Wisdom Wednesday: Religion is Crap!?

It is not everyday that you happen upon an enthralling conversation about the religious practices of men in an high school English class, but today I did. . .

Friends, I wish to convey how very important it is to speak freely, but also how much more wise it is to listen.  I have such an intense care to know what our young people know about God.  It has always been an interest of mine to talk and converse about the intricacies that is the Lord. Today, I had a chance to listen to a group of students explain to me why religion was "Ridiculous."

I subbed for a creative writing class. There were about two or three hand fulls of kids in the class room.  I kept the room half lit in order to escape the seriousness of the school day.  The desks were arranged as a u-shaped semi- circle, creating a stage for the teacher in the middle.  I give my introductory speech, and tell the class to do their work.  However, there were five students, over to the side of the room continuously buzzing like Brooklyn moms having a gossip session after Sunday morning mass.

The first time I approached the group, they excitedly shared their creative writing assignment from the day before.  They presented their modern day take on three blind mice.  I was surprised at the students' interpretation and offended by the content of the "Three Wild Hoes."  The imagery sustained in my mind of "the hoes" opening and closing their legs, a line from the poem, not only produced a judgement of irresponsibility, but also made me question the inspiration behind the work.  I said to my self, "What kind of teacher would let these kids write something like this!"

I have an understanding that young people are not familiar with the theological terminologies or religious pedagogies of faith, however they know things.  It seems as if the Lord has equipped them with understanding, with discussion, with wonder, and with no fear.  We have a generation of young people who are identifying the faults of our culture, our religious foundations, our troubled minds, and our lustful, judgmental human hearts.

I was wrong, I was judging!

Isn't it awesome how God can change your heart in a matter of minutes?

The class period went on and these students continued to talk.  They were not doing their work.  I walked around and reminded the students to do their work. They continued to talk about the success of a job interview one of them had at Chick Fillet, which led into a rather intense conversation about religion.

Some of the things I heard were:

"All religion is crap!"

"Catholicism is nonsense.  Its nothing but rules and it doesn't mean anything."

"I mean, I got confirmed and baptized and it means absolutely nothing to me."

"All religion is the same."

"Religion is just a bunch of rules, people should understand that it is more about having a conscious connection with God."

"People shouldn't judge others, they should love others."


I was like, "listen to these kids Lord . . .look how you opened this conversation up and allowed these kids to be witnesses for you, but not in a religious-preachy way.  They were sowing seeds and they were having an open conversation about religion.  These five young voices quickly moved in and out of issues about sexual orientation.  They talked about being gay, being around people who identified as being gay, being around people who were experimenting with being gay, and about Jaden Smith wanting to be transgendered.

I said to myself "Oh, really?"

I was totally being  one of those adult eavesdroppers, ready to defend my crime by claiming it was for the safety of the students.  Instead of continuing my scheme, I felt it necessary  to come clean.  So, I walked over, for about the fifth time, and told them that I was listening to their conversation.  I expressed my interest in talking to young people about religious issues, conflicts, and perspectives.  I told them about a bible study that was starting up for young people who had questions about religion, church, God, and other religious related things.  With pen and notebook in hand, I asked them if there were any questions that they would like to ask me . . .

Boldly, the young Christian who had before stated that a relationship with God should be about a conscious connection with God, announced "I don't have a lot of questions, but I have a lot of opinions!"

This opened up the path to elicit the following comments:

"Just because someone is gay doesn't mean that their sin is worse than someone else's."

"People just like to point out other people's sin to make themselves feel better about their failures."

"I have a problem with the Catholic church selecting one guy to be the divine one, I mean, what about Christ?  I went to Catholic school for three years and I totally disagree with what it teaches."

"The ultimate commandment is to love your neighbor as you would yourself . . . that is the main commandment; to love. . . "

"Yes love everybody, that is what we have to do."

"We are not supposed to be all judgy, I mean, If you don't agree with the way someone is living their life, then tell them privately, don't be all judgy and mean about it.  If you feel you have to say something, be nice about it and then let people live their life.  Let God deal with people.  It is not our job to judge people or to say where they are going to go.  It  is not our job to tell people that they are going to hell."

It is not our job to tell people they are going to Hell!

