God calls us to worship Him, and you know what? He deserves all the worship we can offer and then some. We can't worship Him enough, compared to what He deserves. Yet, far too many Christians, or people that call themselves Christians, reserve worship for Sunday morning. Worship is more than just singing a few songs and listening to a sermon on Sunday mornings.
Worship should be a way of life. We worship God through singing, yes, but we also worship God through how we live. Are we living to bring glory to His name? Are we living to reflect Him? Are we pursing godliness in all its varied forms? All these questions and more need to be answered in the affirmative if we are to be living a lifestyle of worship.
Worship requires sacrifice. You have to give something up in order to truly worship the Savior. It may be hard in the beginning, but over time as you grow closer to Christ, you will realize that you really didn't give up something, you gained so much! People that are living worshipful lives have joy, peace, patience and love. It is not hard to recognize these people, they are the ones you are attracted to, the people that you want to spend time with because they enjoy life and their enjoyment is infectious. So, yes you may have to give up a sin or two (or more), but you gain the world, the good things that the Lord wants to lavish upon you.
This is not to say that if you truly live a life of worship you will be immune to the pain of this present world. In this world there will be trouble, and it hits Christians and non Christians alike. But, it means that in the time of trial you will not have to turn to God, because you are already there and you can feel His presence helping you through.
Worship, the Lord deserves all of it. Worship, a mark of a godly life. Worship, the path for finding an unspeakable joy!
Pursue a lifestyle of worship God and you won't want to go back!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Skirting the Line
Recently I've been thinking about sin. I know, not the happiest of topics. I don't know about you, but I know that sin is something I do everyday. No matter how hard I try, I seem to do something (or many somethings) that I know God considers to be sinful, and I hate that. I wish and pray to live a perfect life, but no matter how much I WANT to be perfect, I'm not.
And it isn't only that, but there are times that I know I'm skirting the line. I see how close I can get without actually committing a sin. That is no way to live, really. It does not please God when I walk the line and say "Ok God, you say that you want at least 10% of my money in tithes, so I'm going to grudgingly give you EXACTLY 10% and not a penny more."
That is skirting the line, seeing just what I can get away with. We all do it, maybe in different areas. One area that is easy to point out is the area of sexuality. Lots of couples that are in love, heading toward marriage will do more than maybe they should, but won't exactly have sex, so it isn't spelled out in the Bible as sin, so it is ok. Or so they tell themselves.
Or people will speed or break other traffic laws. The Bible never says, "Thou shalt not speed" so it is ok. Or, we gossip--we couch it in a prayer request, but it is still gossip.
All of this is skirting the line. God does not call us to follow a bunch of random rules. That isn't what being a Christian is all about, yet it is what many of us have it. We are modern day Pharisees.
Christianity should be about worship. We live a certain way because we are thankful for salvation, we want our lives to bear evidence of how in awe we are that God chose to make a way for us, sinful, pitiful creatures that we are, to make it to Heaven for all eternity.
NO ONE deserves Heaven, yet we all have the opportunity to go. All we have to do is accept the gift. After that, the way we live our lives, the choices we make should be made out of a desire to bring glory to Holy God, to say "thank you for everything" and to show others just how wonderful it is to be in the family of God.
I can think of numerous times this week when I failed the Lord, when I made the decision to skirt the line, in lieu of making a wiser decision, a more holy decision. Those things I've had to confess and seek forgiveness for, and hopefully I'll learn from them and tomorrow my life will be a better reflection of Christ than it was today or yesterday.
God wants us to grow, to seek to learn from our mistakes. He wants us to want to be better. I think it is awesome that God is on my side, cheering me on, encouraging me to make holier choices. He is also there to teach me when I screw up, and yes there may be consequences, but there is always forgiveness. I just wish I didn't need it so much!
I don't live my life based on a bunch of prescribed rules, that would be a lifestyle of bondage. I have freedom in Christ. I live life based on the knowledge that God is holy, moral, just, loving, perfect, etc and I want to mimic that. I don't to be as much like my Heavenly Father, my ultimate Role Model as I can be. It is more fun to live a Christ pleasing life, than to follow the emptiness of other lifestyles. It is fun because doing the Christ pleasing thing comes with joy and not guilt.
Yet, I sometimes forget that, and that is when I fall into the trap of skirting the line and dipping myself into the pond of sin. No matter how often I fall, God is there picking me up. The Holy Spirit is whispering to me, "I'll help you Child, look toward me next time. Follow me, do as I do."
