Some Divine Inspiration and Some Not So Divine

I was going to deliver a blog titled, "The Promised Tirade on our Morally Bankrupt Society" but my heart just wasn't into it. I don't feel like looking at the part of the glass that's empty at the moment, thank you very much, so that particular rant is being postpones to a later date. I've been looking through my bible and realizing htat there is such a difference btwn God's word and our word. When we (people, Christians, what have you) try to explain God's word or talk about how society should be/how ppl should act, it carries the same weight as when immoral people preach death and destruction hidden in comfortable lies. People can't always tell the difference. It's hard to trust what people say b/c they can say anything and you have no way of knowing if it's a lie or the truth. But there is somehting different about Gods word. If you have opened your heart to God. If you have acknowledged that there is a God and Christ is his son and the Holy Spirit has come upon you, God's words strike such a different cord in your heart (I have no idea if you have to have accepted God, Christ and the HS to see this difference...I would hope/suspect not, but I personally don't have any experience w/ reading scripture as a nonbeliever...but if you aren't a believer, even if you're not really interested in God or Christianity, it'd be kind of cool if you pulled out a bible (or borrowed one from me) and just tried to clear your mind and really read it and let me know how it strikes you...I'm interested to know). Anyway, I'm just going to write some scripture here as it speaks to me. I'm not going to try to explain it or add any of my (wonderfully insightful and entertaining, I'm sure) comments. Just Gods word. Btw, I'm reading from the Teen Study Bible, which uses the NIV translation.

Matthew- Chapter 6, Verses 5-8
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him...."

Romans--Chapter 5, Verses 1-11
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Crhist, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of hte glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only in this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

1 Peter--Chapter 1, Verses 6+7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Love in Christ, Katie

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Okay, first off...thanksgiving has never been my holiday. Don't know why, but it just hasn't. It always feels strange to me. After all, it isn't really about giving thanks to God for the amazing things we have so much as trying to fix all the food and stressing out over dishes or trying to tolerate some relatives crass comments (guys, you have no idea how "diverse" my family!). I don't feel more thankful on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year. I do feel like I've overindulged, which isn't pleasant, but I actually didn't eat all that much this year b/c I was totally not into it so I don't feel all gross or anything. Anyway, just a thought.

I've been sort of slacking on my blog here b/c a few weeks ago I started a new journal that I've been writing in a lot and I just feel repetative when I write all this junk down twice. This is so much faster and easier to do, though, so I think I'll probably be blogging more than journaling over the next while. Maybe I'll print my blogs and put them into a binder or something. I don't know. There are definitely things that I would not blog about, but that are seriously important to life at the moment so I'd just have to write those in.

Anyway, I'm in a writing mood so this may get a little long. I'm going to run and grab my Bible in a sec and just see what speaks to me. I'm going through a semi-strange period in my faith. Strange mainly b/c of what is driving it. I've been struggling a lot lately w/ my faith in that I am perfectly comfortable where I am. I've been so blessed in my life that it's such a huge temptation to let material things and superficial relationships fill up my time. I've sort of benched God (gosh, can you tell I was force to watch both the Packers v. Lions and Miami v. Dallas football games today?!). I know God and Jesus and I absolutely believe in them and their power for change and good. I believe that God is in control. But, I find myself unwilling to give up my comfortable position, both mentally and physically, and lay my life before Christ to be used as he wishes it to be. What do I do if God's plan isn't my plan? What if he wants me to go to the U of M instead of Madison? It's easier just not to ask. It's like doing something that isn't necessarily wrong, but that might now be what your parents would want you to do and getting away with it b/c you pretend that you didn't realize that you should have asked their imput first. Anyway, that's where I've been for almost a year now.

Here's the strange part. Most of the shifts in my faith have been slow and imperceptible over time or sort of flashes in a pan, so to speak. For example, the mission trips that I've gone on have always enriched my relationship w/ Christ, but I usually let that feeling slip away too quickly. Right now, I can feel my perspective changing and this is the first time I've really had control over whether I ignore this nudging I'm getting from God, or follow it. My friend Kyle is going through some stuff w/ his faith and his friends. I really don't know what's going on b/c we're not close like that. I mean, love him to death, but it's not like we call each other and talk about the mundane things that make up a really close friendship, but he's a good kid. Well, anyway, he's been posting scripture on his IM profile and talking about having Christian friends and it's just sort of chipping away at me.

As you all probably have discerned, I'm a relatively arrogant person. Another something I should work on, but that's not the topic at hand. I always kind of see myself as okay as a Christian b/c I'm ahead of most ppl my age. Since I was a kid, some adults and some of my peers have been under the mistaken impression that I've got this faith thing pretty well together. That goes to your head. I figrure that as long as I'm perceived as more of a follower of Christ than others, then I must be. And that as long as I'm ahead, I'm on the right track. That's not really true, I know, but it's comfortable. Let face it...when you're out in the world, you're not exactly bombarded w/ Christian messages. (Note to self: my next tirade will be on our morally bankrupt society...tune in next week...) Then I'll sign on to IM and read Kyles profile or talk to him at church or whatever and I'm just sort of confronted w/ scripture and I have this guilty little flash in my mind like "gee, I haven't read my Bible in a while"...except, lately it's been more like "gee, where the heck is my Bible? I haven't really gotten it out since our Small Group stopped meeting!" So, anyway, I think it's cool that Kyle is trying to set some sort of example for his friends or get them to think about Christ or something (again, I don't know the situation there really) and it's having this unintended side effect. I think that's a pretty good illustration of how things work a lot in life. There's a quote somewhere that goes something like, "Never frown--you never know when someone is falling in love with your smile." I think Christianity works a little like that. Not that you shoudl pretend everything is great when it isn't--that's just hypocrisy, but that you never know when you're having an influence on someones life or how big your influence can be.

So, I finally went and grabbed my Bible. I've already "talked" for too long, so I'll just look for a sec here and leave you w/ a verse. Cross your fingers and pray for divine inspiration here (j/k)...lets see.
"Help, Lord, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among men.
Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and eveery boastful tongue
that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips--who is our master?"
"Because of the oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise," says the Lord.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
And the words of the lord are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times.
O Lord, you will keep us safe
and protect us from people forever.
The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men."
-Psalm 12

That's all for now, Love in Christ, Have a Great Day, and Don't Forget to SMILE! ~Katie