Living Truth in A Lying World

In late elementary school, into junior high, and even early high school, I spent many days being mocked, teased, and in one case, threatened by my peers.  Whether it was what I wore, my size, or even something as simple as how I carried my books to class, certain people always found a way to make insulting remarks towards me.  Getting made fun of played a big role in how I viewed myself, especially in Junior High.  I knew I was different, and didn't fit in. In 7th grade, I spent the year learning about how other people thought of me.  That became what I took as truth in my life.  The ways kids mocked me, became the center of how I viewed myself.  It is where I took my value. The next several years, I spent as much time as I could, trying to be like others.  I wanted to fit in so much, that I would try and change who I was to get people to like me.  As I continue getting older, I still see those same lies coming back to me from middle school. ...

The other week, I went in to get a haircut.  As usual, at the very end, the person cutting my hair asked me, “Would you like any product in your hair?”  Of course!  Nothing like adding a little style to my new buzz.  She begins putting this “molding” cream in my hair.  As a good salesperson would, she began describing the product to me.  She talked about how this product was great because it was easier to work with than other hair products.  Then she said something that stuck out in my mind, “Don’t apply this when your hair is wet, or it will weaken the product.”  It makes sense really.  Most of the time, if you add water to another substance it will dilute/weaken the power of the original product.  The same thing happens with bleach when you add water to it.  It loses some of its power. Often, the way I view grace is that it is something to be earned.  As I was reading in 2 Corinthians 12, God showed me how skewed my view...

Back on September 11, 2015, I ventured into a new stage of life.  This stage is called "home ownership".  After having shopped around for a while, I decided that I found a house I wanted to buy.  I knew buying it, that I would have a lot of work to do.  It was a house that needed a little (or a lot) TLC, in order to be a home.  I worked and worked and worked on this house.  For months I would go to work, come home from work, and paint.  Once I finished painting, I moved on to the next thing.  For the past year and a half, I have been working to make this home nice.  Quite frankly, there is still a lot to be done. When I think about this idea of cleaning up my house, it reminds me of my relationship with Christ.  Jesus told his disciples that once he left, the Holy Spirit would come in them.  The temple (God's house) was no longer a big building or structure that people would go to.  Instead, our bodies' would be God's home....