The Perfect Storm - Guest Post by Chard Phebe

 

You could say I’m a sailor of sorts.

Now before you get the image of me in a parka on a dinky old boat yelling “Ahoy mateys!”, hear me out.

Why do sailors sail? Some do it for fish, others for the adventurous feeling it gives, still others do it because they want to explore the world. Every sailor sails for a reason.

God calls everyone out upon the waters of life at its fullest, yet most of us fear leaving the shore.

We’re like Veggie-tale Jonah.

One of the saddest things about that is one of the reasons God calls us out, one of the reasons He designed us the way He did, is to co-labor with Him in solving the world’s problems. (1 Cor. 3:9)

Did you ever wonder why you felt so strongly about a problem in the world few people, even your closest Christian friends felt the same passion for? Maybe it’s because that’s not their problem.

I believe God will show us two or three problems in the world that we are to make our passions. (1 Cor 12:4-6)

(Now just a disclaimer, I don’t really know if the number is two or three, I’ve just never met anyone with only one passion, and having four or more seems like you’d start to slack in one of them.)

I believe God shows us these in a variety of ways, through hard times (2 Cor. 2:4), visions and dreams (Isa. 6:1-8), prayer and meditation (James 1:5-8), and also having seen/experienced things that move your heart for the things that move the heart of God (Matt 9:36-38).

Now, thinking back on your life, I’m sure you can probably name at least a couple things that had truly weighed on your heart. Don’t tell yourself what you felt was superficial, the person say who feels saddened at there not being any entertaining Christian movies to watch, may be the next filmmaker for a wholesome blockbuster.

I also want you to get a weight for the importance of you pursuing the thing you feel God pulling you toward. Not only the world, but the Church needs you.

If you haven’t found out yet, the Church is full of sinners.

We’re all broken in some way, and you living out God’s call for your life might just be a blessing to dozens, hundreds, thousands, even millions of other believers...and God only knows how many countless unbelievers.

You can’t believe the lie that you aren’t important, and you don’t matter (Ps. 8:5). That’s from the pit of Hell and it’s just what the Enemy would want you to believe.

Which brings me to what may be my most critical point: spiritual warfare.

As I said before, I am like a sailor. I’ve begun to answer God’s call and it’s taken me out from shore so far I’m not really sure where home is anymore. Out here on the water, there are waves, big ones that take you high and low. There’s pouring rain, lightning, and fear.

So much and so often I want to quit, give into temptations, start believing the lies and settling for an alright life knowing Christ.

But I can’t, the call is too strong, you can’t the world needs you too much.

I would love to tell you that as you begin to pursue the callings God has on your life, things will nice, fun, and safe. I would love to...but I can’t.

Fact is the few years I’ve now spent looking for ways to pursue God’s call on my life, interacting with people the way He’s told me to, and trying to conform with who He’s making me to be have been some of the hardest years of my life.

And most the joyful, rich, and fulfilling as well.

We need to be ready to keep our eyes on heaven even when the waves are 50 feet tall and we think we’re going to capsize, God is bigger than the problems, the need is bigger than our fear.

The Bible says when we resist the Devil he flees from us (James 4:7), we have no need to fear the world for greater is the one is us (1 John 4:4), and our flesh is exactly that ours and we can discipline it by God’s grace into obeying us (1 Cor. 9:27).

See what I just named there? The Enemy, the world, and our flesh? Those are our biggest opponents with chasing our dreams. They’re what would feed us lies, what would cause us to stumble, what would make us want to quit. They are the waves, rain, and lightning in this Perfect Storm...and by the Holy Spirit, you've already gotten the victory over them!

So what’s stopping you?

Remember, having the victory doesn't mean these things won’t still rear their ugly heads, it just means when they do you can fight if off with God’s power.

Start small and move on to bigger goals as you complete the smaller ones. Pray to God for guidance and for comfort when you fail. Remember failure is a learning experience, and you really can’t get success until you've failed a few times. Constantly refocus yourself so you can keep the main thing the main thing.

Remember, your Creator is proud of you and your world thanks you.

So go, and I hope to see you out there on these waters very soon.

 

-Chard Phebe

 

 

And It Came to Pass...

 Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about my absence. Life has been crazy for this high school senior. I hope that all of you have been well! To kick off my first post in a long time, I've decided to do another Scripture Encouragement Monday!

