Brie Gowen

Savor the Essence of Life

Confessions of a Conservative Christian

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As I watched the rain come down in long, wet sheets I felt the Spirit of the Lord. He was in the cool wind that blew rivers of rain down the sidewalk and in the laughter of my nine year old as she laughed, jumping through puddles gleefully. He was everywhere, but mostly He was in my heart, whispering His desire to pour down His rain. As I watched the summer storm blow through my neighborhood, I knew this was what we needed most. A washing, a refreshing, a cleansing, to take away all the things we cling to, all the things not of Jesus, and to bring us back to His heart.

His heart. That is what had come to me earlier. As I drove and prayed the word “heartbeat” came to mind. Don’t laugh, but for some reason I thought of that scene from the movie with Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing, where he is trying to teach the clumsy Francis Houseman how to find her rhythm. He places his hand over hers, on his heart, and he says “lubdub, lubdub,” showing her that moving through dance steps is like feeling the beat through your whole body. I think his words were, “it’s a feeling,” and I understood God was wanting us to get His feeling for the world.

I felt like the Lord was telling me that we needed to get in sync with His heartbeat, and until we could do that, we couldn’t move in the right direction. The Word says we’re one body, but the fact is a body has a head. Unless we’re following the leader it doesn’t work. If one foot wants to go right, and the other foot wants to go left, you don’t end up actually going anywhere.

Naturally this thought led to political parties. I’ve heard a lot of that going on lately. People being accused of leaning one direction too far, and it made me wonder if we couldn’t just go straight, following the true compass for our direction. I have always considered myself a Republican, a Conservative Christian, but society had left me lately feeling like a vagabond, like a wanderer, a sojourner searching for my way home. The thing I was discovering was that perhaps the place I had always felt so comfortable wasn’t my home anymore. Perhaps the Lord was leading me to His home.

Democrat and Liberal had always been like dirty words where I came from, and I certainly couldn’t bend on my moral views. Some things the left stood for I couldn’t stand with, but many ways the right was acting didn’t settle right with my spirit. To me, we all had it jacked up, and we had gotten so busy building our own agendas, we forgot the cornerstone that had been laid down. God was calling us back to that foundation, that heartbeat, that place of love we had wandered away from.

Over the past couple of months I had seen more bickering, more disagreement, and more division than ever before. It’s like the country had two sides, you had to pick which camp you wanted to be a part of, but sadly neither seemed to be a place I’d want to lay my head down at night. I certainly wouldn’t sleep peacefully being a part of either. Then I started to notice other lost children running around in the wilderness in between. Good people, with good hearts, who couldn’t find there place in what the world had become. God was opening the eyes of His children, and once open many of us couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Had we always been blind to how off track we had gotten?

The more I’ve fallen in love with scripture over the past few years, the more I consume the truth therein, the more I see what Jesus wants for His church. One body, unified. His Spirit, in us. Us in Him, seated together with the Father in Heavenly places. Not just after we die, but now, while we wait for His return. We have been commissioned to draw all people to His table, but we forgot that along the way. Instead we decided to throw our own dinner party.

We’ve stopping listening to God’s word and applying it to our lives. We separated church and state, yet stand on our religion to throw large stones at those who are different than us. We have built idols out of our political party, and we’ve covered our home and families with banners made of cloth, rather than banners of His protection and love. We have thrown down the greatest commandment, in favor of cherry-picking the ones that meet our agenda. We have made our buildings and our denominations our house of worship. We have forgotten the temple is us, and the work of Jesus starts in our hearts. Like the Pharisees we have become more consumed with what goes into a man, and turned a blind eye to what comes out. We’re ok with leaders who speak hatred, because they give us better employment rates. We’re ok with leaders who don’t emulate the love of Jesus, because that only matters when we need His love to apply to us. We want the favor of God. We even say we want our country built on that same God in which we trust, yet we close that country’s doors to anyone we deem unworthy of entry. We shout for threat of someone taking our religious freedom, yet we spit in the face of Christianity when we treat our fellow man with hatred, inequality, bigotry, and rage. It’s as if religion has become our God, not the actual Savior who redeemed us.

Gosh, there are so many examples of current policy that somehow go against the teachings of Jesus, and while I feel like it’s as plain as the nose on my face, for others the veil of deception is heavy. If we hold the title of Christian then we are good. If our leaders hold the title of Christian, we/they are good. We can check that box on our ticket to Heaven, yet God is asking more of us. We can no longer be the church just in name. God is calling us to be the church in our actions. He is calling us to follow the beat of His heart, not the beat of our own drum. If our politics are beating out of sync with the lubdub of His love, then I believe we are entering a season where He is calling us to a new way.

What if the things we have always known, the sides we have always taken, and the direction we have always stepped needs a revamp. Instead of going to the left, or going to the right, the Lord is saying, “come this way. Follow me.” That is what we have forgotten. How to follow the way of Jesus. It’s right there in red print, but we miss it all the time. Instead of doing things the way we’ve always done, we listen for His heartbeat for our steps. We follow His directions, His example, and we stop supporting anything that doesn’t measure up to that.

