The Third Plague: Gnats

The Third Plague: Gnats
The Thirds Commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." Exodus 20:7

“God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain” -C.S. Lewis

The Plague of Gnats: Exodus 8:16-18

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not."


Now, I have heard countless times about how this commandment is about cursing-particularly the phrases that include the name of God. I will not list the phrases or words that I am talking about as I believe everyone who would read this knows what I am talking about. Anyways, I do uphold the notion that Christians should not curse. Although they are small words, like gnats if you would like to follow along with the metaphor, they are hurtful and often times stir up hatred. The Bible clearly does not support cursing. Some of the cursory phrases that our society has come up, in essence, involve you wishing that God would send down His damnation upon the person or object being cursed at. Cursing should not be used to "vent" anger or express frustration. There are other ways to do that (such as prayer). Moreover, do not curse for it serves no purpose no matter how much somebody claims that it does.

Cursing is obviously not what I wanted to address in this post, for I think the third commandment has another meaning that can change the way we look at our lives. So here we go:

The Verdict: If we use God's name in vain, we fail in the call to complete God's will and we slowly become consumed by our selfishness.


Like in the second commandment with the word graven, I think that there is also a very important phrase in the third commandment: in vain. The commandment reads that we are not supposed to "take the name of the Lord in vain" and that "the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain". This phrase can have a wide variety of meanings, but the one that i was most intrigued by, was that "in vain" can mean "without purpose". With this definition in mind, the commandment means something much deeper than "do not curse". It means not to use the name of God without purpose.

So what would it mean to use the name of God without purpose? In my opinion, whenever we are not following God's commandment of furthering His kingdom, we are using His name without purpose. This may sound absolutely ridiculous, but think about it: How much time do we waste stressing? How much time do we waste watching television? Worrying? On the computer? Being lazy? Yelling? Being angry? Buying items we honestly do no need? Now compare that time to the time we spend reading the Scriptures, praying, investing time with the youth, spreading God's glorious message.... When I think about my life, I find I spend more time using His name "without purpose". Some common church jargon explains that Christians "represent the name of God" everywhere we go. If I am a Christian, and I truly "represent the name of God", and I am not supposed to use God's name without purpose, well then I have got some serious work to do. When I think through a normal school day, there are plenty of times where I could be praying, reading the Scriptures, telling my friends about God, and ultimately bearing His name for the purpose He has called all Christians to. I think that using God's name with purpose is something we rarely do consistently. I believe we use God's name more often without purpose. How. Did. We. Get. Here? Seriously.

This is a command. This is a calling. This is a challenge. A challenge to always use God's name with a purpose. It is a call telling us to stop being so selfish. It is a command to live a life with the soul and only purpose to serve God and Him alone.
Now for the plague that follows the breaking of this commandment. Gnats are small. In large quantities they are quite annoying. They can be swatted away very easily, They are not effective in biting. They tend to flock together and have a merry little time feasting upon a rotting fruit. For the Egyptians, the dust became gnats.

Gnats remind me of the emphasis Jesus made about being "the least" or "the last" as opposed to "the greatest" or "the first". All in all, Jesus called us to be humble people. This passage in Luke really hits on this point:

Luke 7:28
"I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Are you kidding me? In this statement, Jesus is talking about John the Baptist- the man that prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ. John was a big deal. John was selected by God. And here, Jesus is saying that nobody is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God are greater than He. If this does not cause a slight uneasy feeling in your stomach, I do not know many other scriptures that would. Jesus is saying that even though John the Baptist is great, even the least are greater than John in the kingdom of God. This is a big deal. John lived his entire life proclaiming that the Christ was coming, and what do we do?

With some background to this verse, Jesus said this so that the twelve disciples did not try and live up to the standard of John the Baptist. Jesus wanted them living a life modeled after the life Jesus lived- a perfect one. Jesus is not insulting John the Baptist, He is challenging His disciples to live a life even "greater" than John the Baptist's life. Wow.

In the third commandment and in the entire ministry of Jesus, we are called to live a life that is larger than the effect a gnat has on somebody. Let's not use God's name without the purpose Christ calls us to and become minuscule gnats. Let's strive for a life that is great in the kingdom of God-which looks like the least to those living in the counter kingdom (but that is another post). Let's shed our selfishness. Use God's name with purpose All. The. Time.

