How Will You Be Remembered?

Today while reading a book, I cam across a simple yet profound quote....

"How would your epitaph read if God Himself were to write it?"

That really got me thinking

None of us are promised a tomorrow.
None of us are promised another minute.
And chances are if you are reading this, then 100 years from now you will be dead (and so will I).

When our time is up how will we be remembered?


Have you ever walked through a cemetery and read the writing on some of the the grave markers?
I have.

You can figure out how old they were.
You can see if they were male of female.
Sometimes you can tell if they were married or had children.
And sometimes little messages are even left summing up who they were.

But out of everything on the marker, the most important thing is the dash between the birth date and the death date.

That dash represents everything that person did in their whole life. From the time they took their first breath to the last they took their last.

And when we (the living) look upon the dash of deceased loved ones, our minds are flooded with memories.

In the same respect, when were are dead and gone...people will look at our dashes and remember things about our lives.

When people remember us it won't matter what car we drove, what brand our clothes were, or how many figures we made a year.

They will remember whether or not they were giving or selfish, kind or rude, sympathetic or apathetic, and if they really cared about the well-fare of other or if they just cared about getting ahead.

As Christians we are called the be a peculiar people. We are instructed to lay up treasures in heaven not on earth. We are instructed to keep our main focus on the goal set ahead of us, to bring souls to Christ.

When you stand before the Lord on judgement day, is He going to care more about the 10 gold medals  you won...of the 10 lost and dying souls you shared the gospel with?

This is not our final home, it is only temporary. We are just passing through for a short while. 

I would like to think that when I arrive on the shores of heaven, God can look at me and say "Well done my child. You remained faithful and loyal to the purpose I had for you. Enter into the joy of your salvation."

I would also like to think that any loved ones I may leave behind me on earth would be able to say postive things about my life on earth. That I was kind hearted and loving and thoughtful. That I put other's needs ahead of my own and served the Lord faithfully. That I had a fire in my life, and people could tell by the way I spoke and carried myself that I was different.

What about you?

How will people remember you on your funeral day?
How will they remember you 10 years later?
15?
25?
50?

Will they remember you at all?
Are you living in such a way that your existence merits remembering?

If you had the opportunity to write your own epitaph, what would you say about the may you lived?
What would your friends and family write for your epitaph?
What would God write for your epitaph?

"Sometimes I think what will people think of me, when I'm only just a memory. When I'm home where my soul belongs."

"After I'm dead I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one."

" An epitaph is a belated advertisement for a line of goods that has been discontinued."

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

What's Your Story?

Let me start off by saying this was the not the original post that came to my mind to do tonight. The original post was going to be titled "Reflections" and it was going to go into the various points of thanks and regrets we have as be look back on our lives.

But as the night progressed and conversation became deep and intense (the type of conversations I love to have!) more important matters arose.

I guess to get you all up to speed I should probably take you back to this morning.

Happy Birthday to me......

Typical birthday morning, typical thoughts that go through your head the older you get....What did I really do in the past year, the past 365 days, that have made ANY difference whatsoever? What have I accomplished? And how close am I to meeting and of my long term goals? What stories did I make to tell?

I have this dream of one day becoming an inspirational Christian Women's Speaker.  There's only one thing though, all those women...I mean ALL those women have extraordinary stories that they can tell and tell over and over again and they never get old! I remember thinking to myself, "I need a story! I have no story!"

That was until a dear friend of mine looked me in the eyes tonight and said, "You have a story, and it is just beginning. God has plans for you."

At that moment I was speechless (which is rare).

I pondered that thought for a while...

God is the author of the book of each of our lives and who are we to tell Him that He isn't writing it the right way?

We are each unique.

Some of our stories are mysteries, some are dramas, some are action/adventure, some are suspense, and some are easy reading.

But each story is important and each story can make a difference in someone else's life if it's just told.

You may think that your story is nothing special and you would be wrong.

And as long as there is breath in your lungs and as long as your heart is still breathing inside your chest, your story is still be written.

When it somes to looking back, that's OK every once and a while. We need to remember where we were and where God brought us from, but we don't need to dwell on it.

How can you move on to the next chapeter if you are stuck re-reading the last one?

I know this post was a little different than what I normally do.I know ir is a lot of open ended questions and I know it is shorter and less Biblically based, but it still holds some truth, at least it does for me. And I want you to ponder the same things I've been pondering.

If your story is exciting, it will grab people's attention.
But if your story is typical and 'boring', people can relate to it.