I, myself, had not much more to add to their opinions.  I did however begin to reflect on my judgement of their "Three wild Hoes" creative writing assignment.  I thought to myself, wow, how would someone feel if they were to walk into my church: someone who was gay, or a prostitute, or just had a real hard way of life.  Would they feel safe?  Would they feel loved or would they feel judged?  Would my church try to place all of their religious rules on the person seeking a new life?  Is the church a hindrance to salvation?  Is God making a different way for all people to have access to him . . . perhaps these young minds are open enough to see the need of a different way to reach lost souls.  Perhaps they are more open to applying the idea of love.

I also began to be impressed with the explorative forum the teacher established in that classroom.  The students insisted that this was one of their more tame conversations and that the teacher encourages such discussions.  I was truly affected by a certain level of maturity from their articulated views on religious practices.  It is rare to find students so comfortable to talk freely and to expand their minds to new ideas.  This is what should happen more often in school, but I often see more practices to control student's view rather than encourage critical thinking skills.  For a safe place to talk, I applaud the teacher.

So, what is the point?

If the ultimate goal for a Christian is to spread the word of Jesus Christ in order for all sinners to be saved; why is it that Christians make it so hard for people to feel connected to God?  God is for everybody, not just for a religious club.  Oh you Pharisees when will you learn? ." . . and except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of heaven. " (see Matthew 5:20).

The bible says that minds like these students' are close to the Kingdom.  The main commandment is to love and that was the consensus of the conversation.  I have to say that I agree with these kids; religion is crap.  It is just a bunch of rules that people follow to make themselves feel better about themselves.  It gives us a sense of  "If I complete x, y, and z, then it makes me better than it, she, and he."  The Lord however set up a better way to live this life.  He set up a better way to help us grow into our purpose.  He simply instructed us to believe in him, believe in his promises, and to love one another.

Isn't it amazing that these kids get the whole message of Jesus Christ.   Christ tells us that he is the end of the law of righteousness.  It is no longer about trying to prove your holiness.  It is not about trying to be better that the next guy.  This life is not about putting others down so that you can feel better about yourself.  This life is not about following a bunch of rules.  This life is about knowing God through his son Jesus Christ.  Jesus says:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

(see Mark 12:30, Matthew 22:39)

Let us understand that a real relationship with God is about a "conscious connection" to him.  It is about building that relationship with him, day by day, scripture by scripture, and experience by experience.  I pray that you start your journey to get to know who he really is.  I pray that you just start to talk to him and start your individual relationship with him.  God loves everyone and he wants us all to love each other with out being "all judgy."

Here is a scripture to meditate on:

If anyone says 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

-John 4:20

We hurt and we grow from that hurt

love you with the love of the Lord

Remember to live your life on Purpose

Until Next Time

-Tamorra

Motivation for Monday: Happy Memorial Day!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Hello friends,

It is a holiday, and because of that, I will keep this short. . .

Go enjoy your family and friends.  Celebrate them while they are still here.  Honor their existence and their sacrifice for living this life.  Most people are still here because there is someone else on this earth that they care deeply about.  Some people haven't experienced life enough yet to know that it is precious.  Life is a blessing that we should not take for granted.  I give thanks to those who fight for my freedom on the home front.  I thank God for those who stick around to motivate me to keep living this life.

With that said, let us honor all of those veterans who have lost their lives fighting for our freedoms that we have today.  Let us remember their sacrifice and their love for the idea of living free.

Friends I want to let you know that there is no greater love than that of one laying down his life for a friend.  This is what Jesus did for us.  He laid down his life for our freedom.  Let us always be in remembrance of this sacrifice.

Let us be motivated by that fact everyday:

There is freedom in Christ!

He wants us to live the freedom of life.  He wants us to experience these moments as moments of peace, joy, and happiness.  Let us not waste this precious gift of life.  Enjoy your holiday with your family.  God Bless you.

Have a Happy Memorial Day

Live your life with Purpose

All my love

Until Next Time

-Tamorra

Freedom Friday-Awesome You!

Hi friends,

I have been working/teaching all week trying to get some things together.  I hope you all had a wonderful week and I pray that you have an awesome holiday weekend. . .

