Guess who's back!

Well, I'm back from my family vacation from the east and I finally had time to check in...

Not sure if anyone really missed my blogs, but it doesn't matter because I'm doing this for a higher cause.

My trip to the east coast was fun but it made me think about a lot of things along the way. I came across a sign at a Church in Boston that read, "Are Christians brainwashed?" It was the topic of the message that was going to be preached that Sunday. It seems that many people seem to just shrug off the Christian Faith as a crutch. Depending on a higher being to relieve the pressure of responsibility.

In the next few weeks, I'm going to talk more about the reality of God and the Truth in our Christian Faith. Please pray for me as I challenge myself to dig deeper into my faith and hopefully share my views.

Thank you Lord for a relaxing week in which I was able to enjoy your beautiful creation.

Let's get blogging!

Memory Verse (Week 19)

Today's Memory Verse has been one of my challenges as a younger Christian.

John 15: 4-5
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit: apart from me you can do nothing"

From a very young age I have striven to become independent. I wanted to do everything on my own and for the most part I was. As a teenager, I started to get good at the things I really put my mind to and I started to feel very confident in myself. Once I received the Lord as my personal Lord and Savior, depending on somebody other than me proved to be more than difficult. As I started to mature (although I still have a long way to go), I can see the need for my dependence on God. I depend on him to be the source of my knowledge, my strength and my guidance to where I should go.

Just like a branch depends on the main vine for food and nutrients, we should also depend on our God, the Provider, for all our needs. Who do you depend on? Where do you draw your source of strength from? Is it from another branch, disconnected from the main vine? Trust in the Him and you will bear more fruit than if you were to go alone.

Motherly Instruction at it's best

Yesterday's Mother's Day message was a good one. Normally, we hear about messages of Mary, or of Sarah or even Eve. Mother's that stick out and who are easily recognized. This Sunday, Pastor Ed talked about Eunice. Who?

Eunice was the mother of Timothy. Timothy was the disciple who journeyed with Paul. What made Eunice so special? For starters she was a Jewish Christian. A believer of Jewish descent. To make matters more complicated she married a non-believing Greek man. With history like that, it is a wonder that she still managed to mother a faithful and devoted Christian Disciple.

We see from 2 Timothy 3 how Paul comments on Timothy's upbringing and how it played a crucial role in who Timothy is at that time.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We are told that what we do today will echo in the future. How we rear our children will dictate how our future generation will lead the country.

I salute all mothers out there who, regardless of what is going on in their life, continue to raise their child learning God, and ensuring that they grow up guided by the Lord.

What Would You Do?

I recently received an email regarding a story of a church just about to start its service.Two masked men with fully automatic assault rifles rushed in and ran to the front of the church. They shouted, "Anyone who doesn't denounce their God as Lord and Saviour will be shot in the head!" Some of the people ran out of the church screaming. A few people along with the Pastor stayed, not budging an inch.

The men then removed their masks, faced the Pastor and said, "Okay, Pastor, I've weeded out the people who didn't want to be here. The service can begin."

Your first impression is probably the same as mine. We must be ready to die for our Saviour. But let's take a closer look at the implications involved with this method of "weeding out".

Many of us go to church because we want to worship Him. We sing praises to our wonderful Counselor, our Saviour. But there are people who haven't found Christ yet and were either invited by a fellow Christian or they go because their family is going. If we were to think that church is only for Christians, we will face great difficulty in reaching out to the world.

Where do you stand? Would you be the first to run out that door on the first sign of testing? Would you be standing your ground for Him? Trust in the Lord for he will give you the strength you need to be strong.

Memory Verse (Week 18)

This week's Memory Verse is found in John 14:21

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

As children, we are told to obey our parents. Sometimes they can be the most difficult thing for us to do. We don't see the bigger picture - our parents know what's good for us and instruct us out of love.

As adults, we are left to use what we learned from our parents to survive and thrive - physically. But spiritually, we need to have the guidance of our Heavenly Father to lead us and mold us into a new creation. When we obey His commands for us, he will reveal himself to us.

Let's take the time to learn what our Father is commanding us to do, not because we have to but because we want to.