‘God Hates Fags.’ Did you know that that’s a biblical principle? Haha, no; I didn’t either.
Try telling that to the overzealous members of the ‘church’ known as ‘Westboro Baptist,’ pictured below.
 In case you didn’t know, ‘fag’ is a slang term, meaning ‘homosexual.’ It originated as a term of a young male servant, somehow evolved to mean ‘cigarette,’ and now it means ‘homosexual.’ Who wudda thunk it?
Seriously, though – this ‘church,’ Westboro Baptist, has made it their mission in life to spread hate and malice towards other people. Not only do they protest anything homosexual, but they protest and picket funerals of fallen American soldiers, claiming their death was a blessing from God, and they they deserve death. Oh, and they hate ‘Fag Enablers,’ whatever them means. Maybe it’s someone that doesn’t go out and stone gay people? Not sure.
What I do know is this; these people are not Christians. Not that they’re getting it wrong, or they are ‘confused’ Christians; they just don’t know Jesus at all. This is evident by their actions.
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:35
Our love will PROVE to the world who we are. Gosh, makes you think doesn’t it? Unloving Christians have become such a majority that now it’s the norm – it’s how the world looks at Christians. Unloving. Hateful. Indifferent. Uncaring. Hypocritical. Know what the sad thing is? THEY’RE CORRECT!
How many Christians do you know would fit in perfectly with Westboro Baptist? How many Christians do you know would rather sing hymns about how holy they are rather then show an ounce of kindness to a Non-Christian? That’s a doozy, isn’t it? Jesus called us to make disciples of all nations, not to obsess over each other; our brothers and sisters in Christ. He called us to LOVE. Why? Because that would prove to the world who we were, and who we belonged to.
So, go about your day thinking of that. Do you love others the way Christ did? Love is a lifestyle, it’s not an act of kindness or a signup sheet for a charity. So, ask yourself that again; do YOU love?
Thanks for reading!
written by Matt
\\ tags: Disciples, Great Commission, Jesus, Kindness, Love, World
 I know, especially nowadays, how it feels to have things. To have money. To have clothes, a car, a nice house. To have… just stuff. So many people obsess over their stuff, they tend to forget about others in need.
“The good person is generous and lends lavishly…” -Psalm 112:5
I bet you know what I’m talking about – someone that has only their best interest in mind. Someone that hoards money. Someone whose life revolves around their stuff. Someone who would rather have extra then have just what he needs. Who rolls in his money. Who is obsessed over what he has. That would rather help himself then others.
We see, from the bible, that’s just wrong! Being generous and giving is an act of love. If we are to love completely, we should love like Jesus Christ did, and not only be willing to put down a few bucks to give a brother a meal, but we should be willing to DIE for a brother, because love is the foundation of Christian Living.
So, think about a way you can be generous today – and do it with a smile!
written by Matt
\\ tags: Attitude, Bible, Generosity, Giving, God, Jesus, Love, Psalms, Who God Is
 There’s a song lyric that goes “If you need more love, well you’ve got to get closer to me“. And how true that is in any relationship. But it applies best in our relationships with God. Yes, God does love us, and yes, He loves us all the time. But if we want to feel that love – genuinely feel His love and love back, we need to be close to Him. Million dollar question: How do we get close with God?
If you’re going to get close with anyone, isn’t the most important thing to communicate? Communication allows us to be heard, and to hear others. It’s the backbone of relationships (and why some relationships fail). Communicating with God can be done through prayer. We’re supposed to communicate with God on a daily basis – he loves us, and wants to hear from us, and wants us to hear from him. As Matt has said before, set aside some time every day to just pray to Him - talk with God. I’m sure you love talking with your best friend, and God is no different – He is the ultimate person to talk to – because he’s not a person – he’s God!
Another way to get close with God is to read His Word, i.e. the Bible. It is a great manual for life and tells so much about God. (And is great for recreational reading too – lots of great stories on there.) And you’ll find that once you pray and talk enough with God, you’ll want to read His Word; it helps us grow even closer to Him. Think about it – would you be close with your girlfriend or boyfriend if you didn’t know anything about them? That’s what the Bible does – it tells us everything we’d want to know about God, and more.