 With the day most Christians celebrate the birth of Christ quickly approaching, I think it would be nice to reflect on a verse or more talking about this momentous occasion.

 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of        David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:1-7

  In these verses we learn about Jesus' earthly parents, Joseph and Mary. We see pretty quickly that Mary is heavy with child, but still they have to travel to Joseph's hometown, which is a pretty long journey for someone who is about to give birth, to pay taxes. They make it to the town, but soon after Mary goes into labor. The Inn keeper has no room for them, so they find themselves in a stable, where Mary gives birth, her baby's cradle turning out to be a manger. 

 What a thought! Jesus all through His ministry on earth showed great humbleness, and it was shown from the beginning when he was born in a humble stable, surrounded by animals. Jesus was the meekest man ever while he was on earth, and we should follow His example!

 This is pretty short, but I hope it gives you a bit to think about. Next week, we'll continue further. Also, is there any sort of topic you would like to see discussed on APOC? Post it below, and we'll do what we can to cover it!!! :) 

 

Moments of Worship

Moments of worship. You know the moments I'm talking about; those moments when it's just you, your heart, and Jesus. That feeling of peace and calm washes over you, but there's also a little bit of excitement as you sing and pour out your heart to God. It's a thrilling experience, but sadly it's one that seems to be rare in my life at the moment. 

I pointed this out the other day to a friend. Yeah, I love to sing and listen to my Christian music, but most of the time I'm so busy that my mind is distracted with other things. Turns out I'm not the only one who felt this way. 

After taking a few moments to talk about it we both realized that our crazy lifestyle often gets in the way of our worshiping the Lord. I get up in the morning, rush through devotions, work through school, head out to whatever other events are planned for the day: piano lessons, riding the horses, writing and working on my books, babysitting, helping around the house, not to mention going to work. It wears me out so by the time its time for bed I'm ready to crash...except usually I stay up into the late hours of night working more on my books. My friends schedule is very much the same and even though we both spend a lot of time at church we admitted that our personal relationships with Jesus were suffering. 

Now, where is this all going you ask. I promise I'm getting there...I just tend to ramble. Anyhow after my friend and I had this talk something was said about worship. I admitted that in church I often have a hard time focusing on worship. I help teach classes, greet the older people, play piano, and try to keep all the little kiddies in line. By the time it's time to worship my mind is so bogged down that my lips move without my heart. 

That was when my friend pointed out the mistake we were repeating over and over again. We were equating worship with church. Although church should be a place of worship, our daily lives should first and foremost be a form of worship. 

Think about it. Our bodies are the temple of God. Our lives are supposed to mirror the examples Christ set for us, but how often do we allow our simple daily life to come between us and those precious chances to honor, praise, and glorify our Savior. How often are we simply so caught up in things that we over look something that could have been a praise to the Father? How often do we simply over look a silent moment that could be spent in prayer because our own thoughts are so loud? How often do we fall asleep at night before realizing we've not spend anytime meditating in the Word? 

The discussion with my friend took another turn. Didn't Christ say that whoever came unto Him would find rest or something another that line? We were obviously both already very tired because we couldn't even remember the reference to the verse. But with or without the support of scriptures we knew that worship was a form of rest, mentally, spiritually, and even at times physically. 

By this time we had pointed out that we could be worshiping at that very moment. It's a bad habit, getting caught up in our own lives. So then came the idea, hey let's worship together. We put together a playlist of songs that focused on Jesus, his love, and his power and then hit play. The deal was that we would turn off everything except that music. No phones. No facebook. Nothing that could prove to be a distraction. 

Before I knew it I was kneeling on the floor in front of my bed praying the lyrics to the songs and pouring my entire heart out to Jesus. Literally, hours passed by without me even knowing it. Setting aside the distractions, pointing my heart and mind toward Him, and actually making myself slow down physically opened up the floodgates of worship. I hadn't prayed that much at one time in years, I hadn't felt that close to my Savior since I could remember. It was literally hours of sitting there praying to and praising the Lord. 

It didn't only feel amazing, but it also became a time of conviction and confession. It was the first time in months that I had felt the hand of God guiding me with such force. I found myself placing all my burdens into Jesus's hands, admitting to Him that I'd been struggling to fix them myself, but that I was giving it all over to him. 

