In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The 4 Steps of Prayer

Often we may ask how we are supposed to pray. What are we supposed to say? How can we make sure he hears our message? How can I pray so that God is pleased with my thanks and eager to fulfill my pleas?

Prayer is a way for us to communicate with our Lord... to thank Him, to make requests, and to talk with Him about our hopes and needs. He hears all of our messages, and He knows what is in our hears.When we pray, we must make sure to come to him knowing that His will shall be done whether our wishes are satisfied or not. His will is what is always best for us even if we must endure trails and challenges. We can never predict what the future holds, but we are always allowed, in fact we are encouraged, to ask for the Lord's help.

There are 4 basic steps in prayer:

First, we must address God. Start by saying "Heavenly Father" or "Our Father in Heaven." We pray to the Father because He is the one who gave us life, who created the Earth, and to whom we owe everything.G

Second, give thanks. Before we make any requests, we must acknowledge all the amazing blessings God has given us. Show the Father that you are grateful for how He is working in your life.

Next, ask. Sometimes it is appropriate to say a short prayer simply giving thanks, but even then you have the opportunity to ask God to continue to help with challenges you may face in the future. Other times, we pray when something is heavy on our heart. This is the time to ask God for guidance, assistance, peace, resolution, or healing. God is aware of every problem you are facing at any moment; prayer is our way to show God that we understand that He has the ultimate power to help and guide us through these problems.

Finally, close in the name of Jesus. "In Jesus' name we pray, Amen" is all we need to end a prayer. We close in the name of Jesus because His sacrifice is what allows us to reach Heaven after death.

These easy guidelines can help to make your prayers clear and meaningful while giving the appropriate respect to our creator.

I pray that each of you can strengthen your prayers and become more confident and reliant in them. It's a wonderful way to communicate with the creator and daily, even hourly, prayer will keep your faith close to your heart. Please feel free to share your insights and tips to help improve our prayers.

May God bless you all,
Emily Gray

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Netflix Picks

Netflix has just about every movie you could ever want. I signed up my first year in college and its definitely the best $8 I spend every month. The best part of the deal is all the great movies you can watch at anytime via laptop, game console, or blu-ray player. I'm gonna give you my top 10 picks for Christian movies/documentaries that you can watch off their instant queue. If you don't have Netflix, I strongly encourage you to try their one month free trial! You've got nothing to lose, and the options on the instant queue are amazing (tons of tv shows, documentaries, classic movies, and comedies).

Top 10 picks (in no particular order)
1. God in America
2. The Case for Christ
3. Max Lucado 3:16
4. Christianity and Islam
5. God of Wonders
6. Letters to God
7. The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
8. The Case for Faith
9. Who Was Jesus?
10.The Company: Inigo and His Jesuits

Now pop a bag of popcorn and snuggle under a blanket for some good movie time!

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,  for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:1-10

This passage encourages us to learn more about our Lord and educate ourselves in His teachings, so we can understand how wise and strong our God is. We cannot be true faithful followers if we do not understand who we are following. Of course, we should learn as much as we can from out Biblical teachers and pastors and read our Bible. However, watching documentaries and spiritual-themed movies can also show us the teachings of the Lord while giving us an example of modern-day followers. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

How Great Thou Art

Ephesians 5:19-20
 "speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Stanza 1:
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

Refrain:
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art

Stanza 2:
When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain:
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

I really like this song, and I LOVE this version by Carrie Underwood. But let's be honest, most of us can't belt it out like her. But as we are instructed in Ephesians, Chapter 5, we should sing from the heart and praise God for all the great things He has done in our lives. So, whatever your singing may sound like, just sing from the heart and praise God for all the blessings He has granted to you.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Forgiveness Part 2

After reflecting on my last point, I thought of a few additions to the concept.

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

First, remember that forgiveness does not depend upon an apology. Whether or not your transgressor decides to, wants to, or realizes he needs to apologize, forgive. Be the one to start the process of solving a conflict. The action shows you are strong, resilient, and kindhearted (all qualities of our Lord).

Second, not all conflicts require a face-to-face apology (or e-apology, phone call, etc.). Sometimes it's best to let it go on your own and move on. In situations where telling someone you forgive them would only rile up and provoke them, keep it to yourself. In those situations, consider the act of forgiveness a personal goal. Forgive the other in your heart and move past it. It will be a weight off your shoulders.

