God + _____ = Enough

    Huh.

    Dangit.

    Aww maaan.

    Just thought I'd fill ya'll in on what went through my head after I heard this phrase. Hopefully the same ones don't go through yours. Let me start from the beginning...

    Once upon a time (actually about three months ago), I was sitting in a room with a bunch of awesome, God-fearing women. One of them told us all this phrase: God plus blank equals enough. She followed it with "What's ya'lls blank?". Instantly, without a second to spare, my head-voice (you know. The one that's in your head. Not the bad one. Just your head-voice. Ya feel me?) shouted out "HUSBAND!". Quickly after this came the words from above: Huh... Dangit....... Awww maaan!

    There should be nothing there, right?! My blank should BE blank! It should be A blank! But, ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of being married. I am a hopeless romantic, and have massive dreams about what my husband will be like and how we'll live together. Soo.... not being married is literally not anything I have ever considered.

 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols
1John 5:21 (You best believe a husband has been one of my idols for a loong time)  


    The night my friend told me about this phrase, I was dating someone. Well..... dating is a light term here. I was with who I thought to be my soulmate. He and I talked very often about marriage, and even had plans for it. After I considered what my blank was, I became terrified about losing him because I knew I shouldn't need a man to be content. Sure enough, a week later he broke up with me. Shattered my heart is really a better way to put it.

  Please don't misunderstand me. I don't believe that God separated us because he wanted to teach me a lesson. I think the guy was just an idiotic moron. Just kidding.... Really.

  Moving on......

 I've been pondering and praying about this phrase ever since. Is it wrong that I want a husband? Of course not. It is a God-given desire, and is absolutely justifiable and right. Wanting, nay, needing, a husband in order to feel fulfilled in life is what is unjustifiable. My contentment, as I have learned, is fully in the Lord. I believe that the Lord has given me desires and dreams for a reason and that He is faithful and will honor them. BUT, if I live the rest of my life single, I will forever remain joyful, sustained, and content.

For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances 
Philippians 4:11 (I should note that this was written by the guy who sat in prison for his beliefs and was beaten to a pulp countless times.... and he was single while he did all of it)
Be joyful always
1Thessalonians 5:16
But godliness with contentment is great gain
2Timothy 6:6 

    Thing is, I am not the only person to have a word in that blank. Words that I've seen in it are "money", "a big house", "a nice car", "a successful job"...... most of it revolves around materialism, obviously. We are in America, and this is a blog about Christians in America, after all. Actually it's about Americans who are Christian, but more on that later. My point is, our focus is on the wrong point. Our eyes should be on Christ and His Kingdom, but too often they are on things (inanimate things, mind you) on this earth. Pursuing money, marriage, success.... all of it will fade away. God never changes, never leaves, never forsakes. That boy I dated let me down and broke all the promises he made to me. God, in His mind-blowingly beautiful faithfulness and kindness, has kept every single promise He's made to me. He is with me every day, He loves me unconditionally, He fights for me (literally to the death!), and He never changes His mind! God is so. Good. Of COURSE I can find my contentment in Him! God + ____ really DOES = Enough!!!
God has said "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you"
Hebrews 13:5
If we are faithless, He will remain faithful
2Timothy 2:13
     What's your blank? Do you disagree and think it's ok to have a blank? All opinions are welcome :) So long as they are presented in kindness, maturity, and love!

      Thanks for reading about my blank. I love you!

Ariel

    

Old Testament in 2013

   As Christians, many times we focus on the New Testament of the Bible and place the Old Testament on the back burner (especially the less popular books like Numbers, Haggai, Nahum . . . you know what I'm talking about). It is more difficult to read, more difficult to understand, really long, and our favorite guy (Jesus) isn't around yet. But the Old Testament has its importance too! God created the world, man entered into a state of sinfulness, and our desperate need for Christ was revealed.