The Second Plague

The Second Plague: Frogs

The Second Commandment: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand (generations) of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4-6

“God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain” -C.S. Lewis

The Plague of Frogs: Exodus 8:1-15

1 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to worship me. 2 If you refuse, I will punish Egypt with frogs. 3 The Nile River will be filled with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officers, and onto your people. They will come into your ovens and into your baking pans. 4 The frogs will jump all over you, your people, and your officers.’ ”

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to hold his walking stick in his hand over the rivers, canals, and ponds. Make frogs come up out of the water onto the land of Egypt.”

6 So Aaron held his hand over all the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up out of the water and covered the land of Egypt. 7 The magicians used their tricks to do the same thing, so even more frogs came up onto the land of Egypt.

8 The king called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

9 Moses said to the king, “Please set the time when I should pray for you, your people, and your officers. Then the frogs will leave you and your houses and will remain only in the Nile.” 10 The king answered, “Tomorrow.”Moses said, “What you want will happen. By this you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you, your houses, your officers, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile.” 12 After Moses and Aaron left the king, Moses asked the Lord about the frogs he had sent to the king. 13 And the Lord did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the yards, and in the fields. 14 The Egyptians put them in piles, and the whole country began to stink. 15 But when the king saw that they were free of the frogs, he became stubborn again. He did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

The Verdict: The moment we choose to make God into something He is not, we become filthy frogs who jump to other idols for support.

I think often times that we ignore this commandment because, as Christians, we limit our thinking to something along the lines of: "As long as I have not crafted a physical idol that I bow down to and worship, this commandment obviously does not apply to me." First of all, all of the commandments apply to everyone, maybe just in different ways. But I hope by the end of this post, you approach this commandment a little bit differently.

When I got into researching this commandment, I honestly had no idea how it could ever apply to me (that quote in the previous paragraph was pretty much how I was approaching it). So, I read through the command a few more times and I kept getting caught up on how it says not to make an idol in the form of anything in heaven. I thought to myself, "How do you make an idol in the form of something in heaven and further more, how would this even apply to Moses and his people?" I understood how the people back then made different idols out of gold and such, but idols in the form of something in heaven?

I have heard sermons and people discuss the possible meaning this part of the commandment. I have heard that this commandment could possibly mean that we actually are not supposed to make a painting of Jesus or angels. I have heard that it could mean that we need to be careful that when we worship, we are worshipping God and not a picture of Him or a cross. I understand the notion that we do not really know what God as The Father and Holy Spirit look like and so we should not try and make them look like something they are not. Things may be different with Jesus since he came and we can make a pretty good guess at what He looked like, but I do not really know. These are other approaches to this command, but I view it slightly differently:

In the King James Version, there is a phrase that I think is vital in our understanding of this commandment:

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..."

Graven. Graven. Graven.

What is most interesting about this word is one of the alternated definitions in the dictionary. It says that graven is an adjective that would describe something cut into a desired shape. A graven image is one thing that you mold and shape into something completely different because you desire it to be that way (at least that is my view on the matter). This really helps me understand the way have started to view this command which is as such:

Making a graven image of what is in heaven is when we mold God into something we want Him to be rather than dealing with the True God of The Holy Bible. We make God into a graven image when we have a mindset where we think we can (and do for that matter) fully understand God. We make him graven when we purposefully leave out a part of Him (such as His Wrath, Judgment, Call to follow Him....) because we do not like those parts of who He is. When we make Him graven, we make God into something He is not. We begin to make God in our image, which is devastating because we loose track of the fact that we are made in His image. The act of making God into our own graven image is a very selfish act where we begin to use God for our own self-benefit. We cannot fall into the trap of making God something He is not.

When we do make God into this graven image, I believe we bring upon ourselves the second Plague of Frogs. The plague of frogs is disgusting and quite terrifying. After the Plague of Frogs is described, the Bible only mentions frogs three other times. Twice is the Psalms, the Plague of Frogs is described:

Psalm 78:45

"He sent flies that bit the people. He sent frogs that destroyed them."

