Tag: Christian

So What About Feminism? (Part Three)

Courtney4 Comments

Warning: Extremely long post. Grab a cup of tea, put on some good music and make yourself comfortable if you dare to read all of this. 

I’ll be honest, I enjoy a good love story. Though I come across fairly ‘tomboyish’ to most who know me, I have a weakness for chick-flicks and Hallmark movies (The secret’s out y’all!). I love books by Karen Kingsbury, pretty much any movie with Reese Witherspoon.

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Furthermore, since marriage and family is likely to be a huge part of the lives of many Christians, I feel that it is very important topic to address within this series.

Admittedly, as a girl who has been single since birth, I’m coming at this from an “outside looking in” perspective. Nonetheless, I do not live in a bubble and I’ve had the opportunity to witness relationship dynamics in both real life and the movies. Plus, like many millennial girls, I have a fair amount of old Taylor Swift songs on my iTunes account. 😉

Joking aside, I have taken the time to research this topic and have read passages in the Bible that relate to marriage. I’ve also searched reputable, outside-sources by people who know God’s word and have studied this topic much longer than I have.

I believe that our best starting place in studying this topic is asking what God intends marriage to look like. Because humans are fallen, we’ve likely witnessed, or even been in, an unhealthy relationship before. Look no further than television to find dysfunctional relationships abroad. Many TV shows portray blatant disrespect, borderline emotional-abuse, and lust as commonplace, something to be expected in dating or marital relationships. This should not be so. God takes this covenant so seriously that He uses the metaphor of marriage to describe Christ’s relationship with the church. Clearly, God has high standards for marriage.

God calls for love and respect on both ends of the relationship. Some people have tried to create a power imbalance between the husband and wife by misusing the word ‘submit’, but I do not believe that hierarchy in marriage is God’s intent. In the Garden of Eden, God gives Adam and Eve equal dominion over the earth, as co-stewards of creation (Genesis 1:28).

Furthermore, in the original Greek language, submit means to ‘voluntary yield in love‘. The word used to refer to husbands and wives is different than the word used for parent-child relationships. The wife is not called to absolute obedience, but rather to love and respect her husband, just as her husband is called to love and respect her. To quote an article from godswordtowomen.org Absolute obedience belongs to God alone (www.godswordtowomen.org/patriarchyriss.htm).

So what does it mean for both partners to love and respect each other? It would seem that the first step is to treat each other kindly. Colossians 3:19 instructs husbands not to be harsh to their wife and Proverbs 21:19 warns against wives being quarralsum with their husband. In short, it seems that the Golden Rule applies to both partners in marriage, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). 

A second thing that I believe is highly important in a marriage is for both partners to encourage one and other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I believe that both partners should do their best to encourage each other’s dreams, goals, careers, and callings. God has a unique plan for each person’s life, and it’s important that both the husband and the wife encourage each other to become all that God intended them to be.

It is also import for both spouses to provide emotional support when their partner is going through a difficult time. Oftentimes, people place the emphasis on financial support, but  many gals believe emotional support is just as important. There is much more to marriage than “putting food on the table”. Taking the time to listen and understand your spouse is something that will likely stay in their mind much longer than a number on a paycheck.

Last but far from least, marry someone who shares your faith and values. I cannot stress this point enough. I have seen people marry someone from a drastically different faith background, or no faith at all, and it always causes a truckload of problems. Complications come in with raising children and the couple misses out on the bond of a common faith. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” This is not saying that unbelievers are bad people. All of us were unbelievers at one point (After all, even if we were raised in church, we weren’t born Christian). What it is saying, is that it’s important for our close friends, and especially our spouse, to share our faith and convictions.

. . . .

This post concludes my three-part series on Biblical gender-equality.

I hope you all have enjoyed reading this series as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I have received a lot of positive feedback and have been challenged in a very positive way as I’ve searched the Bible for answers to hard questions. If you pull nothing else away from this series, I want to leave you with one thing to think about; God loves us and wants to use us in the midst of countless of differences. 

