Tag: Christian

Reflections On College

Courtney4 Comments

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”-C. S. Lewis

Unknown-1

The first week of school is always an interesting time. With this season comes new teachers, new classmates, and at times—a new school. College, I’ve found, contains all of this and more.

As I walked through the glass doors of college last Tuesday, the realization came in full force that this was my first time in a secular environment. I had a Christian education all the way through school, so most of my interactions up until now have been with fellow believers. And, as much as I’ve joked about some of the interesting customs of Christian subculture (e.g. “testamints” are actually a thing), I’ve come to find that there really is something special about being surrounded by other believers.

Thankfully, no one has been hostile about my faith (I honestly thought they were going to confiscate my cross earrings on the first day), but it’s also common knowledge that faith is not a normal conversation topic. Knowing about all of the hip Christian singers and bands gets you virtually no brownie points from fellow classmates in college. For the first time, I’m faced with the challenge of being “In the world, but not of it”.

I’m still trying to figure out what this looks like in real life.

Nonetheless, I believe everything happens for a reason. I’ve learned a lot over the course of high school and I believe that now God wants to teach me something new. He has each one of us in our current life situations for a reason. Even Jesus couldn’t stay in His hometown forever if He wanted to make an impact—He had to venture out in to the world around Him. In the words of an old Kelly Clarkson song “I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly. I’ll do what it takes until I touch the sky.” In order to fly, I must first jump, using my faith as wings to guide me through new and unfamiliar territory. 

If you’re at a new school, a new work place, or like me, starting college for the first time, I want to encourage you to cling tightly to God and step into His will with courage and bravery. He has us where we are for a reason. If we had stayed in elementary school our whole lives, imagine how much we would have missed out on! We grow through new experiences, new people, and new places.

I don’t know how God’s going to use me in college or what this season will look like, but I trust that He’ll guide me through this process. I have officially decided to make Joshua 1:9 my “verse-of-the-year“.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I may be in a new stage of life, but I know that I’m not alone in it. Just because my school isn’t ‘Christian‘ doesn’t mean that God isn’t there. He’s with me in those very hallways, within the walls of each one of my classes. God may push us out of our comfort zone, but He will never leave us alone. He is our strength and our shield, making us warriors ready for anything that comes our way. 

If God brings you to it, He’ll give you the strength to get through it—and thrive in the midst of it. If we take one day at a time, and trust God with every moment, we can rise to any occasion and grow in our faith. 

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:13-18.

 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 29

Courtney8 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

Day 29…A confession. 

I am a nerd. 

If you’ve known me for a while, you’ve probably figured this out. Even if you haven’t, you may have pieced this together somewhere along the way.

images.jpeg

Though I’m not a fan of labels, many of my interests fall into the “nerd category”. I enjoy subjects like history, literature, psychology/sociology, and theology, and could honestly ramble on about any one of these subjects and the intersections between them (e.g. the sociology and history of Christian thought process…nerd alert!). I even enjoy the occasional discussion about politics, so long as it doesn’t turn heated and crazy.

Paired with the vice of being an overachiever, you can pretty much get the picture of what I was like in middle and high school. 

images-2
Yes, I was “that kid“.

I even went through a phase where I wanted glasses (before I knew that I needed them) because I thought that glasses made you look smarter. My mom didn’t quite believe me at first when I told her I thought I needed glasses, as I always talked about how cool I thought they looked. Initially, she thought I just wanted them for appearance-sake. Nonetheless, she took me to see an eye doctor and soon found that I actually did need them to see. I still wear the same frames today, as I can’t seem to get contacts in to save my life and have no interest in getting a new pair.

I think we all have our quirks; and nerdy-ness is just one of many for me. If you also have nerdy tendencies, I urge you not to be ashamed of it. Some of our greatest world changers would be considered “nerdy” by the world’s standards. Imagine where we’d be today if Einstein or Edison had suppressed their interests to fit in with the world!

God made each one of us different and unique; the world would be boring if we all looked, talked, acted, and thought alike. The people who I enjoy hanging out with the most are the ones who are fearlessly and unabashedly themselves. Never change just to try to fit in with the crowd. When you’re authentic, it inspires authenticity in others and helps us all to be a little more honest and transparent.

As an old song by Jonny Diaz says “You were made to fill a purpose that only you can do, so there could never be a more beautiful you.” 

 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 25

Courtney5 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

Day 25…Your biggest regret. 

