Religion vs Faith

To those who believe, no answer is needed. For those who do not, no answer is good enough.

I am not sure who said those words but it sums up the rift between believers and non-believers very well. And not just Christianity, but any belief system out there really. But more so for Christianity because it will have people doing things that “rational” people would not. Not saying that Christians are crazy (though there are a few loose nuts out there), they are just living a radical life following a God that says to do things differently than “normal”.

Non-believers roll their eyes when Christians say they don't have religion, they have faith. This means they do not live under rules and regulations on how to “act” right, they have a relationship with a living being that directs, nudges and pushes them to right paths. Christians are not sheeple, just mindlessly following. People of faith don't mindlessly follow – trust me, there are many out there that question the situations they are in just as much as non-believers. They just have faith, that is trust, that God has the game plan.

Now I am not saying that there isn't religion in churches or religion type activities in churches, there are. But that is really no different than any other place where people gather and follow some sort of routine or schedule. Your job, for instance, has routines and schedules to them so, in essence, they have religious activities to it. Wrap your head around that one. And church, God's church, isn't a building its people. Living, breathing people. If the church building burned to the ground, the church would still be there. Does that mean you don't need to go to the building to worship God?

Yes and No.

No because it is just a building and you can worship God anywhere. Yes because while you don't need the building, you do need the people. It is the people who will encourage you and build you up. Don't get me wrong, it is also the people who will sometimes disappoint and hurt you but they are human and that happens sometimes. Remember God does show his love to us through other people but humans do the disappointment and hurting on their own without any added help.

So what is the difference between religion and faith?

There is a simple way to see it in action.

When a person says they are a Christian but are really following religion, when bad times happen they will be looking at themselves and wondering what they did wrong. They scramble trying to “fix” themselves and their behaviors to “win” favor.

When a person says they are a Christian and following in relationship, when bad times happen they will be looking up and asking God to help them through it and believing that everything is going according to the game plan. It's not that they have more information, they just trust the Coach.

The God Drug

In the book, The Forces that Form Your Future, the author asks how you view God and how you view the Bible. I pondered this over as I read it, as I was falling to sleep, my dreams pondered it and so did my waking self, after some much needed caffeine. A little voice inside was sneering at me, telling me I must not really know if I am taking so long to think it over. It was wrong. I was bypassing my brain to think on this and going straight to my heart. It has many rooms and is a really big place. As I was searching for the answer, one came to me.

God is like a drug – a pure drug, a life-giving drug. And even that doesn't truly encompass it all.

Let me explain my answer, if you will. The drugs that we associate with euphoric highs are, in truth, harmful to you and I believe Satan's effort to capture some of the glory that God gives to those who love and follow Him. If you are addicted to worldly drugs or know someone who is, you know that the highs don't last long and the lows are horrific. And so those who are addicted will chase after, doing whatever necessary, to get their next fix. All to chase that first high.

God's love is a Christian's drug. It produces a high that no earthly thing can compare. And it is free! He gives it even when we disobey. But oh how much more sweeter it is when we do! And to get more, you chase after him and he chases right back. The Bible is full of him reaching out, chasing, those who He loves and them chasing him. That first high of God just keeps getting better and better! The Bible is our daily dose of God's faithfulness and love. Each day we read and learn a little more, each day we draw a little closer. And the health effects of God's love on our physical bodies is amazing! And people notice. They notice that our spouses are content, our children are well balanced, our lifestyle is not chaotic. They look at what true Christians have and they want it for themselves! Oh, to be addicted to God!

Not to say there aren't lows. There are. And sometimes they are quite painful. But these are usually the time when God is either correcting your action and/or thoughts, or you have decided you didn't need His daily dose to get you through this thing called life. The good thing is, with God's love you don't need detox, just repentance. He freely forgives and loves on you that much more. Your wrong is put in the trash where it belongs.

Now I know people will ruffle their feathers over what I just said and call me all kinds of a sinner. And you know what? They would be right. I am a sinner. I was a sinner. I am a forgiven sinner. I am a self-proclaimed God junkie. And proud of it.

