection and Training in the Fortress

   “But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge” (Ps.94.22).

   This past week I spent my time at a camp called Camp YoliJwa. I have been going to this camp for over 15 years of my life. It is a great place where you can have fun and learn about God. Each year they choose a theme for camp that summer. This year the theme was Fortress.

   While I was a camper I looked forward to camp. It began to become a place of retreat for me. See, in the past at camp you did not have cell service so when you went there it was easy to focus on your relationships with others and God. When I was at camp I did not have to think about the outside world and it became a place of retreat where I could reconnect with friends and grow in God.

   When I was told that the theme for camp this year would be fortress I was excited. Camp really is like a fortress. It is a safe place where you can be yourself and learn about God. A fortress is: “a large, strong building or group of buildings that can be defended from attack” (Cambridge Dictionary). Camp is a great place to defend yourself against attacks. You go there to relax, have fun, and learn more about God so you can defend yourself against the Devil.

   The problem is that eventually camp ends. You need to leave the fortress and go out to battle with the enemy. That was always a difficult thing for me to do. While at camp, you do not need to worry if people like you, what food you will eat (because the food is awesome there), where you will sleep, or about anything really. Then, when you left, you were thrown back into the real world where you could get hurt and had lots of worries.

   Here’s the thing about fortresses: they are great for learning and defending but if you stay in them you will not gain any more land or you could even starve (if you ran out of food). Fortresses could become your comfort zone. All the training in the world does you no good if you do not use it. That is why camp is great because it trains you and then sends you back out to do the work of God. If you did not have a fortress in the first place, whether it is Camp YoliJwa or someplace else, then you would not have the proper training to defend yourself against Satan.

  Fortresses are vital for training and it is important to have good instructors but you need to go out and spread the good news of the Gospel as we are called to do in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It is also important to remember that God is our fortress and he is always with us.

   So, do you have a fortress where you can train and learn more about God? If you have a hard time leaving your fortress/comfort zone what can you do to get outside it? How can you use your training to spread the good news of the Gospel today?

   Image from here.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone: New Years

   Last year I talked about how my goal for the new year was to be positive. The way I did that was by writing down at least one good thing that happened each day, no matter how bad the day was. This year I had a new challenge for myself.
   If you were to just meet me you may think a few things. 1. I am very quiet and calm. 2. I am not very positive because I don't smile much. 3. I don't like to do things that are unfamiliar to me.
   Later on, if you got to know me more, you would realize 1. I can be very loud in the right circumstances and I can be really crazy (soccer, if I'm teaching, if I'm with my family, etc.). 2. I am positive, even though I don't smile much, and I love to encourage others. 3. I don't like to do things that are unfamiliar to me.
   If you are very observant you would have realized that the 3rd thing in each of those lists are the exact same thing. I, like many other people, do not like to get out of my comfort zone. Therefore, my challenge to myself this year was to get out of my comfort zone.
   Last New Years Eve I went to a friend's party. At that party they had dancing. I do not dance in public (unless it is the game Just Dance). I sat at a table looking at the people who were dancing. They seemed to be having fun. But, then my eyes wandered to the children who were dancing  (I'm a teacher, can you blame me)? The children were dancing and having fun. They didn't care who was watching they just wanted to dance and have fun.

   I continued to sit there watching. Then my friend came up and gave me my mentor's child to watch, since she had already tried to get me to dance. This little girl was around 3 years old. She was old enough to dance but she didn't want to because she was shy. I talked with her and then we decided that since we were both a little shy, if we went out to dance together it might be more fun. We went out on the dance floor and I taught her some dance moves. Before I knew it other children came over so I could teach them too. That would never have happened if I didn't get out of my comfort zone.

   Thus why last year became a time of me trying to get out of my comfort zone. Sometimes I didn't have much of a choice when it came to getting out of my comfort zone. This year there was a lot of change in my life. I graduated from college in 2016 and finished student teaching in late February of 2017. After that I had to get out in the work force and be an adult. I became a substitute teacher. That was a major comfort zone breakage: you are in a school you don't know, in a room you don't know, with children you don't know, and there are many more unknowns. On top of that I became a Head JV coach for the first time. That stretched me a lot because at the same time I had my first teaching job in a kindergarten classroom.
   Not only was there change around me this year, but also in me. I am constantly trying to grow and follow my own advice. Any challenge I give to you on my blog I try to follow myself.
   What did I learn in all of this? I learned that when I stepped out of my comfort zone I made a larger impact on others. The impact was different each time but important. If I stayed in my comfort zone in these situations, I would not have been able to encourage others and help them in their journeys.
   I also learned that not only are others impacted when you step outside your comfort zone, but you are as well. I have learned so many new things this year because I chose to step outside my bubble. I have grown so much as well. That is what we are called to do: grow. Grow in intelligence, in our emotions, and in God. That is how we will make an impact on this world.
   So, are you inside your own little bubble of a comfort zone? Have you tried to get out of your Comfort zone to make an impact on others? Will you step out to grow in God?

