Being a Christian.

I really like this poem so I thought I would share it. And the prayer below is beautiful...something we all should live by.

When I Say "I Am A Christian"

by Carol Wimmer

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way."

When I say..."I am a Christian"
don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.

---

My Commitment as a Christian

 

"I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer live for pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, top, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.

My face is set, my steps are fast, my goal is heaven, my raod is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I can't be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, decieved, or delayed. I will not shrink in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or wander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He stops me, and when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me -- my banner will be clear!"

----- This is a commitment prayer found in the office of a young African pastor in Zimbabwe.

BOLD

It's amazing the influence technology can have on us. In many ways media can spread lies, but it can also be used to spread truth. These are two videos that I absolutely love...

These videos are powerful and inspirational. Being in a new place, I am forced to constantly go out of my comfort zone. I am forced to talk to new people and to build new relationships. God is teaching me more and more to find confidence in him and who he created me to be.

Lately I feel like God is not only teaching me to be confident in meeting new people, but to be bold in sharing my faith. The world is full of death and I know the cure. I have a relationship with Jesus and it is selfish of me to not share the Gospel with everyone I meet. I know the cure to the disease that affects all of mankind...and yet I know many people who do not know Jesus.

Its not my job and not in my capability to save lives. But Jesus doesn't call us to save lives...he calls us to share the gospel. Even that seems too hard for me sometimes. I am too timid, self conscious, and prideful to share the good news with those who need to hear it.

How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one who they have not heard? And how can they without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Romans 10:14-15

These videos inspire me to share what I believe with others, to be bold and focus my life, relationships, and conversations on God. But I can't do it on my own, I am timid,self conscious, and prideful without Jesus. It is amazing the way God can use me when I focus my life on  him. And how blessed are we to be part of his greater plans, that we can glorify our God!?

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from is love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Philippians 2:1-2

What does it mean to be like minded? I think of the way Jesus loved. They way that he saw and acknowledged everyone who crossed his path. How hard is that? Yet I am too shy to say hi to people I do not know. But God is not finished with me. He continues to transform me, to give me confidence and a desire to meet others. So whether its my classmate sitting next to me, the employee at the grocery store, or a passerby on the sidewalk, I want acknowledged everyone. Don't let anyone go unseen. Show others God's love the same way he shows me his love everyday. 

So my goal...be bold. Set myself aside, give my worries and insecurities to God, and put Jesus first so that he may use me and so I can see that he is at work all around me. God is good. And I am excited to see what God has planned for this semester. God is so good.

New Beginnings, Crafts, and Music

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

I'm three weeks into my semester at UNC and I still feel like I am about to go back to Baylor any day now. I'm going to be honest, there are a lot of things I miss in Waco. I am trying not to dwell on them. And I am learning to embrace change...not a fun thing for me to do. But growth (sometimes I really hate growth, but I guess its a good thing) only comes with change. So being optimistic about change I am trying to acknowledge the past and accept knew beginnings.

There was a reason I transferred, I wasn't happy and I didn't like who I was there. So now is a chance for me to start over. A chance to focus on what God has planned for me. I am ready for the blessings and the struggles He will bring me. I am ready joy, pain, growth, and change. It may terrify me, but I am ready to start over and this time to focus solely on who God wants me to be and what He is calling me to do. Two specific things I want to focus on this semester...humility and courage. I need them both. I have a pride issue...I worry too much what people think of me and focus too much on being perfect. And because of it I miss out and experiences and chances to get to know people.

As much as I miss Baylor and the people there. I know this is were I am suppose to be and I am glad to be here. And I am learning to embrace all of the new beginnings in my life...new school, new classes, new house, new roommates, new young life team, new town, new church.

One way I decided to deal with the stress of finding a new house and new roommates was to redo my room...which for me usually means a lot of crafts! After two weeks my room is starting to feel like home...

Along with my new room, I also got new music. I deleted a couple hundred songs (wasn't hard to do...I use to listen to pretty horrible music) and add multiple CDs with music. So pretty much I have a whole new iPod! And I love having new music, so if anyone wants to burn me a CD feel free ;) Right now I am kinda obsessed with Drew Holcomb, The Civil Wars, Ben Rector, and Josh Garrels. They're great.

New friends, crafting, music and what not is great, but really my goal for this semester is to focus on my relationship with God and His plan for my life. I don't want my semester to be about friends I am going to make, what I am going to study, what I am going to be involved in, what I want to do in my free time...yes, these are all important but I also have a tendency to be self-centered. I put all these things before Christ and before my relationship with Him. He must come first. New beginnings, new priorities.

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must DENY HIMSELF and take up his cross DAILY and follow me."

Luke 9:23

Friends.

Do you ever try to be completely satisfied with God alone? Does it work? I know I have tried, but honestly I never have felt complete with God alone. I know this sounds bad and I have felt guilty about it often. God is suppose to be all you ever need, right? Or maybe not...

I went to a worship night a couple days ago and two pastures, who were also best friends, talked about relationships. They made me view relationships a whole new way. Friendships are not only blessings from God, but they are also necessary.

God created Adam. And Adam and God were together in the garden. There was no sin and their relationship was perfect. Here Adam is with God in a sinless world, but still it was not complete. God said it was not good for man to be alone. Adam had a perfect relationship with God, yet it was not good. So he created Eve.

We were created to be in a relationship with God and with other people. It is not good for us to go through life alone. God comes first, but we also need friends.

At the worship night the two pastors talked about their friendship and everything they have in common...it made me miss one of my best friends, Taryn. We have been friends since Jr High. In high school we were called "Karyn" and it was assumed we told each other everything and that were always together...which was almost true. Then we went to college and lived together for a year and a half. We went through all the stupid high school drama (you know, boys and sports) together. She was always there for me for the good and bad. Then we went to college together and really I don't think I would have ever made it through my freshman year without here. And there is no one else I would have preferred to live with! Now we go to different schools and it is weird to be apart...miss her already.

 

                                                 

But really I have so many great people in my life and I am thankful for each and every one of them! And I so thankful God created us to need friends and I'm so blessed to have the friends I do.

TEBOWMANIA

Okay, it was only a matter of time before I posted about Tim Tebow...I love him. My family has been following him for along time so I've always known he was a strong Christian, but the better he does in football the more I realize how genuine his faith is. He has a great heart and this article shows it (and yes it did make me cry).

Believing in Tim Tebow


Of course I will be cheering for the Broncos tonight but like Tim said, "The game doesn't really matter." Life is about building relationships with people and changing lives.