My Opinion October 1, 2009

I was reading the posts on Facebook today.  There were several arguments going on, debates and such.  What I have to say won’t fit in the space that Facebook allows me, so I’m going to write it here.  Most people who know me would describe me as conservative.  But one of the things I’m learning about myself is that I really don’t fit under any one particular label.  When Conservatives are spoken of in the media, the most common word that pops into ones mind is “Republican”.  Ugh.  I dislike generalizations very much!  Christians probably aren’t going to like what I have to say.  My opinion runs contrary to mainstream Christian opinions.  But I am asking that you prayerfully consider the points I make.  

 

What does Christian mean?  For me, it has always meant a follower of Christ.  But I realize now, that many claim to be Christians but have no idea how to follow Christ.  They use the word Christian as a way to describe themselves as a relatively good person.  For the purpose of this post I will just describe myself as a Follower of Christ.  So one of the issues I had with the “discussions” I was reading on Facebook was the lack of love and respect for others.  Many of the comments were written by people that claim Christ.  Doesn’t God tell us that they (the world) will know us by our love?  Are we showing God’s love when we spew our anger and disgust all over anyone who doesn’t agree with us?  Are we even supposed to be involved in politics?  I won’t pretend to have the answers myself.  I’m not sure exactly what my position is on alot of the current issues.  I just want to air my thoughts and get some feedback. 

 

I struggle with the Christian right that encourages us to demand our rights and to push for legislation that aligns with our religious beliefs.  When we begin to legislate morality aren’t we removing people’s right to choose?  God gave us free will.  He doesn’t make us love Him.  He lets us choose whether we will follow Him or not.  I think abortion is a tragedy and it breaks my heart that it happens.  But outlawing it won’t stop the abortions.  What will end abortion is a change of heart in the people.  We become ineffective when we fail to love our enemies.  The Bible teaches us that we are to love those that hate us and to pray for those who persecute us.  (Matt. 5:44)  The Bible teaches us to turn the other cheek when a man strikes us, to go two miles when forced to go one and to give not only our tunic but our cloak to the one who demands it of us.  (Matt. 5:39-41)  In my reading of Scripture, I don’t see anywhere in the Bible that tells us we are to fight for our rights.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the privileges that have come from living in the United States.  I like that I can own a gun if I want, that I’m free to homeschool my children, free to send them to public school, free to worship without persecution.  But neither I nor any other Believer is promised or guaranteed these things.  In fact, we are told that the world will hate us because of Christ in us, that we will be persecuted and that we should expect to be persecuted because Christ was persecuted.  Is the student greater than the Master?  (Matt. 24:8-10, John 15:19-21, I Cor. 4:11-13)  What we are commanded to do is to love.  I didn’t come to Christ because He hated me.   It is by His Love that He drew me in.  How about you?  Did you come to Christ because He browbeat you and told you how stupid you were?  Of course not.  God gave His law to show us that we needed Him and then, because we were unable to be worthy on our own, He loved us enough to send His Son to be our atonement.  He loved us enough to make a way for us to be with Him. I believe that stealing is a sin, but I, through Christ am able to love a thief.  I believe that murder is wrong, but through Christ I can love a murderer.  I believe that adultery is wrong, but through Christ I can forgive an adulterer.  I believe that homosexuality is a sin, but through Christ I can love the homosexual.  There is a person that serves coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops that used to be a man.  God loves her, and so I ask God to let His love flow through me to her.    Christians!  We need to be reaching the hearts of the unsaved, the heart that is turned toward Christ will on its own begin to choose that which is pleasing to Christ.  We will not win anyone to the Lord by argument or debate.   The answer to society’s ills isn’t more rules that enforce Christian beliefs.  When we travel down that path we are in danger of being no different than the Taliban!  The answer is and always has been Christ.  When we choose Christ, we give up our right to ourselves and therefore are willing to lay our lives down for our enemies.  The love of Christ needs to flow out of us to be poured out upon those that are blinded to the truth.  Only when we are willing to lay down our lives, stop demanding our rights, and love those who hate us, that is when we will begin to see real change.