We’re all in slightly different pockets of life and come from a variety of backgrounds, but through Christ’s blood on the cross, we are one giant, amazing, beautiful, diverse family.

Called to emulate, follow, and share the love of our Savior, and shine as a light to a broken and dark world. ❤️

 

So What About Feminism? (Part Two)

Courtney8 Comments

Perhaps one of the most volatile discussions surrounding Christian feminism is “Should Christian women be allowed to teach in the church?” There are faithful, goodhearted Christians on both ends who strive to uphold Biblical doctrine.

Most people have good reasons and intent in their beliefs, but a conversation that determines the fate of women who feel called to ministry is bound to get messy. As previously stated, I hold an egalitarian view of scripture, and thus, support the notion of women in ministry. I have done extensive research on this topic and believe that scriptures support women in ministry. In this blog post, I’m going to lay out my case for women teaching in the church, and give passages to support my stance.

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  1. The Greek words used are gender inclusive. To quote Charisma magazine “1 Corinthians 14:26 gives a list of things that everyone is expected to participate in. “When you come together, every one of you has…” The Greek word for every one, hekastos, is a word that encompasses both genders. This list includes teaching. Several times in chapter 14, the word “all” is used. Verses 24 and 31 both say that all may prophesy, and we know from Paul’s teaching in chapter 11 that this includes women.”
  1. We need to understand the context of Biblical passages. Most often, knowing why the Bible says something is as important as knowing what is says. For instance, we know that the Bible talks about slavery, but we should by no means believe that it supports the unbiblical practice of owning slaves. In fact, I believe that the Bible set the very framework for abolishing slavery, particularly in the book of Philemon, where Paul urges Philemon to think of his former slave as a brother. Similarly, many understand passages like 1 Timothy 2:12 to be a command to a particular context, rather than one that should be applied universally. An article in Christianity Today says “Because women in Ephesus at this time were uneducated and secluded, Paul was warning that they could be misled by the false teachers trying to lure new Christians away from the church Paul wanted to establish.” Paul’s job, first and foremost, was to protect Biblical doctrine so that all might be saved. If the women in this particular church did not have a stable foundation for their faith, it would have been necessary to forbid them from teaching for the greater good. This does not mean that he was forbidding every women in every context from teaching.
  2. If women were not allowed to teach, it would literally handicap the body of Christ. More and more each day, Bible-believing Christians are becoming a minority in society. It is estimated, according to Washington Times in 2012, that thirty-two-percent of people in the world are Christians. This is literally less than half of the world’s population. Numbers are bound to be lower if we exclude women (Half of the world’s population) from the percentile. There are thousands of people out there who don’t know Christ, and by limiting women from leadership, we’re making it harder for people to hear the Gospel. I do not believe this is what God wants for His children, especially in light of The Great Commission, which instructs every believer to “go and make disciples of every nation.”

To conclude, I believe that God is calling both genders to work in His kingdom. We are all His creation and though there are some obvious differences in men and women, both genders are equally loved by our Lord and Savior. He died for both men and women and I believe that He is calling both genders to spread the news of His glorious resurrection. I believe that equality in leadership is one of many ways that He is using His people to be a light, redeem the world, and spread the awesome love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”* Galatians 3:28 

*This verse in context is referring to salvation, but I believe that it can also be applied to ministry and leadership. 

 

So What About Feminism?

Courtney10 Comments

In both mainstream society and the church, feminism is a topic that I’ve found is gaining traction in recent years. Thus, I believe it to be a relevant and important topic to talk about.

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Because it’s an incredibly broad term, I’m going to try to be clear on definitions, as feminism often means drastically different things to different people. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this blog post, I’d like to specify what feminism, the way I’m using the term, is not.

