Jesus is the Reason

So I'm a bit preoccupied with other things, but I thought I would take the time to at least inform you on the latest Collide night. I feel a little bad for the continuously slowing pace I'm at with my blog. So to get to the point, Jesus' story is not just a myth, or a fairy tale. It doesn't begin with "Once upon a time" or "In a land far far away.." It's compiled together by eye witness accounts. People that were still alive to write what they saw, and were seeing. It's historical evidence. Check out this video for further information!

Jesus is the reason!

Our need for a Savior

This past week at Collide we started a new series called "For A Season". Pastor Will talked about how Christmas is mostly everyone's favorite holiday, and how it's spent eating lots of good food, and being with friends and family. But he also mentioned how Christmas is a time that tends to bring out our worst memories. How Christmas can actually be very depressing and upsetting to people. Maybe you've had a family member pass away close to Christmas, or a girlfriend or boyfriend broke up with you. Will also talked about "Stuffing". How we as people often tend to stuff down our problems. We stuff them down into the recess of our minds, until eventually we forget about them. But do we really forget about them? Are we truly over our problems? You may be with your friends, and at that time you could be the happiest person ever. Yet as soon as you get home, you sit in bed, and cry because of the loneliness. You cry because that issue that you thought you had escaped from, comes rushing back to the forefront of your mind. And at that time it feels like the world is just collapsing upon you. I know. We all know. We've all been through it. The reason why Christmas sometimes leaves us feeling so upset, is because it makes us aware that we need a Savior. It makes us realize that we can't handle our problems on our own. That no matter how hard you try, no matter how many friends you think you have to lean on, you need a Savior. You need Jesus to take away your problems. To give you a sense of peace. But the reason why we feel this pain, is because if we didn't, we would never realize how much we need a Savior. We would never know. If you were always happy, you would never need anyone to lean on. You would never have the idea of having someone greater to call on when you need to. Do you have a Savior? Who do you have to call on, in your time of need? You can't rely on yourself. You're not strong enough. Do you have a Savior?


Check out the video!!


Our need for a Savior

Listen

So during prayer today at Collide, we sort of talked about how a lot of people at Collide, are burdened.  That we're all carrying so much weight, and it's just knocking us down. There's a heaviness that you can literally feel in the room. So Pastor Will said that he wanted us to have five minutes of silence. No praying, no thinking about anything. Just silence. And the reason being, is because we often get so overwhelmed and so wound up with our own problems and stresses, that we either forget about God, or we just don't listen to him. And then when you really need him, and when you pray, you sometimes feel like He's not there, or He's not helping you. But He is always there, and He is always talking to you. We're just too busy with our problems to listen. We don't listen like we should. Being in solitude and silence is a good time for you to listen to God. It's a good time for you to lay out your problems to the Lord, and say "Here I am, here's all the hurts, here's all the wounds. Fix it." He will. And if you ask, He will help you with your problems. You may not see it, or you may not get it, but he does. You're just not listening. And sitting in silence is a good way to do that. And no one likes to sit in silence, I know. I hate being in solitude, and I hate not having my mind preoccupied. I don't like the idea of all my worries rushing in to my mind at once. That's what silence does to me. It scares me. And it scares many other people as well. But we need to move past that. We need to discipline ourselves to get over the fact that yes, we have problems. And yes, we need to deal with them. Lay them out to God. He'll help you. All you have to do, is listen. 

A Hero-less Generation

Who are your heroes? Is it family? Friends? Mentors? Teachers? Do you even have a hero in your life? Some people if you were to ask them, would say their hero is Spiderman, or Superman. Someone that we can make up. Why do we see these figures as heroes though? I think it's because  we know there's no risk of being disappointed by them, or getting hurt. We can keep our distance, and even make up our own ending for them. But it's because we're all so terrified of getting too close to someone. We're all afraid of being mislead, and back stabbed.  If you look and pay attention to society, and what's going on in the news, you'll plainly see what the world is obsessed with. If you go to a store and look at their magazines, right now all you're going to hear about is Kim Kardashian and her tragic 72 day marriage. But why? Do we as people enjoy seeing others fail so that we can feel better about the mistakes we've already made? Is it so we know that we're not alone? You should have a hero in your life. Jesus. Jesus is the best hero that you could ever have. He's the redeemer, the rescuer, the savior. He is the one that you know you will always be able to count on. He will always be there for you. I'm going to be a little frank, because unlike people, who often let you down, or even put you down, Jesus will never ever do that. He will lift you up if you ask Him to. He will help you through any rough time you're going through. Get to know Him, because He changes your life.

Watch this video! It's amazing. :))

A Hero-less Generation

Venom and Carnage VS Sin and Evil

Alright, so last night my father and I were having a discussion about God, and Christians and the like, when I randomly thought of the coolest analogy, for our, as in humans, sin and evil. That analogy is exactly what the title says. Yes, I'm that cool to make a Spider man reference that correlates with Religion. Anyway, here we go. :) So obviously the episode of Spiderman that I watched last night was where he encounters Venom and Carnage. Later in the episode, Brock (Venom) is in a constant battle to try and overcome the Symbiot (The alien that turns him into Venom) Now the way Brock is now, is in a way similar to people who haven't found or connected to God. These people are constantly battling temptations, and right from wrong decisions. They're battling with the evil that the Bible specifically says we all have. These people are in a daily battle with Sin and Evil, and they have no one to help them with it. Towards the end of the episode, Brock is taken to Dr. Conner's (The one armed doctor who turns into a big alligator) and Dr. Conner's is able to rid Brock of the evil Symbiot once and for all, and Brock is finally free. This reference is similar to those who seek and worship God. We, as Christians, still deal with sinning, and evil, and temptations all the time. But it's much easier to deal with and overcome if you have God to help you. When you take the oath to serve and worship and love God with everything you have, God renews you. The way Dr. Conner took away Brock's evil, God does the same for us. He takes away our past mistakes, our screw ups, our bad decisions. He takes it all away, and makes us new. We get a fresh start. And yes, we still make mistakes and bad decisions even after that, but with God to help us it becomes easier to bear. Having God on your side changes your life. And if you're one of the people that wants to get to know God, but isn't sure on how to begin, just simply ask Him. Just say, God here I am, I need you. I want to know you. He won't deny you. He may show you that He is with you in a small way, or a big impactful way. But either or, He will show you. You just have to be willing to see. God will change your life. I know this from experience, and it's the best thing that will ever happen. You will still have hard trials, and He may even be the one to put you through them. But with God on your side, with God to help you through the storm, it becomes easier. Take a leap of Faith. Get to know Jesus. What's the harm in trying? It could be the best decision you ever make.

Practical Steps

So, this post is about "redefining" the word dating. Wills input, is he thinks we should date...-ish. He also thinks we should not date.....-ish. There are 5 Practical Steps to take, which are 1.Friendship. 2.Dating. 3.Deepening 4. Engagement and 5.Marriage. If this caught your attention and you want to know more, watch the video dude! :3 Otherwise, you will never know what any of this means. 0.o Check it out. :)))




Going All The Way-Part 3- Practical Steps

Free At Last

"No apologies. For who I'm meant to be. The only thing that matters is, I am free. When I am overwhelmed, holding pieces of my heart. When I feel my world start to fall apart. To the cross I run, holding high my chains undone. Now I am finally free. free to be what I've become....Undone"


So I've been thinking a lot since I was Baptized, and these lyrics really tell it all. I am free. Free from my heavy chains that held me in place for so long. Free from all my past mistakes and screw ups. I was made new, and I feel it! It's so incredibly hard to describe, but I can just feel something is different. I felt the need to share this. C: