In Defense of the Christian Faith

Today, I figured that I'd combine the Word For Wednesday and the Inspiring Story together. I'd like to start with this Scripture: Eph 4:1-3 "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." As I mentioned previously , I've been thinking a lot about suffering. Now, I know that some may say that we aren't experiencing the cruel treatments that other Christians around the world are experiencing, so why think about their sufferings; we've got it easy here in America. But I would reply to this that just because we are not PRESENTLY experiencing those sufferings, this does not mean that we WON'T experience them at all. We must prepare our own hearts, because only God knows the future -- we do not. The unity of the Spirit is to be united in the Lo...

Lately, I have neglected to focus on the apologetics aspect of this blog. I promise that more is coming soon; I have a lot of ideas going through my head right now, but I just need to put them onto paper. I apologize if any of my readers have been waiting for more on this topic, and I thank you for your patience. In the meantime, I wanted to share a portion of an essay that I wrote on the Resurrection of Jesus (my favorite topic of discussion). ------------- In recent years, a popular theory has begun to gain acceptance by some skeptics of Christianity: extra terrestrials raised Jesus from the dead! This is in an effort to discredit a supernatural occurence and shift it to a natural one. Therefore, aliens resurrected Jesus! Sound credible? Well, here are a few things to think about: First, apparently the disciples did not think that aliens had done this. They knew the prophecies, and the Scriptures say that after Jesus was raised from the dead, they "remembered the Scripture"...

Wow! It's been a while since I wrote about the Story Challenge . The past few days, I've had some time to work on it, but I don't have a name for it yet. I hope it doesn't come across as too "spiritual" or too typical -- I do make the main character pray a lot, but that is one of the main themes of the story; it is an important aspect of my own life as well. Let me know what you think of it so far... ---------- It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. The first rays of sun shone through the window, awakening Natalie from her dreams. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she gazed out the window; what a beautiful scene she saw! It was going to be a good day. Natalie was a blond-haired blued-eyed girl about 5'3" with a vibrant personality. Her happy attitude seemed to be contagious to those around her, and she had a knack for making people feel better about themselves. After showering, she dressed in a black dress shirt and a matc...

I've been thinking a lot about the subject of surrender -- full and complete surrender to God, even if we are faced with death. I've been reading a number of books dealing with this subject. Did you know that every day, Christians are persecuted for their faith in Christ; yet they are "faithful unto death"? Among the many obsticales that they face daily, they must also be prepared to die, if necessary; sometimes, the pressures can be too much, and they wonder, "Is this the end?" Yet, they are so passionate about sharing Christ's love. They can't stop; people need them -- people need to hear the Gospel. Their stories are truly a challenge to those of us who live in comfortable, complacent America; we hardly face any persecution, so we really can't relate to such a commitment to Christ. Yet, the thought keeps nagging me, "What would you do if you were in there place? What does God want you to do for Him in this nation, as these Christians do ...

Ever had one of those days when there is just SOOO much to do? This week has been rather crazy for me; with a deadline coming up, today found me running around in circles in a frenzy -- How was I going to get all of this done? Sometimes, there seems to be no end to the problems. I know what you're thinking... we've all had those days, haven't we? Often, when this happens, it is easy to lose sight of God and focus "me" and "my" problems. So after my "escapade," I was all stressed out, BUT everything went well; I made it through (and yes, that means I will have more blogging time , I hope)! At the end of the day, I found myself thanking God; I found myself thinking that, although I messed up, God is so merciful to help me. I was reminded of this verse, so I wanted to offer it as an encouragement... 2 Timothy 2:10-13 "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus w...

Some write their wrongs in marble: He more just, Stoop’d down serene and wrote them in the dust,— Trod under foot, the sport of every wind, Swept from the earth and blotted from His mind. There, secret in the grave, He bade them lie, And grieved they could not ’scape the Almighty eye. ~ Samuel Madden (1687–1765), based on John 8:6-11

(I am posting this WFW early, so that I can continue work on my list... :D ) Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. This week's WFW is about never stumbling as we walk the narrow way. The passage above makes it clear that the way is difficult; therefore, we may stumble sometimes. However, the Bible tells us that if we stumble, the Lord will be there to catch and to keep us up. But, as impossible as it may seem, it is possible to never stumble, as we will see in the summary Scripture. This is supported by Jesus' admonition to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (and we have touched on this in previous WFW). This week, I wanted to focus on the Lord's catching us when we stumble, as this is so encouraging to remember during the hard times. You'll notic...

I have been extremely busy... I have a lot on my plate right now, so while I do have the occasional "extra" time, I haven't been able to spend it on getting any posts ready. I apologize to everyone who has been anticipating what I have to say (or lack thereof :D). I expect that I will be back to regular blogging within a few weeks, but I just wanted to let you all know what I've been up to. In the meantime, whenever I get the chance, I'll try to post something. (I will still be posting the WFWs, and I'll try to keep up with my own meme as well.) Thank you for your patience, and I would appreciate your prayers. Happy New Year to everyone!