In Christ,
JLK
And it isn't only that, but there are times that I know I'm skirting the line. I see how close I can get without actually committing a sin. That is no way to live, really. It does not please God when I walk the line and say "Ok God, you say that you want at least 10% of my money in tithes, so I'm going to grudgingly give you EXACTLY 10% and not a penny more."
That is skirting the line, seeing just what I can get away with. We all do it, maybe in different areas. One area that is easy to point out is the area of sexuality. Lots of couples that are in love, heading toward marriage will do more than maybe they should, but won't exactly have sex, so it isn't spelled out in the Bible as sin, so it is ok. Or so they tell themselves.
Or people will speed or break other traffic laws. The Bible never says, "Thou shalt not speed" so it is ok. Or, we gossip--we couch it in a prayer request, but it is still gossip.
All of this is skirting the line. God does not call us to follow a bunch of random rules. That isn't what being a Christian is all about, yet it is what many of us have it. We are modern day Pharisees.
Christianity should be about worship. We live a certain way because we are thankful for salvation, we want our lives to bear evidence of how in awe we are that God chose to make a way for us, sinful, pitiful creatures that we are, to make it to Heaven for all eternity.
NO ONE deserves Heaven, yet we all have the opportunity to go. All we have to do is accept the gift. After that, the way we live our lives, the choices we make should be made out of a desire to bring glory to Holy God, to say "thank you for everything" and to show others just how wonderful it is to be in the family of God.
I can think of numerous times this week when I failed the Lord, when I made the decision to skirt the line, in lieu of making a wiser decision, a more holy decision. Those things I've had to confess and seek forgiveness for, and hopefully I'll learn from them and tomorrow my life will be a better reflection of Christ than it was today or yesterday.
God wants us to grow, to seek to learn from our mistakes. He wants us to want to be better. I think it is awesome that God is on my side, cheering me on, encouraging me to make holier choices. He is also there to teach me when I screw up, and yes there may be consequences, but there is always forgiveness. I just wish I didn't need it so much!
I don't live my life based on a bunch of prescribed rules, that would be a lifestyle of bondage. I have freedom in Christ. I live life based on the knowledge that God is holy, moral, just, loving, perfect, etc and I want to mimic that. I don't to be as much like my Heavenly Father, my ultimate Role Model as I can be. It is more fun to live a Christ pleasing life, than to follow the emptiness of other lifestyles. It is fun because doing the Christ pleasing thing comes with joy and not guilt.
Yet, I sometimes forget that, and that is when I fall into the trap of skirting the line and dipping myself into the pond of sin. No matter how often I fall, God is there picking me up. The Holy Spirit is whispering to me, "I'll help you Child, look toward me next time. Follow me, do as I do."
In Christ,
JLK
Monday, May 24, 2010
Godly Pursuit #4: Speech
This is an area where I really struggle, so I've struggled with penning this entry. I don't want to come off as a hypocrite, but I do want to admit that it is something to pursue.
Colossians 3:8, "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (NIV) We are told to cease our use of bad/naughty/unnecessary language. In other words, there is no need to hear a Christian cussing. I struggle because it seems that at times those words, and we all know them, are just so satisfying to say. I do seem to feel better when I say them. They are quite expressive, people know what you mean when you use those words.
The Bible tells me that I need to use different language. And, not just a replacement. There should be no reason that I want to cuss. I should quit, because it isn't holy. God wants us to live holy lives, to be set apart. To show the world that there is something different, and that the difference is the salvation Christ offers, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Dropping the "f-bomb" when I get hurt is not how I glorify God. Saying S**T when I'm frustrated isn't edifying, and it sure isn't any different than what a non-Christian would do.
I'm preaching more to myself today, than anyone else, because my friends know that my language can be quite colorful, but not real erudite.
Jesus commands us in Matthew 22:37 (NIV) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
If we honestly love God with everything, our speech will show that love, and it will be seasoned not with profanity, gossip, and lies, but with words that bring glory to Him, with words that share His gift with others.
Godly speech is not just about putting an end to cussing, though that is one area where I struggle. Godly speech is also about our conversations. Gossip isn't godly, and lies are not godly. Not only must we watch the words we use, but we need to pursue conversations that bring glory to God and that if overheard by non Christians, will turn them toward Christ, or at least make them think.
Pursue Godly speech--make it a daily habit.
