Some

I got this in my inbox this morning and it is similar to what some friends and I have been discussing. And people have commented on Karyn's Blog. It is very relevant to what has been talked about lately. It says exactly what I wanted, but it says it more elequently. Here it is (the Italics are what I add in in a different colour):


February 27, 2007

Someone Else’s Problems
by John Fischer

Evangelicals often put being saved and going to heaven in the same sentence, as if heaven were the only goal of our salvation. But the truth is, we are saved to serve (people in The Salvation Army says that a lot). Heaven is important, but heaven can wait. God saves us because he has a job for us to do in his Kingdom here on earth. If heaven is the whole point of our salvation, then what do we do while we wait? Change the channel on our Christian entertainment? We have to DO SOMETHING. Not just say "Jesus come into my heart" and then go back and do what we used to do. We need to serve! God calls us to serve others!

It’s amazing how many of our own problems dissipate when we begin caring about other people’s problems instead of focusing on our own. That is VERY VERY true! So true! I have definitly found that in my current situation. Yes there are bad things going on in my life, but if I am helping my friends I feel that my problems just seem to go away (not disappear or not become problems anymore but I just don't think about them). If we are doing something, we tend to not dwell on the bad things going on. We’ve picked up some very bad habits from our culture. We have a tendency to be preoccupied with our own needs and constantly trying to fulfill them. Seems to be a "me first" generation! It needs to end! Advertising plays into this self-indulgence, promising that one more product will be the thing that will finally satisfy us. The truth of the matter is: Getting will never come close to the satisfaction that giving affords. Meaning, you get more satisfaction from giving than getting.

Think of someone you know who is truly happy and I venture to guess you will find that someone busy serving others. Yup... true true! If, in fact, our troubles will never go away (and I don’t believe they ever will in this life), then to focus on them and try to solve them is going to be nothing but a broken record. Make one problem go away, and watch another one crop up immediately. To give ourselves to the task of attending to the problems of those around us may not make our own problems go away, but it will make them less of a drag. Focusing on our own problems can lead to anxiety, frustration, and even depression. Focusing on other people’s problems leads to usefulness and a greater sense of health. I feel extremely useful when I am helping someone else with their problems. It makes me feel that I am making a difference and not just being a "pew warmer".

So today, when we are tempted to look in, to our own needs, let’s look out, instead, to the needs of those around us and see if our own needs diminish by comparison. Who knows, we may even forget about ourselves in the process.

Jesus hung on a cross and thought of those who were putting him there, and even pleaded their case before his Father, because he knew they didn’t realize the full impact of what they were doing. Can you imagine having even a fleeting thought about someone else if you were in that much pain yourself? But that’s just the thing about Jesus: He was always thinking of someone else. Wow! That is just inspiring! That Jesus hung on the cross. He was in so much pain, but he was thinking about the nation that he was dying for. He was not thinking about his own pain! WOW!

Father, Help me to look outside instead of in. Sometimes I tend to dwell on my own problems and look inward instead of outward. Help me help my friends more and more. Especially with this one situation with a good friend of mine, give me the words, help me be useful. I want to be useful for your kingdom. I don't just want to be a pew warmer. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, so strengthen me daily to look outward! Amen!

Religion vs Relationship

I have been struggling lately to find what is the "right" religion. They all seem to have some sort of flaw to them (meaning it doesn't quite fit with what the Bible says)

I came to realize that it doesn't matter what religion I am a part of. Religion is not what matters because all religion is, is a set of "rituals" and "traditions". Some are scriptural and some aren't. It should only matter where your relationship with God is. Is it good? Awesome? Does it need work? Read the Bible, dig in and learn more about Him. If you know Him really well, then the relationship will be great! If you don't know him very well, then its not so good...

However, I was talking with a friend of mine tonight and she said that her and her friend don't like organized religion, and I said "great, neither do I." I told her that I believe that the Church body, isn't organized religion, that is a family group. She said that it is the same thing.

