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Thursday, February 14, 2008
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
kudos to the little sis...
this is all one big blog that my sister just posted...
i read it and i honestly don't think anyone could have said it better.
this is something that has been on my heart for SO long. and i feel like this is what the body of Christ needs RIGHT NOW.
so with no further adieu, here it is...
pedestal
yes...
I am about to be a major nerdy christian kid. I'm about to sound stupid to everyone, and contradict everything about "talking stupid christian talk" that I have ever said. But I realized today, if we don't talk stupid christian talk. Than nothing will ever get said. So here it is. Take it or leave it.
Before you read this understand I love church. It's great, it's needed and good. But I just want to say some things about it I have seen. Not because my parents say this. But because I have actually seen it for myself.
If you are going to pretend to be some great leader/pastor/example in the church, and in the world. Live a life that is about God and not about yourself.
If your relationship is less about you and more about going to church and being involved at church. You are missing something huge.
Church is not God. Church has nothing to do with your personal relationship with God. Church was meant to be a place you can go to fellowship with other believers, praising God together, learning about God together, showing each other the words God has given you, praying over each other, helping each other grow in God. And absolutely not about the pastor, leadership, staff, band, or anything else. Yes, they all work hard. But if they are actually working for God, they wont care about how hard the work is. The only thing we should care about is the product of what they did for God. Yes, going to church is huge, and good. But this is all getting out of hand. Don't tell me that was what church was in Paul's days, the world has changed so has the church. Yes, the world has changed... Yes, the church has changed... but it wasn't supposed to. I'm sick of people saying "I'm a christian! I'm at church 3 times a week, and I help with kids church, and I'm on the band" or whatever. Blah blah blah. I don't want to hear about that. None of it matters in the end. What matters is how well do you know God, how often do you actually talk to him, and study the word, how often do you practice speaking and living the right way. I'm not saying being involved is bad AT ALL, it's great! Many people just let it become part of thier relationship with God, and thats not what it's about. We sing these songs at church, and you can look around and see who actually understands what it's saying beucase they have had a first hand experience with God's amazing love. You can tell who just memorized the song and who believes it because they involved are trained to.
Don't treat or expect anything more of the people that are leader's/pastors/examples in the church than you do of your unsaved friend. They are just people. Nothing more. Maybe they would deserve special treatment if they acted like the awesome people they think they are. I've heard it said that in public leaders are to do the "right" thing. But in private it is up to them to decide what is right, and what they want to do. No struggling, that's ridiculous... Ridiculous. If you have to hide what you are doing in private. You shouldn't be doing it. If you are worried about people thinking the wrong thing, don't do the thing that makes them think them. Stop thinking it's about you, your life, doing what you want, It's not about that, it's about showing people who are struggling that you can live a life of righteousness. I don't care if it's hard. Life's hard. And it's your fault it's hard because people who claim to be so "good" who go and do retarded things make it hard on everyone else If they don't suck it up and live right. Self righterighteousnessousness... thinking you are God's gift to the earth and everyone on it and then not only acting like everyone else, but also making/expecting the people you are supposed to be leading to cover for you. I'm sick of it.
one last thing...
Although probably no one remembers/didn't mean anything by it. There was quite a time when I was lucky to get to go to church once a month because of volleyball. And I know that still I haven't been able to do alot of things because I have a volleyball stuff alit. And everyone gives me a hard time about it which is fine. But I hit a point of overload. I would come home from youth for a while in tears because everyone had been giving me such a hard time about missing "You are choosing volleyball over God!" "You heathen!" and I understand most of it was all a joke. But I know alot of people don't "approve" of my not going alot because of volleyball. But thats what I'm doing right now. It doesn't matter if you think it's right. I've talked to God about it. We are great friends. He says it's cool. Thats where I'm at, and I know it's right because I have never been closer to God. I never have chosen volleyball over God. I have chosen volleyball over church, but guess what?..... church isn't God. And as long as I have a good relationship with God, I'm ok. I'm not mad, and this is really is stupid and no big deal. But I just needed to not hold little grudges against anyone anymore. I needed to be truthful and say that it bothered me more than I thought something like that could. Because I felt like my relationship with God was being attacked.
That will be all.
I can only think of 3 people who will actually read this whole thing.
I'm not sorry if it offended you, because if it did, you needed to hear it.
This is not judging anyone.
Just me, talking about what I've seen and learned about church over the last few years.
change it coming...
Get over it.
i read it and i honestly don't think anyone could have said it better.
this is something that has been on my heart for SO long. and i feel like this is what the body of Christ needs RIGHT NOW.
so with no further adieu, here it is...
pedestal
yes...
I am about to be a major nerdy christian kid. I'm about to sound stupid to everyone, and contradict everything about "talking stupid christian talk" that I have ever said. But I realized today, if we don't talk stupid christian talk. Than nothing will ever get said. So here it is. Take it or leave it.
