OUR Life Challenge, Are you up for it?

This blog started as a requirement for my Advanced Composition class. As I come to the end of the semester and complete my final assignment, I want to be honest, bold, and provocative. Provocative in the sense that I hope to, by the end of this blog posting, challenge you, as my reader, as well as myself, to change the way we live.

I am a Christian. What does this mean? Is it simply a label? No, not at all, it defines me. I have recently come to understand that being a Christian is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that contradicts the norm. Society is so focused on life being about one’s self. Christianity is others-focused, putting others before one’s self. As you are reading this, you may be thinking, “Duh, I’m a Christian, too. I know what that means.” But do you? I mean, do you really know all that this encompasses?

This past semester I have observed an increasing number of students claiming to be Christians, but their actions and attitudes fail to support that claim. You may disagree, but the high school that I attended was and is still filled with people like this, and I was one of them. College brought about the same kind of people. It was not until I arrived at college and joined Campus Crusade for Christ that I fully understood what living the Christian life is all about. I may not understand every detail of this life, but I know that God comes first, others come second, and I come last.

Recently, I wrote a research paper on why people reject Christianity, and I found substantial evidence leading to one answer: society. Movies, television shows, magazines all center around one individual- ourselves. Many Christians get caught up in this and cause others to turn away from Christianity because non-Christians witness a person claiming to be Christian participating in the same worldly activities as non-Christians but simply label themselves as “Christian”. This is a major reason why people reject Christianity.

I am stating these facts for a reason. STOP! Stop participating in activities that the world says is acceptable and start living the way you know you should. I am including myself in this challenge. Even though we may not drink to get drunk, cuss, or partake in pre-marital sex, does not mean that we do not sin. Gossiping, lying, not doing what we know we ought to do are all sins. Not loving others the way we are called to love them, not caring for others more than ourselves are sins that we easily fall into. Society encourages us to do something other than the right thing, but if we realize this, find a group of friends who support us and believe the same way we do, and actually live this out, society will be changed.

This may sound impossible or just too difficult, but it really is not. We must meditate on the things above (Colossians 3:2) and spend our time with people who do this, too, and help those in need, present the Gospel to the Lost, learn to love others as Christ does. This is not something that will happen overnight; it will take time. We cannot be perfect here on Earth, but we can try, and then ask forgiveness when we fall short.

I am only concerned with the way my fellow Christian brothers and sisters and I are living because we know better. I do not want to continue living an idle life, as Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians. He writes in chapter 3 verse 15, “Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister,” referring to those who refuse to do good works but continue to believe the truth. I am here warning you and myself to stop living an idle life. Let us perform the good deeds that are laid out for us. Find patient endurance and peace in the Lord and live as we know we ought.

I challenge you to post your comments, concerns, or suggestions regarding the things I have proposed in this post. Let us keep each other accountable, let us change the world, not for ourselves, but for God. Besides, this is what we are called to do; we owe Him our everything because He gave His only Son so that we can spend eternity in Heaven.

That is our reward for living the Christian life the way it was meant to be lived. Is your eternity worth a little self-sacrifice? I believe it is.

I will end with Ephesians 4:1- “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”

Examine your beliefs and then examine your lifestyle. Are you living a life worthy of your calling?

The Risk of Public Speaking

I took Public Speaking this semester, and I was so nervous about my first speech! The thought of speaking in front of people freaks me out. When I talk, my voice sounds like I am about to cry, my hands shake, and my legs feel weak. This may sound cliche, but this actually happens to me. After I received the grade for my first speech, I was very displeased, mostly with myself. I asked my teacher if she had any tips for me, and she said public speaking is like taking a risk. This class is based on extemporaneous speaking which means we are allowed to have a few notecards with key words written on them. That is it! I am used to simply reading a paper I wrote, but notecards? So, for the first speech, I practically typed my whole speech and pasted it to notecards. Obviously, this is not what public speaking is all about.

After I spoke to my professor, I realized what she meant about public speaking being a risk. I have key ideas on a notecard, but I am not exactly sure what I am going to say when I get up in front of my peers. The thought of just "diving in," as my teacher stated, drives me crazy! I realize that is what I have to do; it is imperative that I keep my audience my main focus because if I am not engaging them with eye contact and an interesting topic, my speech has not accomplished anything.

Taking this risk is still hard for me to grasp, but I feel that I have improved over the course of this semester. My professor encouraged me to not be so hard on myself, and also, the rest of the class has no idea what I am going to say. If I say something that was unplanned, it is OK! No one knows! I like taking risks, but public speaking, to me, is almost equivalent to skydiving without being 100% sure I have a parachute strapped to me. This may sound crazy, but the thought of just getting up in front of people, not 100% sure of what I am going to say but diving in anyways, feels like diving out of an airplane. I hope I can one day overcome my fear of public speaking, but for now, I will attempt to enjoy the risk.