I think one hindrance to following the Jesus beat is that it requires us to admit we’ve been doing things wrong. It requires us to humbly confess our wrongdoing and mistakes. It often means doing an about-face and taking another way. It means letting go of our pride in favor of His truth, truth that’s not always easy to swallow because it’s so different from what the world feeds us. But guys, the systems of this world are broken. We can’t keep expecting them to work. It’s time to develop new systems, systems built on Jesus, His heart, His way, His truth.

The systems of this world are like a stain that clings to our Spirit. This is why the enemy can so easily deceive those of us under the spell of our beloved worldly systems. But I believe we are in a rainy season. I believe storms have been building, brewing, and the Heavens are going to pour forth a cleansing rain. Eyes are opening, ears are hearing, and hearts are breaking for truth. Gifts are being poured out on God’s people, and He is calling forth those who follow Him to speak what He is saying. He is calling us to be the new church, one body that doesn’t try to go in opposite directions, but that stays centered on the heartbeat of His love and grace.

Are you tired of the way the world has been going? Me too. I believe God is saying it’s time for things to change. It’s time to do things differently. I don’t know all the answers of how this will work, but I believe as we listen to His heartbeat for people we will gain wisdom for next steps. I’m not naive. I understand the country is run on more than love, but I do strongly believe that should remain the foundation and the filter through which we make our decisions. Join me in prayer as I pray for rain, as I pray for our Nation to get the feeling of His heart, and that we may begin to walk in step, as one, in Spirit and truth, towards the future the Lord has for His church.

As I finished up this post, my husband called me outside to see the large rainbow that covered us. It was God’s covenant, not to destroy us, His promise for our future. If ever there has been a time we need that promise, I believe it is now. But first comes the rain.

What COVID-19 Has Done for the Church

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Do you see what COVID-19 has done for the church? No, it’s not that it’s given it that push to get on social media. And it’s not about whether to meet, the importance of staying connected (although that’s important), or even the gumption to broadcast services live. What I’m talking about actually has nothing to do with whether a building has its doors opened or closed, or whether the government is skating too close to infringing on constitutional rights. It has nothing to do with religious organizations and everything to do with your relationship. Because, I’ll tell you a secret. You are the church. Allow me to explain.

Recently a coworker asked me how I had gotten to such a strong level of faith in my life. The person was pleasantly surprised when I said it wasn’t a switch that was flipped in my life, or even an overnight ordeal, but rather years of seeking and growth. I relayed the story of how my growing closer to Jesus had began.

Somewhere around 2010 I came across a wonderful opportunity at work. It was a weekend position that allowed me to work only 24 hours a week, while still getting paid for 40 hours. Pretty sweet, right? I had a baby, and another on my wish list, so working part time for full time pay was a God-send! The only problem? I would agree to work every weekend. While Saturday wasn’t a problem for me, Sunday was a lot harder. For one, I loved my church. My father-in-law was our pastor, and I worried how they would feel about the position.

It turns out, my father-in-law didn’t mind. He knew something I was about to learn. He knew something COVID-19 is trying to teach us all. He understood that a personal relationship with Jesus wasn’t found on Sunday morning alone, and he felt pretty confident in the Lord’s ability to show me just that.

My biggest concern after I took that weekender job? I worried my relationship with the Lord would suffer missing Sunday mornings, so I determined that it would not! How did I do that? I made the choice to seek the Lord more closely each and every day. I couldn’t go to church on Sunday, and my small congregation didn’t meet any other time. So I went to church Monday morning on my couch. I went to church Tuesday morning while I sipped my coffee. I went to church Wednesday morning while I fed my baby. I think you’re getting the point.

Ten years ago my life began to turn around for the better because I made a decision. I decided that since I couldn’t go to church, I would bring church to me! I started to set aside time daily to read my Bible, seek the Lord, pray, and listen to His voice. And we as a country are being given this same chance now! We are being told to stay home, and we have the opportunity to use that time wisely. We’re not just in a time in our lives where we can’t go to church. We’re in a time of our lives where we can bring church home. We can bring it into our hearts!

Even after I switched jobs and could attend worship with others on Sunday mornings, it was too late! My life had already changed, thank the Lord. I had begun to manifest the fruits of the Spirit. It wasn’t just my schedule that had changed. My personality had changed. I found that a life where I saturated myself with scripture, was a life where I could be more joyful and triumphant. I learned how to deal with the world’s problems according to the Bible’s answers. In those pages I discovered how much my Savior loved me, and sadly and honestly, I had spent ten years in church on Sundays as a child/teenager, never learning that truth. Salvation, discipline, and true life change aren’t always found in a building. And a deep relationship that changes you from the inside out, rarely is. Life change is found in time with Him.

This pandemic has given us all the rare opportunity to seek Him more. It has forced upon us the need to be fed at home, and I’m not talking about sustenance you get from the grocery store. I’m talking about the kind of spiritual food that will leave you never hungry again. It’s the kind of bread that gives you life, abundant life at that, and it fills you so full that fear can’t fit there. It fills you so overflowing that the uncertain circumstances surrounding you don’t stand a chance. It’s the Manna that God sends down from Heaven, and when you taste and eat you understand that He always provides just enough.