Before you read this understand I love church. It's great, it's needed and good. But I just want to say some things about it I have seen. Not because my parents say this. But because I have actually seen it for myself.
If you are going to pretend to be some great leader/pastor/example in the church, and in the world. Live a life that is about God and not about yourself.
If your relationship is less about you and more about going to church and being involved at church. You are missing something huge.
Church is not God. Church has nothing to do with your personal relationship with God. Church was meant to be a place you can go to fellowship with other believers, praising God together, learning about God together, showing each other the words God has given you, praying over each other, helping each other grow in God. And absolutely not about the pastor, leadership, staff, band, or anything else. Yes, they all work hard. But if they are actually working for God, they wont care about how hard the work is. The only thing we should care about is the product of what they did for God. Yes, going to church is huge, and good. But this is all getting out of hand. Don't tell me that was what church was in Paul's days, the world has changed so has the church. Yes, the world has changed... Yes, the church has changed... but it wasn't supposed to. I'm sick of people saying "I'm a christian! I'm at church 3 times a week, and I help with kids church, and I'm on the band" or whatever. Blah blah blah. I don't want to hear about that. None of it matters in the end. What matters is how well do you know God, how often do you actually talk to him, and study the word, how often do you practice speaking and living the right way. I'm not saying being involved is bad AT ALL, it's great! Many people just let it become part of thier relationship with God, and thats not what it's about. We sing these songs at church, and you can look around and see who actually understands what it's saying beucase they have had a first hand experience with God's amazing love. You can tell who just memorized the song and who believes it because they involved are trained to.
Don't treat or expect anything more of the people that are leader's/pastors/examples in the church than you do of your unsaved friend. They are just people. Nothing more. Maybe they would deserve special treatment if they acted like the awesome people they think they are. I've heard it said that in public leaders are to do the "right" thing. But in private it is up to them to decide what is right, and what they want to do. No struggling, that's ridiculous... Ridiculous. If you have to hide what you are doing in private. You shouldn't be doing it. If you are worried about people thinking the wrong thing, don't do the thing that makes them think them. Stop thinking it's about you, your life, doing what you want, It's not about that, it's about showing people who are struggling that you can live a life of righteousness. I don't care if it's hard. Life's hard. And it's your fault it's hard because people who claim to be so "good" who go and do retarded things make it hard on everyone else If they don't suck it up and live right. Self righterighteousnessousness... thinking you are God's gift to the earth and everyone on it and then not only acting like everyone else, but also making/expecting the people you are supposed to be leading to cover for you. I'm sick of it.
one last thing...
Although probably no one remembers/didn't mean anything by it. There was quite a time when I was lucky to get to go to church once a month because of volleyball. And I know that still I haven't been able to do alot of things because I have a volleyball stuff alit. And everyone gives me a hard time about it which is fine. But I hit a point of overload. I would come home from youth for a while in tears because everyone had been giving me such a hard time about missing "You are choosing volleyball over God!" "You heathen!" and I understand most of it was all a joke. But I know alot of people don't "approve" of my not going alot because of volleyball. But thats what I'm doing right now. It doesn't matter if you think it's right. I've talked to God about it. We are great friends. He says it's cool. Thats where I'm at, and I know it's right because I have never been closer to God. I never have chosen volleyball over God. I have chosen volleyball over church, but guess what?..... church isn't God. And as long as I have a good relationship with God, I'm ok. I'm not mad, and this is really is stupid and no big deal. But I just needed to not hold little grudges against anyone anymore. I needed to be truthful and say that it bothered me more than I thought something like that could. Because I felt like my relationship with God was being attacked.
That will be all.
I can only think of 3 people who will actually read this whole thing.
I'm not sorry if it offended you, because if it did, you needed to hear it.
This is not judging anyone.
Just me, talking about what I've seen and learned about church over the last few years.
change it coming...
Get over it.
a few small words to the hypocrite
you know, i am really tired of all of those self-righteous "christians" who are constantly judging people and claim that they're living right all the time.
you don't ever take the time to stop and think that maybe everyone you're condemning hasn't come to the same level of GRAND SPIRITUALITY that you "seem" to have achieved.
i still have yet to see ANY of you without sin.
why are you so quick to throw the stones...?
you haven't accomplished anything except chase away all of the true thinkers.
the people who don't follow the crowd...
the people who think on their own...
the people who look at "christianity" as a whole and see all of the judgmental hypocrites and wonder why anyone would want any part in what we have.
you're making the rest of us look bad.
we're the ones who catch your flank...
we're the ones who have to do all of the apologizing for your ignorance...
look at famous historical icons like mahatma gandhi.
he said, "i would have become a christian, if it were not for christians..."