   Joshua 1:9, Matthew 5:12-13, Matthew 28:16-20

Do You Want to Be Cinderella?

   If you know me, you know I love Disney. The other day I was watching Disney Channel and The Cheetah Girls came on. One of the songs that played was called Cinderella. Some of the lyrics go like this: "I don't wanna be like Cinderella sittin in a dark cold dusty cellar waiting for somebody to come and set me free."
   A lot of people are trapped and they don't know it. Or, if they do know it, they want to rescue themselves. Another line in the song is "I'd rather rescue myself." We talk about girl power and how girls can do anything. New princess movies have come out where the princess doesn't need a prince to save her. Is this wrong? No, but what about if we connect it to a biblical perspective?
   I don't think I can recall a child who did not want to be a hero or a princess. We all once had vivid imaginations where we pretended to rule over people or save people. But does that happen in real life? We may be bosses of people but do we truly have power over them? Not really, they could leave at any time. We want to be a hero to others but can we actually save them from death? No.
   Jesus is the only one who has the power to rule over others and to save us. We may try to rule over people by manipulating them, gossiping about them, or using our strength against them. But, in the end, we have no real power over people. God is the only one who has power over everything. He can change the meanest person you know into the kindest person. God has the power.
   He has the power to save us from ourselves. We are all sinners. We may try to "rescue" ourselves but we cannot rescue ourselves from death. Each day death creeps closer to us. Some people continue to try to do good deeds, bribe false gods, or just don't believe in the afterlife. That will not save them. 
   The only hero we truly need is all powerful, all knowing, and loves us so much that he would die for us. He is the hero who can rescue us, if we choose to let him.
   So, will you continue to try to rescue yourself if you haven't trusted Jesus yet? Are you willing to step back and let a true hero save the day? Will you trust him to be your personal savior?

   Colossians 1:13, Matthew 28:16-20, John 14:6
   If you have not accepted Christ and want to know how check out this blog.

Are You a Lifeguard or a Pool Monitor?

   Imagine you see a pool where children are splashing, playing, and having fun. You smell sunscreen and chlorine. There is laughter all around. You lie down and just as you begin to relax you hear screams and splashing. You get up quickly and look at the pool. There is a child splashing in the deep end. The child is screaming when it comes up out of the water. And, when the child goes under the water, you see bubbles. You realize the child is drowning.

   Frantically you look around and locate the lifeguard. You run over to the lifeguard and ask the lifeguard why he isn’t helping the child. The lifeguard looks down at you and says “oh, I’m not a lifeguard I am just a pool monitor. I’m supposed to let a person who is drowning know that he or she is drowning.” The lifeguard looks down at the child and says “hey, you are drowning.”

   Your mouth drops and you cannot believe what you are hearing. You grab the life saver from the pool monitor and throw it to the child. You are hoping that she would have the sense to grab it and save her life.This situation is a metaphor. Obviously if you see someone drowning you are going to try and do whatever you can to save that person. But, if you see someone who does not know Christ and is going down the wrong path are you going to be willing to say to them “you are not saved?” That’s all well and good if you are willing to do that but you need to take another step too.

   The pool monitor just sat there and told the girl she was drowning but that was not enough. Christians can walk around looking at the world and say “you are not saved.” But, if we do not tell them how to be saved are we actually saving them? Are we following the great commission?

   In the story you throw the life saver to the child. Thus, you are telling the child how to save herself. At that point you hope that the child will grab onto the only thing that can save her. When witnessing to the lost we can tell them how to save themselves but then we just need to hop that they will choose to accept that salvation. That’s not where our job stops though.

   Let’s say that child decided to grab onto the life saver. Would you just walk away from that child after she grabbed that? No, you would make sure she was okay. You would find her parents and make sure they understood what happened. As Christians, after someone accepts Christ, we need to come alongside that person and help her in her walk with God. This may mean we stay in contact, make sure she is alright, answer questions, and help her find someone who she can trust to help her in her walk with God.

   Our job does not end when that person accepts Christ; in fact that is only the beginning. If we are willing to help that person accept Christ we should be willing to help that person in her walk with Christ too.

