Lovin and Living

This is a place for me to just be me… (All content Copyrighted Yeve Eeffoc 2008-2015)

Archive for Religious

Involvement

September 23, 2014 at 11:56 AM · Filed under Life and tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


I have been thinking about this for a while. I have yet to really come up with a good conversation starter to be able to address it with my husband.

I am a Christian. I am a person who has a relationship with the Lord (sometimes it is stronger than others but I have one). I believe that in order to have a good grasp and to really be a part of the community you need to be involved with others who have like beliefs (this does not mean I am against those who do not believe the same as I do or that I do not spend time with those who do not have the same beliefs that I do).

I understand that Monkey’s need to be involved in activities and sports and building relationships and getting exercise and finding what they are good at in life. So why is it that sports are more important than going to church with the family and being able to participate in the youth groups that take place during the week or the weekend?

We belong to a church that believes in infant baptism and our Monkey’s are 6 and 3 and we still have not had them baptized (no criticism over what I am about to say please). We could get them baptized at any time. I just need to call up the church and set a date and time. Jack in the Box always asks me when we are going to do it and I just shrug my shoulders. It isn’t that I don’t believe in it. It isn’t that I want to wait until they can make their own choices. I have finally come to the conclusion that I have put it off because of Jack in the Box’s heart and that is wrong because baptism is about the relationship between Father and child. The problem though is that so many of us as adults base our relationship with the Father on our own relationship with our father and their involvement in our lives and the church. Jack in the Box isn’t really involved in church. He goes on Sundays maybe, if we are lucky 6 times a year. Now there are times when he is working and he can’t go but there are also those times when he chooses not to go and there are times he chooses to go to other activities on a Sunday morning instead (organized sport thing). This really bothers me. You want us to baptize the Monkey’s but you really don’t want to be involved with church. (and let me say I am praying over this because they need to be baptized)

So getting back to being involved I am struggling with the fact that Jack in the Box and 90% of the people out there put more importance on sports than church and church family and having that relationship with other believers. Are we not supposed to set ourselves apart from non-believers? Wouldn’t choosing youth group over sports be a way to do that?

I do believe that we are losing a lot our children to other things because we say it is okay. We allow them to participate in activities that take away from church relationships, a relationship with God and youth groups. This does not mean I believe they should not be involved in sports but I think we need to find sports who are willing to work with us on days they practice and play games.

For the community that I reside in I am really shocked that most programs do not take into consideration Wednesday night programs and Sunday programs. Our community is very religious (not that I agree with that term) but in this area it is. And I am especially disappointed in one group whose states, “Our mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.”. How is it possible to be putting Christian principles into practice if you are making it impossible for children to participate with their Christian communities?

What do you convey as important to your Monkey’s? Do you require them to put God and the relationship with Him before anything else? Or do you allow them to put other things before Him and their relationship with other Christians? 

This really has been a huge struggle for me. I want my Monkey’s to be involved in sports if they want to but I think they need to build their relationship with God and others Christians. God should always come first in your life and I want my Monkey’s to start making that choice at a young age because I truly believe it makes all the difference in their lives. And the only way this is going to happen is if we are showing them that God needs to come first, that we pursue God and our relationship with Him, that we attend church and we attend Bible study and we are involved as volunteers and whatever else God is calling us to do (If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15). 

I want to follow the Lord and what He has planned for us. Maybe that means that I stand up to my husband and make a statement that our children will not participate in sports on Wednesdays and Sundays. It may cause a huge rift in our marriage but I believe that God is more important that sports. I really believe that allowing my children to fall into the mentality that it is okay to be missing church and missing youth groups and missing that opportunity to create a good relationship with God is the wrong thing to do. I want my children to be set apart, I want others to see their Christian values and I want them to be Jesus with skin on and in order to do that there will be sacrifices that need to be made.

I wonder if there is a Christian sports group out there that doesn’t have practice on Wednesdays or games on Sundays? Hmmmm

 

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Christian Living

May 14, 2014 at 11:33 PM · Filed under Life and tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Do you know how to live the life of a Christian? Not do you know how to be a religious person. Not anything like that. Do you know what the Lord expects from you as someone who is a follower of Christ?

At church we have been talking about what it means. There are things that God does ask of us and if you have no clue where to start to find out a really good spot is here:

Ephesians 4:21-5:20
New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)
21 I’m sure you heard of him. I’m sure you were taught by him. What you learned was the truth about Jesus.
22 You were taught not to live the way you used to. You must get rid of your old way of life. That’s because it is polluted by longing for things that lead you down the wrong path.
23 You were taught to be made new in your thinking. 24 You were taught to start living a new life. It is created to be truly good and holy, just as God is.
25 So each of you must get rid of your lying. Speak the truth to your neighbor. We are all parts of one body.
26 Scripture says, “When you are angry, do not sin.” (Psalm 4:4) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.27 Don’t give the devil a chance.
28 Those who have been stealing must never steal again. Instead, they must work. They must do something useful with their own hands. Then they will have something to give to people in need.
29 Don’t let any evil talk come out of your mouths. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then what you say will help those who listen.
30 Do not make God’s Holy Spirit sad. He marked you with a seal for the day when God will set you completely free.
31 Get rid of all hard feelings, anger and rage. Stop all fighting and lying. Put away every form of hatred. 32 Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done.
5 You are the children that God dearly loves. So be just like him. 2 Lead a life of love, just as Christ did. He loved us. He gave himself up for us. He was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
3 There should not be even a hint of sexual sin among you. Don’t do anything unclean. And do not always want more and more. Things like that are not what God’s holy people should do.
4 There must not be any unclean speech or foolish talk or dirty jokes. All of them are out of place. Instead, you should give thanks.
5 Here is what you can be sure of. Those who give themselves over to sexual sins are lost. So are people whose lives are not pure. The same is true of those who always want more and more. People who do those things might as well worship statues of gods. No one who does them will receive a share in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Don’t let anyone fool you with words that don’t mean anything. Because of things like that, God is angry with those who don’t obey. 7 So don’t go along with people like that.
8 At one time you were in the dark. But now you are in the light because of what the Lord has done. Live like children of the light. 9 The light produces what is completely good, right and true. 10 Find out what pleases the Lord.
11 Have nothing to do with the acts of darkness. They don’t produce anything good. Show what they are really like. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what people who don’t obey do in secret.
13 But everything the light shines on can be seen. 14 Light makes everything clear. That is why it is said,

“Wake up, sleeper.
    Rise from the dead.
Then Christ will shine on you.”

15 So be very careful how you live. Do not live like people who aren’t wise. Live like people who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity. The days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish. Instead, understand what the Lord wants.
18 Don’t fill yourself up with wine. Getting drunk will lead to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
19 Speak to each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything. Give thanks to him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 

I am not perfect, I sin. I really need to work on me and being able to live a Christian life. I want a relationship with Christ but as long as I am knowingly sinning I can’t have the relationship I want with Him.

This isn’t the only thing that needs to be looked at when I am trying to live this life. There is also looking at the ten commandments, but that is for another day.

If you have ever wondered where to start to know and understand what it means to be a Christian and living for Christ; this is the perfect place to start!

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