not only do you chase away the lost more often than not, but you make the rest of us question the validity of our faith.
at times your hypocrisy even hinders our own relationship with God because we wonder if we will come to where you are.
i've had people tell me that they don't want anything to do with christianity because it seems to have so much to do with propaganda and hidden agendas.
i'm telling you, we shouldn't be reaching out to the lost because we want to make room for another stone in our crown or a pat on the back from your pastor or whatever.
our reason for spreading the Gospel isn't just to get people saved...
we are supposed to tell people about Jesus because we're excited about what He did/has done for us...
because we love Him...
because He loves us...
when did christianity become nothing but a belief system?
when did everyone lose sight of the fact that being a christian actually means being Christ like?
when did we get to the point of being lemmings?
we all have started to blindly follow the person in front of us. trusting that they know what they're doing, we tend to follow the leadership with no questions asked.
that is a dangerous place to be...
you people with your agendas and religious fundamentalism really need to start looking at things in perspective.
what separates you from the pharisees? absolutely nothing...
you're always questioning the independent thinkers... the revolutionaries...
you need to start thinking on YOUR own and quit doing everything people tell you to do because they say it's the right thing. even if they are "above" you.
maybe they're wrong...
did you think about that?
maybe it's okay to question authority...
maybe it's okay to question what you are "supposed" to do...
maybe it's okay to question why you believe what you believe or do what you do...
maybe it's okay to rebel once in a while...
and don't tell me that i'm wrong to think this way because Jesus was a rebel.
He rebelled against the pharisees.
He was a revolutionary.
just like the founding fathers of our beautiful country.
they were a group of people who began thinking on their own.
they were fed up with their government telling them how to worship the "right way."
so, they decided to become independent from the stale religiosity.
i just want to say this to anyone who identifies with who i'm talking to:
for the sake of the rest of the world get over yourselves and quit being so judgmental... i'm sick of it.
and for you who have been hurt by "christians," i apologize for the ignorance and foolishness of the people who claim to be Christ like.
they do not represent the same Christ that i know and love...
you don't ever take the time to stop and think that maybe everyone you're condemning hasn't come to the same level of GRAND SPIRITUALITY that you "seem" to have achieved.
i still have yet to see ANY of you without sin.
why are you so quick to throw the stones...?
you haven't accomplished anything except chase away all of the true thinkers.
the people who don't follow the crowd...
the people who think on their own...
the people who look at "christianity" as a whole and see all of the judgmental hypocrites and wonder why anyone would want any part in what we have.
you're making the rest of us look bad.
we're the ones who catch your flank...
we're the ones who have to do all of the apologizing for your ignorance...
look at famous historical icons like mahatma gandhi.
he said, "i would have become a christian, if it were not for christians..."
not only do you chase away the lost more often than not, but you make the rest of us question the validity of our faith.
at times your hypocrisy even hinders our own relationship with God because we wonder if we will come to where you are.
i've had people tell me that they don't want anything to do with christianity because it seems to have so much to do with propaganda and hidden agendas.
i'm telling you, we shouldn't be reaching out to the lost because we want to make room for another stone in our crown or a pat on the back from your pastor or whatever.
our reason for spreading the Gospel isn't just to get people saved...
we are supposed to tell people about Jesus because we're excited about what He did/has done for us...
because we love Him...
because He loves us...
when did christianity become nothing but a belief system?
when did everyone lose sight of the fact that being a christian actually means being Christ like?
when did we get to the point of being lemmings?
we all have started to blindly follow the person in front of us. trusting that they know what they're doing, we tend to follow the leadership with no questions asked.
that is a dangerous place to be...
you people with your agendas and religious fundamentalism really need to start looking at things in perspective.
what separates you from the pharisees? absolutely nothing...
you're always questioning the independent thinkers... the revolutionaries...
you need to start thinking on YOUR own and quit doing everything people tell you to do because they say it's the right thing. even if they are "above" you.
maybe they're wrong...
did you think about that?
maybe it's okay to question authority...
maybe it's okay to question what you are "supposed" to do...
maybe it's okay to question why you believe what you believe or do what you do...
maybe it's okay to rebel once in a while...
and don't tell me that i'm wrong to think this way because Jesus was a rebel.
He rebelled against the pharisees.
He was a revolutionary.
just like the founding fathers of our beautiful country.
they were a group of people who began thinking on their own.
they were fed up with their government telling them how to worship the "right way."
so, they decided to become independent from the stale religiosity.
i just want to say this to anyone who identifies with who i'm talking to:
for the sake of the rest of the world get over yourselves and quit being so judgmental... i'm sick of it.
and for you who have been hurt by "christians," i apologize for the ignorance and foolishness of the people who claim to be Christ like.
they do not represent the same Christ that i know and love...
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