Things we learned in April

New friends: We've had the privilege of making one! It's never too old for anyone, isn't it? Over this past month we've done a few things together, and it was just a time in our lives where we felt God calling us to reach out to this particular person. It's been terrific!

Let's get better: We're both pretty healthy and have been for all our lives, but this month we decided to see for ourselves- that is, make actual, adult doctor's appointments and be more proactive with our health. I (Holly) go tomorrow, even though I'm currently battling cold-like symptoms, and Kelly went earlier in April and, aside from some joint issues, received a clean bill of health :)

Honest conversations and realizations: Sometimes you have to have them, be it for setting the record straight or coming to that conclusion that you just have to let go. It's one of the many ways we grow as humans.

Cars are expensive: Both of us had some unforeseen car issues arise this month that left us needing to pinch pennies for a few days. Be prepared!

Mental illness is real: Our sweet, dear friend bravely shared her struggles with depression in a candid, honest way, because so often these types of conversations are brushed aside. A sobering reminder to always, ALWAYS be kind and considerate to others, because we never really do know what the other is going through. Treat others with compassion, and be grateful for what you have.

Birthdays can still be fun: For the first time since either of us can remember, we rang in 26 out of school, out of home, and actually...out of Kentucky! We spent our birthday weekend in Chicago, where we nearly froze to death, ate way too much, and just cherished the moments we got to spend both together and with Justin.

Those that we hold in our hearts never truly leave us: Our beloved Grandpa passed away on our birthday (April 9) three years ago this year. It's almost every day that something or someone reminds us of him.

Happy b-day from Chicago! 

Because God first loved

Kelly: I have recently discovered that I sometimes do my best thinking while I am driving to work. This happened yesterday. Until now, I have refrained from sharing any thoughts about this Berea Fairness Ordinance that did not pass. I will disclaim right now and say that I did not vote for it or against it; in fact I am choosing to keep my opinions about the ordinance itself out of this, or I'm going to try to. I didn't even vote for it at all. I shot myself in the foot in this one because I honestly didn't really know much about it. But what I have written below is not about the ordinance; it's about love. Love of people, God's family.

Once again, it seems to me that politics and opinion have gotten in the way. The fact that this ordinance was a solution to any problem troubles me. To be sure I'm not entirely sure what the problem was. But, we had to let politics step in because we as a city simply disagreed on a very basic principle; love. When you take away the essence of this ordinance, that's what it boils down to, or at least that's what I think it boils down to. The fact that this ordinance was suggested should trouble Christians. We really had to have the city possibly pass a LAW that basically states we have to be nice to everyone? Am I the only one who sees this problem? Instead of turning to bias, opinion and other people, we should be turning to God and His word! In there you will find His commandments on how to act around other people. 

My point is this; when we get to Heaven our views, words and opinions won't even matter. When we face God on judgment day, He's going to ask us all how well we followed, obeyed and loved His son, and how well we treated His body. His family. If anything, this ordinance should tell us Christians to step it up a bit! These are our brothers and sisters! These are people; people that God loves and created, just like He loves you and me. I know I have a lot of work to do.

Holly: I'm going to keep my peace very brief on this.  Like Kelly, and it's purely on account of my own ignorance, but I am not very well read in this Fairness Ordinance.  All I know is that this proposed ordinance did not pass.  Here's what I have to say on that, and it's a two-fold piece, really:

1. Like Kelly said, these are our brothers and sisters.  To be honest, I was shocked at the reactions I read on Facebook.  I won't get into them, but....yeah, I was shocked.  We ought to be reaching out to them with love, as with ANY of our brothers and sisters.  Instead, some of us were celebrating the passing of the ordinance.  So now our very neighbors, THE ONES THAT CHRIST CALLS US TO LOVE AS OURSELVES, are now disadvantaged, possibly distraught, defeated...and we're celebrating? My opinion does not hold much merit, I see that, but to me, that is NOT Christ-like behavior.  Period.