Also, realize that forgiving someone else will often benefit you more than the other person. Why not help yourself and release the stress?  Who cares if forgiving someone in your heart means they don't KNOW that you forgave them? It shouldn't matter. You are the one who needs to learn the act of forgiveness. If we wish to be more Christ-like, we should learn to practice one of his greatest actions... forgiveness of sins.

Remember 1 Corinthians 3:15, love keeps no record of wrongs. When you forgive someone, even though you won't forget what they did, if you have truly forgiven them you won't throw it back in their face when you see fit. Don't forgive your boyfriend for forgetting your anniversary and then yell "remember that time...!!" when he upsets you again. If you have forgiven someone, it means you move PAST it... you don't revert back to it when you want to make a point. True forgiveness will eliminate your resentment... Think of it as a pot of water: Forgivness is not just letting it simmer down for now only to turn the heat up so it can come to a rolling boil later. It means you pour the water down the drain... or under the bridge so to say. You let it go like "water off a duck's back." The water ain't on the oven, it's not chillin' in the fridge, you didn't filter it out and pour it in the bottle... Down the drain, folks. Gone.

Finally, eliminate the word "deserve" from your vocabulary... at least in this instance. People don't need to earn your forgiveness with an apology. They often don't deserve your forgiveness... we don't deserve the forgiveness our awesome God grants us. But he gives it... just as you should. When you argue that someone doesn't "deserve" your forgiveness, you are probably whining. Certainly, there are cases when the transgressor messed up BAD and they don't deserve an ounce of your forgiveness. But you will be better for granting it. Just remember how amazing your God is to forgive you of all your sins. He can right our wrongs and make our path straight. Have a heart the pleases God: a heart the forgives the sinful. A wise preacher once told me that the rewards we receive are incredible when we actively try to develop our relationship with Christ. He is so right, so show the Lord that you wish to please him. Prove that you are able and willing to forgive others, even though they may not deserve it.

Forgiveness is a skill we learn and develop... it needs fine tuning. Tonight I pray you find the will power to develop this skill and please God with your efforts.

May God Bless You All,
Emily Gray

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Forgiveness

It's hard to forget that we have been forgiven by the Lord. I mean, it's darn near impossible since that was Jesus's ultimate miracle on this Earth. Because of His sacrifice, all of our sins can be forgiven. The operative word in that last sentence: can.

Over an over during our Lord's life on Earth, he said, "Your sins are forgiven." Like when He forgave and healed the paralyzed man. Jesus forgave men over and over throughout his life, and in the end He sacrificed himself to allow for the forgiveness of all our sins.

But let me get back to this "can" bit. Just because Jesus died on the cross does not mean we ARE all forgiven. We cannot just sin over and over and over and get off scott-free... we must repent. I'm sure all of us are aware that when we do something wrong, we should take the steps to correct our wrong. We must ask forgiveness and change our ways. Mankind is sinful, but our greatest goal is to try to be as Christ-like as possible. This means forgiving others of their sins while realizing that each and every one of us sins... even against each other. So many of us forget the Lord's commandment for the forgiveness of others. Sure, it's in the Lord's prayer: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. But how many of us really make the daily effort to release grudges (or never start them at all), to forgive those who don't even ask for our forgiveness, to forgive people who have hurt us repeatedly and may not even care? In these situations, it's a challenge to forgive.  I have found this to be an immense challenge... to say the least. I'm stubborn, defensive, and sensitive. I may wonder "Why should I forgive them when they don't even care about what they did?" Answer: That doesn't matter. It doesn't factor in. We have to rise above the sin itself... forgive and move forward.

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Mark 11:25 "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
 
Colossians 3:13 "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

In my mind, there are two main points to help us forgive others.
Number 1: Realize that refusing to forgive others only hurts you in the end.
This is important for many reasons. First of all, why would you hold a grudge and spend all that energy being mad when the other person may have forgotten about their offense 5 minutes after it happened? Maybe they will ask your forgiveness, maybe they won't. Either way, letting go of the stress and pain you are holding onto is the best solution. There's no reason to let someone else control your happiness and emotion... YOU have the power to forgive and to move on. The Lord teaches us that even the most harmful sins can be forgiven, so no matter how much someone hurt you it is possible to grant them your forgiveness. Tip: Start today by forgiving small transgressions and work your way up to granting the forgiveness that's the most challenging. It takes time, but we can learn to forgive all.

