Lint and Lent

Well as many of you know, we have had our share of bumps in the road recently... water heaters, clothes dryers, sick kids...  I think we have made it through the this round of life detours.  The water heater is working great, the kids seem like they're getting better (except for Dylan having some breathing trouble this week), and the dryer is back working.  And all just in time for Lent!

Coincidentally, we have begun paring down around our house.  After writing the Consuming post a few weeks ago, it seemed like I was hearing God speak to me through radio news stories, and bits and pieces of conversations, that we needed to slim down out accumulation of stuff, and slim down our bills.

So we have been going through the house and getting rid of things.  This has been mostly (almost exclusively) Jodi, I am working on getting better at this.  And we are going to be canceling our cable and home phone.  It feels liberating.  We are breaking chains that bind us to this world.

So with Lent upon us, I am invigorated and ready to sacrifice the things that I hold onto that are keeping me from you Lord.

What things hold you back from a relationship with Jesus?
What keeps you from growing in your relationship with him?
What things bind you to this world?
What things could you not live without? Why?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him -Proverbs 3:5-6

Would Jesus use Facebook?

Earlier this week I was reading an article, Take It and Tweet It by Matthew Nickoloff, that talked about how we can use Facebook, blogs, and other social media as a digital ministry.  This is something that really hit home with me.  I am trying to do this kind of thing with my blog, but the article really made me think when it noted that "people are not looking for information, but relationships".  This really hit me.  I am not that big on digital relationships.  I have probably been very hypocritical when you break it down that a digital relationship is just a relationship.  I always talk about the importance of relationships in bringing people to Christ and growing in your relationship with Him... BUT... I don't really live this out on Facebook, or Twitter very well.  I hope my blog has been more relational than informational (please someone hold me accountable if it isn't).

So, I guess the point is that my view that Facebook and other social media is accelerating the downfall of society is changing.  Social media is only going to be as good as the things we post through it.

Would Jesus us Facebook?  You better believe it.  I think he would be all over Facebook, reaching people right where they are.  His friend count would be increasing daily.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations your friends on Facebook, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19

Think about it... how many people can you reach though your social media accounts that you already have?

How can you be a herald for Christ through social media?

Life gets tough

Sometimes life gets tough.  We have had our share of detours recently it seems.
Water heaters, dryers, sick kids, loved ones lost... Life indeed gets tough sometimes.

This week I've really been searching and praying for what to write.

So I decided to write about hardships.  Jodi pointed me to this blog post on enduring the curves life throws at you. Listen to the song linked in the post, it will lift your spirits if you are struggling.

How do you get through the hard times in life?

Do you have a Bible verse, or a hymn, a song, a prayer that lifts you back up?

How do you remind yourself that God has not left you alone to make it through these trials?

Sinner

What is a sin?
How do you define sin?
How does the Bible define sin?
Are some sins worse than others?

If you start looking for answers to questions like this on the internet, you see lots of different view points.  You will find some people that are trying to reason if being homosexual (and discussing if that is a sin) is less of a sin than killing someone.  You will find lots of verses in the Bible that talk about sin.  First let's try to define what sin is.

If you look the word up in the dictionary you will find that sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.  I define sin in a much broader manner.  Sin is anything that goes against the will of God.

So once you dig through what sin is and are left with discussion after discussion trying to rank sins you realize that the Bible does not give us an all inclusive list of what sins there are and which ones are the worst, and maybe some others that aren't that bad.

What you will find if you keep searching for answers in the Bible is that we are assured that we are all sinners.

FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD - Romans 3:23

If you are reading this, you are a sinner.  If you never read this, you are a sinner. But, keep reading...

YET GOD, WITH UNDESERVED KINDNESS, DECLARES THAT WE ARE RIGHTEOUS. HE DID THIS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS WHEN HE FREED US FROM THE PENALTY FOR OUR SINS - Romans 3:24

Yes, God sent his son to pay for your sins and set things right.  Even though none of us deserve this grace, we all receive it if we believe in the Lord.  It doesn't matter which sins you have committed, or how you rank them, or if you rank them.  You have been given the same gift that the sinner next to you has been given.

God love each and every one of us with the same unconditional love, so do you really think it matters to figure out which sins are worse than others???