In Christ,
JLK
Colossians 3:8, "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (NIV) We are told to cease our use of bad/naughty/unnecessary language. In other words, there is no need to hear a Christian cussing. I struggle because it seems that at times those words, and we all know them, are just so satisfying to say. I do seem to feel better when I say them. They are quite expressive, people know what you mean when you use those words.
The Bible tells me that I need to use different language. And, not just a replacement. There should be no reason that I want to cuss. I should quit, because it isn't holy. God wants us to live holy lives, to be set apart. To show the world that there is something different, and that the difference is the salvation Christ offers, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Dropping the "f-bomb" when I get hurt is not how I glorify God. Saying S**T when I'm frustrated isn't edifying, and it sure isn't any different than what a non-Christian would do.
I'm preaching more to myself today, than anyone else, because my friends know that my language can be quite colorful, but not real erudite.
Jesus commands us in Matthew 22:37 (NIV) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
If we honestly love God with everything, our speech will show that love, and it will be seasoned not with profanity, gossip, and lies, but with words that bring glory to Him, with words that share His gift with others.
Godly speech is not just about putting an end to cussing, though that is one area where I struggle. Godly speech is also about our conversations. Gossip isn't godly, and lies are not godly. Not only must we watch the words we use, but we need to pursue conversations that bring glory to God and that if overheard by non Christians, will turn them toward Christ, or at least make them think.
Pursue Godly speech--make it a daily habit.
In Christ,
JLK
Friday, May 21, 2010
My Dissertation
One of the rites of passage to earning a PhD in just about anything is to write a dissertation. A dissertation is typical a big, huge, hairy paper. It can be anywhere from 200-400 pages and is more like a book than a paper. In fact, many schools will publish some dissertations to go in their libraries.
Since I'm a counselor, I'll talk about counseling. In order to earn a PhD in professional counseling from LU I have to take a certain number of classes and I have to write a dissertation. The class work isn't a huge deal to me. I love to study and to learn. I'm hungry for knowledge.
The dissertation doesn't even scare me that much, it is a LOT of work, but I'm not afraid of that. In counseling it helps if the dissertation brings new knowledge to the field. In that vein, I'm studying the psychological affects of a military deployment on the spouses on the homefront.
I love our military families and want to do something to help them. But, my first love in counseling is to work with soldiers with PTSD. I'll work a chapter of that into my dissertation, but I'm wondering something. I know that the topic for my disseertation is good, and the research is necessary, but should I have stuck to my first love? There is starting to be more done on PTSD, so is good that I focus on something else and expand my ken? Or should I have stuck with PTSD?
Thus is the life of a PhD student! Lots of hard work and second guessing yourself. And did I mention lots of reading???? Not as many tests as for undergrads and master students (especially if you take independent study classes!) but we make up for it. And at the end...you will have to call me Doctor! ;-)
Since I'm a counselor, I'll talk about counseling. In order to earn a PhD in professional counseling from LU I have to take a certain number of classes and I have to write a dissertation. The class work isn't a huge deal to me. I love to study and to learn. I'm hungry for knowledge.
The dissertation doesn't even scare me that much, it is a LOT of work, but I'm not afraid of that. In counseling it helps if the dissertation brings new knowledge to the field. In that vein, I'm studying the psychological affects of a military deployment on the spouses on the homefront.
I love our military families and want to do something to help them. But, my first love in counseling is to work with soldiers with PTSD. I'll work a chapter of that into my dissertation, but I'm wondering something. I know that the topic for my disseertation is good, and the research is necessary, but should I have stuck to my first love? There is starting to be more done on PTSD, so is good that I focus on something else and expand my ken? Or should I have stuck with PTSD?
Thus is the life of a PhD student! Lots of hard work and second guessing yourself. And did I mention lots of reading???? Not as many tests as for undergrads and master students (especially if you take independent study classes!) but we make up for it. And at the end...you will have to call me Doctor! ;-)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Marriage Stew
A marriage is not an easy relationship. And it shouldn't be. It is a lifetime, covenant commitment that a couple makes. It is full of vows that are made before holy God.
1. Love: the basis of any marriage is love. Love for the other person and love for God. This is not to be confused with like. Marriage love is not a mere feeling, it is an attitude, a daily, even moment by moment, choice. You choose to love your spouse, even on the days when you don't really like them.
