Tag: christianity

21 Martyrs

Religion

Have you been to 21martyrs.com?

I have.

I watched the video.

It’s powerful stuff.

Scary stuff.

My heart goes out to the affected families. And, I hope that I would be able to stand up for my beliefs in a similar fashion. It’s admirable.

But, I’m also scared that the video promotes an us vs. them mentality. To me it come across as a rally cry.

I don’t see the love, compassion, or forgiveness of the Christianity that I ascribe to.

I’m sure if you spoke to the creators of the video they would hope for a peaceful response to these senseless acts. I just hope that other Christians around the world do as well.

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Remember Him

Religion

Do this in remembrance of me.

Why would Jesus ask his followers to take a peice of bread and some juice and remember him?

Was he afraid they would forget?

I forget things all the time. I can get up, walk into a room and completely forget what I was doing. I forget passwords, dates, conversations… The list goes on and on. I could see why we might need to be reminded to remember.

But something Bryan Schackmann asked in a class at church got me thinking a little more about this. He asked if Jesus lives inside us?

It can be a scary question if you were to answer it honestly. Is Jesus really a part of me?

And is that true all the time?

I don’t know that we, followers of Christ, ever COMPLETELY forget about Jesus, but we may not always live as though we remember him.

When we take the bread and juice in communion with each other and God we need to remember that Jesus is a part of each of us. Living in us.

I Used to be a Fan of Christian Music

Entertainment, Religion
I used to be a huge fan of Christian music.  It was safe.  And, it had a good message. 
 
Over the years "safe" became boring, and the "good message" became tame and watered down. During that time I came to the realization that I found more inspiration and comfort in music that wasn't expressly labeled "Christian."
 
I identified with the struggles.
 
I could empathise with the pain.
 
I could rejoice in the victory. 
 
I found beauty as others explored their innermost feelings in song. It just felt more real. 
 
It didn't matter to me if an artist sang about their idea of God, or something else. I could see God's beauty in the music they created.
 
And that's where I still am today.  I'll admit there are exceptions. But, I find more inspiration from secular music than I do from it's Christian counterpart.

Freedom in Christ

Religion

I’ve been thinking lately about the phrase “Freedom in Christ.”

In the context of Jesus’ teachings it makes sense. He came and turned everything upside down.

He ate with sinners and tax collectors.

He said the first shall be last, the meek shall be strong… and a lot more.

He told the religious elite that their “religiousness” had gone too far.

He gave people freedom. Freedom to be more.

It’s pretty amazing.

Now, if you look at the phrase “Freedom in Christ” in the context of how we Christians portray Christ today it doesn’t make any sense.

Have we forgotten?