I Believe In God

Have you ever had that conversation with someone when they're like "Oh I believe in God" and you just pause because you're not really sure what to say next. They're not saying they're a Christian, they may not even be saying that they believe in another religion, they're just saying that in some generic sense they believe in God.
I'm a people pleaser and my first reaction is always to say "Oh well good," because I think to myself "well that's a start right?" But what does the Bible say?

James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder."

Ouch. Yep that just happened. So where does that leave you in those conversations? Well I'm not saying you should compare them to demons but keep it in mind. Just believing in God in the general sense isn't enough. Jesus wants you to believe in Him.

John 14:6 "Jesus answered. 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.'"

It's more then just a generic belief. That's what so many people don't understand so make sure you do and, when you can, in love, help others understand that to.

Disney in Generations

When I was a kid it was all about Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. This morning my mom was teaching a children's class at church and mentioned Aladdin and out of five kids only two had seen it and only one actually liked it. These days it's all about Brave, Tangled and Frozen. When did my favorites go from being classics to just being old and what does that make me?

Where Were You?

Three years ago I remember sitting on my bed in my apartment in Washington as I typed out a post called "Twelve Years Ago Today". As I wrote about that fateful day remembered as 9/11 I relived the pain and terror our country experienced that day and for days afterwards. I relived the pride at how our country fought back, how we refused to let the terrorists win and we went back to our lives, we rallied behind our men and women in uniform and believed in them, encouraged them and supported them as they went to war for us. And I, at ten years old, got my first lesson in praying for your country, a lesson I've continued to learn in the days, weeks, months and years following that tragedy.

And now, fifteen years after the Twin Towers fell, I watch in pride as the Seattle Seahawks link arms and stand during the national anthem in their season opener when so many others have turned their backs and their hearts on what our flag, our anthem and our country represent. The land of the free, the home of the brave, one nation under God, united.

And I pose the question to you friends, where were you?

Where were you when you heard about 9/11, where were you when the Twin Towers fell? Where were you when our county changed forever?

And where you were when we rose up from the ashes after 9/11. When we found hope and dared to dream and live again. Where were you?

We remember where we were so we never forget.

Stand behind the men and women who fought for us, if you see a military person, thank them for their sacrifice and when you see our flag and hear the national anthem being sung then stand up and salute it because the only way to change our country is to learn from our history and stand united to change our future.

Precious

You know those days when you feel like God isn't answering your prayers. You're tired, discouraged and nothing's going right. What do you do? Where do you turn? I tend to recite the same verses over and over. Ones like Psalms 23 or Proverbs 3:5-6, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:12. Sometimes those verses don't seem to apply and sometimes they don't seem to speak to your heart, giving you the comfort and encouragement you need. 

This morning my mom shared a verse with me that is another great one to add to the list. Daniel 10:19 in the New Living Translation says:

 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”

You are precious to God, so stop being afraid, take courage, be strong and embrace his peace.