How To Share The Gospel

This shouldn’t take too long.  When you were in school or little someone probably explained to you the forest and then the trees.  How some people, when you explain something to them, tend to understand the sum of it or the forest.  Other people tend to understand the details better or the facts.

Keep that in mind when explaining the gospel, but just assume everyone only understands the sum of it.  Simply bring the good news as Paul did with the Phillipian jailer in Acts 16.  After all, most of us have presuppositions, are prone to error and are human beings so what better way to lead someone to Christ than to simply tell them to believe in Christ?  Don’t tell someone what your denomination says.  Don’t tell someone what the Catholic Church says.  Don’t tell someone about your crazy conspiracy theories.  Simply tell them about Jesus.  Ask them to believe.  Don’t stress any work.  Don’t tell them they’ll get to heaven by being submerged in water.  Don’t tell them they will be saved by speaking in tongues.  Don’t tell them their ticket to heaven is in Church on Sunday.

Also, don’t suppress your joy.  Christ has set you free, so celebrate!  Let them know how great Jesus is!  Don’t point them to Church, don’t point them to water baptism and don’t point them to ANYTHING but Jesus.  It’s not that I’m saying those things are bad but I’m saying salvation and grace lie in a person, and that person is Jesus.

I’m Saved

I’m taking this ‘not so bloggy-blog post,’ from my own perspective, from the perspective of a 19 year old.  If this brings light to so much as one person it has been worth it.

Life is fun and can be great, but it seems every time I think I have it figured out, I figure out that I don’t have a thing actually figured out.  Life can be simple.  It can also be short, and sweet.  It can be easy to float through life when you choose a certain path, or it can constantly feel like an uphill battle.  If it is so easy for you that you’re floating through life why are you taking it so easy?

I feel that taking the harder road usually leads to the most battles, and more things to overcome.  While we don’t always choose to overcome anything, we usually get placed into situations that we have to overcome or choose to become idle.  There’s usually a path we want to choose that seems easier and more appealing, but it’s not the right way to go(Proverbs 14:12).  We can always choose to take the easy way out, but the easy way out is always the worst decision and everyone reaps what they sow(Galations 6:7).

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When I say “we” above I suppose I’m only speaking for myself because I don’t know how you(the reader) feel, what you’re thinking, or why you’re still reading but maybe esoteric thoughts and topics are appealing to you.  My battle has always been to surrender.  <<<that doesn’t make sense?  Sure, it doesn’t, but read Jeramiah 29:13 and Joshua 24:15.  My goal is to serve the Lord, but my greatest works aren’t good enough(Isaiah 64:6), but I’ve been promised salvation and mercy(John 19:30), and now I can overcome(Romans 8:37) with a new mind, attitude, and direction(Romans 12:2).

My hope is to continue to grow(2 Peter 3:18) and realize even more-so the love that my God, my Creator, has for me.

The Holy Spirit gave me the words for this message and I hope this reaches to one of  you who needs to hear it.  God loves you so much(John 3:16).  He will reveal himself to you more and more if you seek him(Matthew 7:7).  Simply, and truly, and (For REAL) really believe in Jesus(Mark 16:16).

Love Is A Gift, Not A Reward

“We love him, because he first loved us.” -1 John 4:19, King James Version

Doesn’t that verse say it all?  You don’t have to constantly be beating yourself up or worrying you will get hit in the head with a hammer the next time you mess up, because you won’t!  God has always loved you enough that he gave his only begotten Son, so that you won’t perish(John 3:16)!

To put this simply, and to express the point I’m trying to make I’ll let you know that I’m not perfect but God loves me!  and I know I mess up and I don’t deserve His love but He loved me anyways, and I’m confident you can be a beloved child of God as well if you just accept that love because He is patient and waiting for you(2 Peter 3:9)!

I hate religion because it’s always telling people to “Do this, do that”.  Simply learn to give glory to God and rest in His love.  Continue seeking, asking, and knocking and he will reveal, give, and open the door to you(Matthew 7:7).

Remember that Jesus sacrifice on the cross was enough for your sin debt and that God loved you enough to give His Son.  Remember that when Christ was hanging on that cross he said, “It Is Finished!”(John 19:30)

Just believe that what Christ did for you was enough, and you shall be saved!(Acts 16:31)

Remember that once you’ve been truly saved you are justified, and you will also be sanctified, and glorified!(Romans 8:30)

Know that He will never leave you nor forsake you(Deutoronomy 31:8, Hebrews 13:5), and that He will assuredly help you turn into who He wants you to be(Phillipians 1:6)!

