Would Jesus Drive A Mercedes?

Consumption rates in the United States never cease to grow and often compete with those Christians who are wealthily able to participate in consuming at outrageous rates. We are faced with a dilemma as “blessed” Christians. Can we pursue God whole heartedly while being surrounded by the material items of this world? As Christians, we are taught that we are not supposed to put our hope in earthly things, because our treasures are in Heaven. At the end of the day we can still pursue Christ while being privileged Christians, although it may be more difficult for some than others.

We have to step back and consider the importance of balance. Overconsumption was not God’s will for our lives, but He also did not intend for us to live on the streets, for example, when we’ve been given blessings, blessings that can reach many people and potentially lead them to Christ. As Christians, we are encouraged to turn to scripture when faced with ethical dilemmas, such as this one. Luke 16:13 says “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Our responsibility as Christ followers is to follow Christ as closely as we can, no matter how many diamonds we own or how big our house is. But what happens when your’e surrounded by an abundance of both wealth and religion, so much so, that it literally suffocates you...?

Because I am from an Upper class family, I identify quite closely with the overconsumption crisis. My parents are fortunate enough to be able to give me everything I could possibly ever need, and so much more. Daily, I struggle with the competition between my thirst for material items and my thirst for Christ’s love. I grew up in the Church and was taught not to store up earthly treasures. Instead I was supposed to focus my energy on my relationship with Jesus, because real treasures are found in Him and in Heaven. But this is hard to do when your’e getting dropped off at Sunday school in a new Mercedes, wearing a pair of $300 shoes. Because of this, I often find myself putting my hope into worldly things out of habit, mostly because of what I grew up surrounded by in my “Christian bubble”.

As I grew up in the South, I was surrounded by an overwhelming amount of wealthy Christians. My environment shaped my Christian ethical outlook and narrowed it to a small percentage of extremely blessed individuals. My Church body and private Christian school were both comprised of upper class people, stay at home moms, and country music stars who lived in big houses, had luxurious things, and drove exotic cars. There was no one I knew who wasn’t a Christian. There was also no one I knew who wasn’t blessed with wealth and access to the many material possessions that most people in this world are not. Over the years this caused an internal struggle that I consistently deal with to this day. Weren’t we taught to give up our wealth to follow Jesus? Well, every Sunday everyone (including my family) was writing fat checks for the Church, worshiping the Lord, and then driving away in their Mercedes. So, we were generously giving like we are taught to do, but still maintaining our over the top and lavish lifestyles.

As I grew older I wanted to experience a different kind of Christianity, a kind that I had only read about on the Internet or saw sad commercials about on the television. In high school I branched out and traveled to other areas of the country for mission work so that I could experience the love of Christ in impoverished areas, where they literally had no material items to distract them from Christ’s love. These interactions gave me a new perspective on the way I had been living my life. The brothers and sisters in Christ that I interacted with, barely had enough food to eat and ridiculously small homes, yet they were consumed by the love of Christ. There was a light that shown in each and every one of them that I will never forget. After each mission trip I went back home to my big house and nice cars and Christian community. I knew I had to make some adjustments in my life, so I began volunteering with my Church, serving the homeless, and stepping outside of that "bubble." Christ taught me on those life changing trips that overconsumption will be something that I will always struggle with, but by staying active and aware in my community and conversing with those who are less blessed, I will find hope in Him and learn not to rely on what wealth can bring me, but rather what He can bring me.

It’s hard to consume responsibly when you can afford luxurious things and follow Christ at the same time, and still do mission work, and still give money to the church, and other organizations on top of it all. It is a challenge to have access to wealth and to not invest myself in it. As Christians, our job is to pursue Christ no matter the dollar amount in our bank account. I am trying to minimize my consumption of earthly things, because they distract me from what I believe to be truly important. We can pursue Christ while being privileged Christians. As we have been blessed, our duty is to be overly generous so that we may be closer to Him and His kingdom.

After all, WWJD?
Courtney

Grace.

The Pastor at Ignite tonight (s/o to him because he's from Nashville) spoke about Grace. It really opened my eyes as to how fortunate we are to be born, simply born worthy of Gods Grace. 

Read Ephesians 2:1-7

What is Grace? It's a favor that we don't deserve. At all. It's counter merited favor. Grace gives us what we do deserve, and also what we don't deserve. It is all of the richest blessings that God can possibly muster. How powerful is that? All He can possibly muster. It never excuses our sins and our selfishness, nor does it pass over it. It holds us accountable. Grace stares down what we are too scared to admit. Grace comes to the real you. 

