Convicted 

 "It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, 
 not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely 
 to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, 
 selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity."
Frederic D. Huntington
Forum magazine, 1890 
 
This past weekend was A) ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!  God could not have blessed me more at a more perfect time.  He knew exactly what I needed and the people that I needed around me. B) it was also very convicting of where I fall short as a Christian.
 
First off, my girl friends Lara and Lauren are two women that God brought into my life for a reason.  I am better for knowing them.  And the two of them truly blessed my life and gave me so much joy!  We had intellectual talks about God and the way he uses people and circumstances in our life to show His love.. We prayed together.. Cried together.. and had tons of laughs.  I can not wait to see these two women again in the near future and know that they are my family that I will never be able to replace.  I say that friends are the family you give yourself and it is SO SO true!
 
And now to the conviction part.  This weekend in my travels and down time I read the book The Christian Atheist: Believing in God, but Living as if He Doesn't Exist I read that after I finished Chapter Four in Crazy Love about being a "Lukewarm Christian".  You know one of the hardest hitting points is when it said God would rather take a cold person who knew nothing of the gospel than a "lukewarm" Christian.  And of course He would!!  The "cold" Christian doesn't know any better!  We "lukewarm" Christians do!  All the girls and I have several different lukewarm points we could relate to.  For me the hardest hitting is the idea of putting things on the earth as more important than the things of Heaven.  Do you know how many times I have said "I want to be married and have children before I die.  I want to be a mommy."?  Really Lynne?  You'd rather have a husband or be a mom over being in Heaven with your Heavenly father who loves you infinitely with no pain?  Am I crazy?!?  
 
Yes, marriage is supposed to me an image of Christ's relationship with the church and His people.  But the love of an earthly husband is SO minute (small) in comparison to the love of Christ!  I felt like the book, The Christian Atheist was literally an expansion of chapter four from Crazy Love.  So many of the same points were touched upon, but given in so much more detail and scripture reference!  Both spoke about relationships vs. God; having faith in other things vs. faith in God; holding on to money vs. honoring God with money; comparisons to other people who are "less Christian" than you are...  Simply Amazing!!!  I recommend both books to any believer or non-believers looking to ask questions.
 
And remember God is Good. ALL the Time!  
Isaiah 40:31

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11 years ago... We Will Never Forget..

Image
Bonfire.   What began as a trash heap in 1909 grew into a massive wedding cake design, which at its tallest stood 109 feet, 10 inches. Bonfire symbolized A&M’s burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u. It was a task of a monstrous size instituted and executed almost entirely by students over the course of a near-century.  It brought to together the Corps of Cadets, non-regs, residential halls, men, and women to build this monument to Aggie dedication and fervor. Bonfire became emblematic of Aggieland and held a meaning greater than just the desire to win a football game. It symbolized the Aggie spirit and a dedication and drive for building something greater than ourselves.   Those who saw it burn on campus have said there was nothing like it. The heat and flame was so much that it even burned their shadows into the ground. Those who built it can attest to the sheer amount of strength and manpower it took to construct a project of that size and magnitude. ...
Read more

Follow Me

 Follow Me..   That's what God asks us to do.. and as believers we say, of course we will follow you!  But what if he tells us to go some where we don't want to go?  Like Jonah being called to preach to those who will persecute his people.  So he fled.  And you know how that story goes; the whale in God's mercy gets him back to dry land; and when Jonah finally followed his calling, on the first day in his journey the entire town repented.. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to live in Dallas, 12 years now actually.  I love Dallas!  The food, the shops, the fashion... And since living here, I've fallen in love with one of the most important things, my church.  The people at Watermark have been AMAZING!  They've poured into me, encouraged me, and thanks to a bible study last March, helped me get over one of the darkest times in my life.  Helped me to receive forgiveness (:  God has been an extremely loving father my time...
Read more

Let Go and Let God!

Image
"When the past is still guiding your present, it also shapes your future.  That is way too much power."  There is something bigger ahead and something greater in store for you.  However, the past has a pulling power that can distract, delay, and even destroy your destiny.  Instead of giving the past power, give it perspective.   You must press onward and refuse to look back by destroying the bridges that connect you to your P.A.S.T.  What P eople, A ssociations, S ituations and T hings are hurting you instead of helping you?  What do you nee d to leave behind in order to move forward? Who do you need to forgive in order to push forward? Last night at the Porch, my friend Dave Sterrett, spoke to us with a message on forgiveness and letting go of the past.  Now before I continue, let me clarify it is okay to reminisce and talk about the past and experiences. But when your attitude changes to resentment, "if this would have happened then..." or "if...
Read more