Childbirth hurts...

Okay... what do I know about birthing pains? Nothing. Not a thing at all... and, a lot at the same time.

The name of this blog is Christianity Struggles, and if you're here, and reading then you know that Christianity can be difficult sometimes. A lot of times, people aren't prepared for how difficult it is to live as a Christian, so they live some bastardized form of light Christianity where they want all of the benefits of being called by the name of Christ without the burden of picking up their cross. (Did you know the Bible says in 4 different places in 3 different gospels "pick up your cross and follow me?")

Anyway... you're here, you're reading... which means you must be in the struggle too.

So, why? Why can't Christianity be easy? Why can't we always get what we want? If God is our good heavenly Father, and he owns everything why do I have to work so hard for what seems to be so little when there are so many other people who seem to be doing wrong and living these lavish lifestyles?

Why do I have to struggle with doing right when so many others are doing wrong and don't seem to care?

Let me try to explain it this way: That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

 All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. (Romans 8:18-23 The Message)

Your first love...

I was in the shower this morning thinking about my Mom and Dad. My Dad died about 3 years ago, but he was married to my Mom for over 50 years. Sometimes, just out of the blue, she'll smile and strike up a conversation about a memory of him.

I closed my eyes, and decided to think about my first crush, the first person that I KNEW that I loved when I was 13 years old. My 17 year old crush. I could vividly remember things about all of them. Things that made me smile.

Then, I felt God asking me the following questions:

• What do you love about God?
• When was the last time thinking about me made you smile?
• Do you sit down and tell others about time that we spent together or something that we did?

I think we all struggle with times when we're close to God and times when we wander off. Sometimes, we go years without even thinking about what he wants us to do, we're on automatic.

That's not a way for any kind of relationship to grow. It causes us to drift away.

Admittedly, I struggle with that sometimes. I get in the habit of treating the relationship casually, because I know he'll always be there... and there's always later. But just like my early crushes... even with the help of Facebook... I may never find them... and if I did, I doubt my feelings would be the same.

The Bible talks about how we should love God because He first loved us. He is our first love... so, let's try not be live out the warning in the Bible about wandering away from our first love.

Let's not confuse our religious habits with relationship.

Revelation 2:3-5
The Message (MSG)
2-3"I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.
 4-5"But you walked away from your first love—why? What's going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall!
   "Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.

No apologies...

At first, I felt bad about what I wrote in my last post. I felt that maybe, just maybe I was being a little hard. Then it hit me... the name of the blog is:

Christianity Struggles

The above image is from the Civil Rights movement. Pictured is a man facing a menacing dog with another that has his teeth ripping at his clothes. That man realizes that he is in a struggle for his freedom. The people that marched knew that they would face dogs, water cannons, imprisonment, beatings... but they went anyway.

Why? Because they believed it was the right thing to do. 

We say we believe in God, but we also feel the need to apologize to others because telling the truth may hurt their feelings. Well... feelings are temporary. Get over it.

1 Cor 15:17-20
The Message
...if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy... 

Christianity is more than a little bit of inspiration and excitement on a Sunday with some liner notes to help us get through Monday. We need to believe, belong, and become. We need to believe in the complete work of Jesus Christ. We need to understand that where we belong as Christians and what our role is in a world that is lost in sin. And finally, we need to become what we're called to be so we can live out our lives in a way that matters.

It's time to man up!

Man up... that's an interesting phrase. It basically means to act like a man.  Do what a adult should do. Take on responsibilities for your actions. Grow up! In the protestant Christian religion, we don't have a rights of passage like other cultures have. There's no bar mitzah or bat mitzah, confirmation, or rumspringa. If you were to ask a dozen people what it means to be an adult, you would get a dozen different answers like, being old enough to vote, getting your license, being able to drink, moving out on your own... the list goes on. So, how do you know when you're grown?

It seems like we're in a culture where people are stuck in adultolescence. This isn't really a new thing. Life can be hard and it's nice to have a diversion every once in a while. I am a life long kidult and I don't see anything wrong with keeping a youthful outlook on life as long I take care of my have to's.