 

I don’t want anyone to think that I am unconcerned with the current events, I do see things that concern me about the path that our country is on.  I believe that things do need to change but I’m not sure I want the change that Obama promises.  It bothers me that so many people blindly adore the man.  But it bothered me that so many people blindly adored Bush.  I believe that our government is corrupt.  But it has been corrupt for a long time.  Our government lost its’ soul before Obama, before Bush, before Clinton, before the elder Bush.  The corruption cannot be laid at the feet of any one person.  I don’t know what it will take to fix our nation.  At the risk of sounding like a fatalist, I believe things will become much worse before they begin to get much better.  I really hope I’m wrong.

 

So if I don’t dive into the political discussions all around me, this is why.  This world is not my home.  I am an alien here, placed here for God’s will and purpose.  I pray with all of my heart that I will fulfill that purpose and that someday when He brings me home, I will hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  As always, I pray for each of you, that you will hear the call of God on your hearts and that He will use my limited ability to write to encourage each of you in your walk with Him.  I pray that we can all show the love of Christ in our speech, especially toward those who are unbelievers.

Crazy American Tourists September 10, 2009

Hello Everyone!

Well we decided, Monday night, to go to Paris. So we stayed up late and planned out our trip for seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. With much excitement we left the house at 8:00 am, hoping to make the four hour drive so we could be there by noon. First bump in the road, we didn’t actually get on the road until 9 am. Still, it was with much excitement that we crossed the border of Germany into Luxemburg (which is, by the way, the smallest country in the world), and then crossed the Luxemburg border into France. We were a little bummed that there were no checkpoints because that meant we didn’t get any other stamps in our passports. But, undeterred by this small disappointment we headed on to our goal: Paris! The countryside of France is beautiful and sprawling, fields and trees and small villages dotting the landscape. You could almost believe you were in the Midwest. (Can you tell I love my home?) Paris got closer and closer and the traffic, predictably, got heavier and heavier. This is where the adventure begins to turn less adventure and more survival. We quickly realized that the language barrier was going to be a little bigger of a deal than we had anticipated. We were not going to be able to decipher the french language. Other than following the word Paris, we were effectively illiterate. We took what we thought was the right exit off of the auto-route (like the autobahn but in french!) and promptly got lost in the congestion of drive-in-circles Paris streets. We quickly realized that we were going to have a very difficult time getting anywhere. We folded in the side mirrors on the car so as not to have them torn off by maniac truck drivers and motorcycles whizzing by inches away from our car. The realization that the only rule was “No blood, no foul” made us all a little panicky. It was decided that we would find somewhere to park so we could figure out where we were and if it was possible to get to the Eiffel tower from where we were. Great idea, but not a parking space to be found. We couldn’t read the signs even to find a parking garage. As luck would have it (God’s watch-care?) we stumbled upon a parking garage and entered it. Israel took a ticket and wedged ourselves into a parking space apparently made for electric cars and economy cars, not a Volvo station wagon. After we all calmed our shattered nerves, slowed our breathing and wiped our brows, we decided to look at the map we had bought earlier in the day. It was a map of France, but did not include a close up view of Paris. Our map was useless. We then decided to see if we could find a city map somewhere in the parking garage. We left the maze of a parking garage and as we are blinking in the sun, I turn around and see…. the Eiffel Tower! It looked like it was only a few miles away! I took a picture in the event that we would get no closer.

Alas, this was as close as we were to get to the Eiffel Tower.

After realizing that we were not going to be able to read the bus signs, we headed back to the parking garage to see what we could find there. The parking garage was actually the parking garage of the metro (subway) and the train station. We found a small shop and purchased a city map. As we look at and study the map, we realize that there is no way we will be seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre on this trip. Now for a bit of explanation. Paris is set up like a snail. Every intersection is a round-a-bout with about 5 choices of directions you can choose. There is no direct route anywhere.

The blue dot marks where we found ourselves

Yes, we could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance and figured it was only about 3 miles away, but we weren’t going to be able to drive directly there. After thinking about it, we decided that we would rather make it out of Paris alive than attempt to make it to see the sights. We made it out of Paris by the skin of our teeth (by the paint on the car?) and then decided that rather than stay over night in Rhiem like we had planned, we just wanted to get home.

