What Would Jesus Do?

Not Perfect – Just Forgiven

Remember those bracelets, bumper stickers and stuff “WWJD”? It was really cool for a while then I kinda think that everyone realized “WELL, What if – Jesus really were sitting next to you when you told that lie, said that curse word, cheated, and did all the other sinful things in front of Jesus?” Then the hoopla died down when people started REALLY taking it seriously. I mean you just don’t see WWJD around very much anymore do you? Satan just let it die down, I believe. Shame, guilt and remorse just wouldn’t let us deal with going around town having fun with Jesus next to us, is that it?

It doesn’t have to be like that, we are not perfect – just forgiven. This is just parts from Rachel’s Chapter 3:

What nobody ever talks about (or at least nobody ever told me) is that after saying yes to God, everything doesn’t all of a sudden become “happily ever after.” Parents are still divorced and school was still school. Everyone always thinks that once you accept Jesus into your heart, everything will be smooth sailing after that. Well, let me tell you, everything does not get easy after that, and happily ever after happens only in fairy tales.

If being a Christian were easy, everyone would do it, not because they wanted to know God, but because they wanted to have an easy life, right? Being a Christian means you have to do the hard thing like being honest or forgiving or kind or choosing not to do some of the things your friends are doing.

I want you to get her book - "The journals of Rachel Scott - a real diary of faith". But she tells a story then goes on with basically the following:

You can’t be jealous. When you are a Christian you’ve got to answer to God. So, when something great happens to a best friend that you really wanted to happen to you. You have to talk to God about how you feel when things like this happen. Work on your attitude with God. Tell god how you feel, write it down, journalize. Once you start telling God how you feel honestly, your feelings will start to change. God is awesome that way!

When God says to forgive, God means to forgive no matter what. When God says we are supposed to love one another that means even people we may not particularly like. And if at times it’s hard, maybe being hard is the only way God knows that we’re choosing to love God – no matter what.

Life as a Christian is hard sometimes. Making the right choices is hard sometimes. Taking time to pray is hard sometimes. Knowing what’s right and what’s wrong is hard sometimes. Following God is worth it – no matter how hard it can be.

What does it mean to follow God? To me, it means having a relationship with God. Just like with your best friend. But what does that mean, like how do you get a relationship with someone you can’t see, hear, or touch?

Keep Reading – all things are possible!
Allie

Something quick!

All quotes from her book!

What is life when living without the LIFEMAKER?

Acknowledging HIM is not having a relationship with HIM

Obligation to an Explanation
Perfection is an Expectation
Why is normality a fatality
And morality flawless

Find peace in not being perfect in being you!
Allie

What's in a Name?

As a child did you like your name? I know I hated my name, I really did!! I was teased in school for my name Alice Marie, is my given name. Most people dropped off Marie for some reason and I was called ALICE. UGH! Now back then in the old Popeye cartoons, some may remember ALICE the goon, a witch with a big nose. Because as you remember Alice in Wonderland (not much better for an Alice) was a cute blonde girl so, the kids went with the big nosed witch – ALICE THE GOON! I was called, over and over again. By high school I had a boy friend that called me Allie, which very much fits my personality. Alice is a very strict mean name, in my opinion. Allie sounds like a name that is full of life, heart and soul, which is someone I try to be.

Rachel Joy wanted to be an actress, she was a normal kid who had great friends and loved her family. She loved video games, photography, classic old movies and I’ve mentioned her art, journaling, poems and song writing. She loved to play with words. One day she discovered personalizing her name with an acronym.

R – Real, Ready, Responsible
A – Affectionate, Asking. AWARE
C – Compassionate, Caring, Considerate
H – Herself, Honest
E – Everything! I want to experience everything!
L – Loving, Lost Lonely….sometimes.

J – Jesus. That’s all. That’s EVERYTHING. Jesus
O – Others
Y – Yourself

And guess what, in my crafting I had been doing this with other peoples names before I had ever picked up this book and when I got to this chapter I thought "WOW!", what would someone pick for my name. Well, this week my friend did one for me!! (with Allie) Here’s what she came up with: A – Alive L – Loving L – Loyal I – Illustrating E – Enthusiastic. It gave me a whole new liking to my name. I'll have to try it with my given name. ;o)

What would you do with your name? Think of the “me” you’d like to be using a play on words with your name. Try it, its fun…

Go For It!

Doing whatever it takes requires the “Joshua Leap of Faith” doesn’t it now? I mean that is what FAITH is all about, right?

FAITH – 1. belief or trust: belief in devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof 2. religion or religious group: RELIGION a system of religious belief, or group of people who adhere to it 3. trust in God: RELIGION belief in and devotion to God

Rachel had a motto of sorts in Chapter One –
“Go after God. Whatever it takes, do it.”

In this chapter she describes what most people feel as they have that urge to give them selves to Christ. You can’t explain it to non-believers; they look at you like you’ve gone nuts. The only real explanation is that it’s a God thing, it’s something you don’t forget, and like she said you don’t really “decide” to do it, it just happens. For so many though coming back from where ever you gave yourself to God, coming back from your HIGH (and it is a HIGH - uplifting, awe like feeling experience) it’s almost as though you have to come down again. I asked God myself many times; WHY do we have to go through this drug like experience.

I loved how this young spirited mind put it so well versed because it is exactly how I have asked God many times over:

“But saying yes to God isn’t like turning on a light bulb and making what was once completely dark now completely visible. Saying yes to god is more like saying yes! To an adventure – every day on the journey, you see more, learn more, and know more. And you just can never tell where God will lead you.

I remember wondering, later, exactly what had I done? Was I going to be weird now? Will my friends think I’m not fun anymore? Will the me on the outside be different from the me on the inside? I made the decision that night to give my life to God, but that was only the beginning. Knowing what that meant didn’t happen all at once.”

Continue with me on Rachel’s journey won’t you?
Many Blessings
Allie

A Faith Journey

READING – What a hobby?!

Most of you who know me – know I love to read… Well, one of my many books right now is GREAT! I’ve got to share it… This is worth Blogging Bits daily – The book is “A Real Diary of Faith – The Journals of Rachel Scott- sharing a journey of faith at columbine high…” This young lady is incredible and left several artwork, poems, songs, and pages and pages of journals ready for a book that she was in the process of writing until her well publicized, horrible and untimely death. But was it untimely or was this book part of God’s plan all along – she was an incredible angel to many at a mere 17 years of age and her story of coming to know Christ and the ordinary struggles of dealing with world around her while holding on to her faith is told in her diary and in this inspiring book.

“Go after God. Whatever it takes, do it. And don’t give the excuse, I am just a teenager or I’ll do that when I grow up, because it doesn’t work that way. God wants to know you NOW.” ~ Rachel Joy Scott.

Follow me through this journey with Rachel Joy Scott - I was recently baptized (even though I committed myself to Christ at 24 years old I didn’t know about being baptized until now!) and even though she is just a teenager, I myself feel the same struggles and want to tell God the same things she feels and I’m sure most of you feel the same things. Whether you are 17, 24, or 39 a new Christ follower is new and struggles with worldly issues but I do agree teenagers seem to have it rougher than when I was a teenager. Trust me though when you are 39 there is a whole other set of issues – when we say don’t rush to grow up – we MEAN don’t rush to grow up! There is a whole set of OTHER STRESSERS – bills, mortgages, medical problems, kids to worry about, bills, bosses and believe it or not we deal with peer pressure too but as adults it gets easier and with God on our side we can beat it! ;o)

Enjoy the Journey!
Allie