Either way, God is using it for His glory, and until He decides to write "The End" you need to keep on reading...you never know what twists and turns He still has in store.

Thank God I'm not where I used to be, and Thank God that He isn't finished with me yet.
He started a work in me and He promised He wouldn't leave it incomplete.

Happy reading friends!

Peer Pressure

"BUT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT!"

How many times have you said that or heard someone else say it?

Like I've said before, we all want to fit in. No one wants to be the outcast.

And sometimes to fit into that mold, we feel like we have to compromise our convictions to do so.

Let's start of by discussing what peer pressure is?

It is defined as:
           "The influence that peers can have on each other. The term 'pressure' implies that the process influences people to do things that may be resistant to, or might not otherwise choose to do."

Peer pressure normally affects the teen age group, but can even affect us as adults.

You get invited to a party where you know there will be under age drinking...Do you go because your friends are?
Your boyfriend/girlfriend wants you to go all the way with them...Do you do it so they don't leave you for some one who will?
You are struggling to keep your language clean, but everyone in your group uses profanity...Do you cuss so you don't seem uncool?
Everyone is picking on that one person who kinda smells and has no friends...Do you join it to keep from being picked on as well?
Your friend isn't a Christian...So do you keep your mouth shut to avoid persecution?

We know we shouldn't give in but sadly most of the time we do.
But what does the Bible say about falling into peer pressure?

Galatians 1:10-  For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Romans 12:2-  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Proverbs 1:10-  My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 

Matthew 26:41-  Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

1 Corinthians 15:33- Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.

It seems pretty evident that if we are a Christian, we should flee from the pressure of our peers to do things which are against the will of God.

If a friend, co-worker, or family member puts us in the position to consider compromising our moral convictions...we should run, because our flesh is weak and willing to give in.

We should also examine who we associate with on a daily basis. Corinthians tells us that bad company ruins good morals. You make think, "I can change them. They may not be the best influence on me, but I can be on them. I can bring them to church and...."
Yes, you may be able to be a good influence on them.
Yes you may be able to get them to come to church.
Yes you can be friends with, but that should be all you are until something changes.
"Do not be un-equally yoked together with unbelievers." If you know they aren't a Christian, you should not venture into any deeper relationship than just friends, but that discussion I will save for another post at a later date.

Now....Is all pressure from our peers bad? No.
WHAT?
You heard me, not all peer pressure is negative.
Re-read the definition, "...influences people to do things that may be resistant to..."

It all depends on the influences you allow into you life.
If your best friend is a devote Christian person, they may pressure you to share your faith, read your Bible, step up into a leadership position at your church....all things you may be resistant to do because of various reason. Whether you have low confidence, are shy, or just don't know  your capabilities.

If you associate yourself with the right kind of people, they can put pressure on you to become the best you that you can be.

Proverbs 21:17- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

 So in conclusion. Can peer pressure be bad? Yes
Can it be good? Yes
It all depends on the situation and the people involved in the situation.
You need to use you disernment and pray about what's going on.

You need to worry more about pleasing God in you decisions than pleasing people.
Because when your time comes to an end and you stand before a holy God which is going to be more important?
The fact that you hung with the "in crowd" and was "popular", or the fact that you were a good servant of Christ and fulfilled His laws and obeyed His commandments?

Please think twice before giving into the negative pressures that come your way.
Don't only avoid the negative influences of others, but don't BE a negative influence.

The ugly reality is that peer pressure reaches its greatest intensity at just the age when kids tend to be most insensitive and cruel.

No one is immune to peer pressure

Hermits have no peer pressure

 
Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

Judge Not

There has been a quote circulating facebook a lot recently since the whole Chick-fil-a debate started.

It has been pasted as statuses, comments, and even pictures. It has recieved multiple likes, comments, and shares.

It says:
"Don't judge someone  just because they sin differently than you do."

Wow! What a profound yet simple statement.


 This really got my mind thinking and the more I though about it and talked with others, the more I started to LOVE it!

As Christians sometimes we get caught up in the idea that we aren't as bad as other people.
We read our Bibles
We pray
We go to chruch
We listen to the Christian radio stations
We wear bracelets that say "WWJD"
We even post scripture verses on our facebook statuses

God has to love us more than the "other people" the "heathens" 

WRONG!

He loves us all equally, and just because you do all of the things above doesn't make you a better person.

One thing I learned growing up in a Christian environment was that most people who claim to be a Christian are really good at hiding things from other people.
They have their secret sin. Whether it be pornography, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, or inappropriate music. They have it and they hide it from their "church friends". When they show up to church on Sunday they place their little halo on their head and pretend to be God's gift to the church. They have everyone fooled. no one would believe they struggle with any addiction. Their life just seems so put together.
If you asked the people they work with or the people they party with on Friday nights how they are there, you would be shocked that they were talking about the same person.

And yet these people are usually the first one to point the finger if they see anyone else slip up.

The Westboro Baptist Church (if you can even call them a "church") comes to mind. They prance around picketing funerals and events holding signs that read "God Hates Fags". 1st of all God doesn't 'hate' anyone. If you look up the definition of the word hate it is referring to having an extreme dislike and hostility towards. And If God is love... then how can God also be hate? 2nd did they completely overlook the first verse in Matthew 7 that says "Do not judge"?

Is homosexuality a sin?
Yes...but so is lying, stealing, showing favorites, disrespecting parents, taking the Lord's name in vain, being jealous, gossiping, worrying, and pride. Have you committed any of those sins recently?

The Bible says in James 2:10,
            "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

Pretty straight forward isn't? And to clarify the point even more the book of John tells us the story of the adulterous woman:
John 8:1-11,
             "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.  “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  So what do You say?” They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin  among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center.  When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”"

Right there is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.  All these religious men were judging this woman because of a sin she committed, and what was Jesus' response? Basically, if any of you have NEVER in your life committed a single sin then you can throw the first stone of punishment at this woman. And they began to leave, because none of them were perfect they way they expected that woman to be.
The only one at that point who was capable of throwing a stone was Jesus Christ himself, but He didn't did He? No. He showed mercy and love to her. He told her just to go and not to do it again. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If Christ is supposed to be our sole example and He made it clear how we are to behave.... how have we gotten so far off track? 

I heard someone say the other day, 
"There won't be gay people in heaven, because there is no such thing as a gay Christian."

I don't know how I feel about that. Because being in the flesh and having our sin nature inside us, we are going to fall. Saying a gay person won't go to heaven is the same as saying a liar won't go to heaven, because both offenses are the same in the eyes of a holy and perfect God. 

I love the song "Jesus Friend of Sinners" by Casting Crowns at one point says:
"Nobody know what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like You did."

 We are all "plank eyed saints with dirty hands and a heart divided."

What if today you crawled down off your high horse and realized that you aren't as great as you think you are. What if you realized the only thing that makes you something at all is the fact that Jesus loves you and lives within you (that's if you have accepted Him) and with out Him you are NOTHING more than dust of the earth He formed you out of.What if you realized that Jesus loves the homosexual, the murderer, the child molester, and the thief, and the drug addict just as much as He loves you. What if you realized that your judgmental attitude was causing way more harm than good and....

What if you realized that when you judge people you have no time to love them.

Jesus spent most of his time with people the religious people of the day called "unclean" and "evil"
He didn't jusge them and He didn't condemn them. He loved them and invested in their lives.
Why can't we do the same? Reach out to someone this week, show them the love of Christ.
If you are struggling with being judgmental, take a good look at your life through the eyes of Christ and ask yourself if you as perfect as you think you are, and then ask Him to forgive you and to give you His love to pass on to others. 

Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect, and I don't claim to be, but before you start pointing fingers... make sure you hands are clean!

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.

We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation.

We should be lenient in our judgment, because often the mistakes of others would have been ours had we had the opportunity to make them. 

When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

I'm Right! You're Wrong!

Like I've  probably said multiple times in this blog... "Everyone has their own opinion", and that's perfectly fine...when it becomes an issue is when someone thinks their opinion is the only right one and everyone else has to see it the same way or they are stupid.

And what does that cause...arguing.
Plain and simple, arguing. 

Have you ever just sat back and watched 2 fully grown 'adults' go at it? It's quite hysterical actually.



And you want to know one of the best places to see this arguing? The internet. Because let's face it, people say and do things over the internet that they would never have the courage to do in the real world.

I mean comments on facebook, youtube, and news articles could entertain you for hours! (Just have a bowl of popcorn near by)

All you have to do is go to website that mentions anything about the following:

1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Pop Culture
4. Morals
5. Global Warming

and....BAM! instant internet debate.

Adults on their computers, hiding behind the security of monitors and keyboards acting the exact way they tell their children not to act.