Just some interesting information for all of you that we looked up once we were safely back at home. The population density in Sioux City, IA is 1,500 people per square mile. The population density in Paris, France is 65,000 people per square mile. Might explain the congestion we ran into, ya think? And then, for a little more comparison, the population density in New York, NY is 27,000 people per square mile.

We are leaving tomorrow morning for Verona, Italy so my next update will probably be from there.

On My Way August 30, 2009

I haven’t posted in so long.  I need to get better at this.    I want to get better at this.  My life is slowly coming back together and I’m sure that as it does I will find the time to post more often. 

 

I leave in just 3 days for Germany to spend 17 days with my sister and her family.  I’m going to get to see Europe!  I never really thought that I would have this opportunity and so just relegated it to the Dreams category in my mind.  Thanks to my unbelievably generous in-laws, I have a ticket and leave on Tuesday.  I’m so full of conflicting emotions.  I’m excited and then I feel guilty for being so excited.  I have never been away from my family for this long and it scares me.  And then, at the same time, I’m looking forward to having some time off.  But I also know that I’m going to miss them in the worst way.  And on and on it goes.  Right now, the primary emotion is anticipation.  I’ve started packing my bag (no checked luggage for me) and figuring out how I’m going to occupy many hours in airports.  I’m taking books, of course.

 

I’m going to try to post as I’m over there, and post pictures and stuff.  Don’t hold your breath though because I’m still not very good at remembering to do this. 

Miscellaneous thoughts – it’s busy in there! July 25, 2009

I’ve got lots of things on my mind lately.  They get so jumbled up sometimes that I think I need a thought traffic controller to help me organize them so I can actually think through them.

 

Probably the biggest thing that has been on my mind is my pending trip to visit my sister in Germany.  I have stressed over this trip so much.  I want to go so bad and for a while it was looking like it might not happen but Praise God! I’ve got a ticket, a confirmation number even.  So, I will be heading to Germany for 2 weeks in September.  I’m crazy excited!  Mostly because I miss my sis so much, I haven’t seen her in a whole year!  But I get to see some of Europe!  That’s pretty amazing for me.  I never thought I would ever get to visit another country.  I’ve always wanted to but figured it would never happen.  I’m a little nervous leaving my family.  I know that Neil is going to do an amazing job with the kids and I have really terrific family and friends that are going to help watch the kids while Neil is at work.  But I’ve never been away from them for such a long time.  On the other hand, I can’t help but be kind of excited about not having to worry about anyone other than myself.  I’m going to take several books and puzzles with me, maybe some knitting.  I’m looking forward to this adventure!

 

Another thing floating around in my mind is a struggle that has been building for some time but not real sure if it is going to actually go anywhere.  I’m struggling big time with organized religion.  I love my Lord with all of my heart but I’m so tired of Church the Organization.  I want to be more of a part of Church the Organism.  It’s sad, I think, when I get more out of chatting with godly friends than I get out of service on Sunday.  I’m tired of the “everything’s perfect” mask that people tend to wear at church.  We are supposed to be vulnerable with each other and build each other up.  If we are honest with ourselves and others, there is alot going on in our lives.  Each one of us struggles with sin issues and just life issues.  But we are too afraid of people thinking badly of us to open up and be real with each other.  And that isn’t to say that there shouldn’t be a basic routine or schedule that we follow because God does tell us to be orderly in our worship.  But I want people to feel comfortable rebuking me for my sin if need be.  And there is need for that sometimes.  I want people to challenge me in the way I think of things.  We know a couple that is just amazing in their faith and trust in the Lord.  And God is evident in EVERY aspect of their lives and its natural.  It’s not a forced thing it just flows out of the love for Christ that they have in their hearts.  It blesses me so much to spend time with them and know that if I am in a sin or exhibiting a sinful behaviour or attitude they will gently and lovingly and with scripture, rebuke me.  Our church is trying to become an official Evangelical Church.  Which means there is all sorts of red tape and hoops to jump through in order for that to happen.  I think it is important to know where we stand doctrinally and to be sure of our convictions but there also comes a point in time that I feel we are just seeking to be legitimized by men, when all we really need is the legitimization of God.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who may disagree with me.  I may be wrong, these are just some of the thoughts that keep me up at night.

