God is Awesome

This last month God showed me his faithfulness in a way I never expected. I was able to reconcile with my former stepsister Christie Shemwell, which seemed impossible to me beforehand. I mean we wanted to kill each other in high school and long before the divorce we were on bad terms, so when she asked me to add her on Facebook it came as a surprise. The first word to come from my mouth was "WOW", I mean this just doesn't happen with all the broken families in the country these days.
So...we began talking over Facebook and now we have both forgiven each other for the past and started anew. She told me that last year she accepted Christ as her savior and will be going to Colorado State in the Fall.
I'm proud to say that I have readopted her as my sister regardless of what happened in the past. God has healed this part of my life and I'm grateful that he showed his faithfulness to me.

This last month I have been reading UNChristian, a book solely based on research done by the Barna Group. They took three years to discover what our generation (16-29 year olds) thinks about Christianity, and what they found is a little startling. This book addresses how we try to reach out to outsiders yet, they are receiving an unchristian message from us. The top objections are the subject of five or so chapters, where they examine the problem and offer solution biblically speaking. From being formerly agnostic I could say it hits hard what kept me from coming to Christ sooner.
However, the lesson there is not letting people hinder your relationship with God or be afraid to go to him alone.
This book is surprising and at the same time not. It is surprising to look at the stats when compared to the Bible and what should be, and it is not surprising to see them because we know the fallen world we live in. The largest problem so far is image management and the attitude of pride it causes. The greatest commandment was not act as righteous in your own eyes as possible. Of surveyed churchgoers, 37% said leading a good life or avoiding sin was the most important thing to pursue as a christian, while 1% said family faith. And out of that sample in our generation of churchgoers out of the 65% who said their faith was an important part of their lives, only 1% claimed to have a biblical worldview!
I think everyone should read this to get perspective.

The lesson of this weeks meeting was that love is more important than knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:1
"Knowledge ^(C)makes arrogant, but love ^(D)edifies."
John 13:34-35
34"A ^(AX)new commandment I give to you, ^(AY)that you love one another, ^(AZ)even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35"^(BA)By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Our loves is what speaks to people not our spiritual knowledge. Without love we gain nothing.
Romans 12:21
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We wil overcome the hate in this world only by letting go of ourselves in order for God to fill us with the power of his love.
God Bless you all.