You want to know how to start and online argument? It's easy....State your opinion and wait

It starts so civil.
"I believe....."
"Well I believe you are wrong for the following reasons and here is where I found that information."
"Your sources are not reliable and your reasoning is flawed for these reasons"
yada yada yada until one or both sides begin to become frustrated and then what do they resort to? name-calling and finger pointing.
Then friends are called in as re-enforcement (or they just show up because they can't resist a good internet debate)
and it's just a down hill spiral from there on.

Fact is,
It's human nature to always want to be right
It's human nature to want to defend yourself and others you love
It's human nature to want to argue because it get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

But is it always a good idea?

A while back a friend of mine posted a simple status on facebook. Her opinion... and I agreed with it.
Well, someone else didn't agree and made that perfectly clear in his comment to her. But like the above scenario he didn't stick straight to facts and figures, he attacked my friend personally and to me that was NOT ok. 

I replied to him as calmly and cleared minded as I could, even though I was steamed.
I stuck to the facts and explained why I agreed with my friend and disagreed with him.
When he replied to me, once again he fought back with personal attacks. He questioned my beliefs, my reasoning, and my motives...which made my face even  more red with anger.

Right after I recieved a text message from my friend. It read, "Don't reply!"

WHAT?!
I was angry! He disrespected me, he disrespected my friend,and just all around bashed us both.
How could I not respond?
I was right and he needed to know that!
I was not the one with questionable motives and beliefs, he was!
And I knew exactly what buttons to push, he would never mess with me again! Oh yea!

Cut a long story, I never did reply. I just let it go. It was no longer worth my time or energy to argue with him. He was the type that even if he did have the slightest hint that he was wrong, he would still argue and play devil's advocate just for the fun of it.

The moral? Here it is.
As Christians we are going to be attacked and belittled for our beliefs. 
People are going to want to argue with us and try to make us question our beliefs. Some of them may even know their Bible better than you do (Don't fool yourself, Satan probably knows the Bible like the back of his hand), but they twist it into saying something it really doesn't say.
Don't let them get to you. People are going to anger you. Talk to them in a reasonable manner, but don't get pulled in to their childish arguments. When they begin using personal attacks, don't give in...that makes you no better than they are.

When Jesus came a cross a sinner that disagreed with what He was preaching, what did He do?
Did He say, "What? Are you stupid!? You are obviously wrong! I can't believe you think_________!"
No,
No, that's silly. He loved them, He prayed for them, He spent time with them, and He invested in their lives to show them that He was different and He was who He said He was.
Then when they attacked Him and crucified Him, He didn't say a word, He turned the other cheek, and continued to pray.  (Isaiah 53:7, Mark 15:3-5)
And if we claim to be Christians than we should try our hardest follow His example.  (Luke 6:28, Matthew 5:39)

What would happen the next time someone tried to start a fight with you and you didn't add fuel to the fire?
What if you showed them the love of Christ and prayed for them?
They wouldn't know what to think! They would be dumbfounded!
They would notice that there is something different about you, and then you may be blessed with an opportunity to share Christ with them. How great would that be?

Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game because they almost always turn out to be—or to be indistinguishable from—self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time.

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

You cannot reason people out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.

  

That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong.

Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument an exchange of ignorance.

The most important tactic in an argument next to being right is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without an embarrassing loss of face.

 Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one's arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

Count Your Blessings

I saw a picture recently that struck me as very interesting.

It was of a little boy and his mother sitting at a huge table FULL of yummy looking dishes.(Must have been Thanksgiving)

The mother told her son to say thanks before they ate, and the little boy replied..."But, what do I have to be thankful for?


This really got me thinking, in today's society we get so caught up in having the next and biggest and best things, that we begin to overlook the simple things in our life that we take for granted.

We want that newest fastest phone with the 4G, we want that fully loaded tricked out sports car, we want that expensive necklace with all the diamonds, and when we can't afford it we act like 3 year olds with our lips pouched out and pout because we don't get what we want.... well boo hoo, pity you!

We  have it so good.
I bet when you are hungry, you have food to eat.
I bet when you walk outside you have a shirt on your back and shoes on your feet.
I bet you have some type of transportation to get you from point A to point B.
And since you are reading this blog post right now, I bet you have access to the internet.

We need to sit down and have a serious reality check.
If you're only goal in life is to have the best material possessions then you aren't going to have a very fulfilling life.
Now don't get me wrong,  is having material things wrong?  No. If you work hard and can afford nice things, then more power to you to buy those luxuries, but don't let it consume you. Just because your neighbor has something...doesn't automatically mean you have to have it too.