Number 2: Forgive does not equal forget.
Yes, forgiving others allows us to move on, but it doesn't mean we should act like it never happened. The important part is realizing the differences between these two actions. Forgiveness means to end your resentment and anger for an action against you. Forgetting means to end your remembrance of the event. You can use others' past actions to determine who you interact with them in the future. If someone has hurt you repeatedly, it would be foolish to trust them to never do it again unless they prove to you that they have changed. However, if you  continue to resent that person, you have not truly forgiven them. The Lord teaches us to forgive others as He did. He has certainly set a perfect example for us to follow, so do your best to mirror His heart and His actions.

I'd like to share with you where I got the idea for this post. I will likely do a Bio on him soon, but tonight I will simply share a resource of his. Rick Warren is pastor of Saddleback Ministries and author of the well-known Purpose Driven Life series. He also has a Purpose Driven Connection daily email devotional. I look forward to getting mine each day. He frequently features other pastors and often writes series for the devotional. "When you are offended, choose to forgive" was a featured devotional by teacher pastor at Saddleback, Tom Holladay last week, which is where I got the idea to share this post with you.

http://www.purposedriven.com/

Hope you enjoyed. Please share your thoughts and inspirations with us!

Tonight, I pray that the Lord helps give you the strength to forgive others and that he shows you those who need your forgiveness most. By following His example, we can remove resentment from our world and learn to live more like Christ everyday. By mirroring His example, others will be drawn to learn about the One who inspires us most. What a great motivation!

May God bless you all.
Emily Gray

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Growing Pains

You probably wouldn't jump off a cliff without a parachute, so why what might make you want to dive head first into full-fledged faith in God and Jesus without some sort of "parachute," some assurance that you will have a safe landing. Where's the proof?

Some have been brought up in a family of faith, in a church where the Lord is clearly present, and been aware and sure of the gospel and of God's power for as long as they remember. That certainly isn't to say they are happy-go-lucky and carefree; as Christians every one of us has challenges and responsibilities to strengthen our faith and spread the Word. But others may constantly wrestle with the thought that atheism may be reality, that the Bible is irrelevant or "inaccurate," or that even if there is one single God that Christianity doesn't exactly have "it" all down pat. Even more have smaller doubts that a specific verse is no longer valid, that the kind of wholehearted discipleship described in the Bible isn't for all Christians, that a serious, personal relationship with God isn't possible for all Christians. All of those concerns can be scary for their victims, so how can we be so sure? How do we know that WE are right? I think the best medicine for such growing pains is Truth, plain and simple.

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject. I'm not a preacher, a Biblical scholar, or a Christian well-versed enough to spout out passages as they apply. But I can certainly share all the things that helped me understand the truth, the reality, and the never-ending validity of Christianity.

I can't cover all of that in one post. I could probably compile a big fat book of sources that show the proof of Christianity. I may even spend all week sharing, just to we can be reminded of how strong of a foundation we stand onl So let's just start with one guy we probably all recognize: Kirk Cameron... Or maybe Mike Seaver in your mind. A ha, maybe now you understand the pun in the title. Couldn't resist.

Kirk was an atheist until his late teenage years when one day he asked God to make himself apparent, if in fact He was real. Kirk has made a huge impact on American evangelism through his books, movies, and his ministry (The Way of the Master). From here, I will let you discover his resources on your own. It's probably more than you can cover in one day... Kirk has created endless resources for Christians. He's not the ultimate source, but he has created a lot of good material in my view. If you're not in the mood for an hour of web surfing, I challenge you to at least watch the clip from his movie, Fireproof.



I may end up writing another whole post on the movie (I'm just choosing my topics day-by-day, wherever He leads me), but after watching it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it's not just for troubled married couples wanting to the The 40 day Love Dare. The clip I'm sharing applies to every one of us... And boy o boy was it a huge light bulb for me. A huge, humbling, surprisingly simple light bulb. Watch it. You'll be glad you did.

I pray for each of you that you grow more assured in the Christian faith. Cause it's real, serious, provable, relevant, and the only way. Dive into discovering this reality.


Chapter 1 of Kirk's book, Still Growing

I hope you all share your reactions to the links and share what helped you understand the truth of Christianity. How did you know? What was your light bulb?