Do you know what the church (meaning the physical building AND all of us as the bride of Christ) needs? We need to learn how to be mature. God doesn’t intend for us to stay babies, being fed our spiritual bottle on Sunday mornings, thinking that will keep us full all week! He calls us to eat meat. He wants us to be self-feeding, steak-chewing, garden-growing, fruit-baring farmers. Y’all, it’s like He wants us to be homesteading harvesters who water where we’re planted. Of course He wants believers gathering together and supporting one another! Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a church-bashing post. No, what this is is a reminder that we are the church, and we are called to grow the church. The fact is, it’s hard to grow a crop when all you do is eat the fruit. If you’re wanting to harvest, like God calls us all to do, then you have to start planting seeds, and folks forget you begin by planting the seeds in you.

So, I would encourage you to take advantage of this time. See it for what it is. It’s an opportunity, much like the one I experienced ten years ago, to seek the Lord so you don’t lose Him. Y’all, He’s not hard to find. We’re just usually so distracted by all the noise that we miss Him, but perhaps now is a National Call to Quiet. Perhaps Christ is calling us all away from the noise and into His arms. We have been given the chance to bring church into our hearts, the place where God has wanted it built all along. Don’t miss the positive change we can bring from such a negative time in our history. Don’t miss out on the greatest opportunity of all. To build His Church in you.

Three Things God Says About COVID-19

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Nothing brings character out quite like crisis. You will see some of the most courageous people charge into a burning building, but sadly, you will also see the ones who knock down the weak, trampling them to escape calamity. You will see people who instill fear, take advantage of a bad situation, yet also the helpers, the ones who pick up the fallen, serve the weak, despite their own trepidation, and give more than they take. I would like to think that all followers of Jesus fall into only one of the above mentioned categories, but sadly we all can fall to fear, panic, and survival of the fittest. Yet, in a time of chaos and uncertainty, I believe God calls His children to a deeper level of trust in Him. So, consider this a friendly reminder, to all of us who profess the faith, to follow the commands God has put forth for us in His word.

Without further ado, here are three things God is telling us amidst COVID-19.

1. Stay home! I want to put this as best as I can. I completely understand the fear of losing financial resources. I totally do. Most of us don’t have a huge savings built up, but I’m trying to encourage a kingdom mindset amongst all of this. I want my brothers and sisters out there to try and see this situation as an opportunity to grow deeper in dependence and relationship with Jesus, to not fear the waves that come, but trust the one who controls the storms. It’s not the boat that will save you; it’s the One who controls the ocean. He will provide.

Also, let’s think about what’s important. Is it staying current on bills or human life? Trust me as a healthcare provider on the frontline of this. It’s serious. People are dying. Maybe not you, the healthy twenty-something, but you can be without symptoms at the beginning of the virus and pass it along to people you do care about. Your grandparents, your friend’s immune compromised child. Life will always trump bank balance.

Then there’s this little nugget.

Romans 13:1-2 (NIV)

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Please trust the experts in disease transmission on this. Let’s not listen to that mom in your private Facebook group.

I won’t say I believe every word from a politician’s mouth or especially the news, but I do obey the authorities God has placed over me. Our government has given very clear and strong recommendations, and a large number of people are still ignoring the highly educated, well established plans to slow the spread of this virus. You are hurting others, you are hurting yourself, and you are disobeying more than the president you don’t like. You’re disobeying scripture. Let’s humble ourselves under the authority God has placed over us, trust that His plans will prevail, and stay home! I’m a nurse and a Christian. I trust medical science, but above all my Savior. God has given us healthcare and healthcare providers with the knowledge to save us. Let’s trust that God-given wisdom that says staying home will keep this from getting bigger than our hospitals and medical supplies can handle. Please.

2. Stop hoarding food! I have had friends inquire of my family, if we have enough. Since we started living in an RV we have limited space for storage period. Our fridge is small, our pantry also. We can store about enough for a week for our family of five, and that means frequent grocery trips. This past week I went shopping after a twelve hour shift at the hospital bedside, and as most of you know, the shelves were bare. Yet as I made my way through the aisles I always found one to two of every item I needed, even if it wasn’t my typical brand. By the way, I only took one, leaving the other for the next person.

Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

I’m reminded of the Israelites in the desert. God provided enough manna for each day. Some tried to take more and keep it for the next day, but He caused it to spoil. He wanted them to understand that He was their provider, and they could trust Him to give exactly what they needed. I’ll bet there’s a lot of people today who may end up throwing out some food they bought in over abundance, never realizing that God wanted to show them what He could give them.

Jesus came showing us how to be servants, showing us that the first would be last, and the last first. He saw people in need and He fed them. Never once did He hold onto what God had given Him and not share with the rest. He didn’t take all the fish and bread from the little boy and split it with His disciples. He thanked God for the little He had, then God multiplied that gratitude to feed five thousand. Imagine the blessings we are missing out on because instead of thanking God for what we’ve been given that we need, we’re taking more than enough right out of the hands of the hungry. It’s going to rot.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Don’t let fear drive your actions. I love my family, and I feel the need to take care of them. I understand that you want to get your family what they need, but stop and consider the fact that fear is driving you to load up a shopping cart with sixteen cases of water and twelves packs of toilet paper.