   Throughout this new year, we here at American Christian will be reading through the entire Old Testament, book by book. We will be looking at the historical & cultural context of the text and trying to understand the information given to us in light of the New Testament. You can see our full schedule for the year here, as well as the week we're currently on and the suggested reading schedule. This week we're starting at the beginning, with Genesis 1-17 (split up across 6 days that's 2-3 chapters a day, not too bad).

   I'll talk more about the passages themselves next week, once we've read through them. But for now I'd like to share some information about the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, and the book of Genesis as we get started reading.

   I think it's best to look at the Old Testament like the first half of one big story. It is the story of the one true God who creates the world and everything in it. Man chooses to rebel against its loving yet righteous God and therefore God prepares a pathway for them to be redeemed. God brings the family of Abraham into a covenant relationship with him, rescues Israel from slavery, and then creates a theocracy for Israel so that they might display him for the world to see. Israel continually breaks its side of their covenant relationship, but God continues to fulfill his. All of that being said, not all of the Old Testament is set up in narrative form. There are laws, genealogies, wisdom literature, songs, and poems that can be read in relation to the story as a whole.

    The Pentateuch is the name given to the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Hebrew term for them is torah, meaning "law" or "instruction". The Pentateuch is the foundation of the Bible, setting the stage for all that follows. The theme is introduced in the first section of Genesis that we're reading this week - the call of Abraham. The storyline revolves around the promises made to Abraham and God's fulfillment of them. The Pentateuch also presents the laws of Israel's theocracy and the story & importance of Moses.

Genesis Quick Facts:  

   - It is debated as to whether Genesis (and the rest of the Pentateuch for that matter) was written by Moses and later revised or entirely composed by many authors over a long period of time.

   - Chapters 1-11 are the primeval history of the world, before Abraham; Chapters 12-50 are the history of the patriarchs, starting with Abraham.
   - There are various views of Genesis as historically accurate, depending on the readings of the creation story and genealogies. Genesis does not attempt to be a scientific account (in a way that conforms to modern science), but can be reconciled with modern science.
   - The book does not answer every question a reader may have, but that does not mean that it can't be the true, inspired word of God. Like any piece of writing, it has a purpose to fulfill and provides the information for just that. Example - Genesis seeks to praise God's creation of the world, not explain exactly how he did it.
   - Adam, as mankind's first representative, received consequences for all of mankind. This sets the stage for Jesus representing mankind in the New Testament, as a second Adam with a very different set of consequences.

   Why are we doing this? It is definitely easy to become confused and uncertain of the purpose of the Old Testament in our lives today. We hope that reading through it, researching it, prayerfully analyzing it, and discussing it with one another will help us to better understand the intentions and applicability of this equally important section of the Word of God.

   We would love for you to read along and discuss the Scripture with us! For now, we would like to hear your initial thoughts of and experiences with the Old Testament. It will be interesting to see how (if) these develop as we trek through the books this year! And, as always, if you have any questions, please ask.

Happy reading!

Courtney

An Overwhelming Feeling Of Not Caring At All

I had a post planned for today, and then something happened on Facebook (when is that ever not the case?) and decided I would write about something else; something I’ve always been passionate about. A beautiful individual spoke the words of this title to me, and I believe I know exactly where (or from Whom, I should say) that feeling came from.

Why the heck do so many people, Christians and non alike (although it’s especially unacceptable among believers) steer away from “strange” people. You know exactly who I’m talking about. Those people who say odd things in social settings, or who are obsessed with anime, or wear outrageous clothing, or color/cut their hair in abnormal ways, or are simply all around “socially awkward”. It makes me so incredibly angry. These people get teased and mocked (usually not to their face, which only makes it ten times worse) and are not accepted into “normal” social circles. Why??

I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.

