More than just Easter

         Go back in time....all the way back to when Jesus actually walked this earth as a human. First off you would not be wearing your favorite Levi jeans or your favorite American Eagle Sweatshirt. I can imagine the dress back then was simple and not about appearance or appeal. They walked around in robes and sandals and body wraps that they probably made themselves or bargained for. It was just that simple...nothing fancy from Saxon Avenue. The people of the biblical times seemed care free to me...they seemed to be there because they were living. And yes I know that makes them sound just like us because well... we are living too. Look deeper and act as if you are a part of the biblical times. You look down to see the sandals that you just bargained your sheep for because your feet are starting to bother the way you walk. As you walk through the town of Jerusalem you see all the hopeful vendors set up around you while they chant out to those passing. Everyone around you is there to make life. To live. I bet you do not see anyone worrying if they fit into their prom dress or if their kids are at soccer practice on time. As you keep gazing while you walk through town back to your home, you look to your right to see this Messiah that claims to be the son of God. You have heard of this man and the great miracles that he has preformed but you have never seen one for yourself. You are not one to believe in a bunch of mumbo jumbo but there is something about this Jesus guy that sticks with you. As you walk over you discover a large crowd surrounding the Messiah as he is preaching to the young children. Moments later a blind man walks up to Jesus asking him to heal him with everything in his power. The next thing you know the man that had a dark world, the man that saw nothing but dark empty space has now broken the seal of disease to open his eyes to the man that healed him. You see Jesus heal a man that was blind and that was enough for you to follow him. Because even though life may seem simple, their are diseases and horrible events that shatter your everyday surroundings.

      This vision that you just journeyed on may have been the case for several everyday people in biblical times. Can you just fathom what it would be like to have the choice or rather the privilege to follow Jesus with him actually being in front of you in HUMAN FORM! The people of this time had such a gift of having Jesus on earth with them but at the time most of them did not know it or refused to know it. But some had chosen to follow this man that claimed to be the Messiah, son of God. And you can only imagine what thy encountered. Th most popular followers of all time that followed Jesus were the 12 disciples. These 12 men followed Jesus everywhere leading up to his death. They experience a lot of miracles and actions of the Lord, why so you suppose that was? Have you ever thought that maybe God made 12 disciples because he needed strong willed people to spread his word and stand firm in their faith? When Jesus sat down at the last supper he knew that he was going to die and he knew that several of his followers were going to betray him. This would make anyone think....why didn't he just split and leave everyone in the middle of the night? I think that we view Jesus dying on the cross as a horrible sinful act of humans that just ruined a wonderful thing. Well it was....but it was suppose to happen. It is hard not to get angry and upset when we realize that Jesus was killed on that cross. But really, we should be rejoicing because we know that his glory is to only get better. If you think back to the biblical times again...they had Jesus on earth so they experienced a lot of things. And today Jesus is not here as a human but we see and hear his word just like those did in the biblical times. Our time is a time of growing and learning lessons. Our time is a lot different from the past times but no matter what God had made it into every era.

       As you experienced in your walk through Jerusalem, you noticed that people started to follow this Messiah once he started showing true signs of miracles. But once the Pharisee's started questioning his authority his followers started to back down. Because they would rather believe the people of this world rather than the one who created it. And maybe the Pharisee's questioned the nature and authority of Jesus, to later get him killed, because they never wanted something that could succeed their success. Jesus coming to earth was meant to happen and he was meant to die on that cross for us or we wouldn't be here today. We need to stop focusing on past tragedies that we cannot change and work on what we are to do now that we are given a chance to prove our faith. Following Jesus is not enough. He needs to know that you will stay behind him even if the whole world rejects his existence. We need to be able to die for our beliefs because Jesus did the same. I know it sounds harsh to say you need to die for what you believe in. And you might think that you have a lot to live for on earth. Actually...without God we have nothing to live for. If we were told tomorrow that God never existed then we would have no reason to live for. But we have to have a reason to live because we are breathing and alive which makes believing in God so prominent. We are meant to follow him, we are meant t be tried, we are meant to love him, we are meant for his miracles, WE WERE MEANT to look to him and know that he is Lord no matter what. God is the man that can speak to you about anything and do it with authority. He knows everything about you because he was meant to create a story with you! Don't be like the Pharisee's by looking at God in knowing that he is almighty and that he is something beyond anything that has every crossed this earth so you deny him. Jesus states in John 13:36, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later." You might not see Jesus but he is still there because he came back and he is better than ever. His resurrection beat all evil and all earthly power. You need to realize that nothing can hold the Lord down.