Fall Reflection

As I reflect on this Fall semester, I find that my top priority was to stay calm and keep things in perspective. My first semester was extremely stressful; it was hard for me to adjust to college life, leaving my mom, and experiencing new things on my own. This fall, I really tried to grasp Philippians 4:6 and the fact that I do not need to "worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." I think I succeeded at this because when I had a test or a ton of homework, I realized that I was not going to simply not study for a test or not complete an assignment. Everything was going to get done, and God helped me through each task.

My number one goal for the spring is to put forth a little more effort to make the grades I know I am capable of making. I am pleased with almost all of my grades so far this semester, but I feel that if I had put a little more time toward a specific class, I would have definitely made an A. Right now, I am not too sure if that is possible. I dislike looking back and thinking, "this class was easy, if I would have just done this or spent more time on this, I would have done better." I really do not like regretting anything; I like to try my best because then I should not be upset with myself for not giving all I have.

At the end of the spring semester, I want to look back and feel that I improved my study habits and skills. I need to use my time wisely and be diligent during the short "study" time I do have. For example, after a test day, I typically will not work on assignments or study for other classes that day. I like to rest for one day because I just studied a lot for a test. This is not being productive with my time. I want to look back after next semester and think, "wow, I really used the time God has given me extremely well."

New Courses for Next Semester

For the 2008 spring semester, I would like to take either New Testament or History of Christianity: Origins to the Reformation. I suppose I will have the chance to take both if I minor in Religious Studies.

New Testament Course Description:
This class teaches the history and philosophical concepts in the New Testament.

History of Christianity: Origins to the Reformation Course Description:
“History of Christian doctrine, ecclesiastical organization, and religious practice, origins through Reformation, with emphasis on religion and society; life and teachings of Jesus; apostolic church; patristic period; Christianization of Roman Empire and northern Europe; monasticism; medieval church; Gregorian reform; heresy; papal monarchy; schism and conciliarism; reformations of the sixteenth century.”

Because I am hoping to find a career in the ministry field, I feel that these courses will enlighten me and help me learn so much about the topics that will someday be my job. I will build on knowledge that I have gained from church sermons, Breakaway messages, Campus Crusade for Christ meetings, and from different trips such as Dallas Winter Conference and multiple church camps. I realize that these classes will not be anything like church, but I will be learning about the Bible and Christianity in a whole new way: the history of the New Testament and Christianity, concepts related to each, and religion. Many people who are not active Christians do not realize that Christianity is much more than religion; it is a lifestyle, a relationship with the one true God. They get bogged down by dos and don’ts and miss out on what being a Christian really is. It will be interesting to see how the professors approach these subjects.
I am hoping to minor in religious studies and theses classes will be the first of my 18 hours for my minor. Taking a class and learning about the Bible and Christianity will be extremely exciting for me. I am really looking forward to next semester!

"Godcasting"-new technology for churches

In the New York Times article "Missed Church? Download It to Your Ipod", Tania Ralli describes "godcasting" as podcasting used by churches. Pastors are now podcasting their sermons for people to download directly to their iPod. One pastor, Pastor Batterson "believes that podcasting will have an impact on the church as profound as that of the printing press when the first Bibles were printed in the 15th century." Downloading missed sermons is one benefit from using "godcasting", but listners can also hear a sermon more than once whenever they want.
Using new technology such as podcasts helps keep churches up-to-date with what society is interested in. Incorporating this allows thousands of listeners access to church sermons, religious music, and daily tidbits on life, work, family issues, and more. I believe churches and religious organizations ought to embrace 21st century technology and use it to attract a larger audience. Overall, "godcasting" can get the message of the Good News of the Gospel out to millions of people; definitely one thing worth downloading.

Campus Crusade for Christ Link

Campus Crusade for Christ


This site gives information about how to become a staff member for Campus Crusade for Christ. You can find out about staff job opportunities, download an application, and get help on discerning God's will. There is also a link on this page to the Campus Crusade for Christ homepage so you can learn more about this amazing organization.

Working for Him, priceless

I want to enter the ministry field as a professional. I have put some thought into working at a church with youth and being in charge of a women’s ministry directed toward young women. I would be helping adolescent girls grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I have also considered becoming a staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ; reaching out to college students and watching them come to know Christ is exhilarating for me! I really enjoy speaking to people and getting to know them one on one, and I feel that a Speech Communication degree will enhance my ability to speak and relate to others in relation to these career choices.
I figured that if I have to have a job, I might as well work for the Lord while I am here. I feel that He has done so much for me; the least that I can do is dedicate all that I am to Him, my career, my life, my everything. This is extremely exciting to me, and I am patiently anticipating what He has planned for my future.