Feminism is not akin to being pro-choice. I’m pro-life, but agree with aspects of the feminism movement that promote equal education and job opportunities. I do not believe feminism and political positions on abortion to be connected, thus, that will not be a focus of this post.
Feminism is not man-hating or bra-burning. This is a horrible misrepresentation of the topic and while some radical feminists may have this attitude, the vast majority do not. Speaking as someone who supports feminism, some of my closest friends are guys and I’m thankful for both the men and women who have made this world a better place. I am also thankful for all of the awesome guys who follow this blog and listen to my random thoughts and ideas.
Now that I’ve cleared that up, I’d like to explore how feminism-the affirmation of both male and female as God’s special and unique creations-can be best practiced in Christian churches and marriages in a way that glorifies God and empowers our sisters in Christ.

The two words that will frequently emerge in conversations surrounding gender roles and the church are egalitarian and complementarian. Egalitarians (Such as myself) believe that the Bible supports mutual love and submission in marriages and equal leadership roles in the church. Complementarians believe that there is sort of a hierarchy-order of things in creation, and typical believe that women in leadership is not Biblical and a women must always be under complete submission of a man.

Since this is an incredibly multifaceted topic, I’m going to break my posts up into three different categories. The first post (this one) is going to focus on what Jesus, the Gospels, and Biblical values teach about feminism. The second part is going to focus on leadership roles in the church. Lastly, i’m going to conclude with a post about what I believe a Christ centered marriage should look like.

When discussing any social issue, Jesus should always be at the center of the conversation, and if you read through the Gospels, Jesus’ attitude towards women was revolutionary for the time era. He ate with both men and women without discrimination, and essentially told Martha to “get out of the kitchen” and learn, something that was unheard of and discouraged during the Biblical days. Not to mention that it’s explicitly recorded in scripture that women were the first to find Jesus’ empty tomb, even though their testimony wasn’t seen as valid by society in court. Furthermore, while Jesus could have easily specified the Great Commision to men, Jesus simply says “Go”, seeming to imply that He wants both his sons and daughters to spread the good news of God’s grace. Rather than limiting women from being missionaries and teachers, He chose to include them in His story of redemption, affirming equal value and love for both genders and encouraging them to work alongside each other as couples, siblings, neighbors, and friends.

Lastly, as countercultural as these two topics have become in modern society, I believe that the Christian virtues of modesty and purity are feminist-affirming in nature. Because humans are born with a fallen nature (both men and women), God specifically instructs guidelines that call both genders to respect each other. He instructs them to see each other through the lens of God, respecting their worth, rather than using each other. When a guy and girl are both seeking God’s will, respect is bound to follow. Both self respect and respect for the other person are essentials to any healthy relationship.

I could easily delve deeper into these topics alone, but I believe that the information presented gives the strongest evidence for Biblical feminism and an egalitarian viewpoint. My prayer for this mini-series is that we can grow in respect and love for each other as a church family, encouraging both our brothers and sisters in Christ live up their full potential. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor, and I pray that this series helps us navigate one way of living this out as the body of Christ.

 

Living In The Quiet

Courtney4 Comments

Hi everyone, sorry for the longtime hiatus. Things have kind of been a little crazy for me lately with post-grad drama and working on a book that I hope to publish, but I’m going to try to be more faithful with my blog in the future. In short, it feels good to be back. 😊

. . .

I’ll be honest, I’m an extravert. I’m not necessarily a loud or overly-out-there-extravert, but I’m an extravert nonetheless. To many, I would probably look more like an introvert, due to the fact that I prefer someone else to lead the conversation, but get energized around people, qualifying me for that title.

That being said, I love being around people and hearing the joys-and-noises of life; silence is basic my worst enemy. I typically have music playing, a book in hand, or a TV show on. Sometimes I even do a couple of those things at once.

Yes, I’m a millennial.

I enjoy stimuli, and I believe that in some ways, this tends to bleed into my life. As an author at heart, I tend to long for grand moments, the kind that you wait for at the end of a novel. I’ve had a couple of those types of moments this year, but as the year has closed, and summer has crept upon me, I’ve kind of found myself going crazy, battling more OCD than usual.

