Purity and Relationships

Purity. Simply say that word, and every teenager in the room cringes. But really, it shouldn't be that difficult of a topic. It doesn't refer exclusivly to relationships. The phrase "pure in heart" means two things. First, that you are saved. Becaus that is the only way to BE pure. You have to be washed clean by Christ to have a pure heart. Second, it means to be growing in righteousness. As we grow spiritualy, we become more righteous, more pure. A part of this includes our relationships. So, in order to live righteously, how should we act around guys? I don't have a list of do's and don't's, though if I did it would make life a whole lot easier! I have some ideas though, that hopefully point in the right direction.

When a girl has a "crush" (why do they call it that, anyways?) on a guy, what does she want from him? We all know the answer: Attention. So what does she do? She flirts. UrbanDictinary defines flirting as  "anything someone does to get the attention of someone they like." So flirting is basicaly saying, "Ooh! Ooh! look at me!" It's drawing purposely drawing attention to yourself. At it's root, it's selfish. you want all the attention to be given to you. Selfishness. And selfishness is the wrong attitude to have. So I think flirting's not ok. If your like me your thinking, "I don't know flirting if it's right in front of my face! How am I suposed to know if I'm doing it or not?" If flirting is purposly drawing attention to yourself, then the simple answer is make sure that whetever your doing is not done in order to draw attention to yourself. I think the best way to acomplish this is to just act like yourself around everyone. You don't have to change the way you act just because a guy walked in the room, even if it is for the right reasons. You don't have to stop talking and sit there in akward silence just because there is now a guy in the room. Would you do that with your brother? No, of course not! Well, Christian young men are our brothers in Christ! Act yourself!

I think that one thing (not calling attention to yourself) covers everything else I could say. I could talk about how we should be polite, but being rude would fall under the branch of caling atention to yourself. I think the same goes for pretty much every other thing we could talk about. Dress. If you dress modestly, you're not calling attention to yoursself. If you don't, you are. It could go on and on.

I think that about wraps it up. Thanks for listing, and I hope this was at least somewhat helpful/ecouraging! If you have any thoughts to add, I'd love to hear them!

Our Brothers in Christ

Ok, so we know we shouldn't be "boy crazy" and we know why, but how should we treat believing young men? "...to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers and the younger women as sisters in all purity." (1 Timothy 5:1). Here, Paul is telling Timothy how he should treat other members of the church. But I think it applies to us girls as well. We are told to treat young men as our brothers in Christ. Besides, if they are treating as sisters in Christ, doesn't it make sense that we treat them as brothers in Christ?

None of this means that you can't get married of course. God designed marriage. He created Eve so that Adam would have a wife! "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24). Marriage was designed and created by God, and therefor it's good, but it is NOT our job to chase after every boy you see! Remember that our focus should be on Christ, not anything else. And if our focus is on Christ, we will trust Him. Trust that He has a plan for our lives! "For i know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'Plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope," (Jerimiah 29:11). "Not that I speak fom want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Phillipians 4:11) I think it's pretty safe to say that we can take "whatever circumstances" to include single or married.

The point is, we need to trust God. Being content in any circumstances means trusting God with our lives. If He wants you to remain single, then that's what's best for you! It's really remarkably simple! All we have to do is trust, and God will bring the right guy along at the right time! Unfortunatly, we in human sinfulness, complicate things incredibly by thinking we know better than God, and try to find the guy WE think is right at the time WE want. This is obviously not trusting God, which Christ commands us to do. So, if we keep our focus where it should be, (on Christ) then we will learn and grow in ALL areas, including this one. We will learn to trust God in this area, learn to treat the young men as brothers. This is where the purity part in the 1st Timothy verse comes in, but I'm going to talk about that, and few other, realated things tommorow, because it's getting late. Thanks for listening; I hope this is helpful!

Treating Young Men as Brothers in Christ

Hey everyone! I apologize for the long absence, and delayed start on these blog party posts. When I decided join in on the blog party, I did not realize that it would take place at the same time as a camping trip my family planned to take. So, the camping trip is over, and if you can find it in your hearts to forgive my absence, I'll begin my posts now, and keep going till I've made up for all three days.

