Unoffendable

     "Choosing to be unoffendable out of love for others is ministry. And real ministry forces us
      To abandon our relentless search for approval from others"


When did it become about approval for other people? When did it get to the point where you can't talk seriously without someone getting offended. One of the most overly-used ironic phrases, "no offense but...."
When did we get here? Where Christians are "judgmental" and "haters", just because they believe a certain way.
Even to each other, we seem legalistic or judgmental, just because we try to live a certain way? It seems, unless we blend into the world, were judging others...
Why do we get so offended when someone disagrees. Why do we feel judged when a brother or sister talks to us about something out of concern?
What happened to building each other up? Why is support and positivity the only way to encourage and build a person up. What happened to tough love, to counsel, to discipline. If we can't seek guidance and counsel from ourselves or the ones around us, how will we seek it from God.
I want the church of people to be able to talk to each other, to build each other up, to encourage each other to do the right thing, not to speak out of judgment, but to speak out of concern.
I for one want to hear what my fellow followers see wrong in my life. I don't need to be offended, I don't live for approval from men. But for the approval of God.
And isn't that how we are meant to live? Unoffendable. All we do is build arguments against each other. Why we should be able to do one thing and not the other. This life isn't one big list of dos and donts.
This life is about surrendering your own life to God. So all the little dos and donts become clear. You become unoffendable.

This generation doesn't want to hear your opinion, unless it agrees with their own. The only way they show love is if you support them in everything they do, no matter how morally wrong or against God.
If you oppose any aspect of their lifestyle, you're suddenly a hater.

"All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."
                                                          Romans 10:21b

But this same generation of Christians needs to stand out, be unoffendable, show the tough love of sacrifice, honesty, and concern. Because if we blend in with the "anti-haters" and avoid the truth out of this so called love, how will they hear?

"How then shall they call on Him in who, they have not believed? And how asphalt they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
                                                                           Romans 10:14


" very few of us debate with the sordid evil and wrong, but we do debate with the good."
                                                            Oswald chambers

Christmas Rant

          "strange isnt it? Each mans life touches so many other lives. When he isn't
           Around he leaves an awful hole doesn't he?"
                                                                 - it's a wonderful life

Can we talk about Christmas for a minute? The greates season of all? Filled with love, giving, and our Savior?
I love seeing people come home from college, I love seeing marines come from from Afghanistan after nine months, I love people helping people, I love seeing people pay for a strangers meal, I love free turkeys, I love celebrating family, friends, and the birth of Christ.
I had someone tell me they hate Christmas music and hated Christmas movies....and this made me so sad.
I think people get so caught up in the stressful, commercialized version of Christmas....it's cheesy, it's stressful.

But Christmas is so important, it's a time when people open their hearts to people and to Christ. And it makes me so sad when even Christians ignore this Holiday.
I know....it's technically from pagan roots, the world has commercialized it... But it's a sinful world people! And that does not make Christmas a bad thing. It is a beautiful thing!
It is a time to worship and praise our King, to show people His love.
People have a tender mercy in their hearts that only come around once a year. Linus got it for Pete's sake! And he's like three or something.
I wish everyone's phone autocorrected to CHRISTMAS. Because it deserves to be in all caps.
Christmas holds a powerful message that need not go unnoticed. In the film "meet John Doe" John was willing to throw away his life for a cause for a love of people. But someone reminded him that Someone already made that sacrifice 2000 years ago....the first "John Doe" and that's what Christmas is about.
Let us use this time for Him. Lets leave behind the angsty, hipster way. And let's celebrate and praise our King who came to earth as a babe... Just for people like us

The gift of life

                "are you done forgiving? Or can you look past my pretending
                   I'm so tired of defending what I've become
                  What have I become?"
                                    -- tenth avenue north


God, what have I become? A bum, a complainer, a pretender. I claim to be living this life in an extraordinary way. But I'm really just living in an ordinary way.
I use my time, just to pass the time. I just sit and I soak, I'm wasting precious time and assets.
The creative flow has stopped. Whenever I do spend my thoughts on you, it's to figure out what I can and cannot do.
I want to be radical. I want to be crazy in love. But how I'm living just doesn't prove it. I'm tired of defending myself for silly things that shouldn't even exist in my life.
I'm tired of wasting myself, if I truly believe what I say I believe....wouldn't I use every minute for You? Wouldn't I tell every person I came across the truth? Wouldn't I use my time to glorify Your name instead of my own? Wouldn't I use my entire life to further Your kingdom?
When did this life become just about living? When did crazy love and sacrifice for You go out of style? Will I come to the end of my life and hear You say
"Well done my child"
Or
"Depart from Me, I never knew you"
?
Everything that is not of You....makes for my undoing....

" life without war is impossible either in nature or grace.... If I want to maintain a vigorous mental life, I have to fight and in that way the mental balance called thought is produced.......
I am called to live in perfect relation to God so that my life produces a longing after God in other lives, not admiration for myself"

Grey's my favorite color

"spiritual death happens one compromise at a time" 

In a modern world, it's hard for Christians to distinguish right from wrong. Things are no longer black and white. *grey areas* have come into play. 

I mean God doesn't really care what we watch or listen to does he? He's got bigger things to worry about.. 

Truth is... To the believer, grey areas don't exist. And God cares what is being put into the mind of His children. We can say all day long that it's just a movie and doesn't effect us. But truth is, it desentizes us to violence, to sex, to cursing, to demons, to satan. 

It changes the mind of the believer to be okay with these things that are against Christ and His teachings. 

If we believe murder is wrong, then why do we watch it for entertainment. If we believe sex is meant between a man and a woman within marriage, why do we watch it for entertainment. 

Don't get me wrong, movies are hard. I've watched many I'm not proud of. I use the excuse of, well as long as you know your limitation. 

God has set a standard for His people and we are trying to change it according to this modern world. 

Many Christians use the excuse of not wanting to be legalistic. But it's only legalism if it's a belief that's a personal preference and not of the Bible. 

It's either for God or against God. It's an extreme standard for an extreme God. God is a jealous God and to presume that he's okay with us watching an animation about Greek gods, Is just ignorance and denial. We want to do what we want to do. So we put things like this into grey areas. 

Christianity is simple, not easy. We are trying to make it complicated and easy to live by. Truth is, it's not easy to dress modestly, to hold your tongue, to abstain from indulging in certain entertainment, to be different. 

And this is my point. It gets hard and I see people I have grown up with, fall under this every year. 

And you know what? It's discouraging.

It's easy to forget that your actions effect other people. Think of the weaker brother. We may have the freedom in Christ, but it's completely selfish of us to act this way. Think of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Would you not rather have them encouraged rather than discouraged? 

"I have to learn that my aim in life is God's not mine" 

I want to be surrounded with bold Christians who aren't afraid to be different, who live with integrity, and aren't afraid to give something up for Christ. 

Grey areas don't exist. Religion isn't Gods. Faith is Gods. It's a way of life. Not just a small part of it. Dying to ourselves means giving up these little things, in order to serve our God the way He deserves to be served. 

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2 

compromise happens when we start comparing ourselves to the world instead of Christ 

"The haters would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever" psalm 81:15