Today was a pretty good day...we were up and down last night with Mack...I guess due to the excitement of our big day yesterday, but all in all, I slept pretty well. Had a slight headache this morning, so the boys and I slept a little longer & then met Nana and Paw-Paw at Church for Preaching. Elk Valley is still without a preacher, so they've been getting different ones to come each weekend. Preacher Gragg was there again today. I really like him. He tells it like it is. That's becoming a rare thing anymore. People are becoming more and more afraid to voice their religous opinions due to being "Politically Incorrect". We all have beliefs about things one way or the other...some are just more able to share their views these days while others fear being persecuted. That's a real shame...
There are good ways and better ways to share our beliefs with others. I had a talk with my friend yesterday about how I feel that maybe I should work on being more open about my faith to others. Usually when talking to people, I try really hard to let my actions speak for my beliefs instead of witnessing openly about my personal relationship with God. I will mention praying for someone, or mention going to church as a "open door" in case someone wants to get further into a religous discussion, but I've usually not pushed it too much. I've been in situations in the past where "Christian" people have acted and carried on in completely horrific manners in the "Name of the Lord", and I suppose that those situations have molded me as to what I feel comfortable doing and not doing. I love to talk about my faith, but when faced with someone who likes to "debate" anything religous to death, I fall short, get red-faced, want to crawl into a hole and die, and pretty much hate life until the conversation is over. I need to pray about that.
So.................I've decided that I will pray about this and ask God to help me make an effort to witness more often...I may still do it in my "sneak-up-on-you" manner, but that has worked best for me in the past. I want to make an active effort to live a better life and to be a better witness to those around me. I've always tried to be up-beat and positive about things, but life has a way of bogging you down with all the ins and outs it sends your way. I WANT people to see that there is something different about me...that GOD lives in my heart and life...I WANT people to want what I have (Spiritually). I WANT to help other people find their peace with God and their lives somehow...that's a BIG ORDER, but it's one that I believe we Christians should strive to fill...it's our job to live our lives for HIM on a daily basis...not just on Sundays when we are sitting in those church pews.
Life IS hard, but if we remember that there is always a better way of living it with God's help, then we can strive to make each day more for HIM ad less for US and in the process, spread a little love and friendship along the way! God Bless you all during this upcoming week and may each one of you have a GREAT Memorial Day tomorrow!!!
2023 Christmas Letter
4 months ago
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Your comment about people who like to debate anything religious to death reminded me of an experience I had in college with a friend at church. We were passionately debating Calvanism, I think it was (you know, getting older does something crazy to your memory... even though we aren't even "that" old yet!). Another friend told me when we were talking about this debate something I thought was really wise... he said as Christians we really need to major in the majors and minor in the minors!
ReplyDeleteThings like our views about Calvinism are definitely not a salvation issue or whether or not Jesus was truly God incarnate, so not a major! That is one of those rare pieces of wisdom/advice that I have carried with me ever since! Not that I will not speak up for my own opinions about these things, because I will. But I think it will just be much less emotional and you end up agreeing to disagree instead of going back and forth until Jesus returns!