Which leads us to the third yet biggest commandment He’s speaking during this time.

3. Do not fear!

I say it again. Do. Not. Fear. There’s a reason this is the most repeated phrase in scripture. You see, fear is from the devil, and fear is a liar. Is all this kinda scary? You betcha butt! I am walking into a lockdown, negative air pressure, isolation, COVID-19 unit at work. Tons of healthcare providers around the country are doing this. If we let fear rule our actions, we would shut them all in a room and let nature take its course, but no, we go in and provide the very best, life-saving care we can. Are we afraid of catching the virus, or perhaps spreading it to our family? Of course! But we don’t let fear dominate and rule our actions. The reason the Bible says so frequently not to fear is because God knows we will. Sin has created some really crazy, frightening things out there, but faith in Jesus gives us a mode to combat fear and not let it rule our hearts and lives. He has overcome all evil, and COVID is no different. Even death has lost its sting, y’all. I serve a creator who gives eternal life, and the gift He offers is bigger than the most fatal of diseases.

Do you think this surprises God? Do you think He is as shocked as we all are by the death toll in Italy? No!

Psalm 139:16 ESV

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

God knows beginning to end. He knew this was coming, and He knows how it will end. He knows the solution. He knows the good that will come from this. What the enemy means for evil, God will turn to our good. We have a tendency to forget that.

God is whispering amongst the chaos,

come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I will give you peace. I do not give as the world gives. Take comfort, for I have overcome the world. There it is. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wasteland and streams in the desert. Hope like a river, it flows to those who trust in me. Do not be afraid. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Your foot will not strike the stone. I will rescue you.

If I were to offer any advice during this time of social distancing it would be this. Use this time to read the Bible. Y’all! There’s a wealth of truth and wisdom from the Lord inside those pages. Let them be a healing balm to your worried soul. Let them guide your decisions so that fear doesn’t lead you, but His peace sustains you. Listen to the real expert on what’s happening. Don’t just take my word for it.

Three Things God Has Done for Me

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I was recently reading a devotional, and in it the author encouraged the reader to make a list of three things God has done in your life. Initially, I laughed to myself. Only three! I mean, God has done more in my life than I could possibly fit on paper. Even a whole notebook. He woke me up in the morning, gave me hot water to shower with, and who could forget about coffee?! Talk about the best invention ever! And that’s just the first hour of my day. How in the world I could just pick three, I didn’t know, but I felt led to try. As I quieted my mind, these three bullets came to me, and I thought I would share them with you.

1. He healed me. Ok, so I could start with how God miraculously healed me of epilepsy. How after a decade-long battle of neurologist visits, medications three times a day, abnormal EEG’s, and debilitating migraines, He took the disease completely, totally, and immediately from me. I could talk about that, but no, it’s more than just a seizure disorder.

I could tell you how He took the pain from my knees, the pain that had been there since my twenties, the messed up knees that a doctor had told me when I was twelve years old would eventually “go out on me.” I could tell you how I carried that curse and constant pain into my forties, but the day I asked for His healing, they never hurt me again. But this is about more than not needing a knee replacement after all.

I could testify to physical healing, of myself, and of my children. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that God isn’t limited to just one kind of healing. He certainly had healed my physical body, but He had also healed the rest of me. If I looked on the outside like I used to feel on the inside, I would resemble an old China doll. The lines of harsh reality had riddled my fragile shell like cracks in aged porcelain. One wrong move and I probably would have shattered to pieces. But God.

My life before the love of Christ was broken. Torn by the pain of rejection, I felt lacking. Twisted by the lies that I was only as good as the people who had left me in life, I felt worth little more than nothing. I felt empty. We’re not made to feel that way, and as such I wasted many years trying to fill myself with anything I could. Anything that would give me some substance, make me feel worthwhile. I sought the approval of man, and I numbed my pain with empty indulgence. I tried to be better, basing my worth on what I could achieve in life. It never felt like enough. It wasn’t until I found the love of Jesus that I could be healed from all the hurt this world had piled upon me.

He healed me from the pain of sin, and He gave me eternal life. He healed me from my past, and He gave me a future. He healed me from rejection, and He adopted me as His own. He healed me from the bondage of slavery, and He gave me real freedom to live life fully and joyfully.

2. He gave me a new identity. I have had several last names in my life. I had the one I was born with, and later, my adoptive dad’s last name. I had my first husband’s last name, and now I have my second husband’s name. I have held many titles in life, some of them I’d rather forget, but others that I’m proud to go by to this day. I love holding the role of wife, mother, nurse, and friend. I’m a writer, a Navy veteran, an encourager, and a singer at times. I’ve been known to be a goofball, a crybaby, and even an outcast. I have been labeled things that make me cringe, and I’ve been called names that made me cry. But do you know what all these things have in common?

They are meaningless.