It matters. Grace matters. We often catch ourselves focused on things other than the Grace that God has granted us. We do this literally all the time. We need to stop what we're doing and run quickly and recklessly to God. How sweet is this Grace that we are given? Why don't we appreciate it enough? We start to change when we repeatedly come back to Christ, a million times over. Because God gives us Grace, that's when the real change happens. 

Read verses 1-3. This is why we need Grace. Paul says that we are dead because of our sins and trespasses. We don't do anything to merit Gods amazing Grace. Paul is saying that we are on the absolute bottom, basically dead people. Spiritual death happens not because we aren't moral enough, but because we were all once living the passions of our flesh. Passion means an over desire, for a good thing--all controlling drive and longing. Sinful desires become rooted deep in things that drive and control us. Sin makes us feel like we have to have this, that, and the other: something to give us a since of worth and value. 

Over desire to save face is spiritual suicide and will never bring us the love we long for. Are we willing to be as honest as Paul says God is about us? God has a seating beauty. Because of His Grace, we can be honest about who we are.

Verses 4-7 tell us how Grace comes to us. Grace is Grace because it comes to us freely. How awesome is that? It is free. Our ability to trust in Him is given to us by God himself. How powerful is Gods mercy and Grace is to us. We are all objects of a great divine love, because He loves us. His love is rooted in Himself alone. Grace is something that God gives us because of who He is, not because of what we have earned. It is the only thing that will allow us to rest when we get tired. The heart of what Grace does is that it saves us from real and spiritual death, the death that we have created ourselves. 

The Pastor tonight ended with a Bono quote which sums it up awesomely, "Grace makes beauty out of ugly things."
Courtney

Trust.

Does God change or do you change? Is God changing for us or are we changing for God? How might God act? What is the nature of God and humanity?

These questions really pricked my theological consciousness.

God is omnipresent, therefore He is in everything. It is up to us to find Him and seek Him out. Everything is a part of Gods plan, but today Christians really do believe in chance. WHY is this? We should trust every aspect in our lives and leave it up to God, knowing that He plans every little detail in our lives. But time and time again we use terms like "luck" and "chance" or "what if?" There is no "what if." Things are going to happen to us in this life, crazy things, we just need to trust that God has got our backs, which He obvi always does.

In an awesome chapter of the Bible, Romans 8, Paul writes in verse 28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." This is so true! But sometimes we wallow in self pity, not leaving our hesitations and concerns at the feet of God. I am a firm believer that God gives situations to people who can handle them. Can we comprehend why things happen? No. We can only try, and then trust that it's Gods will. The human mind is finite. I don't get why things happen, I'm not supposed to get it, and I don't have to get it.

A guy from my Christian Ethics class, Connor O'Modhrain, said it perfectly when he said, "the church doesn't need to be a building, it's a body of Christ." If we walk together as a community with Him, we don't have to know all the answers. I often find myself getting frustrated when I don't have the answers that I so badly want to give others and myself, but walking with other Believers helps me to give it up to God and just trust in His plan. 

The book of Jeremiah seems to have a common theme: the idea of trusting in God's promise. God tells His people that he will deliver them and reward them, and all we have to do is wait. What would you say if God asked you to give up your entire life to do something for Him, but you would never be able to experience the results of your life's work? Maybe God isn't asking us to give up everything we know in search of some crazy purpose He has, but there are so many things that He is promising us every single day. He wants us to trust in Him and be patient. This is so hard for us to do in todays culture. We get so many things, whenever we want them and are considered to be a society that lives for the now. 

It's really easy to get caught up in the world and the obsessions we acquire over time. We are loved by a God who planned our existence before we were born and has a purpose for our lives, a special purpose. Sometimes He asks us to wait for the things He has promised us and He might ask us to go through times of hardship and suffering before we can get there. But we were made to be special. Psalm 37 talks about waiting for the Lord and trusting in His promises. We need to have faith that whatever is thrown at us, God will bring good in the end because He is good. God is constant and will never stray from His love for us, regardless of our choices. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." 

In Him, 
Courtney

Why.