Our topic is treating young men as brothers in Christ, and not being boy crazy girls. There are so many places to go with this topic that it seems hard to know where to start. But the answer should be simple. Obviously so, actually. The best place to start, is of course at the start! (Duh!) So, what exactly do we think of when we think of a 'boy crazy" girl? We all know them; always chasing after the boys, never happy unless they're with someone, or at least have a crush. And they are always on an emotional rollercoaster that doesn't ever stop. Sometimes they're happy, and sometimes they're horribly depressed. But it seems to me, that to some girls, being boy crazy is simply normal. Not wrong; normal. Like school and hair and friends. But it IS wrong. Why? Well, let's look at how the Bible talks a bout wrong. It isn't simply a list of do's and don'ts. The Sermon on the Mount starting in Matthew 5 reveals this. It takes the whole Law, and shows how it demands the right heart. To God, obedience is primarily a heart issue, not an appearance issue. So we've established that being boy crazy is the wrong attitude to have, and that right and wrong are heart issues.

But what, specifically is the wrong heart attitude that exists in being boy crazy? Let's say your enjoying some time to yourself, and your younger sibling asks you to get something down for them. You say no, because you don't won't to disturb your free time. What heart attitude dictates such an action? Selfishness, right? You want what you want, and you're not going to let any one get in the way of getting it. You're preferring yourself ahead of your sibling. The action was to tell your sibling no, your attitude was selfishness. So we return to the original question. What is the heart attitude that accompanies being boy crazy? What does a boy crazy girl care most about? The answer should be pretty obvious: Boys. What should we care most about? That answer should be pretty obvious as well: Christ. When we put anything, anything ahead of Christ, whether it be nail polish or boys, it is sin. That's the wrong attitude that goes along with being boy crazy.

So, we've established that being boy crazy is wrong, and why it's wrong, but how can we change? It's not like chewing your nails, or something, which is a physical thing. Fist and foremost, you have to ask forgiveness for your sin. Then you have to change. But we can't change our hearts on our own. We have to have help. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, and help us grow. He provides the strength that we cannot so that we can change. Specifically, your focus has to change. It has to change from boys, (where it shouldn't be) to Christ, (where it should be). This has to involve a LOT of prayer (just like everything else in life). You have to consciously work to change your focus. Realize when your becoming focused on boys and refocus on Christ. Seperate yourself if you have to. It's not going to be easy; nothing that's worth having is, and the Christian life is not easy. But we've been promised in Hebrews that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Thanks for listening, and be sure to comment if this doesn't make sense or if you have something to add! Comments make my day! And I'll be back tommorow! 

Random Stuff

So basically, I don't feel like writing a long and involved post, right now, so I'm going to be lazy and show you a bunch of things that made me laugh. (Credit for pictures goes to Pinterest)

Or more....

Socially acceptable is underrated.

Guilty.

"Move along!"

Guilty again.

This movie simply has the best quotes!!

'Nuff said.

Poor Tenzin!

Nor does one simply walk into Wal-Mart.

Will somebody please tell my brain to shut up?

Chapter 2

Sorry for making you wait for this chapter...if any one wants to tell my mother that school isn't necessary, I might post more often. :) As always, critique/criticism welcome and appreciated!

Chapter 2

'Finally' I thought. the thunder that had been continually growling since early evening dissipated. I allowed myself to relax, but I still couldn't sleep.

"Kalla!" I whispered, trying to contain myself. Kalla didn't answer, but I knew her well enough to know that she was awake, and just trying to ignore me.

"Kalla," I whispered again.

"Mm?"

"This is so cool!"

"What?" she got up on her elbow and stared at me, "That you're going to be a spy on our worst enemy that also happens to be led by a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants?"

"C'mon Kalla. You know I've always wanted to have an adventure like in all the stories,"

"I wonder where that note came from," Kalla said.

" I bet it's from some person Sir Adam's never told us about who knows something Sir Adam doesn't and that's why he wouldn't tell us everything. And maybe in order to accomplish anything we'll have to go after him and find out whatever he knows!" I knew what Kalla was going to say before she said it.