I could be totally wrong in this, I am not sure. I am seeking truth in this whole situation because in my Bible study there are different views, and it is causing me to think a lot and look into The Salvation Army (the church I belong to) and see what they believe and why they don't do certain things that are SO scriptural: Water Baptism, Communion, teaching about Celebacy (some are called to it.. I know i am not one but it should be talked about).

It was taught to me early on that your relationship with God will get stronger if you are in the word constantly and talking to God constantly (its in 1st or 2nd Thessalonians). I definitly think that my relationship is getting stronger with God ever since I picked up my Bible more . These last few weeks, I read through 1st and 2 Corinthians and learned a lot. It is teaching me so much and making me question some things too. Its good to question things, I think. Questioning gets you thinking and talking with God and he teaches you lots of things.

I encourage each and every one of you that read this blog, to pick up your Bible and read it a lot! Try to read it every day if you can. It will benefit your relationship with GOd. You will know him SO MUCH better than if you didn't read the Bible. Trust me, it is VERY difficult to make time to read it, I don't really know why it is though. People are always reading other books, and talk about others books a lot, but then when they are asked what they read in the Bible they say that they haven't read it that much.

Be Blessed!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Dancing

Dancing is the most joyous thing I can do. That and singing. But dancing just brings such great joy and peace for me! There is just something about it.

I go to West Coast Swing and Two Step classes every Tuesday and its a 2 hour lesson with a big group (which makes the two step very awkward cuz it is danced in one big circle hehe) and I love every minute of it. Even if I get really confused. We change partners every few minutes so we can learn the different leading techniques from the different men. It is very cool! Anyways... When I go there, I totally forget about everything else that is going on. I am not thinking about ANYTHING except for learning the dance steps. When I am there dancing I am at peace. My mind is on dance and nothing else. Watching dance is great but dancing is sooo much better! To be in it and doing the movements is just freeing! But it takes work to learn and does not take just one lesson to get it done well. But did I mention that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it? If I didn't..please let me tell you.. I LOVE DANCE!!

This is like our walks as Christians. We have to learn how to be Christ-like. It does not take one day to become Christ-like. It takes a lot of work. It is hard work to be Christ-like because we try and sometimes we fail and we get mad at ourselves. We just need to keep "practicing" because practice makes perfect. How we practice being Christ-like is to read the Bible (like a dance instructional DVD helps us perfect the dance steps) and see how to be Christ-like. The Bible is like an instructional manual of how to do certain things. It is a teacher for in between going to church. When you go to church its like going to the dance lessons. The preacher teaches us how to live, just like a dance instructor teaches us dance moves. Then in between church practices and dance lessons, we practice at home and learn at home.

God Bless!

Movies and the Flu

Hey everyone
I have been at home for 3 days straight with a bad case of the flu (i know what u are thinking, there isn't a good case of the flu..but this to me is bad...lol). I still have it, so I have been at home for those 3 days. Have not left the house at all, could barely move for a couple days..today i can move.. lol... I have been basicaly lying on the couch watching TV and movies. One of those movies was Shall We Dance and I must say, it is a great movie (obviously, cuz its about dancing) but there was such a great message in it.

For those of you who don't know, this movie is about a guy who is not happy. He loves his wife and all that, but he is just not happy. He is in the "daily grind" basically. Wake up, kiss wife, eat breakfast, go to work and do the same old stuff, coem home on the subway, eat dinner, go to bed. He wasn't happy with it, so he decided to take up ballroom dance lessons. He hid it from his wife, however. It was something that was VERY out of character for him, a lawyer, to do. He wasn't doing anything wrong. His wife decided to hire an investigator to check on him because she thought he was having an affair. The investigator finds out what is happening and relays the info to his wife. She doesn't understand why he hid it.