Today in Christian Ethics, my class walked together in silence to the flagpoles on campus. The flags were half mass due to the traumatic shooting that happened in Washington D.C. yesterday. TCU lowered the flags out of respect and love for those impacted by this horrific event. It is a symbol of a united body on this campus, recognizing tragedy. As we walked together I felt a strong feeling of respect from my classmates, everyone was a little somber. While we stood looking up at the American flag, Texas flag, and TCU flag my heart began to break a little. 

We always ask why do bad things like this happen to undeserving people? My response has always been, because it is Gods will. Everything is planned perfectly by Him. But sometimes it's hard to understand His intentions. Looking up at the flags half raised, I saw respect and a sense of community on campus. I felt a part of this campus, as we were all joined by sadness. I could hear nothing but silence and my thoughts and conversation with God. I begged Him to give me just an ounce of understanding. What I would give to be able to answer everyones questions as to why. 

As a Christian, people are going to ask you "where is your God right now?" in times of tragedy. Well, why do bad things happen to those who have Faith? I think bad things happen to good people every minute of every day. Those 12 people who were shot and killed are in Heaven with the Lord, living a better life with Him then they would here on Earth. I know He was so gracious and welcoming to those 12 and joyous that they have entered into His kingdom. I know He welcomed them with open arms and a heavy heart. We can't explain why people do bad and traumatic things, but we can pray that God give us some peace and a glimpse of understanding as to why. 

What is our responsibility as Christians? Is there an obligation to stop violence? These questions were asked by my professor at the end of class and really made me take a step back. We have a community accountability and everyone wants to feel safe and secure. Christian faithfulness requires public action by churches and Believers. Actions like these tragedies could be lessons for us to learn from. We have the privilege to not have to find out answers to the question why? But as Christians, we are asked to wrestle to find answers. 

Trust Him,
Courtney

Believers are Salt and Light.

Matthew 5:13-16 says, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." I remember memorizing these verses in one of the many religion classes I took from Coach Pierce's in high school. At the time I was just going through the motions and memorizing it to make a good grade, but tonight I truly understand the significance of this passage.  

Ben Connelly from The City Church here in Fort Worth spoke at our campus ministry, Ignite, tonight. He dissected these verses for us to grasp the concept of salt and light more clearly. Light is the only thing that can push back dark. When you think about it, how could darkness possibly cover light? It just can't. But, too often our lives don't mirror this image. Instead of a city on a hill, we hide it away from the world. We put our light under a basket instead of being a light before others. Something is missing if we're not doing what God tells us to do. 

If you are salt without light, no one can see your good works. Our lives try to shine light but because we don't know and spend time with Jesus it's difficult. Salt without light is about input and no outflow. 
If salt becomes diluted, there is no use for it. Therefore, we don't have the ability to shine this "light." To be pure and salty is to live for Jesus. Pour out and shine light to penetrate the darkness in the world, whatever that may be for you. This is only possible if Jesus has motivated you. God tells Abraham that He is going to bless him so that he can bless others. Gods priority is love and making disciples. 

One thing that Ben said that really stood out to me was, "You don't have the power to show Christ unless He's dwelling within you." Now this scares me if I'm being honest. Believers want so badly to show Christ, but don't have that ability unless He's living inside of us. This motivates me to take a deeper look into myself and see Christ working within me. It breaks my heart to think that so many people say they're Christ followers, yet shy into the darkness because of their insecurities. This has all been us at one time or another. 

We need to fill ourselves up with community and discipleship. Don't leave people outside the Christian bubble, in the darkness. Jesus ate with the tax collectors and prostitutes and hung out with lepers. This walk with Him isn't supposed to be comfortable, it's a fine line that we walk. He laid down this life so we can be disciples for Him. 

Ben beautifully ended by saying, "It's about loving people enough so they know what we claim to be the centerpiece of our lives."

Be the Salt and the Light,
Courtney

Bold.

I want so badly to spread Gods Word, but sometimes I have a hard time doing it, even at a Christian University. I have faced more diversity at this school than ever before in my life. As cheesy as it sounds it has been life changing. I grew up as a very shy kid and went to the same Christian, college prep school, from pre-k through 12th grade. I never had a hard time making friends growing up because the friends I met on the playground were the best friends I still have to this day. Because we went to a very small Christian school, I was always able to be very open about my relationship with Christ. My friends and I had intimate conversations and were connected on a level that was much deeper than "best friends." We are sisters in Christ.