By the time I stood it was waaaaay past midnight, my knees were stiff and sore, my voice was hoarse from talking, but you know what? I felt refreshed and renewed. My body didn't feel burdened and my soul felt on fire with a passion to serve God. 

My friend and I agreed we had just experienced the truth of "draw near to God and he will draw near to you."  and we also realized the power of true worship. We had just experienced one of those 'moments' of pure worship between a child of the King and their Father. 

With that we each promised we would help remind each other to spend at least half and hour in personal worship. On top of that I've spent the week looking for new ways to worship Christ in every aspect of my life: from taking a moment to ponder the sunrise to meditating on a Bible verse while washing the dishes. 

Okay...so what's the point?

The point is that God created the world by simply speaking it into existence. Jesus shed his blood so that if you would be able to accept His gift of salvation. Yet we go through life without giving a second thought to the magnificent creation; we forget the importance of our salvation. Worship counter acts those flaws of human nature. It is a commandment, it is a way to draw closer to your Father and strengthen your relationship with Him. It reminds you of the wonders, the love, the sacrifice that were displayed for us. 

I know this was long, but I felt lead to share this personal testimony with the prayer that you will be inspired to spend more time in those special moments of worship and be challenged to find ways to praise God in every aspect of your life. 

Guy Friends

 Hello girls! I'm here to talk about a subject that is a pariah for some... friendships... with boys! Dun... dun... dun...

 So do I support friendships with boys?

 Absolutely. Allow me to share a few photos.

 

  This was at rehearsal for Les Miserables. The guy in front is my best friend, Micah, my brother. There's also Kayla, a gal friend, and Aaron and Elijah, two of my guy friends.

 

  This photo is a couple of years old, but this is my buddy Noah. My sister married his brother.

 

                                               Here's another guy friend in the middle. :)

 

                                                         My awesome friend Jesse.

 

                               Here's another oldie. Nathan, another brother of my bro-in-law.

 I could probably share a dozen more photos, but you get the point. These are all guys I enjoy hanging out with, not in an awkward way either, but because I enjoy their friendship. 

 Too often girls can distort Godly friendships with young men into something ugly. They could turn a healthy friendship into a flirt fest that won't do much but make the girl look bad, or they could not appreciate the friendship, and maybe assume that the only reason a guy would hang out with them is because they're looking for a potential girlfriend.

 Please. 

Guys can be some of the coolest friends a gal can have. With guys, there isn't as much talk about drama, but you can focus more on subjects you both finds interesting. (Not that there's anything wrong with gal friends... I have plenty of them.)

 I've seen so many variations on this. Some girls who are planning on courtship are afraid to enter into a friendship with guys because they think it will develop into other things, so they stay away from guys altogether, or else they're the flirt who might not know just how flirty they're being.

 Friendship isn't that complex, I promise. How do you treat your girl friends? Here's a really good quote I heard from Jessa Duggar the other day.

"Girls who hang all over boys, and girls who ignore boys completely have the same root problem; they don't see them as their brothers in Christ."

 

Brothers in Christ. That's the important thing. The Christian guys you know are not only boys that you may or may not be afraid to approach, but they are your brothers in Christ! Do you think it's a good thing to ignore your brother in Christ? And vice versa. Keep this in mind, and you shouldn't have any trouble with a flourishing friendship.

 

 My friendships with guys have been very fruitful. I'm so glad for the boys I have in my life that I can talk to, and learn from their view on life, which is a little different from ours being boys and all! They're an inspiration to me. If you don't have any great guy friends like I do, then I am very sorry, because they are some of the bright points in my life. 

 

 Having healthy relationships with guy friends is like having a bunch of other brothers, protecting, and being there for you. I'm glad to have the opportunity to hang out with the boys. I could probably say a lot more, and I might in the future, but for now, just think about how fruitful a friendship with some good boys can be! 

 

 I hope you enjoyed! God bless!

More on Modesty

 More and more often I see a problem with Christian young people (and older folks too!)  I've probably already posted on this before, but with some recent things that have affected me personally, I see the need to talk about it again.
 Sometimes it seems there are two groups of Christians. There are those who dress very conservatively, and those who dress less so. For clarity I'm going to use the term "modest" for one group, and "not-so-modest" for the other, meaning nothing in particular, but to keep my thoughts straight.