I hope the Scripture helped!  If you know you’ve been loved by Jesus Christ then be thankful for that love and spread it to others!  It’s called the gospel(Good news) for a reason after all! 🙂

I’m The Guy Who ____________

My mind just seemed to be wondering a lot earlier and I’ve thought about all sorts of things that made me angry, all the times I felt upset, and how everyone of those times motivated me and revealed my character.

and I am quite a character!

One time that struck out was when I worked at an Applebees and I had been there for a few months and I was really working hard because I liked my job and I wanted my manager’s approval.  I would be bussing tables quicker than anyone else could and allowing anyone to yell at me or vent, hoping that I wouldn’t strike anyone’s nerve and maybe I’d learn something from one of them.  In the long run, though, it was wearing me down.

It was difficult working as hard as I was and yet constantly having someone yell at me for not seating their section(I was a host) or double-seating their section.  Most of the time, mind ya, it wasn’t my fault!  I came into the job knowing that the ‘customer is always right’ and if they would ask me more a specific table I’d give it to them.  However, like I said, I’d get yelled at by the waitresses and eventually they started telling me to just politely ask the guest to sit somewhere else…..I wasn’t enjoying the fact that they had all been so rude so I did just that.

One day a customer came in and wanted to sit at a high top table on one side of the bar, but I asked him to sit at another side because I had just sat the waitress on the side he had wanted.  He got mad and walked out, because he didn’t like the fact that I was trying to move him.

That infuriated my manager!  She took me into her office and…drum roll…as soon as she started yelling I cried.  That’s right, I cried!  Probably the least manly thing I could have ever done, but I couldn’t handle the stress at work.  She immediately felt bad for me and she actually started to see how hard I was trying to do a good job.

 

…Anyways, the point of that story is to point out the character.  I have a certain kind of character, because I’m the guy who is weak in spirit.  I’m the guy who is always trying to please other people even though it’s nearly impossible.

In the larger scheme of things, I’m the guy who used to sit out on his swing set and pray for his family to get closer.  I’m the guy who prayed with tears when he was ten for his grandpa to recover from a heart attack.  I’m the guy who has lived with his, now 82 year old, grandmother his whole life and loves her more than he ever could in a normal mom-son scenario.

 

and those are all really great things!  but the main point is that I’m all of those things in Jesus Christ.  My story is totally about being dependent on Him, and always being able to count on Him when no one else seems to care.  Ultimately, I’m the servant who has been saved and loved by Jesus Christ.

and Jesus has loved me, and He loves you too!  What the Bible doesn’t just flat out say about Jesus’ love for you, you can understand with common sense.  Why else would God give his all just so we could be his sons and daughters?

 

so today I hope you feel loved.  I hope you feel like you’re important.  And ultimately, you are loved and your story is important!  Just start thinking about this today.  You can even blog about it or just think to yourself, “I’m the guy/girl who________”

Love Yourself, Hate Your Vices

It’s best to never assume you know everything, and to never think you’ve got it all figured out.  This is especially true if you are trying to get in shape and it isn’t working!  Thankfully, I know that I don’t know a whole lot about anything!  That’s right, I consider myself a learner in every single thing I do.

and that’s okay, because my “I’m a dummy.  Tell me how you do it,” attitude allows me to check my pride and ask other people for advice which usually helps in the long run.

Today, I really was bummed about how I got out of shape.  It was fun getting fat, but it’s not fun being fat and I’ve been lifting and trying hard for weeks with no success so I asked my friend Jake how he stays in shape!

He was happy to give me advice, and anyone would be, because it’s a complement to have someone come up to like you’re the expert.  He told me two things:  Diet and exercise.  Those two words make most American burger-joint customers cringe.  For me personally, just the diet part.

So I asked him how he keeps track of his diet.  He gave me great advice which has honestly given me enough inspiration for today not to eat any donuts or family packs at taco bell.  He said, “You’ve got to learn to love yourself while hating your vices.”

Most true statement I’ve heard in weeks.  Of course I love myself, and I hate my gluttony!  Today’s the beginning of a bold step to success in my weight training and it could be a new day of successful dieting for anyone reading.

Hope you have a nice day!

Rant! (March 20)

*Gets on twitter*  “***: my life sucks.  I hate how everything is going.  everyone takes me for granted.  March 20, 2014”

 

This is an example of what I sometimes see on twitter……and almost nothing annoys me more!  I get tired of reading the same stuff from the same people.  They’re always doing the same thing, ranting about how bad their life is and how nobody treats them right.

 

It’s pathetic.

 

I don’t know what you’re reason is.  I don’t know if it’s a mental health problem, a need for Christ, or a cry for attention but most people don’t care that you have problems.  I know that’s kind of sad, but it’s true.  I read somewhere, “Most people don’t care that you have problems, and some are glad that you do.  So be happy.” 

 

So stay confident!  Nobody likes a Debby Downer and there’s always a chance to change, so do it now because I don’t think any normal, sane human being wants to hear about all your problems unless they’re getting paid.

Keep On Keepin’ On

Decided to start this blog off with the title, so it may be nonsensical to this post but purely creative.  Today I’ve been thinking a lot about some deep stuff like Christianity, religion, politics, and a lot of other stuff that doesn’t usually make the friendliest conversations(They really don’t.  People always get touchy about that stuff).

but I’ve also been thinking about career opportunities.  There’s not a lot of opportunity for anyone unless you’re willing to work hard and swim against the current!  That being said, all day I’ve been brainstorming how I can stand out amongst all the normal people doing plain, boring routines day in and day out.

What I came up with seems pretty simple.  I’m just going to “keep on keepin’ on”  and not let any kind of obstacle hinder my progression through life, and I have a good reason for that, because we all have dreams and I’m pursuing mine!

I don’t want to look back someday and say “Man, I wish I would have dropped everything and tried doing this!” because I’d rather be able to look back and say “Wow.  I really tried my hardest and did my best at everything and I can’t regret any of that.”

Starting today I’m going to make a small step.  Today is the day I’ll start blogging more consistently, I’ll start pod casting, and I’ll keep DJ’ing at the local radio station.

Today is the day that anyone reading this blog can also make a small step in the right direction.  Dedicate yourself today to a goal, keep optimistic, and get ‘er done!  Just “keep on keepin’ on.”

When You Sin, You’re Not Only Hurting Yourself

I’ve made a few blogs about the gloom and doom of things that ended with the overall message of a way out, and a way of looking at the bright side.  They were kind of a check list of what to do….and this is no different.  However, we first have to identify the problem.

We’ve all sinned.  (In today’s world, most of you are probably thinking “well, so what?”)

So the point is, sin separates us from God and not only does it separate us from God but it also separates us from God’s gifts whether they be heavenly/spiritually or here on Earth.

Let me explain, in Romans 3:23 the Bible states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  First off, most of you know this or don’t accept this because you aren’t a believer but regardless this passage is a clear reminder that we are NOT righteous like God.  We fall short of being like God all the time and we have sinful thoughts, and sinful natures.  With that being said, it is obvious that we will NEVER conquer sin unless we follow God’s word and live our lives in SERVITUDE to the almighty.  So how do we do it?

In probably the most famous Bible verse of all time, John 3:16, the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  The ONLY way to live our lives in a way that pleases God is to believe in Jesus Christ and accept that he died a death that we all deserve.  After we ask Christ to come into our heart, we can get baptized in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and then comes repentance.

And repentance isn’t easy!  …but we shouldn’t want to take the easy way out to glorify God, we should want to do everything we can and live our lives dedicated to our Father in heaven.  There’s a lot that has to be given up to follow God.  You have to give up whatever is causing you to sin!  and think about it for a while.  Look at yourself and your life in third person and do not judge yourself by your standards or your friends’ standards…judge yourselves by God’s standards.  Would someone who lives a perfect life without sin say you’re doing it right?  Probably not.  So what do you need to give up?  Your pride, your unfaithfulness, your jealousy, your lust….all of these things are root sins and these things I know from experience.

If you lust, you may have a pornography addiction(I’ve dealt with this, still have trouble occasionally) and this only hurts you.  Think about how the sin of lusting causes you to look at women like objects, and no longer like human beings.  Don’t say you don’t understand.  There’s only one place your eyes should be when you’re around women and that’s back at their eyes when you’re speaking to them, they are not objects of your pleasure.  This is an example of how sin not only separates you from God spiritually but also hurts you in the world because of social awkwardness and anxiety that can occur from your view of women.