   So are you willing to save the lost? After those people accept Christ are you willing to come alongside them and help them in their walk with Christ?

   Romans 10:9, Mark 16:15-16, Hebrews 10:24-25

I'm Listening...

   I’ve talked a lot about how sometimes it feels like when we talk to God that it is a one way conversation. There’s a scene in the Avengers where Thor tells Loki to listen well that reminds me of this. Thor is about to reprimand Loki and he says “listen well brother.” Then Thor is hit by Iron Man. Loki says “I’m listening.”

   Sometimes I feel like that is how it is with God. A while back I wrote a blog called A One Way Conversation. I talked about how it is nice to know that God is listening, but sometimes I wish he would talk back. A lot of times he does talk back indirectly. But, sometimes I get a feeling that he does talk to me directly. I get a feeling in my heart that I should do something.

   That’s when God says: “listen well, my child.” And then it is like “I’m listening.” But then you only get that feeling or hear a voice telling you to do something to help others. Sometimes I feel like I want another sign. I question whether or not this is actually God telling me to do something, or if it is just a fleeting idea. But, normally, you know if God is telling you to do something.

   This is when sin comes in. Wait, you are saying if I do not do something I know I am supposed to do it is still sin? I thought that sin is doing something wrong/disobeying God. It is, but there are sins of omission and sins of commission. Sins of commission are sins that we know are wrong that we directly do. Sins of omission are things we know we should do but we choose not to do.

   See, like Loki, we may say we are listening but when God tells us to do something we choose to ignore him. A wise preacher once said that he noticed that as we grow in our relationship with God our sins become less of commission and instead sins of omission. We may not directly sin against God. But, when he tells us to do something we choose not to do it. We are to be God’s light to the world.
   So many times we see bad things happening we wonder “why isn’t God doing anything about this?” Well, he is probably telling you, or someone else, to do something but you choose not to. It is time for Christians to stand up and say “I’m going to do something (Check out the song Do Something by Matthew West here).” Rather than stepping back and saying “it’s not my problem.” That is not what God calls us to do. We must follow the Great Commission and show others the love of Christ.

   So, do you ever not listen to God? What can you do to start listening to him more? Are you going to do what he tells you to do and follow the Great Commission?
   James 4:17, John 10:27-28, Matthew 28:16-20

Are You On the Fence?

   “I’m on the fence about it.” Have you ever said that? You just are not sure which way you want to go; or which way is right. Well, at Camp YoliJwa they do a little skit that deals with this predicament. It goes something like this:

   A girl is sitting on a fence (or a bench). She is just minding her own business when Jesus comes over. He says “you know, today would be a great day to come over to my side of the fence.” The girl says “yeah, I guess I could do that.” But, just as she is about to go over Satan comes on the other side. He says “you don’t want to do that. Come to my side. You will not have any responsibilities on my side.” The girl stops and thinks about it. Jesus says “please come to my side. You may not have another chance to.” Satan says “no, you’ve got all the time in the world. Besides, if you go to his side you will not have as much fun. Come to my side.” The girl says “you know what I think I’m just going to stay here.” Jesus looks like he is about to cry and turns away. Then Satan starts to laugh. The girl asks Satan “why is Jesus so sad, and why are you laughing?” Satan says “because Jesus knows that if you are on the fence you are on my side.”

   The moral of this skit is that we cannot continue to be on the fence. There are so many people out there who consider themselves Christian but they are just on the fence about it. There are also Christians out there who have chosen to accept Christ but they are on the fence in other ways or about other things.

   It’s like this. When I was first learning how to drive it would take me a long time to get places because when I was at a stop sign I was never sure if I should go or not when a car was coming. But, now that I am more experienced I know when to commit. If I would not commit/go I would be stuck at the stop sign for a long time. Or, if I would go but decide all of the sudden that I should stop I would get hit.

   Especially nowadays we need to know what we believe and why we believe what we believe. We cannot continue to be on the fence about things. If we do not commit we are of no use to God. We need to follow the Great Commission and spread the gospel.

   So, have you gone to Jesus’ side? Are you on the fence about anything you shouldn’t be on the fence about? Are you following the Great Commission?

   Revelation 3:15-16, Deuteronomy 30:19, Matthew 28:16-20

Greek Mythology and the Unknown God

   For those of you who do not know I like learning new things. One topic that has always interested me, other than God and the Bible, is Greek Mythology. I don’t believe any of the stories are true, though some of them may be based off of true stories. I like to read the stories because most of them are entertaining. Some of them can get a little strange and creepy; but throughout my study I discovered there are a lot of similarities between Greek Mythology stories and the Bible.