These two groups are constantly in a silent, (and sometimes less than silent) battle.
 Of course, I know there can be exceptions. Some girls may not take "modesty" to the extent of the more conservative people, and vice versa.

 And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. Modesty cannot be defined by any one person or opinion. If we base modesty on opinion alone, then we are drifting into our own mindset, our own decisions, and that is not where we need to be.

 The two groups of modest, and not-so-modest people both have a problem.

 The modest look at the not-so-modest, and immediately seem to judge. "Look at them! They aren't representing Christ very well. We're sooo much more holy then them. They're liberal. They really need to pray about that." (Of course, these may not be the precise words used.)

 The not-so-modest may look at the modest and... "They think they're so holy. I'm tired of all their  'holier then thou' looks they keep sending over here. They're trying to dress like that just to make themselves seem better then us."

 Etc. Etc. Etc.

 It goes on and on. I'm telling you. Sometimes neither of these groups seem to understand the one simple little fact that should change their whole viewpoint on everything.

 Yes, modestly is so, so important. But opinions on modesty can be different. It is not our job to dictate modesty to another person. That is one of the things that falls to God. And God may use an older woman to explain some things to others.

 But maybe you're a not-so-modest person. Maybe you wear jeans instead of skirts, and think you aren't being treated right for it. Maybe you aren't sure if you should change how you dress. I'm not saying being not-so-modest in this sense is wrong. Because here's another important thing. God will show you the answer. 

 Strange as it may seem, modesty isn't always the same for each individual person. Modesty is something that must be cleansed in the heart before it can make it's way to the outward appearance. Because if a person's heart isn't modest, even if they dress with every inch of their body covered, their immodesty will eventually show. 

. I'm not saying if you feel like it's okay to go running around town with nothing on.  God always wants us to have a certain standard of modesty. To understand God's standard we need to be in constant prayer, asking Him to show us His plan. God knows what is in our heart. And if we wear those cute jeans just because they outline our shape juuuusssttt right... there's a good chance God will convict us about that. I've heard the story many times.

 No, I am not the expert on modesty, and I never will be. I'm learning along with everyone else. But I know that this issue is one that God's people must work out before we can be unified.

 The modest people need to see... maybe God hasn't spoken to those not-so-modest people yet. Or maybe He doesn't have the same expectation as he has for them. 

 The not-so-modest people need to know that the modest people have a personal conviction, and this desire to serve the Lord is why they dress the way they do. Or at least it should be.

 Instead of constantly judging those around us, making the gap grow wider between our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to pray for others, and desire God's will. Because in God's plan, all will be revealed.

 If we trust God, He will show us the way. 

 God bless!

Spiritual Highs and Lows

So, Spiritual Highs and Spiritual Lows.  Most Christians know what those are.  For those of you that don't I'll give an example.

A mountain.  It looks pretty hard to climb, huh?  It takes a lot of effort to get to the top.  This is an example of a spiritual high.  A spiritual high is when we're walking right along side of God, feeling his power all the time.

 And this, a valley.  It doesn't look like it would be too bad to live in.  This is an example of a spiritual low.  When we can't seem to find God anywhere, and we're just stuck.  We've been having trouble in life, and everything is depressing.

Our whole christian lives we will be climbing up and down, going from mountain to valley, mountain to valley.  Why can't we just stay on top of the mountain, talking with God and hearing him talk back?  Well, we can try.  But I can almost guarantee you won't be able to.  Let me give you another example.

A heart monitor.  Yup, that's what I said.  That picture looks crazy, right?  The line is going everywhere.  If you didn't know what a heart monitor was, that line wouldn't make any sense.  But picture it like mountains and valleys.  See it?  Our Christian lives are just like that, being so close to God at times, sometimes lower, and a lot of times just . . . nowhere.  Stuck halfway up the mountain.

Now, imagine if that line wasn't going up and down.

Yup.  That's what it would look like.  We all know what a flat heart monitor line means.  Death.  Your heart isn't pumping.  We need the highs to realize God and his awesomeness.  And we need the lows to remember what life is like without him.  To want to be up high.

Many of you may have heard the heart monitor theory before, and maybe some of you don't agree with it.  I just came out of a sadly long spiritual low, so I just wanted to share this with everyone.  Thanks for reading!