Jumping, Alive, Running, and Religion

This blog will jump from one subject to the next. Each topic does not really relate to one another but this is really how my mind works, it's constantly jumps from one thought to the next. Welcome to my brain :-)


This weekend has been really nice. Worship Friday night and Sunday morning at Briarwood have been unexplainable. Scripture talks about how Jesus wants us to be united as one body in Him. I've never really known what this has felt like until worship Friday and Sunday. You can just feel the unity in the room and the things the Lord does interpersonally are unexplainable. You literally feel the chains that you have been carrying, the baggage you've created fall to the floor. I've left the building both times feeling 10lbs lighter (emotionally). It has been absolutely phenomenal. I welcome anyone who wants to come and experience this type of worship. I will warn you, it's not your typical church service, not even close to typical. I'm proud to say that I'm at a church that is ALIVE!


..:thought jump:..


Saturday night my family got together to celebrate my birthday and to also discuss our trip we are taking in February to Disney World! My mom is running their Princess half marathon and the rest of the family is running the Family 5k. It was kinda funny to listen to us talk about the 5k. My sister was talking about how she plans to walk/ run the whole thing, my brother had a specific time of how much he would walk/run, my stepdad was talking about running a steady pace........ what is my strategy you might ask? I DON'T HAVE ONE!! haahaahaahaa! I finally looked at my brother and was like, "My plan is to just do it. I'll run.... then walk when I'm tired of running." I know, I know, I've spent way too much thinking time on this plan :-) I just love how I really am the typical middle child in my family.


..:new thought:..


I recently saw a video on youtube that most of you have probably seen called, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." I thought it was really awesome. But like most awesome things that speak a lot of truth and become popular, people begin to down it or try and correct what has been said. Sadly, it's most Christians who begin to criticize. Either way, Tullian Tchividjian wrote an article in response about comparing the gospel and religion. You can click here to read the article, it's pretty awesome. One of the things he posted in this article was comparisons between religion and the gospel that was written by Tim Kellar. I'm going to post them here because they are so GOOD. After I read these I really began to analyze my own actions. I began to realize that I easily fall into the definition of religion rather than the gospel. I hope these are as helpful to you as they were for me!

RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted

THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.

RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity

THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God

THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life

THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs

THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.

RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment

THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure

THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to ‘the other

THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.

RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God

THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.