 

Another subject swimming around in my brain is homeschooling and scheduling.  I have my work cut out for me.  We used to have a really good schedule set up and it worked great.  Then we got off track when I went to school and started working.  Now I have to get a new schedule figured out so I can successfully homeschool my children.  I need to get my household in order because, frankly, its a disaster.  My kids are undisciplined, I’m undisciplined and it shows in everything we do.

 

Unfinished projects around the house.  I have a closet that needs painted and shelves installed.  A bathroom that desperately needs remodeling, a kitchen that needs redone, flooring that needs to be put in, stairs that need carpeted and the list just goes on and on.  Sewing projects, knitting projects, organizational things that need done.

 

Need to be exercising on a regular basis.  I hate exercise.  Hate sweating.  But I want and need to be healthy, if not for me then for my husband and kids.

 

Need to be less lazy and more disciplined in the use of my time.  I waste so much time, its really sad.

 

Need to remember to make an appointment at the doctor, perhaps schedule a mammogram.  Keep forgetting (procrastinating?). 

 

Welcome to the chaos that is my mind.

I went skydiving! July 6, 2009

Wow!  You want life changing?  Try jumping out of an airplane at 15,000 feet.  I want to do it again but given the inherent danger involved, I figure that is a hobby I’ll need to wait to pursue.  Neil was very clear that he doesn’t want to be left with four children to raise by himself.    We went to Las Vegas for about 5 days in March and we had so much fun.  It was a trip full of firsts.  My first time in an airplane, my first time in Las Vegas, first time taking a taxi and my first time skydiving.  It was so good for both of us to get to just hang out and really spend some quality time with each other without children.  We stayed at Mandalay Bay.  Very nice resort.  Probably the closest to being “family friendly”  if there is such a thing in Vegas.  We probably won’t go back.  It was neat but not so great as to make another trip.

 

I just found this in my drafts pile.  So I don’t remember what I had planned on writing but figured I ought to post it with some pics. 

 

What a view!

Mandalay Bay

Neil & I with Mandalay Bay in the background.

Neil & I out on the town!

And I just tried to load our skydiving videos but it wouldn’t let me.  So if I get that figured out, I’ll post them.

 

This trip made me realize two things.  The first and probably the most important one is that I’m tired of being a spectator in life.  I watch other people do things and have adventures and I, up until now, have sat in the sidelines.  I want my own adventures.  I want to embrace life and all it has to offer, good and bad.  The second thing was that in order to live my life to the fullest I’m going to have to take charge of my health.  Seats in an airplane are horribly uncomfortable for a fat person.  I don’t want to have that hold me back.  And my weight does hold me back.  I almost didn’t get to go skydiving because I was almost too heavy.  I want to look at pictures of myself with my husband or my kids and not cringe at what I see.  I could care less about what my clothing size is or what my actual weight is as long as I’m healthy.  Right now, I’m not.  I haven’t been healthy physically, mentally or spiritually in a long time.  I have a long way to go but I’m working on it.  And with God’s help, I’ll get there.

And Off We Go! March 13, 2009

I’m trying not to be pathetic in how anxious I am to get going.  But I haven’t had an actual VACATION with ONLY my husband in years.  I mean, we’ve taken quickie weekend trips here and there, and we’ve gone camping as a family, but this is 5 days and 5 nights of just Neil and I.  I’m giddy.  As in, I am so ready to go my stomach hurts.   

 

It was a spur of the moment decision to take this trip.  We had talked briefly about it but had decided that we should be responsible and use the money on the house.  Later, I was thinking about it and decided that the money would be much better used invested in our marriage.  So I got on Expedia and found a reasonable price for a trip to Vegas and did it.  Then I told hubby and he was so excited.  It was fun to surprise him with it.    So in less than 24 hours we will be in Vegas.  There are a few exciting firsts for me on this trip.  I’m going on my first plane ride that I remember.  (I went once when I was in grade school but I don’t remember much of it, maybe I slept through it?)  I’m going to Vegas for the first time, and we are going skydiving together.  I’m surprisingly excited about it.  I’ve always been afraid of heights and have never really wanted to do anything like this.  But I am really wanting to do THIS.  I want to be able to say I’ve done it.  I’ve let the adventureous person in me lie dormant for way too long. 