2. WHY in the name of all that is pure and holy are we getting SO BENT OUT OF SHAPE regarding basically any and all mentions of homosexuality, homosexual marriages, etc?  Christians, and non-Christians, are getting mercilessly persecuted, slaughtered, demoralized for their faith and beliefs, but HEAVEN FORBID someone brings up gay marriage, and suddenly everyone has an opinion.  Really?  I mean...really?  Yes, I know what the Bible says about gay marriage.  I know what the Bible says about sin.  But why is THIS always on a pedestal?  What about cheating?  What about lying?  What about adultery, these Hollywood marriages lasting six months or less...why are those getting overlooked?

We're just going to end with this...

Introducing....Spout!

A spotlight on Christ. An outlet to plug in and share life. 

Holly and Kelly: Our church has a great youth program, starting as early as babies up to high school, in addition to an AWANA program that has garnered a huge amount of success. Our church also has a great variety of adult programs that meet throughout the week. We have Men's Sunday, Women's Sunday, Deacon Ordination Sunday and Youth Sunday. We have a Sunday School class for college students.

And that's it.

This is where we come in.

Starting in October, the two of us will be having a home-based small group for college students/young adults. The purpose is to have in-depth discussions based on Scripture and to fellowship with one another in other ways.  College is a crucial time, and while we want to have a Christ-centered focus, we also want to extend Christ's love and hospitality to those who choose to become a part of this group.  If a student wants to come over and hang out, has a question about a class or professor, is facing a faith challenge, or just needs a ride to Wal-Mart, we want to be there for them as much as possible during this time.  It is also a chance for us too, because we feel this responsibility, because let's face it, that's what it is, has been called upon us by God and we have decided to take the plunge and obey Christ. We have no idea what to expect, how many students will come, if any, and what sort of needs these students may have. But we're willing and ready to face whatever may come of it. We're excited, a little bit anxious, but have prayed and consoled with other Christians we trust and we feel this is a step in the right direction.

Maybe this is what following and obeying Christ is really about.

Now, a quick disclaimer: We are NOT, repeat, NOT leaving Berea Baptist.  We love our church and still value and cherish the relationships we have there.  We still love being in the choir and don't foresee that changing for a long time.  We have NO ill-will towards the church what. so. ever.  We simply see this need that the church possesses, and we feel that God has called us to try to meet that need.  We love the messages every week and are deeply encouraged and challenged. We can't predict the success of this upcoming endeavor- only God can.  And we're trusting Him to see this through.

So that's it. We appreciate your support in this decision we have made, and we are so thankful that it was at this church where we felt this need was started. The picture on the bottom is a tiny bloom, and we thought that was fitting. We want to help these young people grow, and in turn we will grow as well.

Living life with no desire, not a flame but a fire.

Kelly: This morning, the two of us were presented with an opportunity to possibly fill a need in our church that several of us feel has not been met. For quite some time now, it's been under the assumption that this need has been "taken care of" and that others are doing something about it. In other words, there really isn't a clear direction. Anyway, more on that later, but that's what's been going on. What inspired this tidbit of possibly new direction was this morning at church. In today's day and age, we are all circling in our own orbits of day after day life, wondering how we're going to live for ourselves. Seriously, it's true. Even I myself am guilty of it. But how often do we think about those around us? I know that even in my line of work, when I walk out the door my mind is wondering of how I'm going to spend my next few days off.

It's no secret that we love helping people. I've dabbled into different volunteer opportunities for a while, but after a short amount of time found it wasn't my niche or the other volunteers were often gossiping about things not getting done or were sometimes judgmental towards those who came in. I witnessed this while at a food bank as a volunteer, and removed myself from there because it was a place I felt I did not or should not be mixed into. Hard to show the love of God when the majority are acting in ways that are the complete opposite of such. I have been praying for a while to find ways to use my time off in other ways other than myself; tired of being selfish let's just say. And then this opportunity came up. I don't know what kind of fruit this will produce; hopefully good but again, all in God's will and in His perfect plan. The title of today's post is derived from the words of a song by Matthew West titled "Do Something." Listen to it if you want a good encouraging message and a reminder of our duty as Christians. It's up to us; nobody else is going to take care of it. If not us then who? If not now then when?

Holly: I read a status on Facebook a while back from a young mother, claiming that she hated every single thing about being a parent, yet she loved her child (I really wish I was making this up).  Part of this rationale was that this person believed that we as humans were entitled to being selfish.  I could not disagree with this more.