Truth be told, I don’t really have a lot of huge regrets. Perhaps it’s because of the fact that I’m still fairly young, or perhaps it’s because I don’t really take a lot of risks without calculating the consequences. Still, I have made mistakes and for this post, I have decided to write about my “moment of rebellion” in middle school.

I was playing manhunt with my youth group and one of my friends and I hid in a small opening under a bridge that led to one of the buildings. It was dark, dirty, and fairly uncomfortable under the bridge, but it was a good place to hide, so we both stayed still and silent. Even when two boys began jumping on top of the bridge, we managed to stay (somewhat) silent.

Eventually, the game ended and we heard one of the leaders announce that it was time to go back outside.

“Are you coming?” I remember asking my friend, ready to get up from dirt covered ground.

She then noted that it would be a good idea to stay hidden. Otherwise, no one would know that we had won the game. Since I’ve always been very adherent to rules, I was reluctant, but ended up staying.

I was going through a bit of a rough patch during this time, dealing with the typical trials of growing up. I think a big reason I went through with the plan was because I wanted to know that someone would notice if I was gone. In retrospect, it was dumb and juvenile, but I think everyone has something in their past that makes them wonder, “What was I thinking?”

Obviously, when one of the leaders found us, they were upset, and the following day, I had to send an apology letter to the leaders for not following the rules. I was pretty embarrassed long after that, worried that the people there were angry with me for what I did. After a while, the waters calmed and things went back to normal; but I still regret acting so foolishly.

I’d like to include a note in this post if you’re thinking of your own regrets: You’re never too far away from God’s grace. There is no mistake too big to be forgiven. 

Romans 3:20-24 says “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

And, Romans 5:1-2 says “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

We serve a God that loves, forgives, and saves, and you’re never too far out of His reach. 

In the words of Jeremy Camp, “He’ll take you back”! 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 23

Courtney6 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

Day 23…If I won the lottery.

In all honesty, I’d be very surprised if I won the lottery, considering I don’t believe in gambling.

That aside, if I somehow did win, I would donate the money to charity. I don’t need the money, so I’d want to give it to people who do need it. I would pray about about it and ask God where He wanted me to donate the money, and be on a search for organizations that could use it wisely.

I would never want it to be used as a free ride through life. From the time I was little, I’ve known that I want to enter the work force someday. If I didn’t work, I’m pretty sure I would feel bored and unproductive.

Unknown-7

There are so many people in this world who can’t even afford basic provisions, like food and water. I would want the money to go to people like that; people who could use the money to feed their families and create a better life for themselves.

Every day, we are called to be a blessing. Even if we can’t afford to give financially, we can show the love of Jesus in other ways, like through a kind word or a helping hand. We can volunteer our time and look for ways to make this world a better place.

I don’t want to ever go through life wondering what I could have done.

I want to make the most of my time here and be all that God created me to be.

We can all, in some way, shape, or form, do our part to make a difference.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

— Proverbs 31:8-9

Three Day Quote Challenge: Day One

Courtney8 Comments

Hey everyone, as I promised, I’m posting day one of the quote challenge today! 

I’d like to thank Emily for nominating me; I was super excited and honored when I saw that I got picked! As a writer, it’s always good to know that someone out there is reading your random thoughts, opinions, and ramblings. 😄

Unknown-2

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”― Catherine of Siena

I’ve loved this quote since the moment I first heard it. It’s so inspirational and makes me feel like I can take on the world! It’s the kind of quote you want hanging on your refrigerator, as daily inspiration to start your morning with!

I love the message at the core of the quote: Be yourself and God will use you according to His plan and purpose. We can only serve God at our fullest when we’re completely honest, transparent, and real about who we are. This doesn’t mean that we can achieve perfection through some sort of new age-y”self actualization”. What it does mean is that God can use us as a vessel to make a difference in this world, flaws and all.

We’re all separate, yet all connected. This is something that I’ve always loved about the body of Christ. Though we’re one body, we have different parts, and each of us bring something beautiful and unique to the table. I may not be good at math and science, but that’s OK, because someone else is. God can use me exactly where my talents lie to help spread His message of love and grace to a broken world. Because I’m a writer, I can express God’s truth the most naturally through written word. If you’re a singer, make a joyful noise unto the Lord and glorify God through song. If you love science, teach about the truths of God’s creation, sharing your knowledge with the world.

We each have something special that we can bring. Whatever it is for you, do it with your whole heart, and bring a little more beauty to this world through your life. 

Never be afraid to set the world on fire for Jesus! 

 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 19

Courtney13 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

Hey everyone, sorry I’m a little late! I had a Bible study today and everyone just left my house. Today’s topic is my favorite movie.

I have a lot of movies that I like, but one of my favorites would have to be God’s Not Dead. In addition to a great cast (I already knew Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo, and the Robertson family from other works), the movie had an amazing storyline!

One thing that I loved about the movie was the fact that it had multiple plots. A lot of books that I’ve read use the same tactic, and I feel that it often makes the story feel more complex and interesting. Plus, you get the advantage of having multiple perspectives.

The main storyline centered around a college student named Josh Wheaton, who had to defend his faith in a college classroom. This story got the most attention, but the other ones were just as compelling. Some other stories include

  • An ex-Muslim girl who was forced to hide her new faith in Jesus from her family.
  • A successful blogger and reporter who gets cancer and is forced to take a second look at God and life.
  • The dynamics between a college professor and his girlfriend, who was beginning to realize that she is unequally yoked.

Somehow, as different as all of these stories appear to be, they all tie together nicely and share the common underlying theme of of faith and it’s role in a person’s life. Josh and Aisha (The former Muslim) risk everything to stay true to their faith, while Amy (the reporter) and the professor are forced to reconsider their unbelief.

This movie carries a surprising amount of depth and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys well made faith based films. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the Newsboys make a star appearance at the end of the film. 😉

Here’s the trailer in case you guys want to check it out!

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 16

Courtney3 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”-Martin Luther King, Jr.

As you may have figured out from the quote, today’s topic is education. As a recent high school graduate and soon to be college freshman, this is a topic is very relevant to me right now.

I believe that education is a very important thing in life, considering that in short, education means to glean knowledge. Granted, some things taught within the walls of our local public school or college are iffy at best…false at worst (e.g. relativism and evolution). Nonetheless, I believe that much of what is taught in a classroom is good and helps prepare us for life. Imagine if we had never been taught to read or write, we would never be able to converse on the web or share our thoughts and opinions through blogging!

We wouldn’t be able to make purchases or organize our finances without a basic understanding of math; and without history and science, would never know our country’s history or the basics of how the world works. For these reasons, I believe that education is important, and in this post, I’m going to explain how I believe education works best.

  1. Education works best when discussion is encouraged-As an extravert, I may be a tad biased here, but I’ve found that I learn best when allowed to discuss the topic at hand. Last year in my government and economics class, we often discussed current events and social issues, and we were allowed to give our thoughts and opinions. Through this, I feel that I got a better understanding of the complex nature of the issues and a firmer grasp of my own views/beliefs.
  2. Education works best when it’s proactive-I always retain more when I’m allowed to think about the information and form my own opinions about the topic I’m studying.  I took an ethics class once where the book gave two different points of view on a hot topic (e.g. Capital punishment) and let us decide which view was more in line with our own (In case you’re wondering, I’m against capital punishment). Granted, this works best with subjects like psychology, ethics, and government, but I believe that when this concept can be applied, it should.
  3. Education works best when focused on teaching values along with academics-As Martin Luther King said in the quote above, intelligence plus character is the goal of true education. Teachers should encourage morals such as honestly, integrity, and empathy. In addition to formal schooling, parents should also teach their children God’s word and help them to develop a strong faith and love for the Lord. Mark 8:36 says “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” I believe that this concept can be applied to academics. What good is it for someone to have a PH.D if they don’t know God and their heart isn’t in the right place?

To conclude, I believe that education is an important part of society and that it works best when it helps students learn to think critically and grow in character and faith. If a person knows how to do that and has a strong faith, I believe that they’ll go on to do great things.

In the words of Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 3

Courtney7 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C. S. Lewis

I have a lot of favorite quotes-some by classic authors, some by modern writers, and some by well known public figures. Nonetheless, I have decided that for today’s post, I’m going to write about the above quote by C.S. Lewis. I love his metaphors used and the meaning behind the quote.

Plus, C.S. Lewis is just awesome.

In this post, Lewis makes the point that our faith determines our actions; how we think inevitably affects the way that we live. If we believe that there is no God, that means that there is no such thing as absolute truth and by default, no absolute meaning to life. Nonetheless, if we do believe in God, we’re called to live in a way that honors Him and make our lives here count. The earth we live in isn’t all there is, but the decisions that we make have eternal consequences (e.g.. To follow God or not follow Him).

Our beliefs shape how we see the world; this is called our worldview. It is the shining light that guides our thoughts, words, and actions. When a person is truly committed to their faith, it is bound to show in their life. The personal testimonies of those around us provide some of the strongest evidence for God’s existence. What else could change a hardcore drug addict to a committed Christian? What else could give that young single mother hope to keep going and raise her child? What else could drive the bar-hopper from the local club to the local church?