But, I believe God is trying to teach me something in the midst of it; He’s teaching me how to live in the calm, live in the ordinary. The crazy thing about life, is that it keeps going. Movies close with credits and maybe outtakes, but life continues, making it unparalleled to most forms of media. Furthermore, while we might easily find songs about self-discovery, changing the world, or finding love, we rarely lyrics about eating a sandwich or emptying the dishwasher. Recently, I read a book called Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman, which really resented with this part of me. She does a beautiful job at tackling the challenge of living in the silence, and one quote stands out in particular.

“What gives moments meaning is not the moments themselves but the presence of Christ with us in the midst of them.”

God is alive in every moment.

Not just the mountain tops.

Not just the bucket list items.

Not just the walking-on-sunshine-moments.

Each and every moment of life.

God is alive in the most unusual, hilarious conversations with your friend. God is alive as you brush your teeth in the morning. God is alive in the moments of concentration, trying to find the perfect sentence for that novel or essay.

God is alive in the silence as much as He’s alive in the excitement. This is something that I’m still learning, but I’m believing it more with each sentence that I type. God is still God, from the peaks of Mount Sinai to the lights of New York City to the calm of a small town. He’s working in your life even during the times that feel most silent. God is too sovereign to confine Himself only to big moments. He is alive both the noise and the silence, wherever you find yourself right now.

God is here. In your life. In mine. In each and every moment that we breathe.

And because of this, we can find peace when living in the quiet. Because whether our current life situation feels big or small, God is bigger than it all.❤️

Only Jesus

Courtney3 Comments

“I lost Jesus in there. It seemed one could be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus.”-Sarah Bessey, Out of Sorts; Making Peace With An Evolving Faith.

Celebrity scandal. Wars. Gun control. Religious freedom. Republicans vs. Democrats. The 2016 election. Chaos. Crime. The economy. 

With so many issues in the world, distraction has become one of our most accessible vices. Even on Christian websites, the top news stories are drenched with current events and political jibber-jabber. The nightly news, like an addiction, pulls us in and threatens to keep us there.

I’m as guilty of it as anyone. People and current events fascinate me, and I’ve spent my share of time online, trying to figure out my stances on various issues. I love finding new information and sharing what I’ve learned with others, and I believe that learning about people and their unique places and journeys of life can help us to become more caring and compassionate human beings.

An interest in new information is not a bad thing. God wants us to be able to reason and think critically about different matters. Half the book of Proverbs is about wisdom, and the importance of it. Not to mention that God created our brains with unbelievable complexity to process life—both the present and eternity—with.

The problem comes when we become so consumed with the news, life, and viewpoints that we completely miss Jesus. Sometimes, it even gets so out of hand that we end up waging wars with those-who-disagree-with-us-on-topic-XYZ. I’ve seen this happen a lot during this point in history. Somehow, as a Christian culture we’ve reduced our faith to politics, rules, and religion, completely missing the amazing otherworldly story that God is writing in our lives. In the name of “being right”, we’ve turned to lecturing, shouting at, and hurting those who we’re called to love.

Suddenly, the story of the two sisters from the Bible comes to life, and we live as Marthas instead of Marys. We’re worried about many things, but we forget the one big thing.

A vibrant, feeling-alive-I-can-touch-the-sky relationship with Jesus. Living as a poem rather than an instruction manual. Loving vibrantly, the way Jesus did. Sinking into God’s peace when the world feels chaotic. Breathing a sigh of relief and realizing that we don’t have it all together, but knowing that Jesus does.

Sometimes, we need to let go of the worries, let go of the troubles, and look up instead of looking around. The world will always be crazy, but we serve a Savior who calmed the waters and walked on them. He can calm storms and raise the dead, and continues to calm the storms inside of us, making us come alive when we feel dead.