And once you get close, stay close. Don’t leave – don’t let Him out of your site! Through prayer, through reading your Bible, and through fellowship with others, stay close to the Lord. Remember, if you’re feeling far away, realize that God doesn’t move – we move.
I hope these can help you get a little closer with God, and here’s a great verse for today:
Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.
- James 4:8
written by Josh
\\ tags: communicating, God, grace, Love, prayer, relationships
 What if you saw that note? What if you had only seven days to live?
That’s such an intense question, but really think about it; you have seven days to live. What would you do differently. Surely you wouldn’t waste any time. You’d try and fix everything you have that’s broken – relationships, friendships, grudges. You’d try and say everything you’d been too afraid for all these years. You’d live more passionately. You’d love a little more. Focus more on spreading the word of God a bit more, perhaps?
This month in church, we are talking about ‘One Month to Live.’ It’s based on a book about that very subject – what if you had one month to live? I’ve decided to talk a little bit about that, but for you, dear readers, I’ve given you a week.
So, really – what would you do? It’s interesting to think about.
Here’s another question: Why don’t you live like that already? Seriously. Why don’t you live that passionately everyday? Fear? Embarrassment? What’s to be afraid of?
Well, here’s something from the Bible that might make you think a bit differently.
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it. —Psalm 39:4-6
Now, from the other Testament…
14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. — James 4:14
Your days are numbered. There WILL be a day when you will die. Here’s the kicker: what if that day is tomorrow? The bible even says that tomorrow is not promised to you. Isn’t that a very good reason to live more passionately, love more, and meet more people today? What sort of legacy are you going to leave? Something meaningful, or something worthless?
No one’s going to remember you for your funny Facebook statuses. No one’s going to remember you for your ability get 100% on ‘Through Fire and Flames’ on Guitar Hero. You’ll be remembered for the live’s you’ve touched – change – and the life that you devoted 100% to God.
It’s something to think about.
-Matt
written by Matt
\\ tags: Advice, Bible, church, Death, God, James, life, Living, Love, Psalms
 Today, at church, our Pastor went over four key things to living the fullest life, without regret, and 100% for God. I just wanted to do a quick post about those four things.
- Give the First Day of your Week to God – Attending church on Sunday, being in fellowship with other Christians, worshiping together, being a part of a body!
- Give the First Hour of your Day to God – Even if it’s just 20 minutes, spend time in prayer and in word every day. If you do this at the beginning of your day, I swear, it makes things go so much smoother for the remainder.
- Give the first 10% of your income to God – This isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s an actual commandment. It’s all his anyway – he only wants 10% of it back, as an act of faith. Test him! Malachi says to ‘Test God!’ He WILL provide. Don’t say ‘Oh, I don’t know where my money is going’ or ‘I want to MAKE SURE it’s going to a proper place’ or ‘If I want to donate to God’s Kingdom, I’ll give to charity or something’ because you’re missing the point. It’s not YOUR MONEY to begin with. Don’t hang on to it like it is.
- Finally, Give God the first say in every decision you make. Ever little thing. ’God, does this music I’m listening to honor you?’ ’God, do these clothes honor you?’ ’God, does this website honor you?’ A common misconception in many super-Christian’s lives is that secular = dishonoring God. This is not true. Just because something doesn’t scream ‘JESUS JESUS JESUS’ doesn’t mean it’s dishonoring God. We’re gifted with a conscious to know when we’re doing something that’s dishonoring to God. We keep our mind pure, our hands clean, and our minds on Him – no better way to live.
Thanks for reading! See, while you’re doing your Acts of Random Kindness if you can keep these four keys as well. They’re extremely important in the life of a Christ follower.
written by Matt
\\ tags: Bible, Christ, Christianity, church, Fellowship, Friendship, Jesus, life, Love, People
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