Restoring Balance

The idea of balance defines our Universe. The cosmos, our planet, the seasons, the oceans, and our forest are all in perfect balance. Even our Earth has to restore balance from time to time. We witness this through events such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires, and other acts of nature. Wouldn't it be nice if we could flood our past or those days that we would like to have disappear and restore it all back into balance? Awe, if it were only that easy.

Humans unlike nature and the Universe are an exception. We tend to live our lives out of balance for the most part. We have eight components of life; spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, social, cultural, occupational and environmental. So, with so many compartments in our lives is it even possible to maintain balance in all areas or can we only balance a few areas and juggle the rest the best we can (which is what we tend to do anyways)?

According to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, living a balanced life is obtainable and starts with the way we process the world and our surroundings. Have you ever heard the sayings; "When you change the way you process the world, the world you are processing changes" or "If you think you can, then you can?" As humans our pattern tends to be: The more we have the more we desire; the more we take the more we need. The less effective it is the more we consume," and this is toxic to our well-being. How you perceive the world that is around you, and the more in balance you are with your thoughts, dreams, and passions, the easier it is to balance everything else out. An ancient Hindu saying is; "God gives food to every bird but He doesn't throw it in the nest." In other words God gives us what we need but we still have to do some work to obtain the fullness of our lives. Now, I have come up with a list of 20 ways you can start getting your life into balance. So, let us begin!

1. Focus on your dreams no matter what
2. Don't focus on how difficult things are
3. Focus on this statement "You get what you think about whether you want it or not"
4. Slow down/Be patient/and enjoy the small things
5. Become conscious of your desire to be at peace and adjust you thing around those thoughts
6. Be a loving person, not a judgmental person
7. Love yourself
8. Be accepting to change
9. Stand for what you believe in regardless of what others think
10. Never compromise what you believe and how you feel for the happiness of someone else
11. Let go of you past and remove all shame and guilt LIVE FOR A NEW KNOWING
12. Know that you are enough and believe in yourself and dreams
13. Don't dwell on what is missing from your life
14. Stop complaining and cultivating a bad, unlucky and unworthy image of yourself
15. Capitalize on your talents/strengths
16. Integrate your passion with your career
17. Get organized
18. Live simple not beyond your means if you attempt too much you will succeed at nothing
19. Rest and be active
20. Take time outs

This list will not bring your life into balance, but it is a start and will give you something to think about. If you feel out of balance then your day-to-day routines and habits define your life. Louisa May Alcott once said, “Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead…” This doesn’t sound like day-to-day routine and habits to me. Basically, being in balance is all about following your passion, living our your dreams, having a positive attitude, don’t sweat the small stuff, love yourself, and never give up on what you believe, think and feel. We let life control us, knock us down, and hold us back. This produces stress in one or more areas of our lives and a snow ball effect in our heads causing us to feel stressed, out of balance, and creating negative victimized thinking which flows from our heads to our bodies. This produces a negative outlook, unhappiness, physical systems such as fatigue and much more. Who enjoys living this way? Millions of Americans feel this way, out of balance, stressed, and a lack of passion for life. Over 112 million Americans are on prescribed medications to reduce the side effects of living out of balance and stress. This is sad, and I am sure this is not how we intend to live our lives all the time. (always searching for peace and balance) So, quit trying to conquer the world and everything in it. You are fighting the impossible. We have never won anything by trying to conquer it. Look at the war on poverty and on drugs. Since we started trying to conquer those poverty has spread and the jail population has tripled. Follow your own dreams and go where your passion lies. Love and keep things as simple as you can. When you think you can; you can! Also, know your self worth and don’t sell yourself short of what you desire and know is possible. Then last but not least…DREAM BIG! –Express don’t suppress-

Telephone Game another Theology Thought

Telephone Game....How do I know the Bible is Real? Another Theology Thought

Did you ever play the game telephone in school? Maybe you did, but just forgot. It was simple, but a great way to back up my reasons as to why I believe the Bible is the Word of God for this discussion.

Let me explain the game first. Telephone was a game we played in school. There were about 20 kids in my class. The teacher would tell one student a secret in their ear only once. That student would then whisper the secret to another student and so on. Once the last student received the secret they would stand up and repeat the secret to the whole class. As usual it was nothing close to the original secret the teacher told. The point was to demonstrate how much and how fast even a small statement could change as it passed from ear to ear or from mouth to mouth. This is a great illustration and reason why I find the unity of the message from different human sources one of the best arguments that to Bible is the Word of God.