Psalm 105:30

"Then their country was filled with frogs, even in the bedrooms of their rulers."

The last time frogs are mentioned in the Bible is in Revelation:

Revelation 16:13

"Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet."

So every time frogs appear in the Holy Bible, it is easy to see that there is absolutely nothing positive that comes from them. The Plague itself must have been terrible for everyone: imagine hoards of frogs coming everywhere-getting into everything-jumping on all of the people. I think the "frogs" that we bring upon ourselves are the things that we turn to when we make God into this false graven image. The moment that we think we can fully understand God or make God something He is not, we think that we have God fully, and we end up turning to something else. When we think we have had "enough God" we turn to other things. These other things are our "frogs"- the things that we allow to completely surround us other than God. Our frogs take priority over God, and we loose sight of Him (or at least graven image we had created Him to be). Are frogs are our sins- our selfish thoughts, desires, and actions. If we let our frogs surround us, our lives begin to spiral downward and we will forget the God we serve. We cannot continue to make the One True God into something we want Him to be. We must read the Scripture and talk to Him so that we can know whom He really is.

So what must we do? We cannot break this commandment or we will allow our sins to consume us and we will begin to loose sight of whom God truly is. So Let's stop making God into something He is not. Let's worship who He is, not who we want Him to be. He is perfect as He is. Let's not even tempt ourselves to bringing the Plague of Frogs into our lives. Let's get rid of the frogs (sins) that consume us. We cannot allow our selfish desires to take over our lives. Let us live according to God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The First Plague

The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
The First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3

“God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain” -C.S. Lewis

These posts will be a bit lengthy because I’m going to include all scripture so you can read the entire story; but push through and I think it will be well worth your time. I am hoping the key focus on these next ten posts will be on selfishness and how we are to rid this from our lives. I know, however, these posts will tie in many different ideas ranging over quite a spectrum. But now: onto the First Plague and Commandment. Thank you for reading.

The Plague of Blood Exodus 7:14-24

"14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”
19 The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”

20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river."

The Verdict: When we put other gods before our Heavenly Father, we allow the water to be turned into blood.

So big deal, right? We don't put other gods before the One True God. That is just ridiculous! We are correct in saying this is ridiculous, but I would beg to differ that we never put other gods before God. In fact, I think this is one of the most common commandments we break. I, myself, am guilty of this one (in my opinion). I view this commandment in this way: whenever I give in and satisfy my selfish desires-which can range from laziness to just wanting pointless "stuff" to many others- I am putting that "god" before the God of Israel. I do not view it this way to make myself feel bad, I just think often times, we place "stuff" higher on our priority list that does not belong there and this is wrong. Again, this is just how I view this command. So we have talked about breaking this commandment, now what is all this nonsense about the water being turned into blood?

This is where I turn to the Bible: the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear "water turned to..." I think of Jesus turning water into wine in the Gospel of John.

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

"1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."


In this story, there is a wedding and the guests have run out of wine. Jesus comes in to "save the day" as he then turns 6 jars, each holding 20-30 gallons of water used for purification rites, into wine. It is important to note that this is not "normal" water. It is important water that was used for purification.

So what does this mean for us? For application’s sake, let us view ourselves, Christ followers, as the water used for purification for a moment. I believe that if we obey God and follow Him with best of our ability, God transforms us from the water into sweet wine that otherwise we cannot have. I believe that obeying God entails that we are constantly finding and completing Gods will. Also, when this transformation occurs, we must gravitate towards the change God is making within our lives even if it seems difficult. And as God changes us, I think we begin to understand more deeply the love of Christ. Now, if we choose to disobey Him (choose our will over God’s), particular His First commandment, we are instead turned into deadly blood. This transformation must be something hated by us, if we wish to avoid it. If we break this command, this smelly blood will be noticeable. The blood may even stain us, and then only God can wash us clean.