2 John verse 5  (Not too easy to love when we're preoccupied with snickering under our breaths)

Sweet Courtney has the precious gift of befriending and loving anyone, no matter their “social status”. Particularly, God draws people to her who do not know Him. Some of these people, however, are what others name “odd”. Whenever Court talks to me about them, she never utters more than a few words on this topic, and they’re never in mockery. She only makes note of it because she is astute, analytical, and pretty much makes note of everything because she is a super genius. Regardless, she notes how others see these people, and just doesn’t care. She is relentlessly patient with them (a trait I am forever in awe of), talks with them and invests in them, and loves them, just as we all ought. There is no doubt in my mind that our sweet Lord has anointed Court for just such a purpose, and draws these particular sheep to her so they might feel a whisper of the warmth of that ever-radiant Sunlight He pours out.
Finally, ALL OF YOU, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 3:3
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6

I’ve had many other good friends, however, even at my sweet Christian school, who shy from the strange and unusual. One girl once said to me “She’s nice, but she’s just not the kind of person I would be friends with, and that’s ok” and for days her words circulated through my mind. I kept thinking, “But it’s not ok”. The only times I haven’t made friends with someone were when those people didn’t allow me to truly come into their presence. I would never willingly not befriend someone, and every time I think about that girl’s words, I become more frustrated! Yes, some people are difficult. Yes, some people are awkward. SO. WHAT. GOD made them! What does that mean?? It means they are beautiful!!!!!! End of discussion!!
The King is enthralled by your beauty. Honor Him, for He is your Lord.
Psalm 45:11
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14


I have a wonderful, dear, sweet friend who fits the category I’m describing here of unusual. I’m so ashamed to admit that when I first met her, I wanted to turn away with everyone else. So I prayed. I asked Lord to show her to me through His eyes. Turns out mine weren’t working so well. So what did He do?? HE. WAS. FAITHFUL. Even when I so heartlessly and cruelly was not. God showed me what beauty and joy she had to offer, and she is now one of my closest sisters. My point in sharing her is that when we encounter these people who we at first want to put on the “do not disturb” shelf, we ought to pray. We ought to realize that God adores this person, and we ought to ask Him to help us adore them in just the same way He does. We are all His children. He died for ALL of us because He loves EACH and EVERY ONE OF US. I don’t know about you, but I am ridiculously unworthy of His love and adoration, and yet He showers me with it daily. So why the HECK wouldn’t I do the same to all of His other children???
God, who has called you into fellowship with His son Jesus Christ our Lord, IS FAITHFUL.
1 Corinthians 1:9
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4


 
Most importantly, or so I feel, these people are gems. True jewels amidst porous rocks and grains of sand. These people stand against the wind, embrace who they are, and do not relent when others try to make them “more like everyone else”. These people know who they are and what they love and do not forsake any of it for the sake of “fitting in”. I gawk at these people. I drool over them, because they are not afraid. In such an individualistic culture, in a country where individuality and uniqueness are praised, still we struggle to truly embrace who and what we are. WHY?? Perhaps lies from that loser lucy (not capitalized my friends) have led us to believe that standing out to a certain degree is acceptable, but any further and we will be cast into no mans land where we will be silently mocked and ridiculed for our love of the unusual. OR, perhaps they are lies we ourselves have leaked into society. Perhaps we are in fact the virus that endorses a quiet character that follows the rules of “societal norms” and does not stand out too much. To that my challenge is this: that we all may take our stand, embrace the heart which God has so beautifully and artistically crafted within us, and fight for those who sometimes don’t even know they need to fight for themselves. I challenge you to befriend someone who does not conform to the mold your personal social circle has always held. And of course, I challenge you to break your own mold and discover the strange things about yourself that make you so uniquely and beautifully....... you. We live in a world where there are billions upon billions of human beings, and yet EVER SINGLE ONE is different. The depth of that fact is so flooring, so immense, and so beautiful. RUN with it.
I love you with every depth of my heart.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.
1 Corinthians 15:10
Ariel

THE ENTIRE LAW IS SUMMED UP IN A SINGLE COMMAND: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
Galatians 5:14

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness

1 John 2:9 (Granted, hate is a strong word here, but what is the absence of love? And how do we love those we keep at a very long arms length?)