Anyways, there is a fellow lawyer who took up dancing as well. He is a bald straight man, but loves to wear sequins and wear a wig (the wig is to disguise who he is) and latin dance. He did not want anyone to know that he loves to dance because it would be very bad back at the office. Anyways, he gets into an argument with one of the dancers and the dancer pulls off his wig and people realize who he is. His partner says basically to take the wig off and dance. So he leaves the wig off and dances and finds he is enjoying himself even with the wig off. He didn't care who knew he loved to dance in these outfits.

I love this so much! God taught me something through this movie. I am currently in dance classes (well I have only been to one class...) its West Coast Swing. It is a lot of fun. I am finding it nerve racking too because I haven't been to a dance classes in a long time, so I was wondering how long it woud take me to pick up the steps and stuff. I found I was stumbling a bit. In one part of the dance, the guy has to stop leading and the girl has to do a little bit of 'playing' (as Myles called it), where basically the girl lets go of the guy and does some dance moves on her own and then comes back and grabs the guys hand and he takes control again. That part is very difficult for me because I am very self contious so I don't know any dance moves to do. So I just do a spin every time (which looks cool, but cant be done everytime, cuz that would be boring). God showed me through this movie that I need to just let lose and be myself, and I will find that I will enjoy it sooo much more. I enjoy it thoroughly as of right now, but it will take it to a whole new level if I can be myself and just practice nad try out dance moves and such. If they don't work I just won't do them again lol. Its all about trial and error!

Anywho, it is sooooo late and I am soooooo out of it, but I had to get this blogged....so I am off to bed now..

You are beautiful!

We had a girl's group tonight instead of youth group (all the guys..well..both of them, were not available). We went over to the Macpherson household and watched a movie. We watched "Take the Lead" Its a DANCING movie! Woot woot!! Anyways, it was about this group who gets detention and the task for their detention is to learn dance. It is a pretty great movie!

The reason why we watched it is because after, we had a discussion about jealousy. Captain Lisa and Kelly made us little gift bags with chocolate in it and a card with this info on it:

Jealousy:
-Afraid of losing someone's love or affection
-Angry or unhappy because of what someone else has
-Careful to guard or keep what one has.

The first and 3rd one I don't quite get, and they didn't really go into detail about it. There was also a verse on it for us. It says:

"You are so beautiful, my beloved, so perfect in every part." Song of Songs 4:7

That was amazing! I am going to start reading Song of Songs tonight! It sounds like such a great book to read!

Kelly also read something from a book. I don't own the book so I am paraphrasing what it said. It basically said that when people tell us we are beautiful, sometimes we don't believe it. It is the smae thing with God. He tells us we are beautiful. Like in Song of Songs. We are beautiful, we are his beloved, we are perfect in every part (in his eyes). If God says this, then we should believe it, because he created the whole world, and he thinks that what he created was good. And also He did just that, create the whole world. That is pretty powerful. So if he says that we are beautiful that is powerful!

They told us to think of a woman in our lives that we admire, and why do we admire them? Is it because of their looks or because of what they DO. I thought about the woman that I admire, and while I do think she is beautiful, that is not why I admire her. I admire her for her heart, for what she does for people, how she makes a huge impact on people who she comes in contact with, for the way she worships God through tears and pain or happiness and joy, and she is authentic. I don't admire her because of her looks. I look up to her because I want to be like her. I want to be able to worship God even through the hard times, I want to be a great example for others and make an impact on them. If I care about that then why should I care what I look like? It shouldn't matter what I look like, it should matter what I do. It should matter who I make a difference for. It should matter who I serve. It should matter that I worship with my whole heart and be authentic. I shouldn't care about how I look.

God says that I am beautiful, and that is really powerful stuff!

To all who read this blog, I have one message for you:

You are Beautiful! B-E-A-UTIFUL!

God thinks we are to die for!

Get the tissues out

This was so touching! I didn't get to watch this on TV but I saw it on the Entertainment news show that I watched today, and it brought me to tears, take a look: