One Way

So much has gone on in the past couple weeks!! Not only did I finish my joy study (yay!), but I got through the last two weeks of rehearsals and three performances of a Christian Youth Theatre play! (www.spiritualtwist.com) The play, titled "Genesius", focused on the persecution of early Christians in Rome, 303 AD. It explicitly shared the Gospel, and touched on themes like sacrifice, surrender, faith, love, joy in trials, and much more! I was HUGELY blessed to be able to be a part of this production, and know I will never be the same, especially after the role I played. My character's name was Claudia. Not only was she a Christian, but she was also a noblewoman, which was less common in those days. Her (fictional) husband was also an important official and a close friend of the Emperor, Diocletian. When Claudia and her daughter, Lydia, are captured and brought before the Emperor (which happens during the play), he tries to get Claudia to renounce her faith, first by a...

Well, I'm getting very close to the end of my joy study, and today, Day 26 out of 30, the action item for the day was to write a "Declaration of Thanksgiving" and share it with others! And the cool thing is, that this declaration pretty much sums up what I've been learning throughout this whole study. :) ~~~~~ Declaration of Thanksgiving      It is good and fitting for us to give thanks to the Lord in all  circumstances, and not just because " this is God's will for [us] in Christ Jesus. " (1 Thess 5:18) God deserves our thanks at all times and in all situations because He is God! He is good, his love endures forever, and he has redeemed us from the pit of our sin. He has performed innumerable awesome deeds before Mankind, including sending his son to die for a bunch of sinners, many of whom would continue to reject him after the fact!          No matter how difficult or painful our circumstances, God does not change .   ...

"'Simon,' he [Jesus] said to Peter, 'are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.'" (Mark 14:37b-38) I'm hoping to write a full blog post on my study of this verse soon, but unfortunately, I'm short on time today. In short - this passage speaks so much truth to me! Sometimes, we can get into situations where we feel "spiritually high" one day, week, or over an event/camp/worship jam, then the next day we're back to the same old sins/depression/doubt, etc., and it can all feel fake, like it was only some kind of adrenaline rush. We wonder how, or if, we will overcome the really big giants in our lives. But Jesus gives us the answer! " Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. " Not to say we will always be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise - but for those who are truly his, God's promises are av...