2. Respect: there has to be mutual respect in a relationship for the marriage to work. If you don't respect your spouse you will be eaten alive by: un-forgiveness, and bitterness. A lack of respect will make you miserable and it will make your spouse miserable, because no one can hide their disrespect forever. Eventually it will surface.
3. Attraction: Physical attraction is important. If you are not physically and sexually attracted to your spouse, your marriage is sub-par. God created sex to be an integral part of a healthy marriage, and if you are not attracted to, and are not wanting or having sex, the marriage is not as God intended it. Take pleasure in your spouse. Enjoy them, focus on the beauty.
4. Laughter: The best marriages are full of laughter. Marriage is serious, but it is made of 2 people that are flawed and you have to learn to laugh at the funny times. Enjoy each other, and laugh with (not at) each other. Studies show that laughter does increase lifespans, and it does so without making them feel longer!
5. Conflict resolution: Let's face it, we are human and we will screw up. We will annoy, frustrate, confuse, irritate and anger our spouse, and they will do the same to us. We need to learn the Godly ways to solving those conflicts. They will happen, learn to solve them so they don't fester.
6. Quality Time: If you don't want to spend quality time with your spouse, why did you get married? We should be married to our best friend, the opposite gendered person that we can't get enough of. Time is precious, it seems to pass quicker with each year we spend on the earth. Marry the person that you want to spend those years with, that when they are not there, you notice.
7. Romance: Once the vows are said, the thank you cards are written and the honeymoon is over does not mean that the romance ends. Oh no! Married romance needs to be better and more exciting than dating romance. Take your spouse out on a date, surprise him/her with a special trinket...romance your spouse, let them know just how special they are.
8. Christ: This is the last on the list because it is the most important. "Nothing extraordinary is accomplished outside of prayer" (Jerry Falwell Sr.) If you want to have an extraordinary marriage, ground it in prayer, and devotion, make Christ the center of the marriage. If Christ is the foundation and the center, than when the storms come (and they will) the relationship will withstand the battering. Christ needs to have first place in our lives and our spouse needs to hold second place.
My spouse, your spouse, every spouse is just human. Our spouses don't complete us--Christ does. Our spouses don't save us, Christ does. Our spouses are not perfect, Christ is. No matter how amazing you husband or wife is, they will let you down, Christ never will. Give Christ first place in your life and just see how much HE blesses you!
If you put those 8 ingredients together your marriage will be on solid ground. It won't be without its ups and downs, and this list is by no means exhaustive, but these things are required. Use them, incorporate them and then enjoy the results!
God Bless,
JLK :-)
PS...What other ingredients are required in the marriage stew? Share your list in the comments section!
1. Love: the basis of any marriage is love. Love for the other person and love for God. This is not to be confused with like. Marriage love is not a mere feeling, it is an attitude, a daily, even moment by moment, choice. You choose to love your spouse, even on the days when you don't really like them.
2. Respect: there has to be mutual respect in a relationship for the marriage to work. If you don't respect your spouse you will be eaten alive by: un-forgiveness, and bitterness. A lack of respect will make you miserable and it will make your spouse miserable, because no one can hide their disrespect forever. Eventually it will surface.
3. Attraction: Physical attraction is important. If you are not physically and sexually attracted to your spouse, your marriage is sub-par. God created sex to be an integral part of a healthy marriage, and if you are not attracted to, and are not wanting or having sex, the marriage is not as God intended it. Take pleasure in your spouse. Enjoy them, focus on the beauty.
4. Laughter: The best marriages are full of laughter. Marriage is serious, but it is made of 2 people that are flawed and you have to learn to laugh at the funny times. Enjoy each other, and laugh with (not at) each other. Studies show that laughter does increase lifespans, and it does so without making them feel longer!
5. Conflict resolution: Let's face it, we are human and we will screw up. We will annoy, frustrate, confuse, irritate and anger our spouse, and they will do the same to us. We need to learn the Godly ways to solving those conflicts. They will happen, learn to solve them so they don't fester.
6. Quality Time: If you don't want to spend quality time with your spouse, why did you get married? We should be married to our best friend, the opposite gendered person that we can't get enough of. Time is precious, it seems to pass quicker with each year we spend on the earth. Marry the person that you want to spend those years with, that when they are not there, you notice.
7. Romance: Once the vows are said, the thank you cards are written and the honeymoon is over does not mean that the romance ends. Oh no! Married romance needs to be better and more exciting than dating romance. Take your spouse out on a date, surprise him/her with a special trinket...romance your spouse, let them know just how special they are.