On Fridays, I like to celebrate my freedom from the bondage of world culture.  What I mean by this is that I no longer feel obligated to "fit in" to any preconceived idea of who others see me to be.  Instead, I will be exactly who God made me to be.

With that said, I want to encourage you to be exactly who God made you to be.  He made you, you.  The essential part of you is someone very special.  He made you for a purpose and a reason.  You were born at this time to be influential at this point of history.  Don't let anyone convince you that you are anyone less than AWESOME!

I got into a debate with a student when I was giving my "Live on Purpose" speech.   I give this 60 second speech at the end of class telling the students that they were born for a reason and that there is a problem in the world that they were meant to solve.  I tell them that they hold a special thought, perspective, or opinion that will influence someone, which will influence someone else and so on and so forth until it produces great change in the world.  There was one student who was not so convinced and he challenged my process of thought. . .

He said  "Well, I don't know?  That kind of philosophy only works if you believe in predestination . . ."

Guess what friends?  I do believe in predestination.  Why? Because my bible says so.  And I believe everything that my bible teaches because I have received the gift of faith.

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Ephesians 1:4

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

The word tells me that I am wonderfully made by an awesome God, which in turn makes me awesome. . .

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Psalm 139:14

I believe it and therefore I am free.  I have the mind of Christ and therefore I am free.  You and I were bought for a price and therefore we are now free!!!  You are awesome and you are free.  Don't let anyone make you think that you are not . . . Yes we mess up, but that is because we are trapped in these bodies of flesh.  There will come a time that our spirits will also be free to live eternal life with our father in heaven.  But for the time being, your mind is free.  You are free to influence the world with the truth of the word of God . . .

You may have heard me say this before and that is ok because this is the message that the Lord wants me to get out there.  Just like Jesus was predestined and manifested to come into existence for us at the very time that he did, we are also manifested into existence.  We originated from somewhere else, but now we are here.  We are here as children of God.  You are meant to be holy and separated.  Set aside for the work of the Lord.  He is calling you.  He is giving you the signs.  He wants you to start believing at the level he needs you to believe.  He wants you to start seeing your work.  He wants you to grow into the person he needs you to be.  Do not be overwhelmed by this world.  Do not shut down.  Be free in your thinking.  Be free in Jesus Christ.


Here is a throw back from 2017.  I wrote:

". . . let us stop beating ourselves up so bad about doing wrong.  We don't have time to be distracted by something that we see as unpleasing to God.  Let us pick ourselves up,  let us try again. Ok, we all  mess up somewhere . . . WE ALL MESS UP!!!  If people say that they didn't mess up and that their life is perfect, then they're lying.  Our responsibility is just to openly and honestly ask God for help, no matter what you think you did wrong, he is the God of second chances . . ."

Say this prayer:

Oh Lord, you are almighty

and yes, you are all knowing

Oh Lord, open my eyes to see the things

that hinder me from growing 

Our God is a forgiving God.  He is a God of second, third, and a million chances . . .

Stay free friends.  

Happy Freedom Friday

I use Bible Hub

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.


God Bless you always in your journey to finding your purpose.
Until Next Time
-Tamorra

Motivation for Monday: Better than Okay

Good Monday Morning Friends,

How are you feeling today?

Well me, I'm doing just fine.  Better than Okay!

The Holy spirit really ministered to my spirit this morning.  He told me, like he has told me many times before, that it is time to clean up and clean out!  He told me, clean your house and get rid of things that you don't need. . .

Here goes the thing guys, as a teacher, I think that I need everything.  I really feel in my heart of hearts that I am going to use all of the junk that I accumulated over the years.  The books, the art supplies, the old clothes, old magazines, and what ever else I have just laying around in my garage.
 

He told me to start throwing it away.

He told me it is time to purge!

When we clean up in the natural, we also clean up in the spiritual.  The more we let go of things and we start trusting in God, the more we open up the space to let him work.  The more we trust God the less control we have over our circumstances.  The more we let go and let God, the less mess we have in our lives . . .

Why?

Because God is organized.  God will give you exactly what you need.  He knows how much you can handle.  We often put ourselves in situations of stress and turmoil because we try to do things ourselves.  We try to handle it.  God will set things in order but first we have to clean up and clean out.