"Rielle. Be serious,"

"Well, it could happen!"  She was probably right, but my idea was much more exciting than the idea that it was just an old friend of his.

There didn't seem much more to be said, and we drifted off to sleep. Some time later I woke up, I knew not why. Out of habit, I glanced at Kalla's bed. It was empty. I rolled over, assuming she would soon return. When she didn't, I began to wonder. Standing up, I shivered. 'Why is it so cold in here?' I wondered. Then I noticed that the window hung open. I didn't remember it being open when we went to bed. I groped my way along in the dark room heading for the door. I opened it, and poked my head out. All was silent; that special kind of quiet that comes only at night. The wood floors were cold on my feet as I walked with soft steps to the main room.

A sliver of moonlight shone into the room casting a silvery glow over everything within it's reach. The hearth stone, normally so warm and inviting, now seemed harsh and cold. As I stared into the fireplace with its dead grey ashes, I wondered where Kalla had gone. 'Could she have gone outside?' I wondered. I walked to the door, the soft swish of my feet on the floor seeming unbearably loud. I reached for the handle and hesitated.

'Why would she be outside?' I wondered. As if in slow motion, I opened the door and looked out. The full moon cast a silvery glow over everything, a strange mixture of light and shadow;blurring shapes. I could feel the dampness in the air reminding me of the recent storm.

I thought for a moment, then decided I'd go look for Kalla. I stepped out, and almost immediately slipped on the grass. I decided to go inside and get a lantern first. I went inside, and found the lantern. I backed up a few steps, but in the dark, I lost my balance, started to fall, and dropped the lantern. I winced at the loud clatter that ensued. I picked myself up, and found the lantern. Fortunately, it hadn't broken. A moment later, I saw a little bubble of light as Sir Adam walked towards me. I was immediately reminded of the candle on the table in our room, and I wanted to smack myself.

"What are you doing Rielle?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"I couldn't find Kalla," I replied, leaving out the vague feeling of uneasiness that had been creeping over me.

"So you opened the door, then decided to get the lantern instead of  a candle?"

"No-well," I decided to start from the beginning, although it seemed rather childish and ridiculous now. "I woke up earlier, and I noticed that Kalla was gone. I waited awhile, but she never came back. Then I noticed that the window was open, which it wasn't when we went to bed. I couldn't find her inside, and I was going to look outside,"

"Go get dressed," instructed Sir Adam, "I have a bad feeling about this,"

A few minutes later, I returned dressed and ready  to find my friend.

"You'll need your sword," said Sir Adam. I retrieved it, buckled it in place, and walked to the door; turning to see if Sir Adam was coming. He didn't seem to notice my impatience as he walked to the door. Once outside, he held the now lit lantern high, as if looking for something. It cast a yellow light over everything, and made the water droplets that lingered glisten. The grass appeared to be darker than normal in the half light.

Once Sir Adam made up his mind he strode towards the stable, full of purpose.

"Saddle Zenith," he said; that was all he said, he focused solely on saddling Rathlyr. I'd never seen him this way before. I tried to move quickly, but I was distracted. I wondered and (worried) about Kalla, and I studied Sir Adam. This was all so strange to me. Everything he did seemed to have a precise purpose. He was leading Rathlyr out of the stall before I had even put the bridle in Zenith's mouth. In a hurry, I finished, and we mounted our horses and rode out. The stars looked like pinpoints of light shining out behind a black cloth with tiny holes in it.

We rode in silence, and when I first looked back I could no longer see the tiny black outline that was the little house. I had an idea about where Kalla was, but I couldn't be sure. Every now and then, bands of outlaws would come to more remote villages to pillage, and every now and then, they took prisoners for ransom. I assumed that must be what happened to Kalla. But that didn't make sense. if it was simple outlaws, Sir Adam wouldn't be this agitated. These bands had come before, and he'd never acted this way. I decided to ask him about it.

"Sir Adam,"

"Hush!" This surprised me also. Very rarely did Sir Adam interrupt anyone. I was becoming more bewildered and frightened by the minute.

"Rielle," said Sir Adam after a moment, "listen closely. The men we are soon going to face are very dangerous. They are not like the outlaws; who are cowards and fools, and will flee when you show a bit of skill with a sword. The ones we are after will not think twice about killing a person, including Kalla. They are cowards in their own way, but they should not be underestimated because of that. You must be prepared."

"Who are they?" I had to ask.

"It is time you knew more," he said, more to himself than to me. Louder, he said, "They are Gurabians," I was silent for a time as I digested that piece of information.

We rode for about another hour.

"We will be approaching them soon," Sir Adam broke the silence.

"How can you tell?" I asked

"See the rising column of smoke? That's a campfire. We shall soon have to stop and asses their position and strength." True to his word, we stopped in a few minutes. We were just inside the fringes of the forest, and took advantage of the trees to hide ourselves as we crept forward on foot. I followed Sir Adam, and waited as he observed the camp.

Kalla was nowhere in sight. There were five Gurabians, all strong and hard looking. Still, we had the element of surprise. I started to step forward, but Sir Adam gave me such a look that that I stopped. Not, unfortunately, out of obedience, but curiosity.

"They are not expecting us! We should attack now!" I whispered.

"You are to impulsive. You'll get yourself killed if you continue act that way. There are five of them and only two of us. We must make use of every advantage available to us."

I gazed at the little clearing in the enormous forest of pines. The flames danced up and down, making it hard to see beyond the fire. Somewhere I heard a horse nicker, and I knew it was not one of ours. I began to listen to their conversation. I thought it might reveal what they'd done with Kalla.

"You sure that's the right one?"

"'Course I'm sure. I don't make mistakes," The man's arrogance struck me . I'd never heard that kind of ride before, and I didn't like it. Like rubbing a cat the wrong way.

"Now we just gotta find the other 'un,"

"Last I heard he was in village outside Candir," said a third man. Just then, I heard Sir Adam murmur, "Candir. He rode fast. Lad best keep himself out of trouble," 'Who on earth?' I wondered.

"Leiutenant'll be furious if we got the wrong one," said the first one who had spoken up before.

"This ain't the wrong one!" shouted the second man. Sir Adam motioned for me to back up, and he did the same. For a moment my heart froze when a twig snapped under my foot. I stood still as a frightened rabbit for a second that seemed an eternity. When no one noticed I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

We reached our horses, and I was more anxious than ever to do something.

"We must attack now, before they can meet their commander. Right now we have the element of surprise and they have let their guard down. We must move quickly. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," We crept back to the little ring of trees, but we didn't stop there. Stepping into the light cast by the fire, I took my cue from Sir Adam and drew my sword.

Immediately, I found myself engaged in a duel. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sir Adam was likewise engaged, only he fought two opponents. I tried to remember everything Sir Adam had taught me. This man was certainly not as skilled as Sir Adam, and I soon noticed that the man left his middle unguarded. I watched a moment longer; one wrong move in this fight, and it'd be the last move I'd ever make. I waited for my opportunity, and when it came I thrust my sword. I almost let go of the hilt in surprise when i felt my blade pierce flesh.I pulled my sword back without thinking and watched as the man stumbled backward, clutching his bleeding stomach. He fell, his eyes were fixed in a vacant expression, and somehow I knew: he was no more. I shifted my gaze from the man to my sword and the blood on it. Never had I sen it this way. Never had my sword been used as a weapon of death. I was snapped out of my trance when I heard, "Rielle!" Sir Adam's shout made me look up, and I caught the deadly blow with the flat of my blade in the nick of time.

This man had much more skill with the sword than did the first, and I was hard put to defend myself. I focused everything I had in me on the fight. It was exhilarating for a moment, but his blows came fast and hard. I gave up all hope of going on the offensive.

Soon my defenses cam barely in time and it was getting harder and harder to hold my own.

i didn't know how much longer I could hold on, but I refused to let myself lose. I had always been stubborn, but now a new stubbornness arose in me. A stubbornness tainted and strengthened by fear. In one sudden movement, the man disengaged himself, and spun around so his back was to me.

