The Christian Walk

"Idols always break the hearts of their worshippers." C.S Lewis We live in a big world full of temptation, pleasures, power, prestige, and we engage in things that we think will bring satisfaction. It can be difficult being a Christian in this world because of all these things that contaminate and lure us. There is a constant pull for our attention, time, and resources. Before we know it we are living our lives without considering God. We work extra hard because its so competitive and we want to keep our job, we do things to fit in with this worldly system. Its demanding and it never has enough of us. Before we know it were serving something other than God. Then we begin to worry about our health, our job, our relationships, and our finances because we know that deep down we are not honoring God with any of it. In the story in the book of Judges the Israelites were terrified of the Midianites because these people had their own god's, they stole from the Israelites...

Most of us have a job doing something- it may be staying at home to raise a child, maybe caregiver of aging parents or maybe you have a job outside the home. Whatever the case is- you know what your duties are. Most of the time we know what others expect from us, we know what we have to do to get the job done. So what about our duty or role as Christians? There are many things in the Bible that help to guide us in the way that we are to live but what does this look like everyday? Its a very broad concept that can be difficult to define. So maybe your going down your list and check off prayer, bible study, loving your neighbor, tithing, helping the poor, using your gift, sharing the gospel, etc. these are all good things that we are commanded in scripture to do. The interesting thing is that there was a man who kept all the commandments but he still lacked something. Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22) 16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teach...

I just finished a major final in psychopharmacology- it took hours and lots of research. My teacher went over the final after we had all turned it in and I discovered that I answered several of the questions wrong. You see psychopharmacology is all about medications, side effects, the client and the medications impact on the clients age, metabolism, disorder etc.. anyway It is a real learning experience and process. I don't think that I killed my simulated client but I may have suggested a prescription that is not FDA approved for his age! I began to have that feeling of dread and what my grade was going to look like but then I began to think about the character of my teacher and what kind of person he is. He would often tell us stories about his life sometimes to make a point and sometimes just to share. Anyway he had shared that his wife had a really rough childhood that included being molested by her brother. She eventually went to therapy for her past but this brought up lo...

Have you ever talked yourself out of a career, a relationship, a job or something else because you thought that you didn't have the ability to make it work or you were too scared to take that chance?  Guess what? You don't have the ability to make it work! But with God all things are possible. God wants to work through you, to give you the strength, and everything that you need to serve Him. Doubting God starts out really slow- something happens. For example your driving down a road and you start to hear a noise coming from the engine of your car. Your mind races at the thought that maybe your beat up old car has had it and its going to blow up at any moment. Then you try to figure out how your going to afford another car, the higher insurance, and how your even going to qualify for a loan. Then your mind races to the thought that you can't qualify for a loan because your credit is shot because that foreclosure that went through last year. Then you realize that i...

Sometimes we lose sight of what we are supposed to be doing as Christians. Many of us have been Christians for a long time and we understand the basic commands to pray, love your neighbor, share the gospel, minister to others, etc.. But for whatever reason we lose sight of these things, maybe we get burned out, or tired. You fill in the blank. But when we stop caring for others, and ministering to others, our hearts become "spiritually dull" meaning that we become lazy, and dimwitted. (stupid!) Hebrews 5:11 NLT When someone needs help we don't notice, when someone is hurting we don't respond, when someone needs prayer we don't know it, our ears and eyes are not tuned into the spiritual things of God. It's like this; What good is it dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "good-bye and h...

Many Christians don't like to think that they should fear God, after all he calls us his children, he loved us so much that he sent his own son to come down and be a sacrifice for us. God is love, but our God is beyond what we can even imagine. He created the universe. Recently astronomers found another planet. They say that its temperature is 72 degrees year round and that it looks mostly like water. They also said that if we were to travel there it would take 22 million years to get there! Its hard to comprehend the vastness of our solar system and it only gives us a glimmer of how big our God is. However, knowing this gives us a sense of awe for our creator. This morning I was reading the Bible Bus and the passage was about Abraham and how God told him to; "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Genesis 22:2 God was testing Ab...

Prayer is a key component to the growth of a Christian. It connects us to God and strengthens our faith. God cares about even the smallest detail of our lives. I used to think that it was silly to ask for little things but he cares about even the smallest things. One day I was coming home from a long day and I realized that I forgot my gate remote to open the gate to get into our condo complex. When this happens I usually have to get out of the car and call my husband’s cell phone to open the gate. Sometimes he doesn’t answer and I could be stuck out there for ten minutes. I said, “Lord please let the gate be open when I get home, I’m so tired and I don’t want to get out of the car and wait, I know it’s a silly prayer but I just need this little thing.” I got to the gate and someone from the other side was sitting on the curb with her remote control aimed at the gate and opening it! I couldn’t believe it. (This never, ever happens) I got out of my car and she came up to m...