Instead of being so absorbed in the physical and material blessings, why don't you take the time and count all the blessing you have money can't buy. I once heard a saying that went something like this:

                              

"Money can buy a house, but not a home.

Money can buy a bed, but not sleep.

Money can buy a clock, but not time. 

Money can buy a book, but not knowledge.

Money can buy food, but not an appetite.

Money can buy position, but not respect.

Money can buy blood, but not life. 

Money can buy insurance, but not safety."

You see, just because you are reading this I can most likely assume that you are alive and breathing, you can see, and you have the ability to read and comprehend. Which all that put to together makes you pretty blesseed.

Do you have friends you can depend on?
Do you have family that loves you?
Do you have a job?
Do you have food to eat and water to drink?
Do you have a roof over your head?
Can you see, hear, smell, or touch? ..... If you answered yes to any of those, then you are blessed.

God also gives us with certain gifts and talents.

Can you sing? 
Can you dance?
Are you an encouragment?
Can you make people laugh?
Can you teach?
Can you write?
Can you sympathize with people? (Sometimes God allows bad thing to happen in our life so when some else comes in our life going through the same problems, we can sympathize with them and help them move past it.)
Can you organize and plan?
Can you play and instrument? .....If you answered yes to and of those, then guess what! You are blessed. 
 

Need I continue?

There is a hymn that goes like this,
"Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done."
But what if all you seem to be able to do is count things that aren't blessings? What if nothing seems to be going right and life just has you down in the dumps?

If that's the case I'll challenge you with what my Pastor challenged us to do not too long ago.
Grab a piece of paper and make two columns. In the first column write down everything you consider to be wrong in your life and in the second column write down ALL you blessings.
You're second column should have way more than your first and if it doesn't you might want to reconsider what a blessing is.

And to be honest, some of the things you wrote down in column one could possibly be blessings in disguise.
Who is to say that you car breaking down didn't keep you from going some where and wrecking?
Who is to say you boy friend dumping you didn't keep you from being involved in an abusive relationship?
Who is to say you didn't get that job you really wanted because God had something better in store for you?
Who is to say God didn't allow something horrible and scary to happen to you or someone you love because He knew you would be able to use it to bring others to Him? 
Who is to say that all bad things are completely bad? Sometimes blessings come in odd and, quite frankly, frustrating packages. 
I love the Song by Laura Story called "Blessings". The chorus is so beautiful and has such a clear and true message. It says"
          "What if your blessing come through rain drops. What if your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless night are what if take o know You're neat. What if trails of this life, are Your mercies in disguise."

And on another note.... if you have accepted Christ's free gift of slvation....you have the biggest blessing that one could ever have bestowed on them.

Because unlike the material blessings, salvation is not one you can work for and it is not one money can buy.
But it is the most expensive because the price was the Son of God's LIFE. For you to obtain this blessing He was beaten, bruised, whipped, mocked, teased, and crucified.
But...He rose again conquering death and the grave, giving us the most magnificent blessing imaginable and we don't even deserve it.

So the next time Satan gets you down and depressed and feeds you the lies of this world that all blessings are material and cost money. You remind him of all the blessings you have that money can't buy and remind him that you have accepted the best blessing out there, life in Heaven for all eternity.  A blessing he gave up a long time ago because of his pride.

Remember you are blessed beyond meassure in your own way. Don't compare the material blessings God has given you to the material blessings He gave someone else. Don't compare the talents and gifts He has blessed you with to the talents and gifts He has blessed someone else with.
You are you and God has a plan and purpose for your life with the specific blessings He has chosen to give you at this time. 

Blessings sometimes show up in unrecognizable disguises. 

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

May we be strengthened with the understanding that being blessed does not mean that we shall always be spared all the disappointments and difficulties of life.

Seize the blessings of today.

Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayer and worn with thanks.

Sometimes we focus so much on what we don't have that we fail to see, appreciate, and use what we do have.

 God bless us, every one.

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

Thank You

I know this is a little different than what I normally post, but I just wanted to take a second and and thank all of my regular readers of "What If We Were Real".

I will be the first to admit that I don't see myself as a writer at all. In high school (and college) English was my worst (and most disliked) subject.
I will also be the first to tell you that I have problems standing up and speaking my mind about certain topics in front of people I don't know very well.

So if you would have told me a couple years ago that I was going to start writing about not only my personal opinions but also take a strong stand for Christ  on the internet for ALL to read...I'd probably call you crazy!