The Way of the Master Ministry  Full of great free tools and is a great tool itself for evaluating what being a Christian really means.

The Way of the Master on Youtube I particularly encourage you to watch the videos from the Rational Response debate with Kirk Cameron. It's a compilation of A LOT of videos, but it answers a lot of great questions like "Who created God?" It's definitely controversial and, at times, very challenging to not start to ask a million more questions. It probably won't answer all your questions, and certainly Kirk and Ray are not the ultimate deciders on the questions asked. However, they bring up good points and explain some concepts in a way that does seem to prove Christian principles.

May God Bless You All,
Emily Gray

Saturday, June 11, 2011

There was evening and there was morning- the first day.

I suppose this post is a Genesis of sorts. There's so much I want to address that I'm not exactly sure where to start. I guess an introduction from the editor is appropriate...

Name: Emily
Age: 19
Occupation: Student at UGA majoring in Math Education and minoring in Spanish
Religion: Christian (Methodist growing up but leaning toward Baptist lately)
Pets: Midnight, my sweet, old, rather portly cat
Favorite quote: Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow only a vision, but today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. ~Sanskrit

My biggest weakness is also my greatest strength: my huge heart.

My mother instilled in me an open mind, unwavering faith in the power of prayer, the belief that angels are always watching over us, a love for the mountains and oceans, and the ability to cry tears of joy at the smallest thing.

My dad gave me his fighting spirit, protective instincts, belief in human rights and in holding others accountable, his sensitivity, loyalty to family, and strong work ethic.

But I guess my faith is the most logical focus for this post.

I grew up south of Atlanta and attended the same Methodist church until I was in Middle School. I wouldn't say I got an intense education in Bible stories and priciples, but I got the basics: God is almighty, omnipresent, omnipotent, and forgiving; Jesus was born by Virgin Mary and was the son of God, he came to Earth to teach us about the Father, and he died on the cross and ascended to forgive us of our sins (although for the life of me I could not understand why dying on a cross took away our sins). For a few years we didn't go to church except for Chistmas and Easter, and when I got to high school I started going to a youth group on my own to try to figure out... Well... Everything really. I wanted to fill the void I felt, learn what exactly Jesus preached, and what He wanted me to do.

Like most college students, I've discovered that college is a time when I discover who I am, what I believe, and how I can grow to become a better version of myself. The most important facet of my life has become my faith, though I wish it had always been my first priority. I met my boyfriend the very fist day of college, and he taught me so much about what it really means to be a Christian... And actually how to practice what He preached. It may surprise you that we don't even frequently have long, serious discussions about the Lord. It just goes to show how much all the little things can add up how much impact one small gesture has. Kindness and the smallest actions really do have a domino effect.. But the good kind! His parents are probably my greatest role models when it comes to faith and I've learned so much from them that I bet they don't realize. Their family sort of became my jumping off point for figuring things out for myself. As my Christian faith has developed, I have had so many lightbulbs flip on, and come across countless resources that have opened my eyes to new ideas. Sometimes I'll read a tweet or an article online, hear a song on the radio, or find a piece of scripture and just want to share with everyone. And now I've got my outlet! I'm creating this blog as my little way to shout from the mountaintop, and I hope you return the favor. I want my readers to become active members here; we can all learn from each other but only if we share our insight! As Christians, we never stop growing, and there's always more to learn, and I hope "Confessions of a College Christian" can help you in your never ending journey to know, understand, and love Christ.

I've also come to realize that every Christian has moments of weakness, daunting challenges (some temporary and others never-ending), questions that never seem to have a concrete correct answer, and stages of doubt when we need others to listen and lift us up. I want this blog to be a place where we can all share our inspirations and questions, as well as find support and security. I also want this to be an open forum free of ridicule and scorn, which can be tricky with religion. But that's exactly where the beauty lies in Christianity: we may not always agree with each other or get everything "right" but the body of Christ is strong, He is within each of us, and we can be forgiven of all our wrongs and transgressions.

I'm just going to ask 2 things of my readers
1. Give only constructive advice, answers, and responses.
2. Share whatever inspiring things you come across. We will all be better for it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and come back frequently! Introduce yourself, post a random quote or link, and share the love.

I hope this can become your schedule-free small group where the doors are always open!

May God Bless You All,
Emily Gray