My question is: "What about when it comes to our faith?" This isn't a new question. It frustrated Paul back in the early church.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3
New Living Translation (NLT)
 1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Paul was basically saying "Grow Up!"

I think part of the reasons why people struggle with Christianity is because they have to make hard decisions. Painful decisions. It's hard to deny yourself what you want because you feel that an invisible God is prompting you to make a decision that you know deep down inside is the right thing to do... but what will your friends think?

We want to read the good and happy parts of the Bible, but don't want to read about what we have to do to resist sin, or sharing what the Bible says to others, putting ourselves out there to care for those who are less fortunate than we are.

What do you believe?

 Does your faith impact your life?

 Can you really explain to someone else what you believe other than to say "Jesus died for me so I could have everlasting life?"


Does your "sinful nature" still govern your actions?

Does it sound like I'm angry? Frustrated? Annoyed? I AM!


I'm not so frustrated with you, but with all the years that I lost because I wanted to be a kidult in Christ.  However, exposure to what the Bible says as I read it for myself and meditate on it shows me the vanity of how I have been living... and I want more. I want to see what it's like to grow up and see what God has in store for me when I actually listen and follow what he says.

Let me put this another way... if you had to live only on milk as an adult what would happen? You would wither away. You would lose your strength and ability because you don't receive all the nutrients that you need to function as an adult.

If you want to know why you make the same mistakes over and over again... it's because you haven't built up the strength to do better.

Hebrews 5:13-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

What do you really look like?

A few years ago, I learned something kind of disturbing. I learned that I had a distorted body image. What this basically means is that when I looked in the mirror, my mind did not recognize the reality of what the mirror said, instead - I viewed myself in an unhealthy way.

I was an athlete when I was in college. I had around 3% body fat, 6 pack abs, perfectly chiseled body. I was 185 pounds of solid muscle and as a soccer player at the top of his game could run for hours without getting tired. After 10 years of marriage, I was 285 pounds, a truck tire for abs, and a body like the Pillsbury dough boy. 

My problem was, when I looked in the mirror, I could not picture myself as being overweight. I saw myself as the fit and proportioned person I was in my youth. And because I couldn't see the truth, I continued to eat the same way that I did when I was young and I continued to gain weight.

I went to the doctor for my annual physical... my elevated blood pressure and excessive weight prompted the doctor to say "You are fat, you need to get up off your lazy behind and exercise."

I couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth! I was in disbelief. When I got home, I took off my shirt, looked in the mirror, and for the first time could see all of the weight that I had gained.

When I saw the truth, I realized I had to change my ways.

I worked hard... I lost nearly 60 pounds. But in all honesty, I haven't been as diligent as I once was. I think I've gained 20 of those pounds back and I'm slipping back into the way things use to be.

I'm telling you this story, because I think most of us can relate to this is our own lives.

But, what does this have to do with Christianity?

James 1:22-24
The Good News Translation
22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are.24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.

Sharing your faith

If you ask most Christians what the one thing they are most afraid of - it's sharing what they believe with other people. There was a time when people believed that it was the job of the Pastor to share the gospel, so most people believe that their job is done once they invite someone to church.

I have been in church meetings where people have talked about how to get new people to come to the church. It's usually revolves around having a program or doing some activity there they don't have to personally interact... because putting yourself out there is difficult and if people asked questions that you didn't know the answer to... well, that would just be embarrassing.

Besides that, the Bible draws some really hard lines about how we should live. It talks about not drinking in excess, no sex outside the bonds of marriage, not stealing... we don't want to seem judgmental. So, sometimes it's easier to just not say anything.

But... we have to remember the last thing that Jesus said before he ascended into heaven as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 was:

 18 ... “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It's a personal command to all of us, not just to talk to others, but to teach them...

I was at an early morning men's meeting and this guy named Bill was sharing how he came to be a Christian. He was in his late 30's and a hippy for life. He said, "the first time someone told me about the gospel I was interested in what they said, I just had one question:

"Do I have to stop smoking weed [marijuana] in order to be saved?"  

