A Year in Review...

I can't believe that 2013 is coming to a close. This year has flown by for me.

My year began by ringing in 2013 with my family in our home in Greenville. Shortly after I returned to The Bob to start my fourth semester of college. I studied Elementary Education and through that semester the Lord saw fit to change my direction, I switched my major to Pre-Physical Therapy before leaving school in May.

My summer started on May 4 with a quick trip to Idaho to see my best friend's family, and then another short trip to Seattle to see my family before heading to the sunny mountains of California to work with horses for the summer at camp. During my ten weeks at camp the Lord really worked in my life, and I was able to break down many walls that I had allowed to build around my heart. On August 3 I headed off for my next line-up of small trips before heading back to school in the fall.

I arrived at school in late August ready to go for my fifth semester. I loved my classes and I was blessed with incredible teachers. Throughout the semester, the Lord once again worked in my life in many ways, he allowed closure on things from my past and gave me many new beginnings. I once again switched my major after receiving much counsel and I am looking forward to starting my new year by returning to study Communications.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were a whirlwind of activity with friends and family. I spent Thanksgiving break with two of my amazing friends, and then spent Christmas with my family in Seattle. I will be ringing in 2014 in Northern California with my sister, brother-in-law, and their six kids, just like I did for many years when I was in high school.

God has blessed me tremendously this past year. He has worked in my heart, and the hearts of my friends and family, in ways that I never imagined. He has blessed me with incredible relationships and awesome experiences. On January 1, 2013 I claimed this to be "My Year," the year in which I would go beyond where I had gone before, and I truly did. Sure, there were things that I wished for on that new Years day that didn't end up happening, but instead I was able to learn lessons about friendship, and patience.

As you, my dear readers, ring in the New Year with your family and friends, take some time to look back on your year and at all of the incredible things that God has done for. May God bless you and your family in this coming year. Happy New Year! :)

Careless Christianity...

The other day as I was perusing some of the top trending news articles on CNN, I came across one that really peaked my interest. A college student at a small Catholic University was shot and killed when involved in altercation with a campus police officer. The student refused to comply to the requests of the officer and even took the officers weapon from him and proceeded to beat him with it. In self defense the officer took several shots which resulted in the death of the student. This article was one of the top ten articles read on CNN's website that day. It puzzled me why an article about a small Catholic University shooting would pose so much interest as well as controversy, and yet two weeks earlier when a very similar incident happened at a small Christian college in Virginia, Liberty University, the only station that reported on it was the local news. It never hit any major news stations. Why was this?

I then began to think about the possibility being because it was a Christian school. In our twenty-first century society Christianity is not placed in the best light. Christians are viewed as judgmental, hypocritical, and even rude. People want absolutely nothing to do with Christians or their God, and in many places the death of a Christian is something that some would rejoice over. Why have we come to be viewed that way? Because the truth is...we are. We are careless with our Christianity, and our carelessness has led to our being judgmental, hypocritical, and rude to those around us. We view ourselves as above the rest, when we should be viewing ourselves as on the same level, or even dare I say it less that those around us. We ought to be serving and teaching others about who our God truly is.

We have no problem being friends with those who are open homosexuals and yet we wouldn't dare witness to them for fear of being rejected.

Some stare down their noses at those who listen to CCM and condemn them in their weekly church services, and yet they have no problem getting in their car and listening to music that talks about sex and drugs.

We talk about trusting Christ in times of trial and knowing He has a perfect plan and yet some Christian parents wouldn't hesitate to throw their pregnant 15 year old daughter on the doorstep and tell her to never come home.

We grow a hatred and bitterness in our hearts for those who have wronged us in our past and yet we have no problem with sitting at our dinner table and stuffing our faces with way more than we need and committing the sin of gluttony.

Some frown at those who smoke cigarettes on the sidewalks outside of their workplaces and yet they would have no problem going to a party and getting so drunk they can hardly walk straight.

There are so many ways that on a daily basis we contradict ourselves. We make big things out of the little things, we are caught up in the systematic theology rather than the basic doctrine of our faith. I am guilty of this just as much as the next person. When it comes down to it though, what is truly the most important thing? The most important thing is not whether or not someone attends a baptist church or a more contemporary church, whether you wear jeans or not, rather it is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible is very clear about what needs to be important to us, as Christians. We need to have a relationship with Christ, we need to be in the Word in order to grow, we need to have fellowship with other believers in a church setting where the Bible is honored and preached, we need to serve.  The Ten Commandments and The Fruits of the Spirit are not lists of suggestions of things that we could do or things that we could have, they are lists of commands as to how we must live our lives. Love doesn't encompass some, it encompasses all. Joy doesn't mean only when things are going well, it means all the time even when your world is so dark you can't see a few inches in front of you. We are so caught up in catching everyone else's sin that we commit "respectable" sins without a thought.

I know that my thoughts have certainly spurred me to change my thinking about the state of my Christianity. I need to be saddened over sin, my own especially, and I need to truly be the follower that Christ would have me to be. One who comes before Him as a little child and depends on Him for absolutely everything, one who obeys without questioning, and who knows that He will hold my hand when times are scary. I want to be a Christian who changes the world's view of Christians as a whole. Sure, I have different views on things, but that is ok because if my heart's goal is to honor the Lord then that is what truly matters.