Only one person is big enough to do that, for you, for me, and for all of Creation, and that person is our friend, Lord, Savior, and redeemer, Jesus Christ; who bled on a cross so that we could have live forever. The things of this world may not be big enough to calm our seas, but Jesus always is. No matter how menacing the clouds and no matter how loud the storm, Jesus can always calm it. And, He always has been, and always will be, more than enough. ❤️

A New Chapter

Courtney5 Comments

“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.“-Taylor Swift

Tomorrow, I’ll be closing a chapter; a chapter that I’ve been living in since the 9th grade. When I walk up to receive my diploma, and walk off the stage to greet my family, my time in high school will be over.

Up until now, I’ve pretty much known what to expect out of life. I’ve been with the same people for the last couple years and know exactly who I’m going to hang out with when I get to my classes. Not to mention that for the first time, I’ll be in classes where not everyone shares my faith. I’ve heard all of the horror stories and have seen the movie God’s Not Dead, where the professor asks all of his students to write “God is dead”. I suppose if I end up with a situation like that, God will give me the courage to get through.

Not to mention that my goals will no longer be “high school goals”, they’ll be life goals. Now is a time when I’m really going to need to start working hard to achieve my dreams.

But, even as I face this, I know that everything will be OK.

I think this is one of those times when I (and every other graduating senior) have to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God said this to the Israelites exiled in Babylon in the Old Testament and I believe this can be said for each one of us today. God has written our stories before we were even born and has amazing plans for each of our lives, plans that are better than we can eve imagine right now.

So this is our hope fellow graduates of middle school, high school, and college.

This is our hope, fellow travelers in the road of life.

This is our hope, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

God has plans for us that we can’t see yet. All that we have to do, is continue to follow Him and have faith in the future. Faith in what we cannot see, but still choose to believe.

This will be the faith that leads us, this will be the faith that helps us get through, and this will be the faith that helps us thrive in our new chapters of life, whatever they may look like. Our individual stories may be as different as the DNA inside of us, but we serve the same Creator. We serve the same Creator who made the stars, and, the same Creator who holds our hearts.

Thus, as we enter into our next chapter, let’s live by faith, choose to love those God puts in our paths, and have hope in the amazing plans that our God has for us.

‘”You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.❤️

My Struggle With OCD

Courtney7 Comments

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NIV)

It was before a big production in my theater class. I was talking with one of my friends, Alex, while another friend was working on setting up the chairs. Finally, both feeling guilty, we went over to help our friend set up. To our surprise, which we both got a kick out of, he was determined that they be set up a certain way. We both teased him, in a friendly sort of way, but deep down, I knew something.

That I wasn’t all that different.

It probably formed early in my childhood, as I remember lining up crayons by color in elementary school, and to this day, I organize my clothes by color and type (though they don’t stay that way for long!). It also causes me to be prone to anxious thoughts, fearful of drinking out of a cup that isn’t clean, and make sure everything is just right when I leave the house. For instance, a simple thing like “is the blowdryer unplugged?” becomes check-it-two-hundred-times-because-if-it’s-not-the-house-will-burn-up-and-we’ll-be-homeless.

I can’t tell you exactly what the root of this is, or exactly when it showed up, but I can tell you that this is my struggle, as each person battles something. Maybe it’s a physical disability that you battle, like diabetes or having to be in a wheelchair. Perhaps it’s something psychological like my OCD. Maybe it’s an eating disorder, or self harm, or an ongoing situation with bullies and drama.

I don’t know what your situation is. But I do know that you’re strong enough to overcome it! Just as I know that I’m strong enough to manage my OCD, I know that you’re strong enough to deal with whatever your facing.

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (NKJV)

You have the strength to eat right…Through Christ who strengthens you.

You have the strength to put down that razor…Through Christ who strengthens you.

You have the strength to keep your head held high when they try to bring you down…Through Christ who strengthens you.