Without missing a step, the guy talking to him looked him in the eye and said... "No!" Bill admits that if this gentleman would have said yes, he would have walked away. But what this man knew was that it's not his job to try to get someone to change their lives by a set of rules. Over time, exposure to what the Bible says will bring about a change... if you truly meditate on what it says.

I saw Bill not too long ago. He's still hippy Bill. He gave up smoking anything years ago. He still had a strong faith in God because someone took the time to listen to meet him where he was.

Once you take yourself out of the equation, it's easy to talk to people about the gospel.

When I say this, I'm not bragging. Believe me, I have nothing to brag about, but I'm saying this so it will encourage you.

When I was at work yesterday, I felt guided to go to the mall, and sit there with my Bible and do some writing, because I reckoned [logizomai] if I did... God would send at least one person my way that needed to hear from Him. So, I packed my yellow notepad, pen, Bible, tablet computer and sat there writing.

When I finished writing my last sentence for the day, Rodney walked up to me, and we talked for about 30 minutes about what it means to struggle to be a Christian. He had questions... God prepared me with answers. We talked about many of the things that I've been blessed to write about over the past few days and I even read him word for word what I had written that evening. [I gave Rodney the link to this blog as well as a challenge to read all the way through the book of Ephesians from beginning to end in one setting, then read 1 chapter a day for a week. I also gave him my business card with my number. Rodney, if you're reading this... I really meant what I said! God loves you and is there to help you... that's a promise that He makes and He always keeps His word.]

I believe that if we make ourselves available God will prepare us with what we need to say in the moment.

John 3 New Living Translation (NLT)
 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.

It's a difficult struggle to be blown into situations like a leaf blowing in the wind trusting God to lead me into situations that he has prepared because first, He has prepared me for the situation through praying and studying His word, and secondly that he He has prepared the other person to be ready to listen.

I mean... could it really be that easy? Things like that don't ever happen... do they?

Acts 8:29-31
New Living Translation (NLT)
 29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
 30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
 31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

Not "why?" it should be "why not!"

One of the primary places that I've seen Christians struggle is when it comes to difficult times. People have these deep "why" questions - "Why did my child have to die?" or "Why do I have to deal with cancer." or, in this economy "Why can't I find a job."

When they ask most Christians, we just give them the same answer that in the moment we even feel is kind of a crutch.

God has a plan.

Yeah, we know that God has a plan, but the fact that He hasn't written it in 10 foot tall flaming letters in the sky so we can understand it, doesn't really help in the moment when people are grasping for anything to hold on to.

One of the Bible promises that I hold on to is: "In this world you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

I have built my faith from the beginning to expect difficult times and have a slew of Bible verses that I can hang on to in times of testing and trial.

I am not some super Christian, but I have spent 7 months unemployed. During which time I got to see my Father, an incredible man of God suffer the full effects of both cancer and dementia and was with him when he drew his last breath.

I know what it's like to not have ends meet. I once dubbed my budget "Gone in 60 seconds" because it would all be allocated as soon as... no, before I got paid.

But, through it all, I have still looked to God.

Why?

Because I know that through good or bad, God's primary desire is for me to have the best possible relationship with Him. Heaven is the goal. It would be great to be rich, not have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, or whether all my bills will be met. The short lifetime that we live here... is nothing compared to eternity with God.

The original apostles that Jesus knew this. Most of the apostles that Jesus chose, realized the importance of their faith and most of them were martyred so the good news would be spread by people that loved God more than their own lives.

Phillipians 2 (New Living Translation) says that we should have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privilegesl he took the humble position of slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him a name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Somehow, we have it in our minds that all should be good. We are the exemptions.

And that... is why we struggle during difficult times. Instead of asking God to get us out of the situation, we need to ask how we can bring Him glory through our actions. I'm sure He will grant us His grace to endure. And... isn't that what we need to show people? That our loyalty to God isn't shaken... regardless of the situation? I know I want to be surrounded by Christians like that.

James 1:2-8

New Living Translation

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.