They are meaningless when held alongside my identity in Christ. Often times in life we can falsely build our worth and self esteem on the titles we possess or roles we play. We think we’re what our last name is, what job we perform, or how well we perform it. We assume we’re what we do, the mistakes we’ve made, or even the things we’ve failed to achieve. We fall to lies that we’re held back by who our family is, genetics, our financial circumstances, where we live, the way it’s always been, or our lot in life. We never reach the potential God has for us because we believe in a false identity. The identity of this world.

When I came to know the Lord, I realized my true identity was in Him. I was His child. I was created in His image, with a destiny in mind. I was forethought, artfully designed, on purpose, with each detail precisely constructed in love. I was worth dying for, and I was worth pursuing. I was a child of the King, protected, holy, worthy, righteous, and redeemed. I was His. I was not alone. I was loved.

3. He gave me a purpose beyond myself. Once I found myself healed and whole, loved and set free, I felt an urgency to share this miraculous happening. It’s like, if you suddenly had the best cup of coffee in your life. It would be all you could talk about. You’d make sure your spouse, your best friend, and all your coworkers knew how to find this divine cup of joe. This is where I found myself.

Each day, as my spirit draws closer to the Lord, I become more certain of the plans He has for me. Knowing my identity in Him, I am able to throw off the minuscule concerns of this world that have no eternal perspective. I am able to shed the busyness, the ridiculous distractions that vie for my attention, and in essence, pull me further from His truth. I think that’s the first step to finding God’s purpose for your life. You have to be able to let go of all that entangles you, trying to take first chair over His kingdom.

As you can release the treasures of this world, and can begin building eternal equity instead, you can find true purpose. You can find true peace. True joy, even.

When you can let go of the things of this world, the titles and roles that you think complete you, and instead find real fulfillment through your heritage and the inheritance of your Heavenly Father, you will discover your true path in life. Consider this world a practice run. The real thing is what awaits us.

When I realized this profound, yet simple truth, I found purpose. I found a purpose beyond myself and my front yard. I found a way to be full, to the brim, and an understanding that because of Him, I am never lacking. And in this fullness of life, I make each day about pouring out that love on others. The more I give, the more I get. I never realized that before.

So, now I would encourage you. Sit down, clear your mind, and ask yourself, “what has God done for me?” You might just discover along the way, what you can do for Him.

The One Thing We Forgot to Mention About the Transgender Bathroom Debate

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For a couple of days I have seen the “debates” across social media concerning transgender people and which bathroom they’ll be using, and while I have my own opinion on it I have yet to speak it at all. I’ve instead sat back silently for a bit and watched with raised eyebrow, not in judgement, mind you, but kind of in a depressing watch and see mode. Because when words flash emotionally, quickly, and passionately across the Internet it becomes not so much a debate as a misuse of power and truth. 

Every single day I put on the armor of God, and if you read the verses concerning this battle garb you’ll notice that it is available for your protection as a believer in Christ. I love that shield of faith that protects me from the enemy’s poisonous arrows. Even the sword of the spirit, although a defensive weapon of truth, is to be used a certain way. 

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

But what I’ve been seeing this week, and just about anytime these kind of arguments arise on social media, is that sword of the spirit, God’s truth being used to cut up those around us. So instead of following the instructions in Galations to “restore with a spirit of gentleness” we come out guns blazing, head-butting with our helmet of salvation and kicking tail with our gospel of peace. Isn’t that ironic?!

I believe in God’s truth. I believe in the Bible and its instruction, but I also believe that God is love. God loves me a lot. This I know. But I also know He loves transgender, gay, and lesbian alike. He loves the recently deceased artist named Prince, and he even loves Hillary Clinton. Crazy I know. 

And the thing is as His ambassador here on earth, given the great position of spreading His gospel, I am instructed to love my neighbors as He does. Even if they don’t believe, dress, or pee sitting down like me. 

Now, does that mean as a Christian I’m a pushover? Heck no! Can I stand up for truth, righteous, and the rights of myself and my family. Yes, yes, double yes!

We are instructed by these same verses in Ephesians to stand firm against the enemy and his schemes, but we are also reminded of where the real battle exists. And in that knowledge we cannot tear apart our fellow man who does not see clearly. We should not ridicule or demean others, as that’s not how you build up God’s kingdom. 

We shouldn’t tear apart other believers when opinions differ. We cannot allow division among God’s house. We should carry ourselves in an atmosphere of Christ, standing firm in truth, but not browbeating everyone in our path. 

This is one of the hardest things to do as a lover of Jesus. When someone does something that is an affront to our Savior we want to get even, but Christ would say, “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

Galations 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

I’m not saying that when corruption runs rampant that you sit silent. I’m not saying you twiddle your thumbs when persecution persists. Stand firm, wear your armor. Just remember who you’re really fighting. It’s not Target.  

As you go to battle for the Lord take care to run your actions through the filter of the fruit of the spirit. Do you approach others with patience and kindness, even as you speak truth with a convicting yet gentle reproach? Are you exercising in self-control or flying off the handle with misguided passion? If your words ridicule or wound a human then they should be redirected. Your contempt should be for sin, not a guy who wears dresses. 

So if I say anything at all in regards to this transgender bathroom debate it would be this. Speak your words like Christ was right beside you. Carry not hate in your heart towards man. Instead direct your passions toward living your entire life in truth for one sin is no greater than another. 