In the story of the plagues in Exodus, when the water is turned to blood, it is important to see that all of the water is turned to blood. It is everywhere. This stinky, deadly blood which kills the fish in the Nile... is everywhere. It leaves the Egyptians without water, the most essential element in human survival. It forces the Egyptians to dig holes to find other sources of water. Basically, there is absolutely nothing good that comes out of this. Now, I think this relates to our normal response when we choose to break the First Commandment. When we put other gods before God, we become something this blood that can destroy our lives along with the lives of others. We transform ourselves into this smelly blood that can cause damage on a large scale- and it is our fault. In this state, we often will search for other forms of satisfaction other than God (just like how the Egyptians resorted to finding other sources of water). These other forms of satisfaction may work for a short while, but they will not work forever.

So, what must we do now? We cannot break this commandment or we will be turned into blood rather than wine. Desiring to find and fulfill God’s will must consume us, but not because we are scared of this plague-but because we truly desire to love God with everything. When we do break the command, however, we must realize it, repent, and desire to be transformed into wine (which is something only Christ can do). My friends, let's stop putting our own selfish thoughts and desires before the Loving God who can transform us into wine if we just obey Him. Let us not even drift close to being turned into deadly blood. Instead, let’s be transformed into His wine by completely focusing on Him, putting Him in everything, and obeying Him to the best of our human capability.


2 Chronicles 7:14

The Ten Plagues of Our Selfishness: Introduction

So over the past few weeks, I have been studying and researching the ten plagues and the ten commandments. At first glance, I decided I would write about how at certain times in our lives, we have plagues just like those described in Exodus(metaphorically for the most part). As I ventured on, however, I was curious to find out as to why their were ten, not nine or eleven, but ten plagues. The number ten intrigued me because things in the bible normally happen in threes, sevens, twelves, forts, or multiples of those numbers. ten just seemed strange to me. So as I tried to think of all the other times in the Bible the number ten appeared. Immediately, I thought of the Ten Commandments of course (especially since they appear only a few chapters later in Exodus). But I was having trouble of coming up with other times in scripture that the number ten appeared, so I figured the Ten Plagues and the Ten Commandment possibly had a connection. To my amazement, I found an incredible relation between these two sets of data. So the next few posts will discuss my observations and findings. I hope you find them interesting and applicable.

First and foremost, the connection that I will try and make between the particular plague and commandment may just be a coincidence, but it stood out to me and I felt like i should share...so there is my warning.

In looking at each plague and how it relates to our lives in the modern age, I wanted to figure out how each plague cold manifest itself inside of us in the first place. So I though: In order for there to be a consequence, a wrong must have been in the first place. Then I realized the connection: when we decide to break one of the Ten Commandments, we allow the corresponding plague to enter into our lives. At first, I thought this seemed a bit too formulaic and complex, but as I went through in my mind what occurs as we break each Commandment the Ten Plagues matched the consequence perfectly. Basically, God blew my mind as He showed this to me. I hope this makes sense. And now, without further delay, I present you with the Ten Plagues of Our Selfishness.

Vīvere et verērī

To be alive and to be in awe of.

This Latin phrase, to me, is the perfect title to end this series of posts about my grandmaw. The phrase triggers many thoughts in my mind-Life. Reverence. Fear. Joy. Something bigger than myself. Accession. A Promise from my Holy God:

But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

The promise of new life. The promise of a new body-incapable of death...only life with Jesus Christ for eternity. To be alive and to stand in awe of! To be in awe of God- The Creator! What a joyful promise! To know that my grandmaw will be made alive and will stand in awe and reverence of God is truly incredible! So, although the end of her life on this earth has happened, I know that this is not even close to the end. She has eternity to spend with our Holy God of Israel.

So, my application: let us rejoice! Rejoice for life and life to come! How GREAT is our God!

This one is for you Maw-Maw! Always missed, Always loved, Always alive in Christ!

Judith Ann Holt 11/28/42-4/2/10


Revelation 21: 1-4

A View From A Different Perspective

So after the Easter service, our family started out to Georgia because the viewing was that night. The drive up to Georgia takes about six hours and is normally pleasant to look out at all the scenery. This drive up this time, however, could best be described as quiet, long, and unnerving. I was not sure exactly what was going to happen at the viewing as I had never been to one before. The uncertainty of the entire situation was growing inside of my mind. My parents began to explain to me what would happen at the viewing and what the purpose of the viewing was. They said that it was a time where I could go up and see my grandmaw one last time if I wanted to and that all of our family would be there to comfort each other.