I might get some flack for this statement, but I believe it to be true, completely regardless of whether or not you are a Christian: Life is not about you.  There.  I said it.  I think, as a Christian, or even as a decent human being, we ought to be seeking out ways to serve others, instead of attempting to fulfill our own desires.  Guys, I am far from a pristine example of this.  I still am learning, but it is only by the grace of God that I can keep trying.  Something that struck me especially from the sermon today (which we've heard before) is that we waste so much time on trivial, meaningless things.  We compartmentalize ourselves, turn ourselves into islands with our Netflix and our iPhones and we just completely miss the point.  Again, Guilty.  As.  Charged.  Things are just that....things.  Things don't last.  Period.  One of my favorite passages of Scripture comes from 2 Corinthians 4: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

As Kelly mentioned, we have an opportunity at our feet that, right now, we aren't sure of much.  It's still in the planning stages, but we are praying for God's will and direction, confirmation that this is what He wants to do.  He knows our hearts and our desires.  At least for me, one of the goals is that we will reach out to those in need, that we will open our homes and our hearts, and that we will bring them to Jesus.  That's the main goal: Jesus.  Because I still think life isn't about us.

If not us, then who?
If not me and you right now, it's time for us to do something!
If not now, then when?
Will we see an end to all this pain?
It's not enough to do nothing.  It's time for us to do something!
We are the salt of the earth, we are a city on a hill
We're never going to change the world by standing still

30 Days of Doctor Who: The Wrap Up

Holly and Kelly: So we're FINALLY finishing this thing, even though it hasn't been 30 days. Needless to say, the 30 day challenge proved to be too much for us. With our mom coming to visit, working, hanging out, kicking butt and now I'm (Kelly) waiting for a staff meeting to start, we just decided to wrap this thing up and do our best to continue to blog about other topics we've come up with at hand. We LOVE Doctor Who, without a doubt, but we decided we're tired of being prompted. Needless to say we're straying from 30 day challenges for a while; they were easier to do when we weren't working regularly! Anyway, we thought it would be appropriate to wrap this challenge up, saying why we love Doctor Who so much: 

1. It draws us closer to God and makes us more like Jesus
Seriously. Not so much be like The Doctor per se, because he himself isn't real. But God is real in our lives, and the show makes us want to be more like Christ. Not that we use it as an example of how to be like Christ, but in the sense that The Doctor is actually a good role model. If you look and think deeper into the show, it does have a lot of Christian elements in it...in our opinions. We appreciate the fact that the show values people, for the most part. The main characters have very strong moral compasses, which is a plus. Not to mention we're also delving into a bit of the Classic eps, and they are no different, with the exception of a few years.

2. It's welcoming. 
The Doctor isn't a stranger to anybody. He finds people from different walks of life, the wash outs, the nobodys, the "just a temp" kind of people, and changes them. He makes them better. That for us allows us to try and do the same; we love because Christ first loved us. It's the way God finds and loves us! No matter what they have been through, he accepts them, and he teaches them to accept others...and themselves. This somewhat ties into our last point. Bear in mind, you have to respect the fact that this show has been around for over 50 years!

3. Good escape
Sometimes, days just really suck. Work is stressful, stuff is going on at home, friends are hurting, whatever. We turn to God, each other, phone calls to home and to The Doctor to help us cope. And then we find ourselves a little bit better.

4. The music. 
Need we say more? Refer to our post from earlier regarding our favorite music.

5. It's relatable. 
Well yeah. You've got this extraordinary, 900+ year old time traveler who has seen...well, gee, EVERYTHING. He can go anywhere, has seen everything, and yet, he's like us in a sense. He's lonely, which is something we've all struggled with. He seeks companions that are every day people; looking and longing for something more, that one "missing piece." All of their lives change because of The Doctor, both in good and unfortunately some in bad ways. One way or another, we influence who we as every day people come in contact with, and it's a good reminder for us to take that small extra step to go a bit further with someone, because while you may be changing them, they may be also changing you. Just ask Kelly. :)