As amazed as we are when we hear stories like these, simple stories of faithfulness can be just as moving.

The timid person who finds the courage to speak up about their faith.

The person who battles temptation but finds the strength and courage to resist.

The person who has seen less-than-perfect-attitudes in fellow believers, but continues to have faith in God and their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

How we live our lives doesn’t just affect how people see us, but how they see God. We all have stories that have affected our lives, and we’re called to be a living testimony for those around us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 even goes so far as to call us Christ’s ambassadors. We cannot see the full picture of our lives on this earth, but God does. Through our relationships, work, and calling, God wants to reveal His love for the world. We all have different talents, personalities, and situations, but if we believe in Jesus and accept Him into our heart, we’re all part of one giant spiritual family. We are called to keep adding to this family. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to show the world who God is through our lives and actions. We may not be able to see God, but we can see His presence in the lives of others and in our own lives. Though we are currently earth-bound, we can feel rays of the sun from above, signaling it’s presence in our lives. And, we are called to share that light in the midst of the dark around us.

I’d love to hear your stories in the comments! How has the faith of another person helped you grow in your own faith? 

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge: Day 1

Courtney17 Comments

wpid-blogging-challenge

Big news everyone…I have joined the challenge! Both my friend Mfon from Dainty M. and my friend from Papberry have done blogging challenges, so I have decided to try one myself! Today’s post is about my blog’s name, 1timothy412girl.

I started my blog a little over a year ago, after discovering that a good friend of mine had a blog. I chose the name 1timothy412girl after the Bible verse 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” I’ve always loved this verse because it is a reminder that even though I’m fairly young, I can still make a difference.

Recently, I added the tagline “Striving to live confidently in Christ.” My goal on this blog is to inspire fellow believers, no matter how young or old, to live as an example and find their identity in God. I remember during my freshman year of high school I wanted so much to be confident, but I looked inward so much that I neglected to look upward. It can be so easy to try to form our identity around academics, hobbies, or our appearance, but God tells us to “Seek first the kingdom of God” in Matthew 6:33.

I soon found that once I made my faith a priority, I began to grow more confident. Today, I feel that I have a pretty firm grasp of who I am, and more importantly, who I am in Christ. 

To conclude, I’m very excited to take on this challenge and I hope you guys will journey with me on my longest series yet!

A Letter To Longtime Christians

Courtney10 Comments

Many of us can remember it.

The day that we first asked Jesus into our heart and prayed the prayer.

For me, it was at age eleven. At that point, I had been attending church for about two years. I started going to church later than most of my friends, but I was still young enough to only foggily remember life B.C. I read a Christian fiction book that mentioned accepting Jesus into your heart, and knew in that instant that I wanted to do that. A year later, I was baptized and began attending youth group for the first time.

Unknown

Flash forward two years later. 

It didn’t take long to catch onto the secret lingo of ‘Christian culture’. By freshman year, I knew all of the famous Christian figures (Tim Tebow, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, Chris Tomlin, Tim Hawkins, etc.). My favorite singer in middle school was Francesca Battistelli and my favorite movie was Soul Surfer. I knew all about purity rings and owned a Teen Study Bible.I took a Dave Ramsey financial class for teenagers in 8th grade and knew Christian apologetics before I even got to high school.

These are all good things. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to know God from a young age. But, sometimes, when you’ve been in church for years, it can be so easy to forget the meaning of it all. It’s possible to know all of the right things, and in the midst of it, forget all about the meaning of our faith: The fact that Jesus died on a cross to save us from our sins. 

Somehow, in the midst of our busy lives and our growing familiarity with the cross, grace becomes just another word; a word to use if we want to sound churchy. We can rattle off about twenty songs with the word in the title, but entirely loose the significance of the word in the process. We hear people talk about grace in the context of a reckless lifestyle and wonder how it applies to us, who have been faithful church attendees since we were children.

The truth is, no matter what our story, we’re all in need of a Savior. In the Kingdom of God, there is no one who is better or worse,  just humans in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. As basic a truth as this is, it can be so easy to forget. It can be easy to get so caught up in being a Christian that we forget Christ. I’m guilty of this myself. But, grace is is a truth that humbles and lifts us up. It replaces works, yet calls us to action. Let us never forget the wonder of the cross.

Let us never forget that Jesus loved us so much that He shed blood for us, that we might all get to spend eternity with Him. 

P.S. My mom recently started a blog at savedbygrace2009.wordpress.com. Be sure to check it out! 😊