Ode to Cheesy Christian Slogans

I was driving this morning and I saw this sign outside of a church. The sign read, "What if God was asking us for a sign?" At first I wrote it off as another hilariously, cheesy church board. Then I got to thinking what if it were true? What if God was asking for a sign? The more I thought the more I really started to see some truth behind it. What if God was asking us to live as though our lives were a "sign" that He's actually done something in them? What if God actually changed people from darkness to light? What if He really made dead things come alive? What if we tried to go against the norm of asking God to show Himself and we started to show ourselves to Him and the rest of the world. My challenge/encouragement/charge (whatever we want to call it) to myself and anyone else that is reading this is to start living like God has changed us. "Light of the World," "Salt of the earth," just a thought.

So in light of cheesy church board sayings, "Keep on Preaching." Lol

A Call to Know God

Matthew 25:1-13
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about our Christian faith. It seems as though we (myself included) are content with having a surface level relationship with God. We have all fallen victim to it and it baffles me. I don't understand how we can remotely be ok with the idea of not fully going after the Creator of life as we know it. It almost seems like we are ok with getting just a taste of God and we let that be enough for our lives until the next encounter with God. We jump from church service to church service, bible study to weekend retreat getting little glimpses of God and we let it "quench our thirsts." We are being spoon fed in so many avenues but when are WE going to start taking the initiative to seek out God on our own.

We cannot go from mountain-top experience to mountain-top experience. We have to become people who are filled with the oil of God. Are our wicks burning and being consumed by the fire or are they covered by that oil and safe in the midst of the flames? I'm personally fed up with only barely knowing God. I'm fed up with the fact that people don't know Him. We must put forth the effort to grow in our walks with God. We must desire to know God intimately and we have to long to share Him with the lost. In doing this we cannot ignore our "lamps" to help others find oil for theirs. What would it look like if we were a people that sought hard after knowing God?

The Beginning

Written: January 10, 2010 @ 2:30 a.m. @ Sharptop in Jasper, Georgia

As I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep I felt the need to come and write, to put the thoughts in my head down on paper. I'm not sure if it was the six cups of coffee I drank that made me get out of my bed or God. I'm pretty sure it was God but either way I'm awake and writing. (Although I'm sure the coffee is helping.) I'm learning a lot while here at Winter Training. I'm definitely sure that God is telling me to look for Him in all situations. We are used to seeing God in scripture and at church, even in nature but I am guilty of limiting my search for Him there. God can be found in His creation's creations. God is alive and trying to speak to us not only through "religious" avenues but through music and movies as well.

I think more importantly the message God is trying to get across is that I really need to start reading and writing. I need to dive into literature like I never have before. We are students our entire lives and God is telling me to learn. Not only am I supposed to learn but I need to express what I'm learning and tell people about it. I don't know exactly how I'm to do this but I want to be obedient to what I think God is saying. At first, I feel as though I don't have anything to offer. This isn't my gift set. I don't have anything of real value to say that hasn't been said before yet God is still there saying read, write. Maybe someone will be encouraged. Maybe someone will see God through what I have to say. Regardless I must do it. So it begins, me the reader and writer. May God be glorified through it.