I Am A Christian

I am a Christian.  I believe in Christ.  I believe he is God.  I believe he came down from Heaven, not as a Zeus.  He came down  as flesh and blood; vulnerable, modest, and new.  I believe Jesus grew up from a baby to a man who taught about compassion, epitomized love, and imparted wisdom.  I believe in his courage, in his selflessness, and in his resurrection.  I believe in him so much that I do not like to look at crucifixes because the image of our Lord’s body hanging in humility, vulnerable, and in pain causes my heart such agony.  I am a Christian, but could I die for it?

If a man with a gun were to walk into a room and demand, “If you are a Christian stand up.”   I do not think I would have the courage to stand up.  As much as I believe, as much as I love...I do not know that I am ready to suffer for our Lord.

Just writing those words seems harsh.  Let’s be real.  Back in the day people were getting killed left and right for being Christians.  The more you believed, the more your professed your faith, the more likely you were to be murdered.  Every time I read a bible story about someone who was martyred in our Lord’s name, I can not help but to ask, “Lord, why?  Why is it those who show you so much devotion, and love suffer?”

Ten people died  yesterday in Oregon.  It is reported that they were signaled out for being a Christian:

“[He started] asking people one by one what their religion was. ‘Are you a Christian?’ he would ask them, and if you’re a Christian stand up. And they would stand up and he said, ‘Good, because you’re a Christian, you are going to see God in just about one second.’ And then he shot and killed them,”

http://nypost.com/2015/10/01/oregon-gunman-singled-out-christians-during-rampage/

They stood up.  They stood up!  Faced with a man standing with the devil, they held to their convictions and stood up.   They were killed for it.  

Christians around the world are being persecuted for their faith.  In April 2015, Pope Francis gave a speech:

“Our brothers and our sisters … are persecuted, exiled, slain, beheaded, solely for being Christian,” he said, his expression tense, his cadence slow but deliberate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/07/has-the-world-looked-the-other-way-while-christians-are-killed/

April 2015:  147 people are massacred at Garissa University College in Kenya.  They were signaled out for being Christians.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/02/africa/kenya-university-attack/

February 2015: 21 Egyptian men beheaded in a grisly video for being Christians. http://time.com/3718470/isis-copts-egypt/

A July New York Times Magazine recounts the plight of Middle East Christians who are being driven from their homes.  They are not allowed to take anything with them except their lives.  Three year old Christina was ripped from her mother’s arms as they waited on a bus to leave.   When her mother pleaded for her daughter’s return she was told,

“Get on the bus before we slaughter your family” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/is-this-the-end-of-christianity-in-the-middle-east.html?_r=0

As I sit here in my house, writing away with a scented candy cane pencil, drinking flavored coffee, I am sad and angry...uncomfortable only in my emotions.  I contemplate the lives of Christians everywhere;  brave souls who dare to practice their faith even when it threatens their livelihoods and lives.  I am sad and angry..but I am also alive.  I remember those who had the courage to stand up...and died because of it.  

I am a Christian.  I believe in Christ.  I believe he is God.  Today I pray that I will remember his compassion, humility and vulnerability.  Today I pray that even in my anger I will remember to be the example and not the problem.  Today I pray that I will stand up for my faith.  I will evangelize.  I will love.  I will be patient.  I will not blame.  I will be courageous. I will serve. Today I pray for those who said, “I am a Christian. I believe…”  Today I pray for those who stood up and died for it.

Top 10 Ways You Know You are Getting Old

    In Honor of Turning a Year Older this Month:

10. The music you listened to in high school has its' own channel on Sirius/XM.

9. If you don't leave the house by 7 pm, you are not leaving the house.

8. You keep track of what day of the week it is using a pill case.

7. You see a doctor at least once a month.

6. You use scientific studies viewed on Good Morning America as a reason to    eat more chocolate and drink more wine...(as if children were not reason enough).

5. The sitcoms you watched as a kid are now on Nick at Night.

4. What you wore as a kid is now back in style.

3. You can remember when there wasn't Internet.

2. You can remember when kindergartners did not have cell phones.

1. At least three movies you watched as a kid have been remade!

Bonus: You've found God! ( You're either getting old or you're in trouble)

Feel free to add to my list in the comments below!

What's For Dinner

Tips and Tricks #2

What's For Dinner

     I remember a time when I would stand in front of the refrigerator at 5'oclock in the evening of a busy work day wondering "What's for dinner?" With a looming 6:00 soccer practice  my brain would fight to come up with some sort of idea. Spaghetti? No noodles.  Meatloaf? No crackers.  Chicken? It's frozen!  You know that feeling..when you have spent a million dollars at the grocery store, get home, put everything away with a great deal of satisfaction only to be disappointed two hours later when you have no idea of what's for dinner.  A couple of years ago I was browsing through a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine when I came across this beautifully made magnetic menu board.  It had categories for veggies, meats, and carbs.  All you had to do was plug in your choices, make a list, and head out to the grocer.  Now, I am more of the immediate gratification kind of person.  I am also not very crafty and am cheap.  I was not about to make that magnetic board.  However, I did have  a million dry erase calendars hanging around the house. My Menu Board was born.  

     I simply use a note book with sections for chicken, beef, pork, and seafood to keep track of the different meals we eat on a regular basis.  I may get around to adding sections for veggies and carbs...maybe. Whenever I come across a recipe I like, I add it's title under the correct section in my notebook and a note of where to find it. At the beginning of the month I  write on my dry erase board calendar the menu for two weeks. It's not so hard because I have my notebook to refer to for ideas.  Using the calendar to make my grocery list, I buy only what I need. If you put the menu some place in your kitchen where everyone can see it, it will help to encourage pre-reading skills and discourage the, "What's for dinner?" questions.  One of the first things my youngest began reading was the home menu. 

     There are a lot of helpful menu websites out there as well as apps that you can use to make menus.  On another note, my dry erase board does not have ads and doesn't collect information on me to sell to a third party.   If you are a crafty super organized person, you can go the Better Homes and Gardens route and make the full on magnet menu.  I however, have no time for that!

If you have a Tips and Tricks you'd like to see featured, send me a message!  If you enjoyed this post please comment below and feel free to share!