8. Christ: This is the last on the list because it is the most important. "Nothing extraordinary is accomplished outside of prayer" (Jerry Falwell Sr.) If you want to have an extraordinary marriage, ground it in prayer, and devotion, make Christ the center of the marriage. If Christ is the foundation and the center, than when the storms come (and they will) the relationship will withstand the battering. Christ needs to have first place in our lives and our spouse needs to hold second place.
My spouse, your spouse, every spouse is just human. Our spouses don't complete us--Christ does. Our spouses don't save us, Christ does. Our spouses are not perfect, Christ is. No matter how amazing you husband or wife is, they will let you down, Christ never will. Give Christ first place in your life and just see how much HE blesses you!
If you put those 8 ingredients together your marriage will be on solid ground. It won't be without its ups and downs, and this list is by no means exhaustive, but these things are required. Use them, incorporate them and then enjoy the results!
God Bless,
JLK :-)
PS...What other ingredients are required in the marriage stew? Share your list in the comments section!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A New Chapter
Spring semester 2010 began a new chapter in my life. I began to speak to classes on campus and start to tell my story and lecture. This is a ministry that I hope to grow and do more of. I feel like the Lord is moving my life in this direction and it is exciting! We should always be excited when we see the Lord working.
One of the things that comes with being a lecturer/guest speaker is a fee. The speaker has to decide if she is going to charge for her time. So far, I haven't, but since this is something I want to do more of, it does take away from work time, so maybe I need to come up with a fee.
But how much do I charge? It seems sort of arrogant to say "I think I'm worth ______ amount/hour." For some reason charging to speak seems weird to me, a counselor. I charge people as a counselor, so it strikes me as weird that I find charging people when I speak as daunting.
I guess the other option would be to just go with whatever people want to pay me. But, if I don't set a fee it seems like people would just assume my services are free, and as much as I wish I was independently wealthy and could afford to do it for free, I'm closer to welfare than I am to being monetarily rich.
Money questions aside, this new chapter in my life is daunting and exciting. It isn't something that I do apart from prayer. As Doc J. Falwell is known for saying, "Nothing extraordinary was ever accomplished apart from prayer." If I want to do the extraordinary, if I want to touch people's lives, to share Jesus' healing comfort, I have to approach each engagement with prayer (before, during and after).
For years now I've wanted to be able to allow the Lord to take what men and Satan meant for evil and use it for good, for God's glory. The things I've been through I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but it happens all too often in this filthy world. If sharing my story will help even 1 other person to turn to the Lord and receive His love, than all the pain, fear, anger, depression, confusion and hurt that I have experienced (and still do) was worth it and I would go through hell on earth again, if it meant helping someone turn from going to the eternal Hell. It is all about helping others see and receive the joy that I have been given.
May this new chapter be blessed and filled with God receiving all the honor and glory.
One of the things that comes with being a lecturer/guest speaker is a fee. The speaker has to decide if she is going to charge for her time. So far, I haven't, but since this is something I want to do more of, it does take away from work time, so maybe I need to come up with a fee.
But how much do I charge? It seems sort of arrogant to say "I think I'm worth ______ amount/hour." For some reason charging to speak seems weird to me, a counselor. I charge people as a counselor, so it strikes me as weird that I find charging people when I speak as daunting.
I guess the other option would be to just go with whatever people want to pay me. But, if I don't set a fee it seems like people would just assume my services are free, and as much as I wish I was independently wealthy and could afford to do it for free, I'm closer to welfare than I am to being monetarily rich.
Money questions aside, this new chapter in my life is daunting and exciting. It isn't something that I do apart from prayer. As Doc J. Falwell is known for saying, "Nothing extraordinary was ever accomplished apart from prayer." If I want to do the extraordinary, if I want to touch people's lives, to share Jesus' healing comfort, I have to approach each engagement with prayer (before, during and after).
For years now I've wanted to be able to allow the Lord to take what men and Satan meant for evil and use it for good, for God's glory. The things I've been through I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but it happens all too often in this filthy world. If sharing my story will help even 1 other person to turn to the Lord and receive His love, than all the pain, fear, anger, depression, confusion and hurt that I have experienced (and still do) was worth it and I would go through hell on earth again, if it meant helping someone turn from going to the eternal Hell. It is all about helping others see and receive the joy that I have been given.
May this new chapter be blessed and filled with God receiving all the honor and glory.
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