     God walked this earth as a human. He thought and talked, walked, ate, slept, cried, worried, and did everything just like you do. So when you look at the prayer of the Lord that he prays once he is about to die, and say that God needs to toughen up because he is God! Know that he was scared, he was to be hung on the cross for everyone but himself! Never think for a second that defeat and death is the end of the line. Look at the resurrection.




Word of the Day: " Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into my wound in my side. Don't be faithless ant longer. Believe!"
                                                      ~John 20:27




Watch how easily others "followed" and "unfollowed" Jesus they we do today.

Everday Easter

           "Hmmm so I wonder what Kaitlyn is gonna talk about next? I mean I can imagine that she is going to talk about Easter next week because I mean, it IS Easter Sunday. So that should be a nice little lesson on the Easter story but no major lessons to learn." Well if that was your thoughts exactly then...well...you were right. But did you know I was gonna talk about Easter today too? I think that when we know there is a holiday coming we get out the egg wreath, flowers, spring colors, and the Easter flags to plaster around our homes for the holiday. Do you kind of get the feeling that holidays really have just become a tradition rather than a celebration? What I mean by that is, we all know when the holidays are coming so we go over to our parents or grandparents house at a certain time to sit in a certain chair to eat a certain family meal. Yeah in the back of our minds we know that Easter is Jesus holiday, I mean the man rose from the dead for crying out loud! But my point here is we are traditionalizing holidays that deserved to be not only looked at as a good day but one to live out. Below I have listed common symbols of the Easter holiday. Now I'm sure your thinking okay that shows tradition right there! Well yes you are right but I don't want you to just read them and understand them I want you to apply them to your life. And yes they can be applied to your 21st century life! Doing this gets you ready for Easter and it sticks in our mind when we apply it to our individual lives. This ultimately allows us to keep up these habits beyond the holiday.

#1. First up we have the most popular icon which is the egg representing "new life". The new life of not only Jesus but also of us and others. But we might not always think this when we are cooking them to make them capable of becoming a fun family tradition of dying them. And I am not one for legends but did you know that it was said that Mary gave eggs to the Roman soldiers in hopes that they wouldn't kill Jesus and she ended up crying on the eggs over her son's death which made the eggs turn in color. What I wanted to let you get out of that is that we hope for something good inside of everything (in this case the egg, and Mary hoped that the soldiers had good in them as well). But what we see on the outside really determines if we know that know matter what, good comes out in due time. Another place you might see eggs is scattered all through a yard for little kids to run after for what is only inside of them. I mean that is really what we want after all out if an egg..is the inside of it. We can decorate them as much as we can but we don't use the outside to benefit us we use the inside that was so carefully grown to better our health.

#2. Is the most famous symbols for religion when it comes to Easter... the cross and the crucifix. The cross reminds Christians of the death of Jesus Christ and how he rose from his grave. The cross is one symbol that carries out its meaning during every part of the year because of how important it is. Now a crucifix is the same thing as a cross but it has a figure of Jesus on the cross to show the sacrifice he gave. You can carry out this symbol by doing things other than wearing a cross necklace or placing a cross in your car mirror. You can recognize the sacrifices that God has given and apply them to your life. Make sure the cross isn't a symbol that mourn but one that you can rejoice over for everything that God has done.

#3. Rabbits and chicks are to show the birth of new life on earth. Of course a rabbit is key for this holiday because of the "Easter Bunny" which they are also known for there fast breeding rate. And we need to be quick to multiply like that (not meaning we need to have thousands of babies...no) we need to look at leading others and sharing the story of Easter beyond the actual day of Easter.

#4. The last symbol is not a traditional symbol but one that is used every single Easter. Which is white flowers and new bright colored clothes. They both represent purity and cleansing. Just think about that. It might not seem too important like the other ones but it does play a role in Easter so it does contribute to the puzzle.