When I came to TCU, this was not the case at all. I just assumed everyone were Believers as well, after all it is called Texas CHRISTIAN University. Right? My freshman year I was so blessed to find a deep spiritual connection with my Resident Assistant, Kayla, and look up to her as a beautiful example of what living the Christian life should look like. After many nights in her room I grew to admire her love for the Lord and really viewed her as a role model. Even to this day, I view her in the same light.

TCU has given me the chance to watch people grow in their faith like I have never experienced before. I have been so incredibly blessed to watch my close friends grow in their individual walks with Christ. Each of them are so unique and have their own complex stories that I learn more and more about as our time together grows. These people have been such an asset to my faith by challenging me, uplifting me, and walking alongside me with Christ. It's so beautiful to see the Lord working in both my life and the lives of people that I surround myself with. It's like a gift and I am so thankful for it. 

I admire those who are fearless and outspoken and these are qualities I strive to possess. Growing as a Believer on such a broken campus has improved my ability to show Christ's love to others, which lets face it, is what God set us on this Earth to do.

But what happens when we give up on religion and try following Jesus?

Everyone has the potential for Gospel influence. Everyone who has been saved by the gospel is empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. Living Sent isn't just about me doing all the work. It's also about me seeking out others, loving them, equipping them, and sending them out. I want to equip others in figuring out this life as a Believer, and empower them. God is telling me to send love and Live Sent. No longer will the most important story be found on a Sunday morning inside a building. The most important story will be found as Gods people (the church) live out the Gospel everyday in their various spheres of life. 

Be Bold. 
Courtney

Not of this World.

A Man & His Idols | Spoken Word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf22ke_pOl8

Why are there demons that haunt us?

I hate them. God's love is too powerful to let these things control our lives. Maybe there are voices in your head telling you that you might be happy if you went to this party or hung out with a certain group of people. That's not happiness. That will never fulfill you. I can confidently tell you that right now. 
That will never fulfill you. 

We continue to chase after these worldly things that we make idols, and they will never make us, our definition of "happy." Like Jefferson Bethke said in his spoken Word video (link posted at the beginning of this post) "Idols take but they never give." It's funny though isn't it? We think we know what's best for us. I'm in a stage in my life where I am surrounded by young adults in their 20's who think they run their lives. #lolz  We walk around like we are in complete control and often forget our Maker who actually runs this show.

There is no such thing as chance or accident. God controls everything around us. Every little thing that makes up our lives is strategically planned. And what do we do? We think we are the shot callers. Wrong. 

It's been frustrating me lately, as I have seen it in myself and the people around me. By choosing to invest our time and energy into things of this world, are we sending a message to God that He isn't good enough. That breaks my heart. I would never want Him to have that feeling or be treated that way, yet I continue to live my comfortable life the way that I want to. I often resist His intentions because I think my way is better. Don't we all do this? 

Luke 12:34 says, "For where your treasure is there your heart will be also." 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him." We can assume that Jesus is asking us to give up our treasures so that we can follow Him. Personally, this is one of my biggest struggles. It's hard not to get caught up in our possessions and the things of the world, but the fact of the matter is: the only thing we need in this life is our Father. 

So what do we do? We make choices. We start small. God knows our hearts and He knows our intentions. We're not going to Hell if we go to a party we probably shouldn't have or watch a Kardashians marathon and obsess over Kendall Jenner. I am so guilty of this, I invest my energy into the things of this world when I know the only thing that will satisfy my soul is Christ. We must acknowledge that we are investing our time in worldly things, rather than trusting that Gods love will always be enough. I am in constant conversation with Him about the decisions I am making, whether they be good or not so good.  Although I know I constantly choose other things over Him, I acknowledge my actions and ask for His forgiveness. This isn't to be taken lightly, however. His forgiveness is always there, but not to be taken for granted. Yes, He will always forgive us and love us no matter what, but that doesn't give us the right to take advantage of His unfailing love. 

Here's my wish for us. Do something radically different with our lives. This life is beautiful and we get so caught up in the here and now that we often forget Who gave us this freedom to begin with. Acknowledge the love Christ has for you, daily, and little by little my hope is that we start to find our happiness in Him and not of these worldly things. 

Trust Him, 
Courtney

Live Sent.