 

I’ve had alot of fun preparing also.  I’ve taken the time to go shopping for some new clothes and really make sure I’m going to look amazing.  I put the effort into losing some weight and was successful.  I feel good about myself for the first time in a long while.  Something about knowing that my husband thinks I am hot and desirable has done alot for my self esteem.  I’m really looking forward to knocking his socks off with a couple of surprises I have in store for him.    Okay, so without divulging anything else, I can’t wait to spend some time with just him. 

 

I’ll write again after the trip and hopefully share some pics.  Maybe even video of us skydiving.

Can I get off of this Merry-Go-Round? January 31, 2009

I’ve been so busy I even forgot that I had a blog.  Then my sis reminded me and I thought I ought to update everyone as to what is happening in the life of the Himes family.

I’m working full time now at Holy Spirit Retirement.  It’s going okay.  Very exhausting work.  Still homeschooling.  Neil is going back to school for secondary education.  He’d like to be a high school english teacher.  He hasn’t decided yet for sure though.  He’ll have to declare his major next fall.

Kids are busy busy.  Becca is still in gymnastics and loves it.  James is in taekwondo and really likes it as well.  The other two boys are not involved in anything right now. 

Neil’s sister Brandy and her husband and children have moved to Sioux City.  We are all pretty excited about that.  They just got here on Thursday evening.  I haven’t seen them yet since I’ve been working.

I guess that’s about it.  I’ll write more later when I’m not falling asleep at the keyboard.  I’ll try to include some pics too.

Henna Body Art November 9, 2008

I found this Henna kit at Barnes & Noble for $10.  I thought that since I’m too chicken to go and get a tattoo, (and I doubt my husband would let me get one) I’d try temporary henna.

 

This is the part that turned out well.  Now for the other side.

 

 

Now, this side didn’t necessarily turn out bad, just not how I had planned on it turning out.  Maybe I didn’t do something right although I did follow their directions.  I tried using their pattern but when I went to transfer it to my skin, it just turned into a big blue-ish blob.  That wouldn’t come off.  

Then, when I tried to use the decorator bag that was provided in the kit, the henna mixture wouldn’t come out of the small opening I was supposed to make but when I cut the opening big enough for the henna to come through, my lines were too thick.  I got a sewing needle and dipped it in the mixture to draw on my hand.  It was a little tedious but I was much happier with the results.

 

I proceeded to try and just decorate my hand all by myself.  Then I decided to try and freehand the design that I had originally wanted on my palm.  Much to my surprise, that turned out really well.  Better than I had expected. 

 

I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has tried this kit.  If it worked or not, and what you did to make it work.

Faith – What is it? November 8, 2008

Mirriam-Webster defines faith as “firm belief in something for which there is no proof” and “complete trust”.  There are other definitions as well but these were the ones I was looking for.

 

People want proof that God exists.  While I believe that there is much evidence that points to the existence of God, I cannot take someone’s hand and say “Here, this is where God lives.  I’ll make an appointment for you to see Him.”  This is where faith comes in.  It is so hard for me when I get into these kinds of discussions.  I want so badly to be able to give them faith, to make them believe.  But that is something only God and the Holy Spirit can give.  This post is coming about in part because of conversations that have happened as a result of my last post.  I use the Bible as my guidebook and my final authority.  If you do not accept the Bible as inerrant and inspired then my arguments will appear to be weak and have no basis.

 

Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb. 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Romans 10:14-18  How then shall they call on HIm in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written:  “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 

 

We cannot MAKE people have faith.  There is no question of that.  But we must be obedient to Jesus’ command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matt. 28:19-20a)  This doesn’t necessarily mean standing on street corners or walking up to strangers to witness to them, some gifted ones are called to that but not everyone.  This means developing friendships with your neighbors, the people that you have regular contact with.  This means offering hospitality to those around us. 

 

I know that as a homeschooling mama it was very easy to put myself in a very protected bubble.  I just recently popped my bubble by going to work part time, and I have been struggling with the culture shock.  But these people need the Lord, and suddenly the Great Commission has so much more meaning and is so much more convicting. 