6. The community. 
It never fails every time we go to Hasting's to purchase something Doctor Who related, the cashier always ends up engaging one or both of us in friendly Who conversation. And they always ask if we've seen The Day of the Doctor (which we have!) And most recently, last night. There's a 2 night event going on this week and last night was the first night (the last night is tonight sadly), and it was a showing of Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel. It wasn't a packed house by any means, but there was a pretty good crowd. Anyway, we were at the theater and we saw a girl with a bowtie and fez on. I (Kelly) smiled and said "fezzes are cool." She smiled. Then at the end of the viewing and the credits were rolling, this guy just looked around and said "these are my kind of people." With any big movie and TV franchise this happens; it happened when we saw The Hobbit too. No matter who they are or what walk of life they come from, everyone is so nice! We have yet to meet a cross Whovian or Ringer!

So there you have it. The secret is out! This challenge has come to an end. We will be back to posting regular topics soon. Thanks for hanging with us. Allons-y!!!

The "not (insert whatever) enoughs" don't measure up: Two young women trying to measure up to God's worth

Holly: We've listened to a fair share of sermons over the 5+ years we've been at Berea Baptist, but this one sort of hit us upside the head today.  Maybe it's what I need.  Maybe it's what we all need, but there's one message that I feel so compelled to share, so...yeah.  It's going out there, and I apologize if I offend anyone, but in a society that is so bent on dictating what we as humans should act, feel, do, etc, well yeah, I want to say something about that.

The sermon today was about pride.  Yep, pride.  Something we ALL struggle with, and if you say otherwise, you're full of it.  Most of us have a pretty good idea of what pride looks like, but there was another aspect of it that I hadn't thought of before, and that's what I'm going to share today: We live in a society where nothing measures up.  Women my age (and younger and younger, sadly) are not pretty enough, smart enough, skinny enough, successful enough, you name it.  But one of the points in the sermon this morning was that when we "beat ourselves up" for our flaws, we are committing a form of pride.  One of the definitions given for pride, in this context anyway, was "an unwillingness to see oneself in correct relation to God."  Guys, God loves us so much.  He sees us as his precious children, his beloved son and daughter, his treasure, the apple of His eye.  He created us to be just that: us.  That's why I make it a point to not get so hung up over my flaws...because I feel like in a way I'm (and I hate to use the harsh terms) smacking God in the face.  And when I see my peers ashamed, frustrated, disappointed with themselves, it breaks my heart.  You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.  Now I'm not saying I've completely abandoned the self-bashing; trust me, I haven't.  I'm working on it too.  But instead of wishing for something better, let's try to thank God for what we do have.  I got out of bed this morning.  I'm breathing freely.  I had sushi for lunch.  I listened to some beautiful songs from the Doctor Who soundtrack.  I was able to clap my hands and sing during church.  Turns out we are a lot more blessed than we realize.

Kelly: Having missed church last week, I was really glad to be back. And after a pretty crazy work week, I was very happy to hear this sermon. Not that I'm ever disappointed, but this. This was a take on an age old issue that I had never heard before. But pride; I knew in the back of my head that when it started that this was something I struggled with. Like Holly, the same part that stuck with her stuck with me too. I had never really thought of "beating ourselves up" in that way before...being prideful. The sermon said though that a healthy love for oneself is not sinful, but I think that when it starts getting out of hand is when it becomes so. And I think it doesn't have to be a healthy oneself for it to be prideful, but it can be an unhealthy detest too. But as for me, I have high expectations for myself. Lord knows I goof up and mess up...constantly. I find myself beating myself up when things don't work out or when something happens on my watch at work and on and on and on and on. Before I found my job, I would feel despondent at times and not want to do anything because I was just really down. I felt guilty for feeling the way I did, but I told myself it was normal. I felt guilty at the end of the day and told myself I should have kept looking for jobs. I asked myself why I wasn't getting hired; what was wrong with me?

