Would You Run???

I was skimming through my MySpace Bulletin and well I usually don't pay the posts much attention, but then I stumbled across this one and it made me think...

Imagine this happening to you...

One Sunday morning during service, a 2,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter, both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns. One of the men proclaimed, "Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are."

Immediately, the choir fled...
the deacons fled...
and most of the congregation fled....


Out of the 2,000 there only remained 20.


The man who had spoken took off his hood...He then looked at the preacher and said "Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites... Now you may begin your service. Have a wonderful day!" And the two men turned and walked out.


Funny how simple it is for people to trash God ...
and then wonder why the world is in the condition it is today.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say...
but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven...
provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.

or is it scary?

Funny how someone can say "I believe in God"...but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes"in God).
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire...but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, you think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace...but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and work place.
Funny, isn't it? Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday...but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.

Are you laughing?

I'm not. It's actually quite sad once you take the time to think about it. I mean how many times have we missed the chance to share God's glory because we were afraid of what others might think? How many times have we comprimised God's word because it was inconvientent? How many times have we put our own selfish desires ahead of God's desire for our lives?

Lost in the Fast Pace

This is not exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to post, but right now its all I got...

(this is more of me venting so really don't have to read it)

I've always lived a pretty busy life. Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with free time. I like having something to do. Something to look forward to. There's too much going on in the world to just sit around and watch it go by. You got to live each day to the fullest.

So what happens when you get to that point where you just can't do it anymore. As much as I regret using the phrase "burnt out" (people warned me about it) I have to. Today was one of those days. I feel absolutley and completley burnt out. I love life, I love people, I really do - but today is one of those days you would never know it. I have so many things to do, so much work to make up, and it all keeps coming. I would want nothing more than to just have a single day of relaxation. Unfortuanuatly, thats never going to happen because all I have in the back of my head are the things I still have to do and the situations I'm in. I can't even sleep well thinking about it.

Aside from just being tired and worn out, I feel lost. I keep praying that God will lead me where I need to go...but I still have no idea where that is. I know that He answers in His own time, but I'm starting to lose hope. I love God with all my heart and I know he knows whats best for me...I just wish He would tell me. Selfish I know. Afterall faith is believing in what you do not know. I'm just afraid I'm gonna screw things up. I'm afraid I'm going to be quick (not intentioanally) to pursue one thing, missing out on where I'm suppose to be.

Confused? I am.

What do I do?

Praying for Satan

We recently read a story in my freshman seminar class called, "The Inexplicable Prayers of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Coles. It was the story of a young black girl, Ruby Bridges, who challanged the educational system of New Orleans. During a time of segregation, she found herself in a white school. There she was met by angry mobs, who disapproved of her presence. The school was boycotted and even the local police refused to protect her. She had to be escoted through the mobs by federal marshalls. One day her teacher said she had seen Ruby talking to the people. Later when Ruby was questioned about it she explained that she was not talking to the people, but she was praying for them.

How amazing is that. She was not praying to God, asking for material things or even for herself. She prayed for the people, the same people who were only out to hurt her. She prayed for them because they had no idea what they were doing was wrong. She prayed for them because they could not pray for themselves.

Mark Twain had a similar idea when he said, "...who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" The sad thing is he was right. We get so caught up in caring for ourselves and the people we love that we fail to see that it is those who are against us that need our prayers the most.

If you believe in the power of prayer, and believe that prayer changes things, I challange you, just as I challenge myself, to pray. To pray hard for the "Satan" in your life. It is by the Grace of God we are saved, for no man is worthy of such Grace. May no man believe he is better than the next. We are all one and we all fall short. So pray for your brother, pray for your friend, but most importantly pray for your enemy.