It goes on.. and on.. and on.. and on..

I feel a bit like a broken record, but God is using milestones in my life to teach me the same lesson over and over. That lesson is that he commands me to be my best for him.

We all have different seasons in life, and God teaches us on an individual basis sometimes. Sometimes I wonder why God can't be teaching me and a good friend a same lesson at the same time so that I know someone who understands what I am going through, but he has shown me that the isolation in that makes me fully dependent on Him.

Do you ever feel like you had a divine revelation, and God really teaches you something that you have never understood before? What does that make you want to do? It makes me want to stand in front of everyone I know and say "Look, this is what God wants, this is what he says, let's stop what we are doing and obey."

While this tactic might work for some folks, many would be disillusioned by my forward words and they would only desire to do the opposite of what I told them. God has revealed to me as of late that He teaches us all in different ways. My relationship with Christ is different from everyone else's. The things that he teaches me in my walk with him are, indeed, universal, but also very personal. Because he teaches me these things, this overflows in my life as love for others. However, sometimes my human zeal is too much and I want to shake everyone into submission to the lesson that God is teaching ME. Please don't misunderstand me, God appoints people to speak on his behalf and he wants believers to teach each other and hold each other accountable, and we are all called to be ambassadors for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (NIV)

So where in the world do we find balance in being ambassadors for Christ and loving people into relationships with Christ?

1 Peter 3:15 says "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (NIV)

To be honest, I'm not sure. Your balance may be different than mine, as we are different people called to function as different parts of the body. We are each unique, but we can be sure that this salvation is a process. Arliss Dickerson told me once that we all experience different seasons in life.

This is evident in 1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (NIV)

So, how do you know that the Lord is good. What has he taught you? How is this evident in your life?

Do you ever run and run and run through life? At some point it feels like you have to crash into a brick wall in order to get a break. Now, that sounds painful, but do you think its worth it in order for you to realize how fast you were running?

I have been sooo busy lately with becoming BCM president, two jobs, schoolwork, and my relationships with family, friends, etc. My body has this built in alarm system that likely feels very similar to running dead on into a brick wall. When I get too stressed, don't eat enough, or don't sleep enough due to a busy life, my body holds a protest. I get a migraine. Now, if you have had a migraine, you are cringing in pain right now. If you have never had one, I'm not sure how to make you understand how painful it is. It's not just a headache, a migraine takes over your whole body and the only thing you can do is become heavily medicated and lay in a dark room, when the pain lessens, go to sleep, and hope that the pain has subsided by the time you wake up. I had this experience Tuesday. I had the worst migraine I have had since I was in high school. It made me sick and miserable.

However, I think that migraine was a tool God used to remind me of something very important. God created us to need rest. He even commands that we have a day of rest each week. Yes, He created our bodies and He tells us how to treat them. If you went to the store and bought a robot, wouldn't you read the manual that the creator wrote to learn how to treat it? In the same way, God created us and gives us guidelines for optimal functioning. (And these are found all throughout His word.)

Optimal functioning includes taking care of our bodies.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. "
1 Corinthians 16:19-20

This includes the type of food we eat, exercise, adornment (whatever that means to you), taking care of our skin, getting enough rest... I could go on for a while.

How much could we accomplish for God's Kingdom if we kept our bodies functioning the way God designed them to function? How much of an impact would that make on thoughtless, worldly people who float through life when they see that the people of God value their spiritual life and the ultimate tool God gave them to spread his word? Aren't we looking too much like the rest of the world in this area? We gave God our entire lives.

"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So, then let us be alert and self-controlled." 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

I'm grateful for my built in alarm system that tells me "Hanna you are doing too much." What does God use in your life to remind you to slow down and focus on Him?

This week I had the opportunity to talk to a non-Christian who is disillusioned by "church people." He told a story about his friend who yells at him, tells him that he is a sinner and he needs to repent. While all of this is true, and this tactic may work in some contexts, this obviously is not an effective method for winning this particular young man to Christ.

This conversation got me to thinking about all the different "methods" we use to bring people to Christ. We tell them the ABC, the 123, The Way of The Master, the scare tactics with promises of damnation without repentance, promises that life will be great, hope of heaven.. the list goes on.

I am so glad that as Christians we have sought out effective ways to share our faith. I'm so glad that people spend time and money on teaching these methods and putting the to practice. The truth needs to be heard.