Speak life. Live as an example. Show love. And pray that when you put on your armor that the Lord equip you to use it wisely against your true enemies, not to wound your brothers and sisters. 

You’re the Reason People Hate Christians

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I recently was reading through a post on a public Facebook forum to which I belong, and I found myself drawn to the comments. After years of social media use I should know to stay out of that pit, but I fell in unaware. And that was when I saw it. Out of the woodwork came a commenter ridiculing the poster, and all in the name of Jesus. 

Indeed, the commenter took the time to not only share her personal opinion on the poster having a tattoo, but also decided to share that God is adamantly against tattoos. I guess because the two of them chat about it on a normal basis. 

Listen, I won’t debate in this blog whether I agree with tattooing. I won’t quote scripture that speaks against it, just as I won’t use other verses to state why Christians shouldn’t judge someone for it. Personally, I’m a Christian and I have tattoos, one being an ichthus, but I also got them in a time of my life that is far different from who I am now. If faced with the decision at this time I likely wouldn’t get them again, but that doesn’t mean I think you can’t have them either. I honestly don’t know. I’ll ask God about it when I sit at His feet in person.  

But this post isn’t about tattoos. I repeat, this post isn’t about tattoos. 

This post is about how Christians represent themselves to others and how they approach stating their opinion. 

When this woman decided to comment publicly to a stranger that his choice to get a tattoo was wrong because God didn’t want him to do so, she succeeded, but not in the way she intended. She succeeded not in changing his mind about tattoos, but in causing a division between herself and another child of God. 

I have no idea whether this guy was a believer in Christ or not, but I do know that if he wasn’t, he sure wouldn’t be drawn to Jesus by this lady’s approach. 

First, I do believe that as Christians God gives us wisdom and guidelines with which to discern right from wrong. He gives us His Word as a map of sorts by which we can live our lives pleasing to Him. When His people fall outside His Word we are called as followers of Christ to help bring them back to God’s instruction for their life, and in that sense we are given the authority to righteously judge. 

So we are instructed to abide by God’s Word and to help our brother not to stumble, but we are also called not to cast a stone unless we are without sin. We are instructed not to “judge” incorrectly. 

If you base someone’s self-worth on their actions or appearance, you are wrong. Everyone has worth because of Jesus. They just might not be walking in their inheritance. 

John 7:24

Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.

What happens when we judge incorrectly is that we push people farther from God. Instead of embracing them with love and acceptance like Jesus would do, then instructing them in brotherly kindness according to the Father’s will, we jump straight to telling folks how they’re wrong. When you do this, people just shut down. They don’t hear “God is love;” they just hear “I’m not worthy of God’s love.”

We battle in this world against principalities of darkness, and when we ridicule others for their mistakes in our eyes, Satan takes that opportunity to make the individual feel condemnation rather than God’s conviction. 

And this is why people hate Christians. If you do this, then you are part of the problem. You’re why people hate Christians. 

You cannot instruct a stranger on what they’re doing wrong. It just won’t work. A relationship must be present to help make instruction possible and fruitful. Do you really think you’ll bring Salvation through a Facebook rant? I guess it’s possible, but not likely. 

You cannot point out personal wrongdoing in a public manner. It’s not fair, and it will never be received well. Pride and hurt feelings will interfere with hearing truth every time. 

You cannot make a judgement call on someone’s personal decisions unless you are without sin yourself, and unless you are correcting them with the right intent. What I mean by this is if you’re piously pointing out a problem without the purpose of bringing someone closer in their personal relationship with Jesus then your motivations are wrong, and you have sinned. 

This is such a difficult subject and a very slippery slope. We are called to judge our brothers and sisters, but only with the intent and purpose of helping them achieve a better walk with Christ or eternity with Him. If we’re not covering our intentions with selfless love then they will most likely fall on deaf ears, and the only outcome achieved will be to push people away from the hem of His garment. Plus they’ll hate us for it. 


What Does Your Facebook Status Say About You?

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I’ve noticed a growing trend when I browse through my Facebook newsfeed. Yes, my friends’ children are still adorable, and love (or the longing for love) is still in the air, but there’s more than that filtering through my feed. Yep, college football is fabulous to most, and politics will always have its place on social media, but I’m talking about another thing that jumps out at me. And sadly I’m seeing it more frequently. 

People are angry. Yes, that’s always been present. Folks have always been mad about something, but I’ve noticed frustrations seem to be growing. And the tendency to plaster them on Facebook is even more prevalent. What’s worse is the manner in which we’re spewing our venom!

Here’s what I mean. How many ambiguous status updates do you see on the daily? I’m talking about the bristling bundle of raw accusation that drills a hole in some nameless poor soul. Someone will be so flipping mad at another person that they feel justified to share that frustration with the entire world, but they’ll keep it vague just enough to make the rest of us raise an eyebrow. 

Or perhaps it’s the continual complaining posts. The ‘woe is me, life isn’t fair, no one treats me right, my family is so mean to me that I’m going to keep griping about them on Facebook instead of spending my energy to possibly resolve this situation’ status updates. 