We are warriors, because the one who overcame death lives inside of us, and is “ever present help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) So put on the full am of God and keep fighting (Ephesians 6:10-11). Even when we don’t feel strong, we have His strength to keep us going.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

Because nothing that we’re facing is bigger than the God that we serve. ❤️

 

 

Reflective Essay

Courtney2 Comments

Hi everyone, this is an essay that I wrote for my english class about my year. I thought I’d share it with you. 😃

Reflective Essay 

Have you ever looked back on your life, and realized that everything; every pain, every joy, and every ounce of beauty, has led you to where you are today? This has been my experience this year, as I look back on the past four years of high school. There have been times that I’ve felt like I was on top of the world, and there have been times when I felt like I’ve hit rock bottom, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without each and every valley that I’ve gone through. This year has been a wonderful experience for me, and I believe that I’ve grown spiritually, socially, and academically because of it. I’ve accomplished goals and have grown closer to my friends, feeling more like the real me than I ever have before.

This year, I’ve had the opportunity to sing a song that I wrote in a talent show, a dream that I’ve had since freshman year. It took lots of hard work, as dreams often do, but I finally managed to accomplish that goal after years of hard work and dedication. Recently, I was chosen to sing Walk on The Water by Britt Nicole at my high school graduation, which I am very much looking forward to. Both chances to sing on stage have been blessings from God that I am very much thankful for. I have also had more opportunities to share my faith through the internet this year, as I started a blog and a twitter account, giving me a chance to be heard and hopefully, make a difference.

Socially, I have grown closer to my friends, and have realized that God is truly faithful to provide close friendships in your life when you least expect it. A couple of years ago, I dealt with a situation where I lost some of the people who I considered to be my closest friends. I felt really alone and wasn’t sure that I’d ever have friends that close again, but God has provided me with amazing new friends who have proved to stand by me through thick and thin. One of the things that I’ve always loved about the Gospel is how Jesus calls all believers a family. Though I’ve been raised in my household as an only child all of my life, I can truly say that many of my friends are like brothers and sisters to me.

Lastly, I believe that I’ve grown immensely spiritually and as a person. Just a couple of years ago, I was incredibly shy and struggling in my faith more than I let on. Now, standing here today, I’ve become confident in myself, outgoing, and have never felt more alive in my faith. I used to think these things would all come at once, but they’ve come slowly, as God has helped me grow a little more each year. And, I’m all the better for it. I don’t claim to have it all figured out, because I’m still learning, but I’ve come a long way since I was that 9th grade girl walking through the doors of her high school career. I have developed in my hobbies of singing and writing and have learned how to use them for the glory of God. I’ve made new friends, and have grown closer to old ones, as we’ve navigated this thing called “high school” together. I’ve taken a theater class for three years, and have laughed until my sides hurt with many amazing, talented peers. I’ve lived through four years of high school and realized that I never could have dreamed it would turn out this great.

This upcoming year, I’m starting college. I know it will be new and in some ways, quite different from what I’m used to, but I also know that I’m strong enough to handle it. I would like to close with a thank you. Thank you to my friends, to my classmates, to my teachers, to my family, and to all of you who have forever affected my life. Times change and years pass, but memories forever remain, and I believe that these four years are a time in my life that I’ll always remember; a period of my life that I’ll never forget.

 

 

Stewardship

Courtney2 Comments

“Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

Stewardship is a concept that has been around for years. It’s earliest origins trace all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when God placed humans as stewards over the land. Many churches have taught courses by Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett and if you’ve been in church long enough, you’ve heard the “tithe talk”. But, is stewardship only limited to finances?

I used to see it that way. Admittedly, the past, when I’ve heard the word “stewardship” I’ve let out a bit of an internal exhale. As an extreme right-brain-creative-people-person, things that pertain money and numbers tend to make my brain feel like it’s going to spill out of my ears. I have a lot of respect for people who are interested in finances (after all, without them, we’d all be in trouble) but for me personally, financial terms tend to sound a lot like gibberish.

But, recently, God has helped me realize something: stewardship isn’t just a financial word. It relates to every single thing in our lives. Even if we’re young enough to not have much of an income, we can still be good stewards of our resources.