Turned out God had a bigger plan than what I expected. He has reminded me time after time; that even though I am not perfect I am perfect in His image. This is easier said than done, because I understand that sometimes things or situations or people just really get you down. But I am speaking for experience when I take the focus off myself and turn it around back to God, the day, the moments and the every day wear and grind of whatever goes by so much easier. I pray every time I go into to work. Often I ask God to get me out of the way so that others would see Him instead of me. I was created by God and for God, and His word is the final word. Period. This is a challenge I am going to try for myself; to remember that God is God and I am not. I do not measure up to anyone else, even myself. Especially myself. I hope our other Christ following readers will be challenged and encouraged as well.

30 Days of Writing: How you hope your future will be like

Kelly: To be honest, I don't know. I mean, God holds my future in His hands, so I'm going to just let Him decide where He wants me to be and what He wants me to do! I hope that I will still be maintaining my healthy eating/walking habits and will hopefully someday have a place of my own to call home...not that I mind living with sis now! ^_^ I hope that I will be happy with someone eventually, I just don't know who he is yet and when I'll meet him or where I'll meet him. I hope to have a dog, yes. A dog is a must. Other than that, who knows? I just want to be working as a nurse, loving God, loving on some sick people and happy with my life. I'm not picky!

Holly: Still striving and continuing to live like Jesus!  Being called "mommy" and "wife" (although I'm still YEARS away from that, trust me on this one).  Doing work in my field that I enjoy doing (although I love my job right now), or working for my alma mater in some capacity.  Adopting some critters from a shelter.  Having my own place to call home (although my home can't get much better than this right now).  Becoming more active in my church.  Sticking with my healthy habits.  Still keeping in touch with old friends (Skype is a wonderful thing).  Traveling, hopefully overseas again.  Reading.  Definitely need to read more! :)

30 Days of Writing: A problem you have had

Holly: It's one I'm still working on, and probably always will, but impulsive spending.  I can't pass up a good deal, like many red-blooded Americans, and I LOVE shopping.  I have gotten a lot better at controlling myself and saying no, but sometimes I can get a little carried away.  I know back when I was a freshman at Berea, before I went on direct deposit, my paychecks went right into my pocket and were gone in less than 2 weeks.

They say money is the root of all evil.  I disagree.  Money is a fundamental necessity, and it is useful when used wisely, and as long as you are bringing in more than you are taking out.  However, people abuse money, and that's when it becomes evil.  I also think the LOVE of money is evil: that is, trying to aspire wealth, things, possessions, instead of intangible things.  I know I've done my fair share of money abusing and money-loving.  Something I'm trying to work on is whenever I bring home something new, I try to take something out so that there's some kind of a balance. Something I also do is sometimes when I go out I leave my debit card at home on purpose so I'm not tempted.  ALWAYS set a budget.  Like I said, I'm getting better, but I know I still have a long way to go.

Kelly: As you all know, I am a very bubbly person by nature. However, sometimes my bubbly nature gets a bit too out of hand...this happened a lot when I was in clinicals while in nursing school. There were several occasions in which I was gently reminded to "tone it down." Not that my personality is a bad thing, but in the past there have been some that interpret being too "silly" as not being confident or not knowing what you're doing. I can understand that. Sometimes...it's also not very professional, let's be honest.

Now I don't want anyone attacking my educators with pitchforks saying "YOU'RE MAKING PEOPLE CHANGE THE WAY THEY ARE!" No. That's not the case at all. The issue was that in my world there has to be a balance between being professional and acting like a goober...which I do 99.9% of the time when the situation is right, of course. Also, in the profession I'm in (mental health) being too friendly can sometimes be threatening to patients. So yes, it is something I'm working on, but in the meantime I'll keep on keeping on. :) 

"God loves to do big things through little people with big hearts."

Holly: Those were the closing lines of yet another inspiring sermon I heard this past Sunday.  Throughout the 45-minute message a recurring theme played over and over in my head.....more like a question: What makes a hero?  I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of Moses.  What many people don't know is prior to his divine calling he was a convicted felon (I myself did not remember this part of the story).  In addition to this he was far from a public speaker, stricken with a speech impediment.  During the burning bush scenario he even BEGS God to use someone else to save his people;.  Yet Moses was singlehandedly responsible for one of the greatest people revolutions in history.  God saw something in Moses that he didn't see in himself.  And let's not forget Paul (started out persecuting Christians but later became a huge part of the New Testament), Rahab (a prostitute), Jesus' mother Mary (a teenager!!!), Peter (kind of a big doof...denied Jesus several times but later is the leader of the church in Ephesus)...I don't really think I need to continue any further.

