Theocentric Musings

Ok, my end of 2013 post. 2013 was memorable. A lot of fun times, a lot of laughs, the normal ups and downs of life. Adventures mixed in with times of boredom. I got to remember how it felt like to be on an overcrowded subway car in the middle of winter, but even that was cool. A heart wouldn't hurt if that heart wasn't alive. Would it? Ended the year with a break, literally and figuratively. God was a part of every single moment and every single day. Wouldn't have it any other way. Wouldn't want it to be. Learning has become a way of life and I love what God provides me through various sources, even when He feeds me through unclean ravens. Learned to open my eyes more. Every year I learn to love and enjoy "me" more and more, I'm thankful for that because I think I'm pretty darn funny and I make myself laugh. I'm good at that. It keeps me sane. Others may not be as amused. Still searching and I know He'll help me find it. Ultimately every...

I think the number 1 thing that affected evangelism for the worse and created all this drama that now happens when people think they are sharing the Gospel is that the church has taken a term from the bible and given it a new meaning. That word is repentance. The twisting and redefining of that word has changed the gospel from a "come as you are" to a "clean yourself up first". It took a comment from Jesus of hope and guidance and twisted it into an order or demand. Your definition of this word completely changes scripture, thoughts, words, and interpretation.

I'm writing this to my friends and people that don't believe in Jesus. I'm a Christian, so it's not hard to figure out my "core" beliefs. Unfortunately many have twisted and changed what the core beliefs of a Christian should be. With there being 43,000 different denominations out there it's pretty confusing for a non-believer to really know whether a Christian hates you or loves you. Unfortunate ly many that have added upon and added upon the core of what it means to be a disciple of Christ are the most vocal or receive the biggest platforms when it comes to media, because of this, those are the ones that seem to become unofficial spokespersons for Christians. It shouldn't be like that, but it happens. Christianity has bullied, and forced itself upon people. Christians have tried to legislate morality. Christians have behaved completely opposite of Christ. I apologize for that to unbelievers, but I want you to remember that beneath everything, Chri...

Here's what happened, my interaction with the lost changed when I stopped looking at what they were doing, and started looking at what Jesus did. That changed everything. For the much, much better.

I think we could learn a lot about how to share the gospel and save the lost by watching how Morpheus with help from Trinity led Neo out of the Matrix. I think we could also learn a lot about how not to share the gospel and save the lost by watching the actions of Agent Smith. Which one are you more like?

Like John, I went from being a son of thunder to an apostle of love. I think many liked me more as a son of thunder. Funny how that works.

So you're certain that you want to know what it felt like? I know you asked but are you completely sure you want to know? Do I really have to relive it just to appease your morbid curiosity? Why am I even considering it? Well, fine. I'll tell you what it felt like... It felt like when you would ride through an empty dark tunnel on your bicycle as a kid. You would hear the sound of the your breath ... , the sound of your pants rustling as you pedaled, the clack of the chain, and the echo of the tires humming in your ears. You would see the light at the end of the tunnel peeking in, and you knew soon enough you'd be covered in the warmth and brightness of the spring time sun. But then somehow you end up in an over crowded subway car in the middle of winter. The cold, the smells, the sounds, the lights, the looks, the judging, the comparing, the people that were up and the people who were down. Everything overwhelming, no place to find quiet or peace. Just a enveloping and ...