Defining Religion

This morning I have been mulling over in my head how to approach the topic of religion. Controversial as it is...here goes my input on the subject..Lord, help me to get a point across without being offensive!
To me, religion is an ambiguous term...it entails a wide range of definition..and so many times is confused with other terms...To me, the word is merely a label that has been more or less of a plague on true followers of Christ....religious, religion, denominations...all these words seem to encompass what most people relate to a form of worshiping God. When the subject of religion is brought up....most people automatically form an opinion that is either extremely negative or they feel the same about the topic of religion as they do politics!
The term "religion" is a term that man has come to associate with generalizing all denominations....Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Pentecostal and any number of other religions. I do not like the word at all...I hate it when someone calls me "religious"...the term is usually used in a negative way when referring to Christians or Christianity...religious fanatic is a term that comes to my mind....Just what do people mean when they call you a "religious fanatic"? Most likely, they think that you live and breathe your "religion" and that you are trying to turn them onto your ideas and that is your main focus....and automatically they are on the defensive and don't want anything to do with you or your so-called "religion"! I think that satan knows that and he loves the word "religion"....you could be religious and be following satan or anything or anyone else you could perceive as a deity! So, as far as I am concerned...it is a bad term and should be avoided...Don't try to sell a religion if you want to win people to Christ! Christ was not religious...He was a servant.........He walked among the poor and the downtrodden of this earth and He was not promoting a religion...he was promoting faith in His Father....He demanded trust, He was a truth bearer, He healed, He taught....He made the ultimate sacrifice for all man when He went to the cross to redeem all of us from our sins....It had nothing to do with religion,it was about His faith to His Father..His mission to carry out His purpose.
I hope that what I have said here is not offensive to anyone in any way or misconstrued...I want to have a relationship with Christ...not a religion. I don't want to be labeled by the name of the building where I attend church at on Sunday. I love that church, but it does not define me! If you really want to develop a relationship with the Lord....go to church, but don't let it be all you do to honor your Creator....He wants more than just your church attendance...He wants you to know Him on a personal level!

Goodbye, My Friend

I lost a friend yesterday....my friend, Kelly, died at the age of fifty-one....I am having a hard time dealing with it this morning..and even though I know she is no longer suffering..it is still hard to accept she is no longer here with us. Her family was all there when she went on home..all I have to say this morning is....there will be smiles in heaven today ....she knew how to make you laugh and she knew how to listen when you needed someone to lend you an ear....good friend qualities in my book! There are not enough words to express all she meant to her family and friends...so, in my own way, I will silently keep her family in my thoughts and prayers today.... We can all celebrate her life and what she gave and not dwell on her leaving us all so soon. She is free....and as the old Janis Joplin song said...(she loved Janis)............"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose".......those old tunes will be dancing through my head a lot today! I'll be thinking of you, Kell!

Good Morning!

Good morning bloggers and readers of the blogs! I heard a cardinal singing this morning so I'll just bet we are going to have a better day than yesterday...the past couple weeks haven't been all that appealing in the weather department! We've celebrated Easter, my hubby had a birthday...won't tell which one..it was a big one! Not as big as the one I will be facing on down the road...but a big one just the same! All I can say is..the number may be large..but we are both young at heart and that is what counts...if we can all stay young at heart.. the numbers don't count!
I don't have much to say this morning except to wish you all Happy Spring..with the hope that the signs of the season will soon appear!......God bless you all and remember to go to church this morning...take a friend with ya!

Onward and Upward!

