I am currently reading a book by John MacArthur called The Truth About the Lordship of Christ.I don't agree with everything he has to say, but I find myself convicted about the degree I keep Him in His proper place in my life.

In the book, MacArthur states that real discipleship is "to be so utterly consumed with the cause that you have have no thought for your own life" (page 38).

That statement makes me a little sick to my stomach with the reminder that I fail at that every day.

And a comment like that usually brings out the people who say things like, "at least you're trying," or "no one is perfect."

But the thing is, it's not a bell curve.  My commitment to living out the gospel and furthering the kingdom is not rated as it compares to the people around me.  My commitment to the gospel is between Him and me.

And yes, I know that the gospel is not about the things that we do but our actions should be an outgrowth of our encounters with God and evidence of our daily relationship with Him.

When I am more committed to my Tuesday night TV show than stepping out in obedience to God, I have a problem.

When I am more committed to keeping up with my Facebook newsfeed than opening up my time to what He wants me to do, I have a problem.

When my plan for my life is to keep the status quo I have set for myself rather than moving in faith in what God has set up for me, I have a problem.


What does a life committed to furthering the kingdom look like?  What can you do today to come closer to that goal?

(This post includes an affiliate link.  I hope that you'll use it if you decide to purchase this book.)

Today an interesting thing happened.  Someone prayed for me.  At my job.

A woman came in and had me make several copies for her, and before she left, she said, "May God bless you."

That's not really unusual, especially for living in a very Christian area, but she kept going.

"May God bless you and keep you.
May God make His face shine upon you and show you His favor.
May God lift up His face toward you and give you shalom, which means wholeness and peace."

(paraphrased from Numbers 6:24-26)

When she finished the blessing from Numbers, I thought she was finished.

But she kept going.

She prayed several things, most of which I don't remember but sorely wish I could.  I do remember she prayed for long life and that the pain of the past would be removed and bring me to the present.

I was amazed at her boldness, but I was startled by her words.

Lately, I've been thinking about my tendency to dwell on the past.  Words thoughtlessly said, mistakes I've made.  I go back in my mind to specific events where my actions left much to be desired.  If only I had handled that conversation differently, or if I had acted in a way that showed my friends respect and concern when I acted selfishly instead.

In my reasonable mind, I consider that these events are likely long-forgotten, or at least long-forgiven, but time and again I come back in my mind, running them around in my head, tying to solve a puzzle that has no solution, because I can't go back.

The regret follows me.  Really, why did I do "that"?  Why did I say "that"?  And I wonder what these people must think today about what happened years ago.  Because certainly they are thinking about it.  Or rather, they're thinking about their own "why did I do 'that'" and are frankly not concerned about mine.

For months, I've been thinking about my tendency to do this, and I am hoping that, starting today, I can start putting these to rest.  It might take a few uncomfortable conversations, but I think for most of these regrets, it's going to simply take a change of thinking.  When a memory comes to mind, I do want to think through it, just long enough to really consider why I did act or speak in the manner I did and then use it a lesson to my current self to help me avoid future regrets, by responding to situations in a way that I will be pleased with myself once it is done instead of disappointed.



Has a stranger ever said anything to you or prayed things for you that you found timely and appropriate for your life?  Tell us about it if you feel comfortable.

In June of this year, the state of Texas passed what has been called the "Merry Christmas" bill.  This bill allows schools to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah," along with "Happy Holidays," so long as more than one religion or a religion and a secular symbol are represented.

The point of the bill was to allow schools to celebrate these winter holidays without having to resort to awkwardly renaming the Christmas tree - holiday tree - and the Christmas party - holiday party - and the like.  Instead, two (or more, I suppose) of these holidays will be acknowledged together.

In spite of the possible confusion of mixing holidays together, I certainly understand the idea behind it.  I don't find a lot of problems with this because I recognize a Christian's Jewish heritage in Hanukkah, and I recognize the historicity and cultural implications of both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, even though I personally do not celebrate either of them.

What I am less comfortable with is how far this idea can be taken.

In 2012, a privately-funded statue of the Ten Commandments was placed at the Oklahoma state capitol.  As a result, a satanic temple is now in the process of raising funds for their own monument to be placed nearby.  As far as I can tell, this hasn't been officially approved yet, but once they have collected the money they need, I have a hard time seeing how the government will be able to deny them.

Logically, I understand the thinking behind this, but I have a hard time with it nonetheless.

It reminds me of the time Paul spent in Athens in the book of Acts.  He explored the city before he spoke out at the Areopagus.  He saw the myriad of gods worshiped in Athens.  The people of the city were attempting to cover all their bases by erecting monuments (idols!) to every god they could think of and even one they couldn't think of - the unknown god.

I realize our current situation stems from a desire for fairness and equality rather than making sure every god is covered, but I fear the result will look the same.

I would love to hear any thoughts you have on the issue, so long as they are thoughtful and respectful.  I hope that after you comment you'll also use the sharing buttons below so that others can join the conversation.

This is a guest post written by Michelle is a blogger and freelancer who's written about almost every topic under the sun, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and industries while she’s writing. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

Photo: Angi English
The holiday season offers Christians plenty of opportunities to reach members of the community in loving and memorable ways. While some people might approach Christmas with no religious background, most of us who are Christians see the holiday as a celebration of our Savior’s birth.

It’s also important to remember that the holiday season often causes additional stress that could make people feel lost and uncertain of where to turn, especially if they don’t have faith in God to rely on during the hard times. Keep reading to get a few easy ideas of how to be a positive influence to others, whether they’re Christian or not.

Invite People to Your Holiday Events

If you’re planning on cooking a festive dinner or even just attending a candlelight service at your church, both of those situations are occasions where you could invite someone to join you. By extending an invitation in a warm and casual way, you’ll make it easier for someone to decline if he or she has other obligations, and you can also help someone feel relieved by having something to do instead of sitting at home alone.

Buy a Gift for Someone Who’s Struggling

There are many outreach campaigns that can help you improve the lives of people who are less fortunate, such as the local homeless population. However, think about doing something nice for someone who is a bit closer to you, such as a former coworker who was just laid off.

For example, you could buy car covers for a person if you overheard him or her proudly talking about having just bought a new vehicle prior to the disappointing job loss news. If you prefer to do your good deed anonymously, consider including a note that is also equipped with a strengthening Bible verse to help the person stay hopeful during the days ahead.

Host a Party for Community Children

Parents often find it difficult to keep youngsters occupied during the holiday season, especially if the little ones are out of school and there’s still shopping and other seasonal responsibilities to do. Think about organizing a kid-friendly event for your neighborhood. That’ll let parents breathe easily for a few hours without children in tow.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Matthew 9:12 deals with a situation in which the Pharisees were confused why Jesus characteristically chose to spend time with sinners. Jesus then said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Even as Christians, we might find ourselves becoming disconnected from the people that could most benefit from our background in faith. This often occurs as we spend a lot of time in church, but not enough interacting with people outside of it.

Whether you decide to visit with inmates who will be incarcerated during the holidays or perhaps spend some time brightening the days of people in the hospital, don’t be afraid to spend time in places that feel slightly uncharacteristic. You never know if something you say or do in those environments might encourage an unsaved person to ask you about how to accept Christ and receive eternal life.

These are just a few suggestions of how you can project the light of your faith to the people who may need it most. The holiday season means many things to different people. For Christians, there’s no better time to show the love of Christ through words and actions. Doing so may even encourage strangers to ask what’s different about us, presenting worthwhile chances to be witnesses every day. 

One of the first times my husband and I had a conversation was at morning break at our on-campus job.

He repeated the same sentence to me multiple times before I finally understood what he was saying.

My husband is from a small island in the Caribbean called Barbados. He has a strong accent, somewhat similar to a Jamaican accent. Over the years, I have grown to where I barely hear his accent, and I'm surprised when others have trouble understanding him.

From being around him, I've realized that in order to understand various accents, particularly foreign ones, we have to listen differently.

When we're listening to people with accents that we are used to, our brains get a little lazy. Listening becomes automatic, done with little thought. When it's time to listen to someone with an unfamiliar accent, it's difficult to turn that back on.

Understanding a heavy accent is almost like reading someone's sloppy handwriting or deciphering a code. You look for words you can understand and then use the shape of those letters to decipher the others. When listening to someone with an accent, listen for the words you can understand. Once you can understand a few words, use them to piece together the other words. It takes a litle time, but once you're used to listening more carefully, unlocking someone's accent will come more easily.