Yet, here I am. And so much good has come from it.
But to be honest I still get a little nervous when it comes time to hit that orange "publish' button (lol)

Through writing this blog though, I have seen myself grow and mature. I find myself always pondering even the smallest things in ordinary life hat others way over look, and I also find myself studying my Bible more than I ever had....Which is always a good thing.

But I wouldn't be at the point where I am now with out the support and encouragement of my friends and family that read my blabbing regularly and over look my multiple grammatical errors and typos. 

I can't tell you how excited and happy I get when I see you guys comment on my posts and share them with your friends.

All the kind words and encouragement to "keep up the good work" just blesses my heart more than you will ever know.

Christ has given my the strength and courage to post the truth and share it with many all over the world.
The internet really is a great mission field. "What If We Were Real?" has had views in The USA,  China, Russia, Brazil, Latvia, and France just to name a few. 

I have fallen in love with blogging and plan to continue doing it for a while, and I pray y'all will continue to read and support me.

Thank you agian for everything you do.

God Bless!

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3

Mmm Mmm Good

Image you're eating at a fancy steak house with your significant other celebrating a new promotion at work that nearly doubles your annual salary. You make the comment that tonight no price is too high because after all it is a special occasion and proceed to browse the menu. After a while the waiter approaches and asks to take your order, you order a filet minion and your partner orders...a glass of warm milk.... Sounds silly right? That's because it is.



Today at work I was feeding a baby who is in the transition period between bottles and solid food. Slowly over the past couple weeks I have noticed that the formula is becoming less and less appealing to him. He craves the oatmeal, fruit puffs, and smashed vegetables. When it's time for a bottle he is not interested at all  and may drink half of it (if he is really hungry), but when it comes time for the solid food...he is all over it! He devours it and cries when it's gone wanting even more.

This got we thinking about some verses in Hebrews,
                     Hebrews 5: 12-14 ~ "Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.  Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil" 

Just as when a baby is born he needs milk to survive, so new Christians need to experience the 'milk' of the Word in order to grow. When you first come to know Christ, you shouldn't jump straight into the complex theologies in the Bible because you don't want to overwhelm yourself. You need to learn the basic principles and stories first. David and Goliath, Mary and Joseph, The 10 Lepers, Jonah and the Big Fish, Daniel and the Lions Den, and so on and so forth. 


But as you grow and mature in your faith so should the depth of your study and understanding grow. 


The more you get into and the more information you uncover, the more your hunger for the meat should grow.

I find it ironic that God's Word is compared to food multiple times:

• In Hebrews it is compared to milk and meat
• It is compared to milk again in 1 Peter
• In Psalms it is compared to honey
• In John, Christ is referred to as the "Bread of Life"
• In Luke it is compared to seeds (and yes, I count that as food. Food grows from it and I love sunflower seeds)

What speaks to people more than food! If I had to guess most of you reading this eat a minimum of 2-3 meals a day, plus snacks, plus desserts, and plus those midnight fridge raids we don't really remember in the morning and always regret.....

And I can predict that if you skip a meal you may become ill or easily aggravated, am I right?
Well, following that theory...if the Bible is 'food' for our Christian life, if we miss our personal time in God's Word...shouldn't we become spiritually ill?

Ponder this for a second, how healthy would you be physically if you could only eat while you were reading your Bible... A lot of us would be starving! Would you?

Indulge in it, devour it, crave it! The more you study and learn, the more you will WANT to study deeper and learn even more.
Start by spending 5, 10, 15 minutes a day and see where it goes from there. Before you know it, you will really be getting into it and an hour will pass by before you know it.

I know life gets busy and you may feel like there is no time...but lets be real. How much time a day do you spend on the computer? Watching TV? Texting? Facebooking?  Playing video games? Shopping? If you spend anytime doing any of that, you have time to study, it all has to do with your priorities.

To be real with you guys, since I started this blog I am spending more time studying and reading than I ever had. And I'm not missing wasting my time on other things at all.

Just the other day I sat down with a man in my church and began discussing the Scriptures and before I knew it 4 hours had past and there was STILL so much I wanted to discuss. See? That's what happens when you show a genuine interest and hunger the things of God. He will give you the time and energy.

So what's on your Spiritual menu this week?
Will you order the milk, the steak, or will you continue to starve? the choice is yours.

"Read your Bible, pray everyday and you'll grow grow grow." 

"Bible reading is an education in itself."

"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face"

"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."



 Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3