Looking closer at the readings from Dr. Towns this week we learned that " there was approximately 1600s years during which the various authors wrote the books of the Bible." (pg. 8 article Arguments that the Bible is the Word of God) The "Bible was written over 55 generations, yet remains a singular unity." (pg. 8 article Arguments that the Bible is the Word of God) Also, there were at lest 36 to 40 authors which held a "great diversity of occupations." (pg. 8 article Argument that the Bible is the Word of God) These authors were not located in one city, however they were spread out in time and locations, yet there still remains a singular unity/message throughout the Bible.

If you keep in mind the telephone game and how one statement, in one room, over just a few minutes changed and lost it's original idea completely then it would be impossible for the Bible to have been composed with such a unity (given the above mentioned facts of the telephone game) without the guidance of a greater source guiding them from the beginning to the end.

Modern Day Fatalism

“Fatalistic” God

I'm sure I could sit here all day with you guys and list and discuss ways in which modern cultural is "fatalistic" (as defined by the Greeks). Even Christians today can have a "fatalistic" view of their God at times as the Greek's did with their Gods.

I would like to take a look at some questions I have asked myself many times in my life as well as outside my own life that demonstrates this "fatalistic" view that was displayed by the Greeks.

"God, can You hear me? Where are You when I need You the most? And Why do bad things happen to good people?" I could go on, but I think you know exactly what I mean as these are all questions we have asked at some point in our lives.

Habakkuk 1:2,13 (paraphrased)

How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! "Violence is everywhere!" I cry, but You do not come to save......But You are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will You wink at their treachery? Should You be silent while the wicked swallows up people more righteous than they?"

Sound familiar? Perfect view of a "fatalistic" Christian feeling and thought that still applies today.

God created us with free will and the freedom to choose good or evil, right or wrong. God knew we needed to have the freedom to choose even though it would cause some injustice to the innocence. The Greeks knew and experienced this feeling in their own times as well have many people all the way throughout history. We live in a fallen and unfair world which at times makes it very easy to have a "fatalistic" view of our world and God. We feel abandoned, ignored, not good enough, not connected and as if we are being punished for our past mistakes. We feel that sometimes God is not personal, loving, compassionate, and forgiving. We feel the pain of injustice or what we feel is unfair. We even ask these questions and feel this way as the Greek did when it comes to our judicial system and political system even down to our everyday work environment. "Fatalism" in the modern world, as defined by the Greeks, is very much alive now as it was then. All we can do is put our faith in God's plan and our hope in His promise to redeem our fallen world if we wish to change this Greek "fatalistic" view that lingers on today. God loves you!

Reflections from Theology

Introduction:

Today the world is filled with injustice, fear, and temptation.  Living a Christian life is not just about acknowledging and inviting Christ into your life as your Savior.  It is a continual quest for a deepening of your relationship with Jesus, a quest for the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Your journey begins on the day you accept the Lord into your heart.  You must always strive to learn more, pray more, study His word more and love Him more.  There are many areas we can discuss from this point, but for now there are three pertinent points I want to highlight.  They are as followed:

I.                    Why are personal testimonies important in sharing the gospel?

II.                 Does it matter how Christians live their lives?

III.               What can your local church do to better communicate God’s love to your community?

My prayer is that by the end of this paper you and I both will have more understanding of how to share the gospel with others through our personal testimonies, what it means to actively live as a Christian, and how Christians’ involvement in their church can help share God’s love in their community. 

