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The Problem With Denominations
Unless you grew up and was taught a specific denomination in the church, knowing the ins and outs of all denominations may be overwhelming when trying to pick what denomination you want to be. The new generation of Christians do not focus on denominations as fiercely as the other generations did. They just want Jesus. You Cannot Shame Someone Into Following A Specific Religion/Religious Denomination Shaming someone into following what you follow has three possible outcomes. 1) The person grows to dislike/have trust issues with the church. 2) The blame is put on Jesus so they do not pursue Him ever again/for many years. 3) Very* slight chance that they…
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Write It Down
Humans (except for a select few) have terrible memories. I can remember lots of things, but not everything. Even when I had the idea for this blog, I forgot about it several times before I remembered to write it down. The idea would come to me while driving or when I was in a meeting. I would forget the idea by the time I had a moment free to write it down. Our Blessings Can Be Forgotten When going through the motions daily, taking it day by day, we become so focused on how we are feeling in this moment. Every second could feel like it is a make or…
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Have You Left the Grave Behind?
One of the main aspects that God’s word teaches us in the New Testament is that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected three days later. He left the grave behind and is now with God. How many feet do you still have in the grave? Since we are called to leave our past selves behind and become more like Jesus, two questions remain, “are you firmly planted on the path to Jesus?” or “do you have on foot on the path to Jesus and one foot still in the grave?”. For newer believers, the transition to a new life can be scary. Some of the people that you…
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Savior and Testimony
There is a message currently spreading across TikTok that says, “You cannot protect your children from their testimony.” This message has made me thoughtful over the last few days because that is the one area of my life that I struggled the most with. I was mad at my parents for the longest time because it felt like they played a part in my hurt too and chose not to fix themselves to save me. I searched for acceptance every chance I could. Loneliness crept in and I just wanted someone to talk to me. I was always alone as a kid. These feelings opened the door to a whole…
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The Expectations Versus the Reality of Returning to the Past
Not everything was as I had expected it to be when I went to visit my family last weekend. I had been giving myself pep-talks and praying that I would be strong enough for this. My hope was that if nothing else come of it, my family would know God by the time I left. God Had Plans Too One of the hardest parts for me was to have my family see me as I am now and not the child who left. I should not have expected them to see me differently. It reminded me of Matthew 13:57. “57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet…
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Found Sheep Returned Home
I was the one who left and rarely returned. It has been five years, almost six, since the last time I had seen my family. There have been emails sent occasionally but nothing of depth. Nothing besides avoiding the drama and sidestepping the past. They have not met the new me
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To Whom Does the Glory Belong?
God deserves all the glory. Why does God want the glory? He created all things and gives us the power to accomplish anything. By giving God the glory, other people learn of God and His power. A few verses (there are many) that say to give God the glory is in Romans 11:36, Matthew 5:16, and Psalm 115:1.
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Let All You Do Be Done in Love
One situation that God has been taking the time to teach me is realizing how and why I complete tasks. Do I complete the tasks out of love? Most of the time I do because I genuinely love making people happy. However, God has shown me recently that some tasks were never mine to accomplish, and I only took them on so people would like me. If they like me, they will not leave me. I have been treating God that way too. What Is Wrong About “Making” People Like You To explain this, I will tell you what has happened to me in the past. Once upon a time,…
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Do Not Look Back
In any relationship, the honeymoon phase passes, and we become comfortable. As Christians, we may become confident in our relationship with the Lord and feel like we could never lose that feeling of love. Depending on your actions, it is possible to lose it through the action of backsliding. What Is Backsliding? The easiest way for me to explain backsliding is this: Imagine walking up a mountain. There were countless hours of training to get to the top. After finally getting to the top of the mountain after months of walking and exploring different routes, you feel comfortable in your position at the top of the mountain. The training that…
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From Me to We
During the course of our life with God, there is a transition that takes place that changes the focus from “me” to “we”. The transition is an important step in our relationship with God. Some people never make the transition. Today we will be focusing on 1 Corinthians. What is the “Me”? When beginning the journey to learn about God we focus on the relationship He wants with us and His expectations of us as a person. The perspective is focused entirely on the “me”. How can I change? How can I do better? What is expected of me? How will God save me? It is okay to take the…