The Lemmings of Election Year

Most election years are looked forward to with much groaning and moaning.  This is because the onslaught of trash-talking, mud-slinging ads are about the ensue.  You will be regaled as to why one candidate is better than the other and why you should pick him or her for your dodge ball team in the world wide arena of politics.  You will have your Rights, your Lefts, your Middles and your I-Don't-Care-They-Are-All-Crooks.  But this year there is another cry that is starting to escalate that has me feeling uneasy.  It is the cry of "Anybody but....."  Anybody but Obama, anybody but Romney, anybody but Paul.  These are not cries of watchful mindful voters, these are cries of people who are looking to anything and everybody for passage into a imaginary promised land.  And the media, campaign managers look on with calculated delight.  For they know that one candidate, one president, isn't going to carry us out of this mess. But if they can just appease the majority of the masses, they can get their candidate to the front square and into the big office.  So they point fingers and spotlight minimal things so that you are shocked and confused.  Their goal is not to unite the country to former glory, but to divide and conquer.

Me, not We, Mentality

Mass media and special groups want you to think about you.  What is in it for you?  Why aren't you getting what you deserve? Why are the rich getting richer, while the poor suffer? This person is a bigot. That one is a hypocrite. This is what you should think about. That is old-school and outdated, no longer applying to our society. They shape and mold people's opinions by highlighting negative stories or articles, giving only a glimpse at the positive to give you some semblance of hope. Yet there are stories that leak through that show that the world they want you to believe in isn't all that they say it is. Stories of communities pulling together and helping each other, even thriving during a struggling economy. People showing charity and goodwill towards each other, without the benefit of a holiday. Unknown and unsung heroes stepping up and out to better the lives around them. This is the world they don't want you to believe in, this is the world they don't want you to see.

Divisive Mentality

Us against them, black against white, big against small, rich against poor, me against you. They will pick and pull, pointing out differences as opposed to unity. Big corporations are greedy and feed off their employees so you must bash them and see them for the evil carnations that they are. There are more corporations that care about their employees, community and environment then there are that take everything they can without regard to their surroundings. But those who let greed dominate their priorities get the stories because that is what will get the masses buzzing. There are a few elite rich in our country that are all party and play and no work. The majority of those who are considered rich and wealthy in this nation worked their collective butts off to get where they are today. Most of them still work as hard as most of their employees. But again, those kinds of stories do not get sensationalized. That would defeat their purpose of keeping the one group bickering at another, thus clouding the eyes of the people to what is being done behind the curtain in the Land of Oz.

Niceness vs Kindness

Political correctness is the bane of our society. It requires one to isolate itself from the community and take offense over little, petty things. It has you being packed into a box, bleating about imagined injustice instead of taking an honest look at what something truly is and either correcting a wrong or shrugging it off. Ignorance is scorned, instead of being an opportunity to educate and inform. Organizations are stigmatized or limited in their ability to reach out the the community and do more because of their belief systems or corporate mission statements. When concern over an individual's feelings override what is good for the group or community, a corrosive attitude eats at the heart and does more harm than good.

These are but a few of the only tools they use. I am not some conspiracy theory type. Just a simple American who loves her country, even when it appears to be unlovable at the moment. In this election year, what are the issues that are close to your heart?

Taking Back

I feel like a broken record - I keep saying I am going to be more consistant and change but then I hit that little bump and I am back at where I started from. Let me just say that I am very glad that God put certain people in my life. These chosen few have earned the right to kick me in the arse when I get my head up there too far (it happens on occasion because I tend to think I have it covered). One such person, Sarah, did this recently and I am very appreciative because it helped craft this article and hopefully will see the lessening or ending of the whole "head-up-arse" thing. There is always hope.....

In this writer's life I have discovered that there are many ups and downs - and for me there are a lot of downs associated with my writing life. Not that it is depressing, but because the more I dig into the workings of the publishing world my mind starts focusing on the minutia of it all and I struggle with uncertainty and doubt that I have what it takes. Am I a writer? I didn't always write like some others who "knew" or always wanted to be a writer. If I am a writer why am I wracking my brains to get a simple scene down? Why can't I seem to plant my BIC (butt in chair) and write? I mean, writers write, right? So if I am a writer, why can't I write? And the thoughts continue to spiral like a toilet flushing with never ending crap.

Then a light bulb went off as I was procrastinating with laundry. I am re-reading "Think and Make It Happen" by Dr. Augusto Cury and decided to take the swirling toilet-pit of my mind through his steps for thinking correctly and getting you back on the main stage of your mind.

1. I am going to stop the constant "why why why" in my head. It sounds too much like whining and it is wasting my time and energy. I am not accomplishing what I would like to do - which is write.
2. I am going to be truly honest with myself. I am going to step back from the middle of that swirl and take a deep breath. I value honestly almost above all else, so if I can't be honest with myself then how can I be honest with other people?
3. I am going to allow myself to really feel the emotions that are bouncing around so I can understand them better than just reacting to the effects.
4. I am going to discover the roots of the spewing rupture in my mind, find out just where the break or crack is and why it has the ability to flood the theater of my mind and take all the enjoyment from my life. Journaling helps with this and also I am giving myself some cues to be able to step back from a reaction to look at it.
5. I am going to stop letting my emotions and turmoil direct the movie of my life. Are they even registered with the Guild for that? I am the director of this movie and They are going to go to boot camp. I am not a victim of my circumstances or events, I will not be pushed around.
6. I am going to doube and criticize the validity of these kamakaze thoughts and moods. Are they truth? When shown in the light do they shine with truth or do they just puff out like smoky shadows?

Now I am not saying any of this will be easy, heck no, those dark thoughts and moods like their little cramped corners just fine. But I believe I am worth the effort and I also believe that anyone else out there that suffers from mental illness or insecurity is worth it too. We are Image-bearers of God, not some accident, mistake or whatever. We all have purpose and the biggest enemy we have to confront and conquer is ourselves.
Who else out there struggles with insecurity in their craft? What do you do when you are facing a dark time? What helps you get out of it? I am always up for ideas.

A Tribute to Mom

This year we celebrate 150^th anniversary of the civil war. This Mother's Day I celebrated the ending of my personal civil war, and it is all thanks to a woman who brought life to me. Let me clarify, this woman is not the one who biologically made me, she brought life to my spirit and my soul. She taught me about Jesus and God but most of all about love. I, with my child's mind, didn't understand unconditional love, not really, so I rebelled and she still loved me. Our world fractured and she still loved me. She has spent years on her knees in prayers over me, guess she didn't know that I had said my heart-felt prayers to Jesus when I was little, but I didn't feel like I belonged, didn't understand that unconditional love, so I thought I did it wrong and was not his.

Tossed into the storms of this world's life I was battered and bruised, but God saw fit for me to always find that safe port, home, where I had felt that love but didn't understand it. Each time I left to “make it by myself”, I know she must have cried tears and wished I could see the love, graceful love, meant for me. A continent rose up and separated us, physically and emotionally, yet still she prayed. Years of the world's grime caked on and left me disillusioned, bitter and cynical. Finally I looked towards the man I had looked up to as a child, Jesus. He was my hero then, I wanted to be just like him. I came to him now and asked just what could he do. He said nothing, just washed me clean and wrapped me in his arms. And while my heart rejoiced, my mind quarreled. While I was spotless in his eyes, I was a Dalmatian in my own. I looked back at the road I traveled. Guilt draped its robe on me while Shame crowned me. My heart kept knocking them off, my mind kept putting them back on.

This Mother's Day, I discovered who I belonged to and I called the woman who brought life to me – my Mom, this woman who introduced me to Jesus, the life of the world. For that is what true mother's are, life-givers. Some do that physically, others do that spiritually – if you are truly lucky you get both in one. I want my Mom to know that she has “Mom-angels” out there, other life-giving creations that have her back and brought her prodigal daughter back to her arms.

Thank you Mom and to your helpers.

Chris