The encounter I had with this non-Christian this past week brought me back to the passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 where Paul was telling the Corinthians that he came to them without eloquence, but only proclaimed to them the testimony about God. Verse 2 says "For I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

This might be a controversial thing to say, and I'm not sure exactly what words to use to express how I feel... Nonetheless, I think sometimes, even in our good intentions with sharing the gospel, we still somehow manage to make it about us. We think "whatever I say is going to change this person's perception of me," or "Will I have the right words to say?" We concentrate on our training in this method of faith sharing, and we don't trust the power of the holy spirit at work in people's lives. The truth is, if the Holy Spirit is not with us, if this isn't a divine appointment set forth by God, then yelling someone into Heaven is never going to work. This is where making disciples comes into play. Conversion is not our calling, making disciples is.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV)

I still feel at a loss for the right words, but I hope you can understand what I'm saying.

What is it going to take for us to start living our lives as if Jesus died for us? As if someone made the ultimate sacrifice for us? What is it going to take to make me stop thinking about myself alllll the time?

Honesty and Freedom

Have you ever had a friend with whom you could share every detail of your life without hesitation or fear that he would tell other people? Have you ever had someone with whom you could share even your worse day, even your most vile thought? The thing you are most ashamed to ever mention? ... I venture to guess that for most people the answer to this question is no. You might be thinking things like "my friends don't want to know that about me," or "I don't want anyone to ever know that, they might not like me anymore."

As I have grown up going to church and learning how to love God I inherited a very common misconception about communication with God. I always heard verses about how joyful God makes people, and at church we always sing songs about how great God is. And let me say, he is great, and he is the only true source of love, joy, hope... the list goes on and on. But that is all I ever heard, and all I ever saw were robotic people walking around acting like everything was perfect. For me, heartbreak and loving God were completely unrelated.

But what about the days when you just don't feel like singing? You know what I'm talking about. You wake up void of joy, and on top of that you feel completely guilty for not wanting to even think about the joy that God provides.

But, let's face it. It is a lie to always pretend to be happy. It is a lie that Christians should always smile at everyone and never let anyone see that we are hurting. We make excuses like, "I don't want to burden anyone else with my problems."

What about God? Do you think that anything you say can burden him?

In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

God wants a relationship with us. A RELATIONSHIP. This is a two way street. Think of your relationship with your best friends. In a healthy relationship, each shares his joys and heartbreaks. God want us to make a joyful noise, but he wants us to be honest with him. If we don't feel like making a joyful noise. He wants to know it and he wants to know why. When we do this, God's heartaches are shared with us, and that is the fact that people don't know him, the fact that there are people on this earth who will not be with Him in eternity. See, you are not the only one with a broken heart. Amy Grant's song "Better than a Hallelujah" says it like this...

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out,singing out.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Let's be honest with God today.

Confidence in Christ

Apparently the People of Corinth were rough people who loved drinking and promiscuity. When Paul arrived with the message of the gospel, many people became believers. So, all these very sinful people became Christians over night, and it was up to Paul to live among them and teach them how to live as followers of Christ. After he left, he heard that many of them went back to their old ways, and this letter of 1 Corinthians is his response.

"When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power". 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

I love this passage because it demonstrates the power of the gospel. Many times we take it upon ourselves to learn the history of the Bible, become theologically sound, be convincing, learn how to defend ourselves, and forget that the message of Jesus Christ has been saving people since the day he ascended into Heaven. Don't get me wrong, these are all great things to do, but how easy is it take our focus off of Christ? We often stumble with words and try to find the right thing to say and pass up opportunities to share our faith because we don't think we know enough yet. However, the truth is that God only asked us to go and tell.

Lets keep in mind that if we can force someone or talk them into accepting our faith, that is all they are doing: accepting our faith and not developing their own faith. How very dangerous. If we can talk them into agreeing with us, someone else can talk them out of it.

I often feel timid when God calls me to do great things for him because I don't fee like I am good enough, or this sin in my life, if people knew that, they wouldn't listen to me. I'm often afraid to share my faith because I think God can't use me... How dare I doubt God's power. It is such an honor to be called by God.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

So, why the silence? People in this world are yearning for answers. They are yearning for love. They are yearning for someone to tell them the truth.

I don't want to be silent anymore.