In the same way, listening to God comes by learning to listen differently. But instead of training your ears, you train your spirit.

One of the problems I've had with hearing God is that I try to focus with and listen with my ears, even though I'm not expecting an audible voice. Then I find myself hearing EVERYTHING -- the car passing by, the dog barking next door, the hot water heater kicking on, the clock ticking on the wall. My failure to listen with my spirit finds me hearing everything else instead of what I want to hear -- God's voice.

When you want to start hearing from God, ask Him to quiet your spirit, not the world around you. Ask Him to train your spirit to hear the words He is speaking.

In the same way that understanding accents comes piece by piece, each time you hear God speaking is an opportunity to learn His "accent" and be better able to hear Him next time.

Once again, I've been listening to sermons while at my day job, and I listened to another one last week that I am excited to share with you.  Jackina Stark was the grammar and composition professor at Ozark Christian College.  Even if you didn't like grammar or writing, her classes were always a lot of fun because of all the stories.  So I hope you'll watch this video to see what she had to say, both the funny and the serious.  If you'd rather just hear audio, you can CLICK HERE and then use your browser's "find" function to find Jackina's message.

I hope you enjoy!  If you do, I would love if you would use the share buttons at the bottom of this post to send this to Facebook or Twitter.  It just takes a moment to let your friends know you liked it.

This is a guest post written by Michelle is a blogger and freelancer who's written about almost every topic under the sun, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and industries while she’s writing. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

Although university classes have already been in session for a couple months, it’s not too late for Christians to find other college attendees who share their faith. If you’ve found yourself in the situation of needing more people to worship with; keep reading. 

Author C.S. Lewis, a devout Christian, was once quoted saying, “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” After trying some of the suggestions below, you may soon get to enjoy the benefit of which he spoke of in that sentiment. 

Get Involved with Campus Christian Organizations

Campus Crusade for Christ and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship are two organizations that operate on campuses throughout the world. Many hold weekly meetings that you can attend to see if the group is a good fit for you. Also, because both organizations often hold social events on the weekends, you may find it even easier to find like-minded people who are also looking for friendship.

Don’t Hide Your Faith

It can be hard enough to make friends in general, but almost impossible to locate other Christians if you’re hesitant to announce your own beliefs. That doesn’t mean trying to make new Christian friends by standing in the center of your university’s common area screaming about how people are bound for Hell if they don’t repent; but you can experiment with making your beliefs a bit more obvious to strangers.

Try wearing Christian-themed jewelry, like a cross or deciding to do your daily devotional sessions in a public place. If non-Christians see you minding your own business and reading the Bible, they’re likely to just leave you alone. However, studying the Word somewhere like a library could present an ideal opportunity for other Christians to find you and strike up a conversation. 

Talk About Your Beliefs 

 If you think about all the interactions you have during a given week, there’s a good chance there may have been an appropriate time to talk about your beliefs, even in ways that seem insignificant. For example, if you’re completing a work-study program and your boss asks you to call an asphalt products company to get a quote about replacing a part of the sidewalk, you may get an opportunity to talk about how the weather has been nice enough that you’ve been able to ride your bike to church instead of driving your car. 

Although that kind of daily exchange isn’t likely to leave you with a new close friend, it’ll get you used to bringing up your faith during the course of conversations you have with classmates or people who participate in extracurricular activities with you. Over time, that could help you make new friends, and more importantly, it’ll allow you to be a witness to non-believers.

Finally, it’s important to realize the common thread that ties all these suggestions together is the need to be approachable and the ability to interact with people who share your faith, as well as those who don’t. Before long, you should notice that with a little effort, it’s easier than you might think to expand your circle of Christian friends.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."

John 14:1-4  (NASB)


This passage gives us a great opportunity to find some perspective when it comes to the life we're each living.

If your life is hard:

Most of us struggle at some point,  but some of us struggle harder and longer than others.

Perhaps I’m naïve, but I know some of my friends will eventually come to God. Not because of me, but because Jesus wants them in His flock. All I can do is show them how to follow Him.

Michelle is a blogger and freelancer. She’s written about almost every topic under the sun, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and industries while she’s writing. In her spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.