After church I was talking to Kevin (the pastor) and I told him that I couldn't help but think of The Hobbit/LoTR.  Think about it: in The Hobbit, you have Bilbo, who is very comfortable with his food, his life, his things, and out of seemingly nowhere Gandalf shows up and whisks him away on this quest with 13 grotesque, loud, boisterous burping and food-gorging dwarves in order to reclaim their lost homeland.  It drags Bilbo WAY out of his comfort zone and even has the dwarves questioning why Gandalf chose this home-loving little person for such a dangerous and unpredictable quest.  In LoTR, there's Frodo: a meek young hobbit who voluntarily sends himself into danger's horrendous arms, at the mercy of a powerful little golden ring and an evil eye watching him at all times.  Never mind Samwise Gamgee, who decides to go with him.  Also, Aragorn: for the better part of the series he's running away from his destiny, taking the form of a ranger from the north instead of the long-awaited king of Gondor.  But what you see recurring in these stories is heart.  Their hearts outweigh any danger they get themselves into, that despite their sizes, they wholeheartedly strive to do right and make right in the crazy worlds they live in.

Then there's me: I fold clothes at Old Navy.  I'm 22 years old, single, living with my sister and another with 2 cats, a Bachelor's degree, and little else.  But I speak with the utmost of confidence when I say that I have a BIG heart! I love people so much sometimes it hurts.  God sees something in me, in all of us, that we don't, and He knows what he's doing.  Gandalf saw something in Bilbo, and perhaps Aragorn and Frodo too.  My point in all of this is keep your heart in check, keep it full of love and life, and you never know where life will take you.  The Gandalf of your life could come knocking on your door whenever you least expect it.

Kelly: I instantly think of the movie Facing the Giants. One of the football players, David, is a kicker on the team and is a small guy. Throughout the movie he often doubts his performances, isn't very confident in himself and constantly wonders why he was even allowed to be on the team. His father, who can't walk and is wheelchair bound, often tries to tell him to trust God and helps him put things into perspective. But...well I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it; just watch the movie and see what happens because he definitely redeems himself. I see a lot of David in myself. I too am a very small person. God has richly blessed me with a lot of things, but one of them was not height and that's ok. I've been in nursing school for a number of years now and am about to finish.

Things are...to be honest sort of rough right now for me. Juggling 240 clinical hours to complete, working 15 hours a week, homework and other things have put me on edge a bit. Yesterday was a particularly hard day clinical wise (read my blog about it) and I won't lie and say that we've struggled a time or two to make ends meet. But hey, who hasn't? Yet I thank God for what I do have and all He has done and all He will do, even when I'm between a rock and a hard place. Then I think of the places I've been. This time 3 years ago I was in New Orleans on a mission trip. I met all sorts of wonderful people going through different walks of life who had hearts that were just on fire for God! And these were just ordinary people who felt that God was going to do mighty things with them. And that's where I stand. I don't see it yet, I don't know it yet, but God is going to do great things to me and to those who least expect it. For all I know I could wake up tomorrow and get hit by a bus, because to be honest we never know where this life will take us as Holly said. But if we keep our eyes fixed on God, our mind open to receive what comes our way and if we trust God to give him the "bad" things, then who knows? Faith as small as a mustard seed armed with a little bit of compassion, trust and love for others could go a long way.

Who's kidding who?

Kelly: Hey look, here's a random funny, especially if you're a fan of The Hobbit and The Office (the British one...)

The Office: An Unexpected Journey

Now that we've gotten out of the way, we're going to delve into the purpose of this post. There are many that I know that carry the name Christian, myself included. However, there are those that I know that carry that name and the way they act/speak do not reflect that. Having said that, I'm going to share a story. I was on my way home with my clinical group and two of my classmates were in the front seat. For about 10 minutes they were talking about another classmate and her current relationship. What they were saying...were some of the most judgmental remarks I had ever heard. I had my headphones in and was listening to my iPod, but finally I had to put an end to it; it was getting ridiculous. I took my headphones out and said "could you please just stop?" And that was that. I didn't say a word the rest of the ride home.