For a moment, I was simply relieved, but then I looked to see why the man had turned around, though I had a good idea. Sir Adam had attacked him from behind. The other four had been put out of the fight. Two were injured, two were killed. Watching, I again saw Sir Adam's mastery of the sword. I cleaned my blade on the ground and sheathed it.  I'd caught my breath by now, and went to find Kalla.

"Kalla?" I called, still afraid to be loud to my great relief, I heard a response.

"Rielle? I'm over here," It only took a moment to find her. She had a cut across her forehead, and her hands were bound behind her back. I went behind her and cut the rope. With a sigh of relief, Kalla rubbed her wrists.

"Come on," I said, and pulled her up. Then, on the same impulse, we embraced each other. We stayed like that for a moment, then we walked back to the fire. By the time we came back Sir Adam had defeated the last Gurabian, and led us back to the horses. We mounted, Kalla behind me on Zenith. The ride home seemed longer somehow.

All the time, I could not help but replay the events of the evening in my mind. I discovered that I was very ignorant. To me, Gurabia had always been a far off land shrouded in mystery. Yet I had just come from a fight with real Gurabians. That thought led to another. Before now, I'd always thought of battle in terms of the duels Sir Adam and I had. I imagined that a real battle would be just the same. I was wrong. Dead wrong. There was something fundamentally different about fighting to win and fighting to live, and I had discovered it tonight.

Fight the Good Fight

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier."
                                                                                                      2 Timothy 2:1-4

As I read these verses this morning, I was struck by the wording. Here, Paul uses the familiar analogy of a soldier; though not always directly. The comparison of a soldier happens to be one of my favorites, probably because I enjoy adventure stories, and heroes of honor and valour. But like I said before, these verses just sort of struck me this morning.

 be strong: A soldier cannot be faint-hearted in the moment of battle. He must be strong. For the Christian, a battle is constantly raging. A christian cannot lose heart for a moment. (Even though sometimes, okay, alot of times =) we do). But the great thing is, in battle, we don't have to rely on our own strength to fight the battle. Christ supplies us with His strength, and when we fight, His strength is in us, so we CAN be strong!

entrust these to faithful men: The word entrust brings to mind (for me, anyways) the image of something immensely  valuable. Some treasure that cannot be lost. Handing over this all-important treasure to another and saying, "Keep this safe". Paul speaks of the doctrines he's taught Timothy. He says entrust them to other men. Give them to others to be protected and guarded. But they are not to be given to any men, they are to be given to faithful men who will protect them, and teach them to others. As Christians, we are to guard these things (the doctrines) with everything; like a faithful soldier; make sure they are not tampered with. But we are also to share them with others.

Suffer hardship... as a good soldier of Christ Jesus: A good soldier will endure hardship for his cause. Think of the soldiers at Valley Forge. A good soldier endures to the end, sacrifices what needs to be sacrificed. Endurance. They suffer for their lord. We are soldiers of Christ and we are to suffer willingly for our Lord.

No soldier in active service entangles himself ...: A soldier doesn't burden himself with unnecessary concerns. In the heat of battle, his mind must be clear, so he knows what to do. So a wise soldier, who never knows when he will be called to fight, won't burden himself with the extra cares of everyday life. We are always in battle. We cannot be concerned with the cares of the world. To do so would only serve to distract us, and perhaps cost us the battle.

so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier: Every soldier desires to please the one who enlisted him: his captain, and further up, his king. But right here I'm going to stick with the image of captain, because that seems more personal. A soldier wants to please his captain, and when he does, the captain feels a sense of pride in this soldier. When the soldier is praised by the captain, it's a feeling of, well, rather hard to describe, but I assume you know what it feels like to be praised. Not flattered, praised. That is what the soldier feels upon pleasing his captain. Our Captain is Christ. We live to please Him. Every Christian soldier longs to hear "Well done My good and faithful servant." One could just as well insert "soldier" for "servant" and it would mean the same thing. Let us live and fight in such a way as to please our Captain.