Our time? Stewardship.

Our relationships? Stewardship.

Our spiritual gifts? Stewardship. 

Our dreams? Stewardship.

Stewardship, in short, is basically offering everything we have back to God as a gift. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” If your best friend asks you to look after her dog while she’s out of town, you’re going to take good care of that dog; you’ll feed him, take him outside, and make sure he doesn’t escape. This is what God wants us to do with everything that He’s entrusted us to.

Use our time well.

Invest in our relationships.

Share our talents for his glory.

Chase our dreams in a way that points back to God. 

God calls each of us, from the wealthiest to the poorest, to be a steward.

We are each called to steward different things, just as Jesus teaches through his Parable of The Talents, but we all have gifts that God wants us to steward. Stewardship, in short, is a call to obedience and wisdom. A call to wisely let our blessings overflow in a way that blesses others. A call to live, love, and give to the fullest.

How can we, in each of our unique places of life, steward our relationships, our dreams, our talents, and our time in a way that points back to the Creator of all of these things?

“So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.” Romans 12:1. ❤️

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That Post About Being Healthy

Courtney5 Comments

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2.

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Health. Though it is something that we know we all want and need, it can often conjure up interesting images in our head of crazed exercise trainers and extreme diets. As I’m writing this, I’m remembering an episode of Friends where Monica goes completely crazy training Chandler. Rest assured, that is not what I’m advising in this post.

What this post is about is being all-around healthy. This means taking care of the temple that God has given us and making smart choices to feel great from the inside out. We were made for something great, and we can’t accomplish God’s amazing plans for us if we feel like dog-poo. Because the Holy Spirit is literally living inside of us, it is our job to create a good home for Him. When company comes over, we take care to clean our homes and make them look nice for our guests, so how much more effort should we put into the place where God resides? Thus, here are some tips for living healthy and being healthy! 

  1. Eat well-Few things can affect our physical well being more than the fuel that we put into our bodies. This isn’t just about adding fruits and vegetables (Though that’s important too!) but also knowing what your body can and cannot handle. Some people have allergies and intolerances to certain foods; which could either require a cutback on those foods, or a complete cut-out. Recently, I found out that I was gluten intolerant. It’s not severe, like an allergy, so it took me a while to figure out that it was causing problems. At the beginning of this year, I noticed that was sluggish, having trouble concentrating, and generally feeling down. One morning, I had a gluten-free waffle and realized that I felt better than I had in months. From there, I began cutting gluten out of my diet and have felt much better since then. And, they make gluten free desserts like cupcakes and cookies so this doesn’t mean that I have to give up my sweet tooth! 🙂
  2. Exercise-This is probably this most difficult one for me. If you’re the kind of person who would prefer a book to a day at the gym, exercise may very well feel like a drag. But, there are other ways to get exercise besides typical working out stuff, like swimming, playing a sport, or dancing. Basically, the point of exercise is to get moving, feel good, and stay healthy!
  3. Be spiritually healthy-I cannot stress this one enough; honestly, it should be first. Staying spiritually important means staying close to God, reading your Bible and praying. Admittedly, I’m not always great about keeping up with daily Bible reading, but I’d like to get better! Being spiritually healthy also helps you stay emotionally healthy, make good choices, and have good relationships with others!
  4. Be emotionally healthy-This means enjoying and savoring the life that God has given us and taking care to work through problems rather than letter them fester. Some things that can help with emotional health are enjoying a good book/movie, spending time outdoors, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends, with brings me to my next point…
  5. Surround yourself with family and friends-It is so important to have close relationships with other people. God didn’t create us to be cut off from others, that’s why He created both Adam and Eve. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to get married, but it does mean that everyone needs people. Even the most introverted person needs friends. Take the time to invest in your friendships and keep them strong. There are few blessings greater than the people that God has placed in our lives!

How about you? What do you do to stay healthy? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!