Personal Testimonies:

We are commanded to witness to others (Mark 16:15 NIV).  We are commissioned to witness to others (2 Cor. 5:19-20), and we should be concerned about the souls of those who are lost (Roman 9:3).  One way we share His love is through our own personal testimony.  Just as unique as we are in God’s eyes; so are our stories.  Each story/experience is different, personal, unique, and effective in sharing God’s mission and love with others.  In Acts 22, 23, and 26 Paul gives us insight on how to share your personal story.  He states to briefly explain your life “before” you received Christ, “how” you came to Christ, and your life “after” you became a follower of Christ.  Since Paul (and God since the Bible was written with dual authorship) provided us with insight on sharing your personal testimony it must be important.  Many people can argue theology and opinions all day long, however, they can not argue your personal experiences.  As you begin to share your testimony, you open up a vulnerable moment which allows a person to feel what you feel/felt, and it allows them to trust you and gains their respect.  You are really providing a path for the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts with an “in the moment” example of your life and today’s times.  A relationship begins to build on both ends as you allow them into a part of your life that holds meaning and understanding and direction to you.  As you roll through the emotions of your story, they are able to relate and understand with you.  They join in and share and become curious.  The Holy Spirit starts tugging on their hearts as they struggle and begin to feel conviction, emotions, and relate and understand through your personal testimony.  You can not do the work of the Holy Spirit.  You can only share your story and connect with them in ways that they have never connected before.  Be honest, practical, and ready to answer questions.  Be patient and understanding and know that your story is unique and special just as you are and as their story is and will be.  Then always be in continuous prayer. 

Ready Set Go!

Does it really matter how a Christian lives their lives?  The answer is “YES!”  Christians should also put God on display.  If your boss sent you to cover his spot at a very important meeting, would you go in there without researching and understanding all the discussion points?  Would you wear flip-flops and ripped jeans and no shirt to the meeting?  Would you go into the meeting in place of your boss not prepared for questions, or even anything less than a positive representation of your company?  I would like to think you are shaking your head no, and wondering why someone would even think to do these things.  Well, we as Christian, tend to walk a little sloppy, be a little unprepared, and at times we tend to be bad examples for others in our representation of Christ.  We should accurately and effectively live a life that is pleasing to the one who saved/redeemed us.  For our Savior paid a debt that we ourselves in our time on earth could ever come close to repaying.  So we are to be obedient, love our Father (in action, in thought, in words etc.), love our neighbor, seek out lost souls, and be an active follower of Christ.  We are His examples.  When He says “Go,” we go.  You never know who is watching you.  So, it is very important to live actively and obediently so that others will want to follow.  We have chosen to do His work, even when it is hard and how we live is what others first see.  We can not share the gospel yet live a life that is unpleasing to God and an inadequate display to others.  So, we need to make sure we are being positive representatives for Christ and His kingdom.  “He paid it all, and all to Him I owe.”  Live with this thought in mind and your actions will reflect.

The Church

So, how does all this play out in the church and your local community?  Well, when we are actively living our lives as followers of Christ, and we gather as a community under the Lord’s house (with the same desires and goals) His name and Word is raised and unstoppable.  Everything I have talked about is important and plays a role or has an effect on your local church.  The Bible states, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them,” (Matthew 18:20) and “if our God is with us then who could ever stop us.” (Chris Tomlin) We must help our local church practice, teach, display and defend the Word of God everyday for it to have a positive influence in our community.   We need to be actively participating in the church and its mission instead of criticizing and judging the church for not doing the job that we ourselves are not doing.  What we do individually reflects and impacts what we do and how we represent God when we gather as a church.  God has redeemed us and wants to enroll us in His mission in our individual lives and through our Church and flood that love into our community.  Strong individuals lead to strong a church which leads to amazing changes in your community and around the world and they are unstoppable.  By setting an example with the foundations scripture has laid out for us and being actively involved in the mission and change of your local church will bring about less confusion and misunderstanding and amazing results pouring out of you and your church family.  As important as it is for an individual to be an example it is the same with the church.  A church that leads by poor judgment or falls short to earthly sin has little power and will not prevail in the mission of the Church and of God.  The church must be Christ-centered and not self-centered.  They should preach the word of God, and set an example for those to follow in.  They should be an exciting and relevant church for un-churched people.   The church has a huge role in your community, and you should be a part of it.  They are your family, and you should desire to help it grow and bring comfort for those searching for answers, hurting, or in need of a little extra love.  

Conclusion:

So, everything we do and say should be a reflection of Christ.  We should only seek to please Him not the world.  How we live is a direct reflection of who we are and what we believe.  You can say many good things, but if your actions don’t reflect then it is meaningless and confusing to others who are trying to believe and understand.  It’s not about you.  God loves us all, and wants us all on His mission not sitting back on the sidelines watching.  Get in His race, and run it proud, run it humble, and help others along the way.