          My whole point of this lesson is for you to become aware of the teachings and traditions of the Easter holiday. I want you to not think about Easter itself but what it is about so when you hear the Easter story from me and your church or even at your family table you will really understand it. Take every single one of these symbols and tailor them so that they apply to your life. If you need help on this comment below or feel free to email me. If you put time and effort into it you can apply every single symbol that is in a holiday to your life. Don't make a holiday any different from a regular day. Make the regular days like the holiday because that is when we lift God up the most is it not? And that is always when we are at our happiest is it not?


Word of the Day: "The ear that listens to life-giving reproof with dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence."
                                                             ~Proverbs 15:31-32

Average Joe Evangelist

    When we think of people that share the word of God the word missionary goes to our mind the fastest. The people that spend long hard hours studying in bible classes or that takes several training classes and takes all year to raise funds for that trip. While that information is very true at times for most missionaries...this also makes people very discouraged. At times we all might get that feeling of wanting to go on a missions trip or even reach out to others here at home. So instead of just elaborating on missions trip's and missionaries, I am actually going to make a step by step process of how you can become that known missionary of not only others lives but your own life. Now before the process starts I would like to address one thing first. Some of you might automatically be thinking, "Well missionary is not really for me. I love God and everything but that is just not for me but I am still gonna read this to see these difficult steps that I personally could never do." Hm mm...if you are anywhere along those lines. Forget all that nonsense and take a leap because your not as average as you thin you are.

#1. Become Known as a Child of Christ
If you are interested in being a missionary either in your home or beyond it you need to have a love for Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that you need to go to a bible seminary to study the bible for 10 years unless that's what you are called to do. You do need to make an effort to understand God's words. Having a basic knowledge of the bible and its events can help you better understand the character of God. But you also need to go out and grow your faith so that you get personal experience. I think that being able to tell any story from the bible is great but being able to share your own personal experiences is truly half the battle of evangelism. When one can share the details about their walk with Christ that is when they are at their best because they are embracing what God has given them. This step can be hard only if you make it hard by not choosing to learn God's word for better understanding or to benefit your walk with Christ.

#2. Practice Sharing Your Stories
Before you go on a big missions trip over seas or before you talk to your grieving co-worker you need to know what your going to say to them. When God gives you an opportunity to share his word and to allow you to expand your faith you are not to worry at all because he will speak through you if you take the chance. But this step needs practice so you know what your doing...because you might already know the words to speak through God. We can all be given the right clues and information at different times in our lives mainly from past experiences. And at the time we might not think that the insight God gives us is ever applicable to our lives....well I am telling you to dig up those lessons learned because this is where they come in handy. One way to put all of this into practice then ultimately into play is to pray. You need to take all the information that you have compiled in your mind and the information that you have on the person you are helping to apply it all to the situation. Practice what your going to do over in your head and pray to God asking if that's how he wants to use you. Remember that in order to help people effectively you need to use rational but yet understanding words. You never want to get rude or abrasive when you are trying to be persuasive.

#3. Bring Yourself to Their Level
When we are helping someone based on certain situation we might automatically rank ourselves higher than them because we might simply know more than them when it comes to scripture. Even if that is true believe it or not, you are still equal to that person even if they are homeless. When you set yourself above someone else or if you think they are better than you, then there is no way that you can help them. You need to be able to talk to someone as if your talking to yourself. You need to be comfortable by leaving all of the stereotypes on the side line. Talk to them like they are human and don't act like your a pastor because you need to set a normal conversational ground before you bring out God's words.

#4. Don't Think and Just Jump
Of course you need to think to some extent while your helping others through the word of Christ. But for me when I end up not reaching out to someone whether if its on a missions trip or here at home, it was all because I waited around. I'm sure everyone has had times where the waiting process just built up butterflies in your stomach. Some nerve wrecking waiting times are getting your license, Sat's, performing on stage, public speaking, auditions, and anything that requires so waiting time. Well one way to solve that is not to think about. As soon as we get the idea to reach out to the new girl at school or our co-worker that's struggling in their marriage, we need to take that initial idea and run with it. I know that we all have gotten that idea at least once but 50% of the time I would say that most people tell themselves that they will do it tomorrow which then turns into the next which then turns into next week. As that continues to be put on hold we become nervous because we don't know what to say or we might tell ourselves " Hey that person I was going to minister to is looking at lot better so I am not gonna talk to them anymore." You never know if anything has been resolved in other peoples lives without asking them. We all get that first idea of helping someone because God puts that fire in our heart so don't wait for it to die down pass on the torch while its still lit.