   In the Bible the first human, Adam, is created out of dust of the ground. And then God breaths the breath of life into him (Genesis 2:7). In Greek Mythology a Titan named Prometheus was at a river and created humans out of wet clay, or the ground. Some stories say the Prometheus then breathed the breath of life into the humans.

   The final example, which I am going to give you, of how the Bible and Greek Mythology are similar is the fall of man. In the Bible a serpent (Satan) goes to Eve and tempts her to eat of the fruit of the tree of life (Genesis 3). He tells her that if she does eat of the fruit she will be like God, who has knowledge of right and wrong. Then Eve eats of the tree and so does Adam. Sin enters the world and now God must be separate from man. Adam and Eve are forced to leave the Garden of Eden. However, even in this time of failure, there is still hope. In Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent (Satan) “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head and you will strike his heel.” This is alluding to the coming of Jesus. Satan may have the upper hand now; and will tempt humans, or strike their heel. But, some day an offspring of Eve will strike the head of Satan. That offspring is Jesus. And, that is where our hope is.

   In Greek Mythology the story of the fall of man is very similar. There was a Titan named Epimetheus who was not too smart. His brother, Prometheus got on Zeus’ (the king of the gods) bad side. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept any gifts from the gods because of this. Epimetheus did okay for a while. But, one day the gods created a woman named Pandora. She became Epimetheus’ wife. The gods offered the couple a wedding present. The present was a box, which the gods told the couple that they must never open it. But, Pandora was created to be curious. So, you guessed it, Pandora opened the box. When she did all of these evil spirts came out and spread across the world. But, one good spirit stayed in the box. That spirit was hope. No matter how bad things got humans still were able to hope that things would get better.

   Now, you may be wondering why I am telling you the similarities between the Bible and Greek stories. It is to either teach, or remind, you about a lesson Paul has already taught everyone. Nowadays not many people, if any, believe in the Greek gods. But, in Bible times there were people who did worship them. Paul went to Athens (where they worshiped many idols, probably Greek gods) and began preaching about the gospel. Some philosophers heard Paul and brought him to the high council where he told them about God. He said they had been worshiping this unknown god. Paul said he knew who the God was. “He is the God who made the world and everything in it.” Paul introduced the gospel to these people in a way they would understand. And, there were some who became believers that day (Acts 17:16-34).

   This is an important lesson for us. We may try to reach non-believers but we may not know anything about them or their religions. Paul did his research before he preached to them. He knew what these people believed in and then found the best way to relate the gospel to them. Isn’t that what we should be doing today? We need to care, and learn about others before we can truly create a relationship and reach them. That may mean we need to research other religions and find commonalities between their religion and the Bible.

   So, are you learning new things every day in order to grow and spread the gospel? Are you reaching out to others and getting to know them?

   Psalm 96:3, 2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 28:19

Speaking Up

   Picture this you are a teacher and you are about to work with a small group. You sit down with the students and start working. Suddenly you see it. On one of the students, you see your worst nightmare: a runny nose. Snot begins to fall down the student’s face and you can barely look at the student. You tell the student to go get a tissue but five minutes later his nose is running again.

   This was my experience during student teaching many times. And, it got me sick many times. Along with being sick, people said I lost my voice as well. It seemed like I did, but I do not think I did.

   According to Dictionary.com voice is “the faculty or power of uttering sounds through the mouth by the controlled expulsion of air.” It is true that when most people hear the word voice they thing about talking. But, when I hear voice I also think of other forms of communication. For example, let’s say I had no voice right now. I may not be able to speak right now but I can still communicate.

   Another definition of voice is “expression in spoken or written words, or by other means.” See, while I was sick I still needed to communicate with my family and my teachers. How did I do this? Well, I did it by writing, having someone talk for me, or by using hand motions or sign language. I did not lose my voice; I lost the ability to talk.

   Why am I telling you all of this? I am telling you this because no matter if you have lost your voice or not you can still communicate with others. It is our job, as Christians, to share the good news. Even if we feel like we have lost our voice literally, or just in culture, we still need to spread the gospel. Nowadays it seems like it is hard for Christians to have a voice in culture because it is so far gone. But, we cannot stop trying. We were put on this earth to reflect God’s glory. If we do not use our voices for him then we are not following him. And, the very rocks will cry out if we do not.

   So, have you been using your voice to reflect God’s glory? Do you feel as if you have lost your voice at all in society? What can you do to get your voice back?

   1 Peter 3:15-16, Romans 1:16, Luke 19:37-40