It makes me wonder; do we ever think about what we say or do or do we just do/say it and forget who hears or sees? I catch myself thinking about that a lot. And it has made me think if I am guilty of the same thing. Are my actions building people up or tearing them down? Are the words I'm saying about others, whether or not they even know it, those of love instead of hate or judgment? So as a result, I'm trying to be more consciously aware of what I say/do around others. I want my words and my actions to resemble that of love and kindness instead of the opposite. It's our Christian duty to build people up with what we say AND do. So if I have ever said or done anything that has not been reflective of that, please tell me. IF I say or do something that is not reflective of that, call me out on it. I don't want to just throw words out there; I want to BE better. I think we should all try to be better. Having been a victim of bullying, words...really do hurt.

Holly:  When I heard our pastor preaching those words this past Sunday, all I could keep thinking was "Dear God, that used to be me."  The going-through-the-motions, catty, lukewarm, stagnant Christian who only showed up for church on Sunday and youth group on Wednesday.  Other than that, you really couldn't tell much else.  After that Sunday I vowed that I would NEVER go back to that place.  Kelly brought up the fact that by me saying I would never go back, that I was already moving forward.  Also, when I heard our pastor preaching those words this past Sunday, all I could think was "I sincerely pray that I am not like that."

To be completely honest, because I too, sadly, know many Christians who do not act as such, it does not surprise me the number of people, particularly those in my age group, who are either leaving the church or are not interested in it at all.  I can't help but think of (and please pardon my extreme example) Westboro Baptist Church...a CHURCH, no less, who claim to carry God's message but instead are infecting the nation with their blatant and sickening hate and ignorance of those different from themselves. That is NOT the way to go!  Period.  While God is vengeful (I mean, have you read the Old Testament??) and definitely powerful, I am captivated by His neverending love and mercy for all of His people, and ultimately that's what keeps me running to Him again and again.  I too am also trying to BE better.  The next time we see someone slandering, gossiping, or being downright spiteful...what are we going to do about it? Let it slide, or speak up for those who may not have a voice?  I detest spitefulness and meanness...I think there is too much of it and it has to stop.  Words really do hurt people.

Bottom line: I am here to live like Christ.  Please make sure to tell me if I'm not.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters...Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and truth.  ~1 John 3: 16, 18

Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.  Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.  ~Albus Dumbledore

You be the judge

Kelly: Normally we don't blog nearly this much, but Holly and I had an interesting conversation during dinner that we feel could be a challenge for us and to those who read this blog. Earlier today, I made a comment about someone that was...very very false. I realized the fault of my words and felt bad about what I said, so I mentioned this to Holly. We continued talking and decided; saying false things or gossiping about one another is just not nice. It's quite hateful. It's also not Christ-like, something I am striving to be more like every day. Also, as a creation of God I am in no position to judge others; I am not above God nor do I ever claim to be.

It is so easy to say something or think something about someone without even realizing the fault; I say or think things about people a LOT that I end up regretting later. It's a horrible and viscous cycle that I as a person and a Christian am trying to break. I know some of you are thinking "why are you writing this? We know. I'm not perfect either." As a Christian it is also very humbling for me to admit my faults, again, something else I am trying to work on. Then, another thought; it's for me sometimes hard to keep my opinions to myself, but what about thoughts? Saying something about someone that's not true and realizing it is one thing, but what about thinking it and not saying anything? One might ask is that just as bad? My answer is yes. So as part of a personal challenge, Holly and I are not only going to try and keep our negative words about people quiet, but also our negative thoughts. The challenge we have proposed is not easy, but I think with prayer, grace and mind control we can do it!

Holly: Sometimes I just flat-out forget that every living thing, person, creature, was created in the image of God.  How's that for mind control?  Literal verbal and mental mind control.  I need to remember God's word and His truth and shape myself around that so I can behave better.  It's not Christ-like at all to demean people because Jesus never did that.  He hung out with prostitutes and sinners and tax collectors and never said a negative word against them!

BE better, not just get better. 

We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ. -2 Corinthians 10:5 (NCV)