#5. Be Confident and Make it a Regular Occurrence
Once you have a couple of experiences of reaching out to others through the words of Christ keep with it. The action of ministry doesn't come often or easy to some people so take that gift and know that it is good. You have to be confident that God will not let you down in whatever situation he puts you in. Your determined actions and attitude serves as an example to everyone around you. I mean who knows...those that look up to you might realize how happy you are in reaching out to others and they might get over their own fears. Evangelism is something that everyone can do and that is meant to do. Becoming a child of God is a reward in it's self but being able to spread his words through our own way is a huge bonus.


Take these steps and tell yourself that they are possible. You never know when you will get the chance to preach the gospel to others. You need to get educated, practice, take all chances, speak with reason, and be confident. Every single one of us is capable of becoming a missionary for God it is just the matter of us bringing out those talents.


Word of the Day: "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
                                         ~Galatians 5:25

Spring Cleaning

         As the weather gets warmer and the birds begin to chirp outside we all get that sense of renewal because we know that spring is coming. Just the fact that spring is coming gets us all in a rather chipper mood because we can be outside more and explore and just have fun since summer is coming soon. Now besides breaking out the old picnic table and the tulips...one tradition of spring is to clean. Get rid of all the junk either in your garage, basement, or even your room. Wherever that unwanted amount of junk has been accumulating over the fall and winter, the upbeat feel of spring gets your butt in gear by telling it to get rid of all the junk. Now let's be real...how many people actual do spring cleaning???? Exactly, not many. But that's the point not many people take time out of their life to get rid of the stuff they dread the most. Now you might be looking around your room, house, or even car and being thinking "well I really don't have THAT much junk that I could even get rid of." We all have those couple pairs of pants that swear we are going to get back into but little do we know that the pants are just outdated. What we really should be asking ourselves is if we know we have unwanted junk that just weighs us down then why don't we just get rid of it? Well that is just like saying why don't we resist sin all the time. The point is we can never give up things in our lives that easily even if its not good for us. I think that the things that hurt us the most and that aren't good for us are the hardest to get rid of. It sounds like a contradiction but the things that strive to ruin our lives the most want to continue doing that so therefore it makes it difficult to ever get rid of the things we need to clean out the most. The other fact is we don't always admit or accept the fact that we have things in our lives that need to be cleaned out of our lives. Our lives might seem like there is just so much junk that we don't know where to start. Well there is two ways we can tackle the mess. One: we can look at all the big problems in our lives that are just sitting around taking up space and kick them out. Two: we can tackle the small problems to clear the way for when you tackle the big ones. You might be wondering why is it so important that we get rid of these things. But I'm sure you have picked up by now that these useless, dead things that just sit in our lives are just taking up room that we could be filled with things we actual need and use today. Right now I want you to take your entire life and compress it to your mind. Think about what has built up over time and what still stands their today. Do the good and positive things leave a foothold in your life? Or is the unwanted junk clouding your mind and getting in the way for new things to come into your life? Over time everything thing that comes into your life seems to get old and we need to get rid of it. Getting rid of these things may not be the best choices which is why we need to recognize what is useful and what is useless. When the time comes that you get the feeling of some "spring cleaning" go ahead and get out the Swiffer and clean. You know it needs to be done every once and a while. Like I said, the things in your life tend to become old and useless but that doesn't mean that they were useless. The things in our lives come in for a reason at a certain time to fulfill their purpose according to our lives. But we all need to continue to grow so that is why we need to keep those memories so that we can bring in more things to continue on our journey. So don't second guess anything and repent what needs repentance and trash what needs to be trashed and fill in the empty space. Do some spring cleaning this year and make sure God knows about it because you can't do it without him. You need to make sure that it is in your heart for you to clean house because if its not time to let those things go on then they never finished their duty in your life. But most overall....clean out the shame, guilt, sinful habits, hatred, lust, jealousy, temper, and anything else that is making a mess in your life with God. Do not put this "spring cleaning" off until next year and then the next...just do it because there are so many things that are meant to jump into your life and you need to make sure there is room. And it also needs to be in good company...so get rid of the junk. It is making a huge mess in your life.