Every year I go through my inbox and clean it out about this time before the next year begins. I look over all the emails that I received over the year and it gave me an opportunity to reflect on the past. This past year was full of some surprising events in my life. The loss of a friend, the marriage of my daughter, the completion of another semester of school, new acquaintances, and seeing God's provision through it all. We never know what to expect do we? We don't know what is around the next corner. It seems that the longer we live more difficult life can become. We suffer and we see family and friends suffer through illness, death, loss of job, or divorce. Everyone is affected. It is usually during these rough times that we look for consolation, escape, hope, and security. Some people find their security in man or a person, some find escape at the bar, some find it in false religions, and yes some think that they find direction in going to a fortune teller! Look around...

How is everyone doing? I know for me its been a really rough month. Being a graduate student is rough- taking 12 units is even tougher! Then just navigating through life and all the stuff that happens can leave feelings of discouragement. I found myself in that place called the pit. I began to ask myself how I was going to get all the stuff done that I needed to get done and I began to feel overwhelmed and resentful because of the stuff that I had to do when I would rather be doing other things. I was grumbling in my heart, irritable and crabby. Then I read about complaining and how God is not pleased when we complain about anything. God had told the Israelites to enter into the promised land and they heard the report from the scouts that the people of the land were like giants and that they couldn't possibly defeat them. They doubted God and His word.  32 “But even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, 33 who goes before you looking for the best places to...

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails . Psalm 111:2-3, NLT Have you ever been scared when your in bed, its about three in the morning and you hear the sound of thunder? Has it ever woke you up? I've been scared by nature. I love the seasons and rain, thunder, and lightening. If you have ever been to the beach you can understand the power of the roaring waves, the sheer forces of the ocean are incredible. Or maybe you live where there's tornado's? I lived in southern CA during the 80's and there were always earthquakes- that was scary! Yet we see the glory of God in all these things. " The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea ." Psalm 29:2-4 God uses nature to show his glory. "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. ...

On November 3, 2011 I lost a dear friend. She took her life. I had known her since 1986, we were freshman's in high school. She sat in front of me in typing class. I immediately liked her because she was carefree, feisty, and fun to be around. We used to go surfing at the beach together. We got married about the same time and started having kids at the same time. She moved away, then I moved away but we always kept in touch. This past year we both ended up in the same place we started so I was able to reconnect with her. I saw first hand the pain that she was in. She suffered for twenty years from depression, OCD, anorexia, and other things. Then four years ago she and her husband divorced and she lost custody of her children. She was heartbroken and very wounded. No matter what anyone said or did, or what she did, that pain would never go away. There were times that I was upset with her because I could only stand by and watch her self destruct. This wasn't the first time ...

The question begins with: Suppose you went to bed tonight and while you were sleeping a miracle happened and you woke up and you didn't know that a miracle happened but things were different. All the problems that you had the day before are now gone. What would be some things that you notice are different? With your relationships? Job? Friends? Family? Finances? You fill in the blank. Use your imagination! (SFBT, de Shazer, S., Berg, K.) Think of it this way; what do you want in life? I like this question because it helps us to think about our dreams, goals, and problems in a different way and it challenges us to stop just existing in life, but to move forward with a purpose. Then focus is on what is working in your life and do more of these things. Miracles happen everyday- God turns sorrow into joy, despair into hope, war into peace, hate into love, Psalm 147:3 says; "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (NIV)He does! What ever place that you...

Do you ever find yourself wondering what direction to take, job to take, car to buy, words to say to someone? Sometimes its easy but other times it can be difficult. Here are some things to consider; 1. Does the decision honor God? 2. Does it allign with scripture? Does it offend? Is it done in humility? Does it give God the credit? Is it done honestly? Is there compromise? Is it obedient? Did you pray about it? Did you seek counsel?  Isaiah 48:17-18 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river,.. We can be sure that we will have peace with a decision that is made with integrity! It may not be the popular choice but at least we know that we can sleep at night! 3. What are the circumstances ? Many times God will close a door to get you to move in a different direction. ...

