Identity

I'm Sorry I haven't posted in a while...I guess I just really didn't have anything worth saying.

Sorry...Switching topics (not like I stayed on that one very long!!), we have recently been doing a study on identity at our church. Our pastor has been walking us through the different ways we form our identity. A couple of them were - Peer identity (which is the main one I want to talk about), family identity, and Spiritual Identity. Like I said I really want to address the peer identity.

My pastor explained it this way - Peer identity is when you are standing in the middle of a circle and getting pounded by snowballs from every direction. The snowballs being thrown at you aren't necessarily clean by any means, but they have all the dirt and sticks and stones packed into them. It's all just one big ball of dirty, snowy, sticky stuff getting thrown at you from every direction....(sorry, that is the best I could explain it)

Now if we think about that for a second that is a very good illustration of peer identity; because in real life we get different ideas thrown at us from every direction. We have ideas being thrown at us from people who aren't christian - ideas being thrown at us from our christian friend - ideas being thrown at us from our older friends - ideas being thrown at us by people that work with (or for)...the list could go on.

What is really important for us to realize is that we tend to embrace different things inside different crowds that we are in; for instance, if we are inside a crowd that dresses a certain way we will probably dress that way when we are around them. If we are in a crowd that talks a certain way, most likely when we are around them, we will talk that same way ect... I think teens of today rely so much on fitting in that they really don't have a real them...do you kinda get what I'm saying? I mean, for me, I have trouble with that all the time. Around certain people, certain music and movies are cool; but around other people, the same movies and music are not so cool anymore.

I have three awesome friends that are really teaching me about this identity principle. They are real. It doesn't matter who they are around: the same music is cool - the same movies are awesome - the same scripture passages are incredible. I have disagreements with one of them ALL THE TIME when it comes to music. I don't really disagree on anything with one of my other friends but her opinions are very original and what's more important......SHE DECIDED WHAT SHE LIKED AND DISLIKED.....I know that sounds radical (maybe it's just me) but they all don't really rely on different peoples opinions. I'm not in any way saying that they are unteachable. In fact quite the opposite is true. The one that I disagree with all the time on music...well I'm the one that first introduced her to some newer Contemporary Christian Music.


Anyway, I think some valuable lessons we can learn from these people are

1. - You really don't have to fit in. ( I mean to a certain degree yes; we are told to be in the world but not of the world)

2. - It's alright to be yourself. (You don't have to be somebody different for each group of friends that you hang out with. It's alright to like what you want to like because you like it.)

and 3. - Still be teachable. ( I have run into so many people that do not rely at all on different peoples opinions but are so unteachable that they really won't associate with you unless you believe what they believe. Please don't be this way - in a way this is worse than being double-faced (figuratively speaking, of course)

I hope this jumbled mess of words has actually made sense to some people...God bless

David L.

Stand in the Rain

If you haven't heard "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick yet, scroll down and listen to it. ( this post will make a lot more sense after you listen to the song!)

Stand in the rain...just that statement in and of itself is powerful. Don't be concerned about getting wet or muddy. Stand Your ground. Don't slip or be overcome by the tempest raging around you like Peter. Never let your eyes wander but keep them focused on Christ and you won't drown. When you fall down be willing to get back up again. Don't let the devil deceive you with the lie that says "Stick to the status quo". Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and move forward. Don't be afraid to cry. Be willing to rely on God for anything and everything. Don't give up. Continue to push toward the high calling of Christ so that you can hear "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Think about that. You were once lost but now you are found. What's lost CAN be found. "I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me!!"

Sorry, hopefully you got something out of all my scatterbrain comments.

God Bless
David

If...

"If today was your last day and tomorrow was to late could you say goodbye to yesterday?" ............wow, that'll make you think. I hope that this video will influence you just as much as it did me. I WILL be trying to live my life as if today was my last day!








This is the first secular song that made it on my top ten list. I was flipping through the radio stations down near us one time and I heard the ending of this song. I started thinking about what this song was saying. I could be killed in a car accident on the way home that evening or get shot in a burglary that night. My mind was flooded with incidents that day that, if I knew I was going to die that day, I never would have even thought about doing or saying. I had been disrespectful to my parents several times, gotten annoyed at my younger sisters, complained about the weather, and gotten ticked off at other drivers. I know for a fact that if today was my last day I would not do any of those things. God can work through anybody including secular artists that use bad topics for most of their songs. I am NOT endorsing nickelback in any way whatsoever.
I pray that you accept the mindset that, in fact, today could be your last day.

God bless,
David