How about the raging posts about the apparent lack of service someone received at a business? Have you ever noticed some folks can’t be satisfied? Like absolutely nothing is enough. 

These seem to be the same people that lack empathy or the ability to walk one day in another’s shoes, or possibly try to see them as a person rather than a servant. 

These seem to be the same people who feel entitled to consistently be catered to, or have their every whim delivered on a silver platter. I call these individuals “Burger King Peeps.” They want it their way, right away. 

And while I’m in no way perfect, and I’m as guilty as the next of expecting things to happen a certain way, or my circumstances to align according to my desires, I do try to remember that we are all human. We all make mistakes, have off days, or fall short. I certainly can’t condemn someone for not meeting my expectations consistently.  

I get mad too, in fact I get blazing angry at times, but my goal is not to allow it to consume me. And above all, as a Christian, I try to remember that the world is watching me. They say you shouldn’t care what other people think, but when it comes to representing God’s kingdom perhaps we should all care a little bit more. 

If I consistently complain about my life on Facebook then what can be said about my grateful heart, that part of me that should be thankful for God’s blessings in my life? They’re there, you know? Even in the midst of a bad situation. 

What does it say about me as a disciple of Christ if I throw angry, careless words at another? Even if I don’t say their name. What does that imply about the power of forgiveness, or even how God is capable of softening our hearts towards our enemies? 

Don’t my quickly spouted words of rage endanger my witness? Do they not give my Father a bad name? 

If I can’t speak in love then what is the point? If I can only manage to be mad what does that say about me?

John 13:35 (NLT)

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

So what do we need to see more of on Facebook? Perhaps love. Isn’t this how the world will know we are different?

They won’t rush to ask about Jesus on the trails of our angry rants. They won’t wonder what that special light is inside of us based on our complaints and unrealistic expectations of others. They will know Him when they see Him in us. They will understand His love more easily when it flows from our every word and action. 

You can post scripture all you want on your timeline, but if it’s followed by angry accusations and raging complaints then it just doesn’t align. It’s not consistent, and those who need to see the solidity of Jesus most will not find it by being your “follower.”

It’s a hefty responsibility, that of being a Christian, but no one said it would be easy. But the Bible does tell us we will be rewarded in the end. When that time comes, and I stand before the Lord, I hope that I will not be ashamed of my behavior on this earth. I pray that the actions I display now can be pleasing to Him forever. I pray that how I represent Him publicly is a correct representation of His majesty. 

My goal is to keep this in mind before I act, before I speak, and certainly before I hit the “post” button. 

So, I ask, what does your Facebook status say about you?

Growing Up Atheist

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I smiled as I thought about my five year old daughter, and it was at that moment I realized I was feeling better. I had been experiencing some pain in my body related to my pregnancy, and had voiced my frustration to my husband in earshot of our eldest. She had cuddled up beside me as I spoke, silently holding my bulging midsection as best as her tiny arms could manage. 

Suddenly she had spoken to me with certainty and very matter of fact, “I prayed for you, Momma. When you wake up tomorrow you won’t be hurting anymore.” Then she had trotted off happily. 

I was proud for my little lady, at all times, I suppose, but something about her childlike faith touched me at a place deep within, and I was then reminded of myself at age five. 

  
I can still recall a program that came on television during my kindergarten age days. It was aimed towards children, and it told the story of creation. At the time we were living in Los Angeles, California, in a small apartment, although it was much better than the motels we had been staying in prior. I watched the screen captivated by the images of a little man with a hammer, and I listened raptly to learn about how this figure, who I would later compare to Mario or Luigi, constructed the entire world with a ball peen hammer for no reason other than his own desires, or perhaps boredom. 

I watched with curiosity, but also apprehension. In my little heart this story just didn’t feel right, and I watched wondering, if the hammer guy didn’t make all this stuff, then who did?

I had heard mention of this invisible guy called God, and I speculated if he was responsible. I had never seen him, and we didn’t talk about him much at all. My mom had taken me to a place once or twice where they read us stories about how much this God loved us, but my dad had given her a hard time about taking me. 

“What, are you gonna follow all the rest of the sheep?!” He had asked incredulously, and had laughed and taunted her some more. 

We didn’t go back after that, but as I watched the miniature carpenter making a turtle on TV I pondered about the God who apparently was always thinking of me. 

Later in my life that God I wondered about would scoop up my mom and me, and He would place us in other circumstances, ones where we didn’t have to worry about disappearing dads and dwindling bank accounts. In this new life He would introduce us to trusting others, friendly folks, and a world where church every Sunday was the norm. 

In this new life I would hear more about that God who made me, without a little hammer, but rather with His mighty hand. And it would just sound right. More importantly it would feel right. 

But it would be years before I truly learned what the creator of the universe was capable of in my heart. 

I realize now that we were created with a purpose, and like an empty container we will always feel void until we are filled with the love of Jesus. We will always feel not quite right until we can walk with purpose in a relationship with the Lord, saturated in His Holy Spirit, healed by His forgiveness and unconditional affections. 