God is always at work in the life of a believer, we just don't always see it. I would like to say that God puts opportunities in our path every day. Those situations, circumstances, people, that we stumble upon in our daily walk are opportunities for us to be used by God. Maybe its to give someone an encouraging word, or to share the gospel, or provide a need, or pray, love on, or correct a situation. We don't always know what to do but we can be encouraged that God is faithful and he shows us through his Word how to act, what to act on, and the words that we need. Are we discerning? What does discernment mean?; Philippians 1:9-10 (ASV) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 10 so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ; 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Hebrews...

In class I was learning about "mindfulness" and how we need to be able to teach our clients to be in the present with a calm, clear mind.  People tend to live in the past (depression) or focus too much on the future (anxiety). God teaches us;  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow , for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble."(Matthew 6:34) There are several exercises we did that included a meditation exercise of focusing on the "breath." I know sounds kinda weird but It did help to relax and calm me. But I thought wouldn't it be even better If we focused on our real power and strength as Christians? So I wrote up a little prayer about the Holy Spirit and what he does. Take just two minutes to remember who is on the throne, who is in control, and trust in Him. Gentle spirit within Thank you for the peace you give- thank you for your presence. Your spirit resides within this temple So help m...

You know that feeling you get when you've made a decision that you're not quite sure about? The feeling of peace isn't there; its a feeling of unrest and unease. As Christians we are blessed with every spiritual blessing, we have Christ with us, we have knowledge, and His word to direct us, so what could possibly be the problem? The problem is that we are determined to do things our way because we don't always put our trust in doing things God's way. We think; wait, no, but,.... and look for our justification. When Moses was leading the people though the desert they began to complain because there was no water. So he went to God and asked him what to do. God told him this; The LORD said to Moses,  “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” Numbers 20:7-8 So what d...

Stigmatized; label as socially undesirable: to label somebody or something as socially unacceptable.  brand brand, slur, defame, mark out, pillory, denounce disparagement, vilification, scorn, depreciation, belittling, belittlement antonym: glorification I was just reading an article written by a doctor that discusses the fact that many people in society are stigmatized because society feels that if the person could have prevented misfortune, ensured better health, had financial success or power, then they should be to blame for their problems. If they just did all the right things- their life would be perfect- so somewhere along their path they did something wrong so ultimately they should be to blame. Right? Dr. Schwartz explains; Therefore, it becomes rather easy to move from blaming people for their circumstances to treating them with contempt. Contempt results in social rejection of people viewed as unworthy of being included in society. Among these people are homos...

 I was just watching the father of Miley Cyrus talk about how the show Hanna Montana ruined his family and his marriage. He refused to go to Miley's 18th birthday because it was at a bar. He said that she was wrong to do that. She is surrounded by the world and the world is going the opposite way that believers are. More often I am seeing Christians getting sucked in with the world. For what? Fame- power- money- pleasure-selfishness? The world is getting tougher to live in and God is purifying His Saints. We need to stick together and be ambassadors for him and not let the lines blur, but let us stand out to honor Him and show the world who he is. Effects of sin; It keeps us from being the people that God wants us to be. It keeps us in bondage. It separates us from God. It has devastating consequences. It deceives us. It destroys relationships. It ruins our credibility. It makes Christians look bad. It distorts reality. It has a life of its own. It controls us. It...

This is a love letter to us- from Jesus. This letter was from the women's Valentines Tea at Calvary Chapel of the Harbour. My Beloved, I am the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. I demonstrated My own love for you in this; While you were still sinners, I died for you. for great is My love, reaching to the heavens: My faithfulness reaches to the skies! I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with loving kindness. I am faithful to all my promises and loving toward all I have made. I uphold all those who fall and lift up all who are bowed down.. I am near to all who call on Me to all who call on Me in truth. I fulfill the desires of those who fear Me; I hear their cry and save them. I AM LOVE. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart. I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and ...

Just read this great little book about change. This is how the author describes it; "cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind. This is a story of four characters who live in a maze and look for the "cheese" to nourish them and make them happy." Spencer Johnson, M.D. Change is difficult because you never know what to expect and it takes some faith that God is going to provide the "cheese." In this book the characters find the cheese and its this huge stash, they like it so much that they move their homes closer to it. They invest their whole lives in this particular cheese. Then one day it runs out. Two of the characters move on to discover more cheese while the other two are left behind. These two "hem" and "haw" are frustrated and angry that the cheese is gone. Hem stews in self pity and resentment while haw decides...