I grew up in the Church ever since I can remember. As a kid I dreaded going and was bored throughout the service, week after week. The best part was coloring on the bulletins. Literally. But when I hit the age of about ten, I think I started to actually listen to what the Pastor was saying. I began to realize I really liked this Church thing and this guy named Jesus was kind of cool. I mean He could save me? Me? #wut. Shortly thereafter, I went to my Pastor and asked to be baptized. I felt like I was at the point where I wanted to accept Jesus into my heart and be saved by Him, but imagine these thoughts in the mind of a ten year old. Now I find it special looking back on it after all these years, because I was baptized on Easter Sunday. At the time, I wasn't able to recognize what a powerful day it was to commit myself to Christ. 

Once I was old enough, I went through confirmation and made some close friends that were interested in the same things I was. A little later in middle school, like 8th grade, I signed up for a retreat our youth group was taking, called Breakthrough, with my friend Kaissling. In other words, our moms wanted us to meet kids at church so they forced us to go. We were both nervous because we weren't really close to anyone in our youth group, due to its extreme clique-i-ness. I was personally nervous that everyone was going to know more about God than me, and that it would be awkward for me when everyone was in deep thought or conversation and I wouldn't know what to say. After a few nights on the trip, there came a night I will never forget. My Church had our own little meeting one night after worship, to talk about the trip so far. A boy named Chris Shaw stood up and poured out his feelings to our entire youth group, fearless. With tears in his eyes, he expressed how he so badly wanted to feel the love of Christ that he had been observing and hearing about the entire week. He just didn't understand why everyone else had this awesome relationship and he didn't. He wanted so badly to be able to confidently say he knew what Christs love felt like, and told us just how much he would give to even know that feeling. I sat there crying, knowing exactly how he was feeling. I wanted the same exact thing. I was thirsty for this love that everyone was talking about. Yes, I had been baptized and confirmed but I didn't feel that deep connection that I was yearning for. 

After that trip I focused on building my relationship with Christ by teaching myself Scripture and trying to absorb as much knowledge as I could, like a sponge! My personal time with Christ grew enormously and I started to finally feel like I was doing something right. My junior year of high school I felt an urge to go on a mission trip my school was offering to New Orleans. This is where I learned what "Living Sent" really looked like. We were made to live beyond ourselves. In John, Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." I Live Sent as a letter from God to culture sharing the same message He has delivered along- "I love you. I am near. Follow Me." 

When I was a senior, I joined the Spiritual Life Committee at my high school. We planned devotionals for every Friday to be given in front of our student body. What shocked me was that there were only about 15 students on the committee, out of over 200 kids that attended a Christian school. #wut. When it came time for me to give a devotion, I didn't want to do it. My friend Malone promised to do it with me and finally convinced me to say what the heck, okay. After preparing a PowerPoint and my notes, Malone didn't come to school the day we were giving our devotional. What the actual heck. I was now that much more nervous that I was going to have to get up in front of my peers and faculty and express my love for Christ. This was the largest amount of people I had ever spoken to on a topic of this particular nature. I talked with God about how I really didn't want to do it, but He pushed me forward. I gave the devotion and although I was nervous, I looked out and saw the love in the eyes of my friends who I had spiritual connections with, knowing just by the looks in their eyes that they were proud to call me a sister in Christ. After giving the devotion, I was on fire for the Lord. After that day I devoted my senior year to becoming more comfortable and secure in who I was as a Believer. Constantly working on this brought me the peace and confidence that I had never experienced before. I was fortunate to grow up in a town that was crawling with Christians. This was great for me because I always had someone to turn to, my friends and parents being my main support system. They held me accountable for my actions and acknowledged the strides I was making as a child of God. 

As I began my freshman year at TCU, I was determined to show Christ in myself to the new people that I met. My goal was to surround myself with people whom I admired and wanted to be like. A defining moment in my Faith that year was one night when I went to our Monday night contemporary service, Ignite. They screened a documentary called Beware of Christians. Seriously check it out, best docu ever. It showed four college guys from Texas, backpacking through Europe as Christians. Their goal was to find out what it looks like to leave Religion, and follow Jesus. The people they encountered and the views of Christianity and touchy subjects opened my eyes and encouraged me to spread His Word in as many places that I can, just like these four guys had done half way across the World. 

At Ignite my sophomore year, the pastor had us all close our eyes and told us to imagine Christ dying on the cross and then coming back to life three days later and He looks at you and says, "go out and live as if I am with you always, which I am." This rocked me. The vivid imagery literally blew my mind. So, this is what I want to do with this awesome gift we are given called Life. Spread God's word to anyone who will listen because He is always with us. 

You can't stay where you are and follow God. 

Live Sent, 
Courtney