What about pride?  That’s probably the biggest thing separating us all from God!  Consider it for a second..Do you go through a lot of your days not thinking about God?  Do you make huge decisions without thinking about God?  Do you commit a lot of sins(and most of us do, but do you continue to commit sins and make some of your sin a lifestyle decision)?  Chances are, you have too much pride…and most of us do.  The fact of the matter is, we shouldn’t have an attitude like we can handle things without God.  We can’t!  We no longer should be living our lives as if we don’t need God, because we all do.

God should be the one driving our lives and this isn’t only my conclusion.  This is the truth passed through the years and the only thing that should matter!  We need to get closer to God and we need to constantly be striving to get to know him better.

If you’ve read this, sorry if I ever went off track.  I’m new to blogging, but I do believe that I got my message across through my faith in the Lord.  Please open your heart to Jesus and spread the word.

Increase Activity, Decrease Negativity

Maybe the title of this post stood out.  Maybe you read this and lately you’ve been at a low point in your life.

I have been.  I’ve been kind of down for years, honestly, and I’ve stated before that this is 100% my own fault.  I believe that the common reason for a person to be unhappy with life in general, is that their priorities are mixed up and they are stuck in a slew of low confidence thoughts.

This was a part of my realization about myself.  From day to day, I had been living self-conscious, self-aware, and self-consumed.

….and where did I get my standards?  They were imagined(for more information on this, just read some of my other blogs like ‘Second Thoughts, Social Anxieties’).

The point is, I shouldn’t have been living my life constantly focused on myself and having these high standards constantly setting myself up for failure.  The real key to becoming happy was to divert the attention from myself and learning to genuinely care about other people.  By deciding to stop focusing on myself and learning to focus on others I began to have a better social life, I flourished in my relationships, and I’m attending church again.

If you think your problem is that you are too focused on yourself, then don’t worry.  There’s still hope to rebuild your life from a different perspective, a perspective centered around service.  When you decide to fully dedicate yourself to this lifestyle you are opening yourself to worlds of new opportunities, and new beginnings.  Thanks for reading, God Bless Ya!

Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor

The title says it all.  If you’ve studied the Bible then you know by ‘neighbor’ I mean EVERYONE!

Then who should you love and treat with respect?  Every. Single. Person. You. Meet.

Who knows what kind of life they’ve lived and maybe, just maybe, a simple act of kindness from you could be the one act that will change their life around.

I’ve mentioned in other blogs that I have certain social anxieties and that may be true, but I am recovering and I know that in the world we live in we cannot be stagnate and timid to speak our mind.

So how do we overcome this and become a light in the dark?

By loving ourselves!  That’s right…all you have to do to become happier, live a better life, help others live better lives, and become a ‘light in the dark’ is love yourself!

But how do we learn to love ourselves?

I believe that in order to learn to genuinely love yourself you have to first go to God.  It is God who is our creator, who left in us a thirst that can only be quenched by following him and listening to his word, and accepting his son Jesus Christ as the one true savior who died on the cross for our sins, and lived his life as a guideline for living without sin.  It’s then that you learn to love yourself because it’s then that you are never truly alone!

Once you begin to love yourself there should never be a problem with loving your neighbor.  Once you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and you truly and without a shadow of doubt devote your life to living like the one true Messiah that you will begin to love everyone and treat them with kindness, and equality.

So no longer when you’re at church or outside of church should you turn your nose up at anyone!  You should live your life trying to reach out to every single person you meet by showing kindness and compassion.  It’s then that you begin to truly love your neighbor.

…….This blog probably sounded more like a rant, but there was a reason for that.  I was at church today, for the first time in almost a year and one of my friends wasn’t there.  I messaged him on facebook and he told me that he hasn’t been showing up because he hasn’t been welcomed.  If anyone loved their neighbor and was doing their best to show compassion why would someone go into a church building and feel left out?

I don’t think anyone should leave a church feeling awkward, like they were out of place, and I’ve dealt with the same thing in the past so I believe that it’s something that needs to be addressed.

..but not towards the message of God.  Not only am I sending out this message to anyone who reads this but I also am making a declaration for myself.

I’m declaring that anytime I am at Church, at work, on the street, or at home I will try my best to make people feel comfortable and happy.

As I said earlier, as Christians we should be a light in the dark and we should be encouraging.  We shouldn’t make people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

As always, I’ll end my blog with a question.  My question for you is “Are you doing everything you can to be enlightening towards other people?”  If you aren’t, why not?  Have you not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Is there something bothering you, and holding you back?  What is it in your life that you need to get rid of so that you can be a ‘light in the dark’?