I do not make it a secret that I'm a born again believer in Jesus Christ. One thing I love about my faith is that it is NOT a religion, it is a relationship. We could have a private conversation about the intricacies of what I believe if you're interested, but what I really want to convey is that my life and my conversations are often sprinkled with what I've learned about Jesus and my relationship with Him.
In fact, it may not be fully apparent to the unconcerned eye, but every one of my posts so far and going forward are based in my belief in the redeeming work of Christ. I do not have all of the answers. Nor do I always "get it right." But what I attempt to accomplish is a grace-based way of living and worldview.
This grace-based worldview is how I curate information. It is how I share information. It is how I evaluate information. Within my evaluations, I'm fully aware that many things I encounter may not agree with my worldview, but I do not condemn or judge. If I do, it's completely unintentional. I do believe that there is no wrong in pointing out injustice. I also believe that it makes no sense to blame anybody for any particular injustice. So most of the time, my position is to create awareness, ask a question, or to encourage conversation.
Which leads me to what I'd like to talk about today...
How are you doing? I mean, how are you really doing? If you're anything like me, you're probably pretty fatigued by the whole new state of the world and how we must currently navigate in it. You may have some concerns that never had anything to do with the pandemic, but have become amplified, but there seems to be no real enlightenment in the midst of the other storms brewing around you.
That was an interesting phenomenon about last year, and frankly the last couple of years. There were all the issues brewing under the surface. Then bigger seemingly more pressing issues came to the forefront by force and then all the undercurrent issues began to pop up to the surface like trash floating on the ocean.
I'm no expert at how to fully overcome and be joy filled all the time. What I am learning daily is to eat and rest. What do I eat?
Some kind of way, I "feed" on God's Word daily by reading the Bible or listening to grace-based teaching from men and women who point all of their teachings to Jesus. It may be a devotional, or listening to a message or podcast, or watching a YouTube, something that feeds my soul about the goodness of God. Then I rest. I can physically rest by just sitting and breathing, but my newer practice is rest in my thinking by remembering to rest in the finished works of Jesus. Let me tell you, that is not easy, but it is doable and attainable. Both require practice and a desire for something different. It's like trying to lose weight. You must diet and exercise to see results. So my "diet" and my "exercise" what I'm doing to see the results of sustained peace and joy in my life daily. I know that all days won't be fully awesome, but there is joy and peace in everyday if I pursue it.
Here are some resources that I like to frequent. I hope that they can bless you as they have helped me.
Here are some YouTube channels that I like:
You may not agree with any of my resources or anything that I'm saying, but that's okay. We can still be friends, right? Why is that important? Because in open dialogue, I believe that in order for us all to move forward, we must be transparent and non-condemning when we disagree. We can share ideas and resources with objectivity and use what we need and discard the rest. Yet, at the end of the day, we still discover, we are more alike than we are different. And I believe that God loves us all and desires a relationship with us all. So when I share with others the complexities of my relationship with God and what has blessed me, perhaps that may be a help for others to pursue a relationship with Him for themselves and they too can be blessed.
Here's to hoping that you are well and safe, and if you're not, believing that you will be soon.
Talk with you soon.