Witnessing

My youth pastor preached a message recently about witnessing and getting a friend or some friends in your life that are unsaved. And then after that, my Bible Study teacher expounded on it. He talked about not being super close to them but influencing them to Christ and showing Him in all areas in your life. That includes the way you act, the way you react to people and situations, and your conversation. But he really encouraged us to pray about finding some unsaved people to reach out to. Well I prayed right there and then sincerely asking God to give me someone that I could reach out to. I knew that I didn't have a lot of extra time to devote to someone but I wanted to reach out to an unsaved person. Since I do not go to a public school, I am not around a lot of unsaved people usually. So a week or so has past and Sunday, a lady came to church that my mom had invited and she brought her younger sister and her three kids. Well the sister was my age and she seemed kinda odd but I introduced myself at church and then she ended up coming to my house for the afternoon. Well I later found out that she had a bad background and so she is not completely "with her age group" mentally. So I was like wow...God really brought someone who needed a friend and who was unsaved into my life. We took her to church tonight and she had a lot of questions and she was very curious. We talked for a little while but it seemed that I could only half-way answer one question before she would ask another question. Eventually we left and the conversation was cut short so I know she is very confused still but I hope to become a part of her life and her a part of mine. I pray that she will see Christ in my life continually. She is already so interested and she sees the difference. I am excited about being able to reach out to her and I pray that if it is God's will, that he will save her and she will want to be saved. She has asked some pretty difficult questions to answer so far, so please pray that God will give me wisdom so that I may explain things simply for her. I know she wants to be like everyone else because she tells me that, but she doesn't realize that what makes us different is Christ in our life. So please lift my family up in prayer as we reach out to her sister and their family and for me as I try to show Christ to her.

The Way You See

Why do you suffer?

That’s one of the primary questions in Eyes Wide Open, and the answer may surprise you.

This morning I saw a survey of American college students and how they view themselves and their lives.

 

- 46% felt hopeless

- 61% felt very sad

- 31% felt so depressed that it was difficult to function

- 7% seriously thought about suicide and 1% attempted

- 5% intentionally hurt themselves

 

The difference between religious and non-religious people is negligible. Nearly all of those surveyed believe in God, mostly Christian.

Our suffering runs deep and it begins early in life, doesn’t it?

This isn’t simply an American experience; it’s a human one. We’re all plagued by guilt, self-hatred, feelings of disappointment, judgment, and a sense that, on some deep level, we’re not good enough. We believe we need to be fixed, and have even built an $11 billion industry around to do it in seven steps.

 

I get it. 

 

There have been times when I’ve stared into the kind of darkness of soul that seems bottomless. Hopeless. Where the world seems tattered, broken, and anything but beautiful. Where I’ve felt hopelessly separated from God, others, and even myself.

 

You probably have, too.

 

But what if our view of why we suffer is all wrong? What if we suffer because we’re unwittingly looking at the world upside down? 

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body,” Jesus said. “If your eyes (read ‘perception or how you see the world’) are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” [Matt. 6:22,23]

 

How you perceive the world defines your reality. To the extent you judge your circumstance or world to be dark, unfair, or anything less than beautiful, you will suffer. You don’t necessarily need to change your circumstance; you need to change the way you’re looking at it.

 

I’ve gone through a long journey over the years, asking these same questions of myself. You’ve come along with me on the trip, maybe without realizing it, each time you read one of my novels. These books are my journals, flesh becoming words.

 

If you’ve read Eyes Wide Open you’ve had a snapshot into my life through the eyes of Christy and Austin, two people whose problem isn’t really the terrible situation they’re in, but how they view that situation.

 

Their story is mine in more ways than one. But it’s also your story because we’re the same, you and I.

 

Truth is, you are the light of the world. You are the joy of heaven. You are powerful, not helpless. You have infinite worth. Infinite. All you need to do is change the way you see.

-Ted Dekker

I thought this was a really great insight. I read this and was thinking in my head how true it really was. Maybe you, even though you might not be a college student, can put yourself into one of the categories above. I know that I certainly can and I'm not exactly proud of it but I am thankful to God for shedding a different light on my path and causing me to change course. I am going to read the Eyes Wide Open series this summer Lord willing. I have the first book to start and this really got me pumped about reading it. 

School

So I went to BJU (Bob Jones University) and it was great! I love the atmosphere and the people there were really amazing. It is a good Christian school and its a big possibility. But what I have a hard time with is giving my whole school situation to God. I want to make plans and that is good, but I didn't even pause to ask God to help me decide what I'm going to do. I might not do my school this next year and just be plain home schooled and maybe do a few college courses online while finishing my last few credits for high school. I now praying about it instead of making plans but I still feel that I haven't given God complete control over the situation (and it is very difficult). Please pray for me as I look to God about school. I do want to get the best education I can. And I'm working very hard for it right now with the Lord's help of course.  But hopefully this spoke to you about something you might need to give to the Lord instead of worrying. Oh and please pray for me as I have a big test Tuesday and I have a lot of big end-of-term projects that count for a lot of my grade. So I have a lot going on but I know that God can give me the strength and the wisdom I need to pass and get a good grade.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. -Philippians 4:6

P.S. I am going to put up a few pictures from the beach when I get a chance.