You see, life is not always easy.  Especially when you are trying to live for Jesus.  We will suffer in this world because our flesh mind desires earthly things.  However, God wants to purge us of this desire.  He understands that it is going to take time because he knows our conditions.  He knows the conditions of our hearts and now he needs to show us our mess.  Sometimes friends, we can't see our own mess.  We just learn how to live around the piles of useless garbage around us.  In the natural we are just cleaning, but in the spiritual we are learning how to trust God.

Here is your motivation for Monday:

The living God who has sent us Jesus Christ, is the savior of us all.

He will clean us up and clear all uncleanliness out!

So, as I am cleaning up, I am listening to gospel music.  I like doing this to get my spirit prepared for the day. . .

This song comes on saying "I'm doing just fine . . ."  The thing is friends, I rarely listen to this CD, It is just something I found laying around the house while I was cleaning.  The words entered into my spirit and I started praising God!

"I'm doing fine, Better than Okay!"

I just kept saying it over and over again.  I started crying and waving my hands.  I was praising Jesus for the many blessings that he has provided over the years.  I was thanking him for my beautiful children, for my husband, family, a roof over my head, and food to eat.  These are all provisions from the Lord.  I thank him and I praise him.  I thank him for this season that I am going through.  He is teaching me how to be content in the very place that he has me in.

I am Okay

Better than Okay!

Friends, I could take the time to complain and whine on this blog how things aren't exactly working out how I had planned it. I'll tell some, but I won't dwell.  My life is not all peaches and cream.  I am not at the financial place that I thought that I would be.  We just lost a house, I'm losing my car, a time share, all my bank accounts, and we just filed bankruptcy.  I am now convinced that the Lord is purging me of all the things that I do not need!   The Lord is teaching me that when I try to plan things out for my self, I make a mess.  I hoard things and I try to keep a lot of stuff that I don't need.  I even try to organized my mess.  But the truth is, I need to clean up, and I need to clear out!

This is why the Lord is leading me on this path way.  There is a lot of spiritual mess inside of me that I need to get rid of.  Things that are not truth and things that God did not put inside of me.  I am asking God day by day to take full control of my life.  It is a process because I have so much mess! I keep trying to clean things up on my own and get "organized," but things just get all cluttered again.

We all have so much mess!  But I am here to tell you that God wants to do a work in all of us.  He wants to do a new thing!!  It may take longer than you expected but it is going to work out for your good.  He is going to clean up and clear out.

I can go on and on about the different things that he is clearing out of me, but that is for another post.  I want to relay to you that it is okay to go through the process.  It may be hard but God has a plan for each and everyone of us.  I wish to convey to you that we have to learn how to be content in every situation that we are in.  We must learn how to trust God and trust not in ourselves.  If we keep trusting in our selves we are going to be burdened with so much "STUFF."   Friends, let us start giving God complete control so that we will not end up on the next season of "Hoarders!"

The stress of trying to keep your old life is too heavy!

Let go and let God. . .

You are doing just fine, better than okay!

Everything will be okay, just endure the process. . .

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Luke 17:33 KJV

Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

Luke 17:33 NIV

If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

Luke 17:33 NLT

Enjoy this song for your motivation on this Monday.

May the peace and joy of the Lord follow you all the days of your life.

Continue to walk in your purpose

Until next Time

-Tamorra

Why should I develop a personal relationship with God?

"Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo?  Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions?  God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself.  Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts- it's falling in love with God.  And once you encounter his love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same . . . because when you are wildly in love with someone, it changes everything."

-from the back cover of Crazy Love




Greeting Friends,

Welcome to those who are just joining us . . . it is a pleasure to have you with us.

I send you peace, and love in all words that I write to you.  May the Holy Spirit speak to us in all truth and love, through the spirit of Christ that is in us all who believe.

I have written many times before on this blog about why we need a personal relationship with the father.  I have spoken about the importance of knowing the Son, Jesus Christ, who connects us to the truth of the father.  But why?  Why is it so important?

Friends, the world is in a state that does not follow the truth.  The things that are wrong are being called right.  The things that are right are being called wrong.  It will only get worse.  It is very easy to fall into traps of popular belief and cultural propaganda.

This is why it is important to know the Lord for yourself.  You must not get in a situation where the world wants to lead you one way, then the Holy Spirit has to compete for your attention or for your affection.  Friends, we do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit.  We instead want to be so close to the Lord that we can hear his directions over everything else in this world.

We are supposed to be living peaceful and quiet lives.  We are supposed to be walking in truth and bringing light to others.  This does not mean that we won't experience opposition from the enemy, but we instead pray about all of our trials.  We ask the father to protect us and we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us.  We can live this Christian life!  We live it successfully by having a strong relationship with the Lord.

How do we do this you ask?

You first accept the gift of salvation.

Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.  It is our sin that separates us from our father.  So Jesus's death allows us to have a personal relationship with the father again.

After you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that Jesus paid your sin debt; you are saved.  Now we have peace and freedom in the Lord.  It is at this point that our love and our desire to know more about the Lord should grow every day.

There is a book that I read a long time ago that talks a lot about personal relationship with the Lord.  At the time Francis Chan wrote his book, "Crazy Love,"  he was a young pastor full of energy and excitement about spreading the word of faith.  He was excited to tell everyone how passionate he was about his relationship with the Lord.  He was so outrageously optimistic that he referred to it as a crazy love.  He was so moved by Christ living, moving, breathing and growing in his life that he wrote this awesome memoir about his relationship with the Lord.

His honest words and perspective really inspired me to live totally for Jesus.  It did change my perspective about how close one can really walk with Jesus.  Friends, I am here to tell you that this relationship with your father in heaven is not about religious practice, but instead about a love relationship.  It is about having a sincere desire to be with the Lord for eternity.

God knows that we are sinners and that we can't live a so-called "perfect life."  Living a perfect life is not a requirement to go to heaven.  Instead, we live to fulfill God's purpose.  We live to tell others how easy it is to accept the gift of salvation.  He will help us with the rest:

"Jesus I need to give myself up to you.  I am not strong enough to love you and walk with you on my own.  I can't do it and I need you.  I need you deeply and desperately. I believe you are worth it and that you are better than anything else I could have in this life or in the next.  I want you.  And when I don't, I want to want you.  Be all in me. Take all of me.  Have your way with me."

p111 Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Friends, this is an example of living a surrendered life.  This is an example of how humble we should be before our Lord.  Oh Lord, forgive us for our wrong thinking and come into our lives.

We want a relationship with the father forever!

Let your perfect will be done in our lives

Amen

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

I will add this book to the books4 purpose list

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/Us7FTF

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/Us7FTF

If you desire a closer walk with the Lord and you need an example of what that looks like, then I suggest this book.

 Until next time

-Tamorra

Freedom Fridays: Free indeed

I am free, free indeed . . .

Hello friends just wanted to encourage you on this Freedom Friday . . .

Did you know that when your accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior that you gain freedom!

Freedom from what?

Well friends, when we believe in Jesus and believe that he died for our sins we are no longer tied to our past sins or the sins of our fathers.  Which means we are free from the law of righteousness.  This means that we are not earning our way to anything.  Jesus paid the price.  WE ARE FREE!

This means that we do not have to adhere to the world system.  This means that we are now operating in Kingdom Culture:

We have complete trust in God

We love one another

We operate in forgiveness

Peace

Joy

Patience

Gentleness

and we respect one another

I feel awesome today and pray that you also will find your peace in the Lord

FREEDOM IS AWESOME!!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 KJV

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1 NIV

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Galatians 5:1 NLT

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Galatians 5:17-24

I use Bible Hub

Throwback Thursday: Hurt People, Hurt people

Greetings on this throwback Thursday:


For those of you who are not familiar with this blog I am the artteacher4purpose.  I used to be an art teacher in the public school system but I am transitioning out of that career.  I am currently a substitute teacher.  Last week I sat in on a very interesting conversation during an English class.   The class was discussing their perspectives on the novella "Of Mice and Men."   The statement was posed for analysis; "sometimes a friend has to hurt a friend in order to help them."

There were a lot of agreements and disagreements. The issue bounced and danced about, conjuring up the students ideas for further exploration on the subject. It quickly grew into a debate.  Until one student said something very profound:

"Hurt people, Hurt people"

Nodding my head in agreement, I quickly thought of a recent situation that I was living.  I had hurt a friend, unintentionally, and she expressed her feelings to me about it.  I apologized but in turn, I felt hurt that she was so upset about it.  So, which one of us were the hurt person doing the hurt?

I think sometimes, we can hurt people unintentionally, not really meaning to do it but just being unaware of the triggers and the things that can potentially open wounds of past hurts. We hurt each other unaware.  I think this happens to each and everyone of us at some time in our lives.  Some, more than others.  The ultimate truth is that we are all hurt people, so we all have the potential to hurt others.

It's not the most positive outlook on the discussion, but we can go even deeper. . .

Some students had the outlook that it was ok to tell a friend the truth about something even if it would hurt them.  The reasoning behind this was that if the truth was not told, eventually the not knowing would lead the friend to a deeper hurt.  Hence, the hurt was justifiable.  Many examples were given of this situation.

Let us give a spiritual example of this:

Some "Christians" would feel totally justified to yell and scream for an unbeliever to accept the gift of his soul's salvation.  They may condemn and point out flaws.  They may wave their bible and give holier than thou stares.  In their hearts they feel justified because they think they are doing it out of love.  They think they are helping a friend find Jesus.

The truth of the matter is, there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.  In all your getting get an understanding.  This means that if one is wanting to help a friend, we have to learn how to do it the right way.  The right way can always be found in the word of God.  The word says that we should approach a friend with love.  We also approach our friends with a gentle and kind spirit.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:15

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

I Peter 3:15

Check out this article that goes in even further detail about what it means to be gentle in your approach about sharing the truth of the gospel:

"Gentleness is a strong hand with a soft touch. It is a tender, compassionate approach toward others' weaknesses and limitations. A gentle person still speaks truth, sometimes even painful truth, but in doing so guards his tone so the truth can be well received."

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual-growth-for-kids/fruit-of-the-spirit/strength-of-gentleness

I just wanted to give you something to think about this throw back Thursday.  I was reading a post from January 2017 and it got me thinking about the conversation we had in English class that day. . .  

Think about how you treat people.  Think about how others make you feel.  Are you a hurt person?  Do you hurt other people?  Do you feel that you are the one that is always being hurt?  I wonder what type of wound underneath all the busy-ness of life is still very sensitive for you?  Let us all learn to love like Jesus.

Here is your throw back article:

Day 6 "How you make others feel about themselves says a lot about you."

When you hold love in your heart, you will share love with others.  When you hold joy in your heart you will share joy with others. What are you holding in your heart?  I am a Christian, and unfortunately that is not saying a whole lot in this day and time, especially in America.  Many people are being hurt, mistreated, and frustrated by the church.  People are being mistreated by others who call themselves Christians.  Well, this is because, those people who hurt other people, hold hurt in their hearts.  A lot of the times we want to condemn and point the finger at people who are rude, crude, and hurtful.  But what we should really do is pray for them.  People who spread hurt are hurting themselves.

As individuals and as Christians we should be conscious of the way we treat others.  Moreover, we should become more conscious of the way people feel around us.  I think we get confused when we try to do this by ourselves, by our own merits.  When we "try," we are really being fake.  Instead we have to fill ourselves with the right source, as a result love, joy, happiness, kindness, and patience become part of us.  When something is a part of you, it happens naturally.  If you are faking it, it will only take a little persuasion for the real you to come out.

So how do you make other people feel?  Are you hurt, are you angry, or are you loving and kind?  How ever you make people feel around you, you are pulling from a source, a source way deep inside of you.  Sometimes, that source can be conjured by someone who agitates that area of your life.  In other words that person "pushes your button."  Next time you are around someone that makes you feel uncomfortable, ask your self why.  Why does this person have this effect on me?  This will also help you become more aware of how other people feel around you.  Be a happy person, find a source that feels you with happiness.  This is why we were designed to do things that make us feel happy, and  fulfilled, according to the purpose that God has for us.  When we follow our purpose, we are stronger, happier, and better people.  When we are happy, we can make other people happy.

How do you make others feel?  This says a lot about who you are . . .

I pray that this was a blessing to your heart

I pray that it is received with love because it is sent in love

Remember not to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but let his love shine through you.  Share his truth with gentleness and respect.

Live this life on purpose friends

encouraging and motivating each other in their journeys

Until next Time

-Tamorra