 

In my last post, I wanted to encourage my brothers and sisters to not lose hope.  We need to be spurred into action by these recent events.  The answer to our societies ills is not to legislate morality or to get the “right” person elected into office.  The answer is for those of us who have accepted God’s gift of grace and eternal life to step up and follow His commands.  When we obey Christ’s command in Matt. 28, we will see the Spirit move and convict the world of its sin.   John 16:8-11  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me;  of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;  of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  Our society will change when its peoples’ hearts’ are changed.

 

These last two posts are very outside of my normal.  But these are things that are being laid on my heart to share with my fellow believers.  We need to spur one another on to good works, to do the work that God has laid out for us.  I don’t know everyone who reads my blog.  But I love every single one of you nevertheless and pray for each one of you as you live out your faith in this world that we visit.

We cannot wallow in despair! November 6, 2008

I have to admit that my initial reaction to learning that Obama won the election was one of despair and fear.  What will this mean for us as a homeschooling family?  What will happen to our freedom of religion?  How soon will we begin to see the ugly face of socialism?  But then my gracious Heavenly Father began to speak to my heart and remind me of His Word.

 

First, Romans 13:1-3 says “Let every soul be subject to governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.”

Now, when I read this it comforts me, encourages me and confuses me. 

It comforts me to know that it was God’s will for Obama to be elected as President for our country.  Not because I like Obama or agree with his positions in any way but because I know that my God is in control of everything and that I can trust Him.  I believe with all of my heart that He has a plan and I fit into that plan, I just have to figure out where. 

It encourages me to put teeth in my faith.  I fear that we are going to lose alot of freedoms that are precious to me and my family.  Obama being elected has lit a fire under me to be diligent in my walk and in the training and preparing of my children.  I need to be sure that we are rooted in the Word of God so that we will not be swayed when it comes time for our trials.

It confuses me because I know that good people are persecuted by their governments, that Christians obey God and follow His commands and are imprisoned and even martyred for their faith.  I fully expect that under Obama, it will be harder for me to be a Christian and to follow my convictions.  Like homeschooling and sharing my faith.  In Colorado there has already been a law passed that could make distribution of the Bible illegal.  If it is made illegal to witness or share my faith, will I stop?  If it is made illegal for me to homeschool my children will I send them to be brainwashed by the state?  No way!  Then I do have something to fear from my earthly authority but not from my Heavenly Authority.  I believe that it comes down to this, God is the final authority.  We are to respect our earthly authorities up to the point that they ask us to go against our Heavenly Authority.  At that point we have to obey God and not man.

 

Already, good has come out of this election.  I’m not happy with the results.  But it has definitely shaken me and caused me to move closer to God.  Maybe this is what is needed to shake the Church out of its complacency.  We have become so brainwashed to be politically correct.  To not judge and to be tolerant.  What a bunch of garbage!  We have let the world infiltrate our churches, our homes and our lives.  How many of us have a tv show that we faithfully watch?  How many of us spend hours on the internet, reading novels, watching tv but say we can’t find time to spend in the Word?  How many of us don’t speak up for fear of rejection?  I ask these questions of myself as well and I can tell you that my answers fill me with shame.  I had to spend a long time with my Father this morning and ask for His forgiveness.  I have realized that the world has crept into our family little by little until now we don’t have just seedlings to uproot out of our lives but large plants that are starting to bear fruit.

 

I refuse to despair or live my life in fear because 2 Timothy 1:7 says this “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  I will do what God asks me and live my life according to the Bible.  I will live my faith out boldly and I will not fear what man can do to me.  I am not of this world, I am a citizen of heaven.  I will teach my children to not fear and to live their faith out boldly as well. 

 

I pray that this may encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ who may read this.  We need to be holy and set apart.  Do not lose hope, do not lose sight of our goal.  Let us run this race so as to win it.  If you aren’t my brother or sister in Christ and you would be interested in having a beneficial dialogue, please contact me.  I will share the Truth with you but I will not debate.  The Holy Spirit is the one who will convict the world of its sin, not me.  But I have been given the job of sharing God’s Word.