Word of the Day: " Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."
                                        ~Psalm 51:10

Unequally Yoked

    When you hear the term "unequally yoked" you might think of the bibles view of marriage or you might be like me and automatically think of eggs. Well sadly eggs and theirs insides have nothing to do with being unequally yoked. If you break down this lesson to first understand the meaning of being yoked you will find that it literally means a device that's used to draw together two animals that are mainly oxen. If you look farther down into the definition it also says that a yoke is a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets with one at each end. Take that meaning of being "yoked" and keep right in the back of your mind while we look at the dictionary's word for "unequal". Even though we might think this definition is simple because something that is unequal is just simply something that's not equal. But did you know the being unequal is also defined as not having an adequate amount, power, or ability and it is also unjust? So lets put this altogether. To be unequally yoked is defined as...being drawn to something without justification without having adequate power or ability. To me that still just looks weird and confusing plus it doesn't show any proof of being connected to the bible itself. So lets dig deeper.

   At some point in our spiritual journey I'm sure we have been told or heard that you need to connect with those of the church. Being close to your church and being able to connect to those associated with it is becoming yoked with the followers of Christ. Now not all of you may go to church and may still be believers...but ask yourselves if you are yoked to the body of Christ? And I don't mean the actual body of Christ I mean his people in which make up his body. Just because you are yoked to one or many other followers, doesn't mean that that bond is sticking together. This is where the whole being unequally yoked thing comes into play. Taking too opposite things, such as good and evil, and forcing to join will not make a harmony of voices. Things that are opposite are designed apart from one another. And many people on earth choose to take part in something that goes against themselves. This action is seen is the bible most frequently such as when God had to warn his people to not to intermarry the pagan people of the Promised land. A way this is often described today is being warned about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and sex. You might be thinking..." okay, so if my best friend drinks alcohol when they shouldn't or take part in sexual activity when they aren't married yet. That means I am a bad person because I should associate myself with that?" To be totally honest is thought that if one hung out with those that do drugs and alcohol then that makes you a bad person until now. I have shed some light on that because not everyone that hangs out with those kinds of people do the acts that they do. But to counteract that, the people you hang out with describe you the most because you choose to spend your time with them and whatever they choose to do. If those you are always with don't engage in things of your interests and beliefs than what is your relationship? And just because someone engages in bad decisions doesn't mean that they can't change. If we want to change the bad things in this world we have to associate with them. If you get anything from today's lessons, remember this. God calls to be equally yoked in him and his word through our religion. He simply does say that he wants us to abide with those that are rooted in Christ when it comes to our friends and loved ones. This shows how much God cares about us because he knows how tempting the "non-religious" can be around a believer. Now this doesn't mean that we cant ever talk to someone who isn't a believer it just means that we need to be yoked (bound to another thing...which should be a stable thing) to a bother in Christ especially when it comes to love. We need to be able to be connected to another in Christ because the people of the church are often described as a separate people from the rest. That sounds very rude and racists towards non-believers but we are different. We view life in a totally different light which affects every single thing that we do. I would say that has a pretty big impact. So make sure that you are not unequally yoked with your life, friends, and loved ones. If you are married to or in a relationship with a non-believer, or even if your considering dating a non-believer...evaluate your motives and theirs. I am not saying in anyway that they are bad people. Just remember that the bible calls that being unequally yoked which makes you falling apart. Strive to keep your mind and heart kept together for the sake of the Lord because going through difficult times is worth being equally yoked. And one last word to all the teenagers. If your thinking that the one friend or loved one is okay to be with even though they aren't a believer. Think about it through the mind of God...you will spend most of your time with that person and this is the stage where you are most vulnerable to giving into pressure. Just because things may not work out because of the unequal yoke between the two doesn't mean that your ways of life took a foot hold in that persons mind.



Word of the Day: “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
                    ~Exodus 23:32-33