A thought that popped into my head first thing this morning is hiding somewhere in the recesses of my mind...I am trying to dredge it up so I can make sense of it...Right now, all I know is that it had something to do with the passing of time! Patience, folks, it will surface here in a minute and I will know what I am doing here!
Here goes! Seconds, minutes, hours, days...and so on are ticking away...and we have all heard that saying...time waits on no man....and it is true....time doesn't wait...it doesn't have a "pause" mode..and if it did...I would imagine whatever we did to pause time would wear out from overuse!
Time only goes forward....but for some folks...they don't want to move with the calendar and the clock..they want to base today on yesterday and are so caught up in what was instead of what is and will be! Can anyone out there relate to this! Does your past continue to haunt you? Do you "live in the past" and refuse to bury bad memories and base your current situation on days gone by? I think we all have at one time or another. Sometimes, you just can't help but play the blame game...right or wrong...blaming something that happened years ago for what you are going through today.
Starting today,,,,start thinking about what you can do to turn past thoughts into positive thoughts about where you are now in your life and where you are going! Even though your past cannot be forgotten and shouldn't be...put it in a different perspective. Let your past be like a history book you would read and pretend you are in a class to learn. Visualize your past as a book you are going to read and digest .....a learning experience...something you can recall fondly or perhaps not so fondly.....but look on it as what it is...history....past ....you learned something..but now it is time to close the book...and move on!
Folks...I am glad that I can read my history book and say that I learned something....but I know that each day offers a new chance.....a chance to change your life for the better. Dwelling in the past can cause you to repeat history and in many cases...that is not a good thing...Where do you think the saying "History repeats itself'' originated....from the past! It is a proven fact and the reason why is that people do not learn from their past and want to stay in the same rut they fell in years ago....crying and whining the whole while......instead of pulling themselves out of the rut and moving on...past whatever or whoever hurt them..past the fact they weren't born with a "silver spoon"... past whatever is holding them back from enjoying a life unchained from history!

Did You Rejoice?

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and that the meaning of the holiday brought hope to everyone who celebrated. Whether you went to church or had a family get together, hid eggs for the kids, or just stayed home and relaxed..I hope that you gave some thought to why we celebrate Easter...that it signifies that Christ rose from the grave to ascend to heaven and that He left the help of His Holy Spirit in our midst to keep His promise that He would never leave or forsake us. How important is that? A very important Presence in our time of need! He is with us always....just think, we are never without His presence...what a comforting thought...a real reason the rejoice and be glad!

Celebrate!

Another week is coming to an end...I worked today and I really feel the need to take a nap..but I am here instead. My faithful friend, Josie,
is by my side, sleeping and the other one, Mr. Kramer...is sound asleep on the other side of me. They have taken on sleeping as a pretty steady pastime and with the weather being like it is, I can't say as I blame them!
My brother has returned from his winter stay in Orlando, Florida. I can imagine he was a bit disappointed that it is so cold here. He isn't the only one! It is just not right that we had those few nice warm days and then got hit with a winter blast that is worse than what we had to deal with most of the winter! We will really appreciate that warm sunshine when we get it! And I can speak for a few others when I say...I hope that will be really soon!
This may not be the kind of weather we had hoped for two days before Easter..but let's not let the weather stop us from celebrating the most important event ever in the history of mankind. This is a celebration of hope...for the resurrection of Jesus Christ gave hope to all men who chose to believe that He is the Risen Son of God...a living sacrifice for all of us...He is our second chance, folks, our chance at life the way it was originally meant to be lived...without pain, suffering, sorrows and the heartaches we go through..a life free of all that garbage...a life promised to us because of what He did...He suffered on that cross for all of us. He defeated hell, death and the grave to go back to the One who sent Him ....He also left a promise for all of us...that we can go there too...just like Him...all we have to do is admit we are sinners...try our best to change that and believe what He has to say in His inspired word, the Bible...read it, study it...live by it. It's not easy, folks, but the rewards are priceless....So, celebrate the Risen Christ Sunday morning! We have so much to be thankful for...for One Who loved us so much and gave His very life so that we can have a life comparable to His!....a life everlasting...it is just so awesome and almost unimaginable....but it's true!

Did You Know?

Is there any worse feeling than hopelessness? I cannot think of one. Even physical pain cannot surpass the emptiness that is felt when one loses hope. How do I know?...I see some form of hopelessness everyday. I see it in the news ...I see it in some of my friends....I see it even in my family. I have experienced it myself, so I know the feeling that comes from lost hope. This is not a message of doom and gloom..because I also know Someone who offers us hope abundantly...He is Jesus. He is hope. Hopelessness is often accompanied by lovelessness....ever feel like nobody loves you?
Ever feel like you don't deserve anyone to love you.....Well, the good news is...Jesus loves each and every one of us and we are all His children and very much deserving of His love...and we can love each other because he has given us all the gift of The Holy Spirit...that is his present to us..He left behind as a Comforter and Protector of all those who believe. Because He loves us that much..He never leaves us alone...that's why we should never feel hopeless or lonely! Go tell someone...there is a chance that they might not know about Jesus or the Holy Spirit! And wouldn't it be great if you were the one to let them in on the Good News?