I spent the first part of my life not even knowing Him, but knowing something was amiss. Then I spent the next decade or more only partaking in a portion of the blessings He had in mind for me. It wasn’t until I came to understand how to commune with Him personally that I could reap the full reward of relationship. 

I am hoping to save my daughters the hardship of separation from Christ, and my goal is to show them what they are capable of if they follow Him with their whole heart. 

As I sit comfortably in the healing power of the Lord, and I reflect on the heartfelt prayers of my girl, I am pleased for how their little spirits soak Him up like a sponge. I am happy for the opportunity they have to experience Jesus. I know in this world they will be faced with trouble, but I am at peace with their futures having a foundation built on Christ. 

How Changing My Music Changed My Life

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You don’t have to listen to music about God to be a Christian, and four years ago I was certainly a believer in Christ. I was also a new mother, one who loved to jam to her tunes in the car. In fact, that had always been one of my favorite things. Motherhood didn’t change my love for good music anymore than the rededication of my life to Jesus that prior year had. 

As a teenager and young woman in my twenties I had always had a connection with music. I could feel it! I memorized lyrics, sang along, and the words, they moved me. It was no wonder I married the young boy who used to serenade me sweetly as he strummed his Fender, and my story of my music changing started about four years ago as I drove along the road, the radio up, with my guitar player’s children in the backseat. 

About this time my firstborn child was only six months old, and my step-daughter was seven. My radio dial rested on a popular pop station that played the latest top hits in secular music, and we all listened along as a reigning Diva dealt us her powerful lyrics. It was a catchy beat indeed, but I happened to be one of those people that also listened to the words, and I think my face lost most of its color as I heard the scenario she laid out. It blatantly described oral sex, and though my baby was clueless, I glanced back in the rear view to see if the seven year old had caught on. 

She gazed out the window contemplatively, and even as I told myself she had missed the sexual innuendo, I knew she wouldn’t keep letting them slip by. My husband and I talked about the incident, and we made a decision to keep the radio on a Christian station while the children were in the car. For their sake. 

I wasn’t the only one with a wide musical affection. My husband held the same interests, and we had grown up in a time of three inch wide CD folders rather than MP3s, so even with our church background I think it took some time for us to get used to the change of the radio knob. 

I’m not sure how much time passed before I noticed a difference, and I don’t suppose it happened overnight, but it happened nonetheless. I found several changes occurring in my life, my marriage, and my attitude, and although a lot of that had to do with my evolving relationship with Jesus, I started to think maybe the music played a part too. 

One day I found myself alone in the car, and a fundraiser was consuming the Christian channel I listened to. I switched over to a CD that still resided in the player, and the 90s grunge filled my vehicle. I’ve always felt music to be extremely powerful. It can convey such strong emotion, and it can affect you on a level that spoken word cannot. Just like how reading a book takes you inside the story unlike a movie can do, music also takes you to emotional venues you might not carry yourself in your own thought processes. And as I listened to the words and lyrics of one of my favorite CDs I caught the sadness dripping from his words. I wasn’t sure if my discernment had changed, or if I had changed, but the music made me feel very low in my spirit. I realized I would rather listen to phones ringing with callers offering donations than allow the mood of that music from my youth to altar the joy I felt in my heart. 

So I haven’t listened to secular music since. It’s not that I think there’s something wrong with you if you do, it’s just not something I choose to do anymore. The thing was that listening to Christian music had changed me, and I really liked that change. I didn’t want anything else. 

I liked that music about Jesus filled me with a deep peace, and though some songs caused me to grieve or become convicted, they never negatively affected my spirit. The music didn’t make me feel sad, empty, angry, or lost. In fact Christian music seemed to strengthen my relationship with God, and I realized that the action of worship only drew me closer to Him. It took me to new levels in my understanding of who He was, and though the music hadn’t taken me there on its own, it certainly had been a beautiful Segway to joy. 

My mood elevated, and I felt a calm clarity after absorbing truth on a musical level. I also noticed changes in my family. My husband had decided he wanted Christian music only in his head from then on, and he truly felt that his prior taste in music had changed his mood and perceptions for the worst. My girls started singing the words out loud, and their musical voices praising Jesus made my mommy heart smile. 

My daughter, now four, has begun to really listen to the lyrics also, and I’m pleased she hears about real love, not sexual affections. She’s started asking questions based on what she hears in the music, and it opens wonderful doors of discussion I might not have initiated on my own. She’s only a young child, but she’s understanding what the writers are trying to convey, and I can see her developing her own beautiful relationship with the Lord. As a parent, that is my greatest reward. To know I am filling her with positive, encouraging thoughts, and not impressing upon her that shaking her rump or getting drunk is the answer to happiness in life. 

Again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with deciding to listen to secular music in your life, and although I do believe some lyrics encourage violence, promiscuity, and a deep sense of loneliness, I don’t think music is the only thing that affects us in life. I just believe it to be a piece of the puzzle, and I wanted to share that since I have changed the type of music I listen to at all times that I’ve seen a huge shift in my life. I’ve seen God use His music to bring me to a better place, and though prayer, His word, and altering other aspects of my life has worked it all together for good, this piece of the puzzle is something that was easily changed. It just took a turn of the radio dial to do the trick, and He did the rest.