I was not sure if I really wanted to see my grandmaw while she was dead: it seemed a little odd to me. I was under the impression that the overall mood of the viewing was going to be upsetting, but as i would soon learn, I would leave uplifted.

I had always heard heaven described as a family reunion: a place where all of your beleiving family members would be joined together once again. This image was comforting to think about especially once my grandmaw died. Knowing that some time later, i would see her again face to face was comforting. So what does this have to do with the viewing? Well, when we arrived at the funeral home and made our way into the room where my grandmaw's casket was being held, there was still a great Mount of uncertainty resting in the back of my head.

As the viewing started and family members came into the room, something a strange thiught began to emmerge in my head. All i could think about was that this is what heaven is going to be like. Family members that I had not seen in years or had never met in my life easily approached me and others and we just talked. We talked about funny stories about my grandmaw and we comforted each other. The situation reminded me abiut the passage in Acts as it describes hiw the members of the First Church related with eache other:

" And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved."

Acts 2:46-47

The viewing for me was like a little glimpse of what heaven may look like. And even though my grandmaw was physically not there, she was still there in a way. My entire family was bonded together during the two hours we were there. God used a situation that i thought was going to be deeply saddening and turned it into the exact opposite.

I have noticed that God tends to use situations that we least expect Him to use. Sometimes we may miss what He is doing in situations like this. It is my hope and prayer for you this week that God shows you His power and love in a way that you would least expect it. Thank you so much for reading!

Revelation 22:20

A Flood of Biblical Proportions

Hello readers! I know it has been quite a while since my last post, but there are many posts to come explaining why there have not been any posts. But before I explain, I want to finish the story about my grandmother's death. So once I wrap up her story, I will write what else has been happening with me.

So after the initially shock of my mom telling me that Maw-Maw was dead, and witnessing God's love in one of the toughest times of my life, I had to face what the next few days had in store for me and my family. Like I said in the previous post, I was out of town when I heard the news, so the next part of my journey was coming back home. The ride home was difficult to say the absolute least. I had calmed down a bit, but I was scared because I knew that my family would be sad which would cause me to also be sad. I knew that more tears would be soon to come and I just did not want to face that moment.

We arrived at my house and I made my way to my front door. My parents opened the door and they seemed to be doing okay, but I knew I could not stop what would happen next. Immediately, I dove into their arms and began to sob. Before this time, I had not cried because I was sad in quite a while. As I was comforted by my parents I was reminded of stories like Job sobbing after loosing everything he had and Jesus praying before he was handed over to be crucified as He cried tears of blood. All of the sadness of the situation hit me harder than it had before and it resulted in a flood of tears.

I made my way over to my brother and sister and we all comforted each other and we all cried. I sat down and played my guitar while I cried and cried. The tears rolled down my face as fast as my eyes could form them. At this point I knew what true sadness felt like.

The next day was Saturday. I gathered with some of my friends from church and they helped me tremendously. Much like the family I was staying with the previous day, they showed Christ's love by just being with me and comforting me.

With a lifted spirit, my family and I woke up Easter Sunday knowing that we had a six hour drive up to Georgia right after the church service. The service began with worship. Almost as soon as the first song started so did the floodgates open. As I looked to my left, my entire family was in tears. Being in the presence of God that morning was comforting. Through the tears, God brought our family together. Was there still sadness? You bet! Most of all, however, there was peace. Peace that only comes from the Lord...eternal comfort is a beautiful thing.

As you read posts that are soon to come, find those who are in need of comfort or in need of a friend. Pray for them, and be a friend. Let us love each other as Christ called us to love.

Romans 8:31-39

Uncertainty, But Certain

The absolute greatest fear I have is the fear of losing somebody I love. Up until two months ago, I had no idea how hard losing somebody you loved really was. I did not know how I would react or how my family would react. I had no idea what feelings would be going on through my mind if it were to ever happen. I did not know how it would influence the relationships I have with my friends and God. Basically...I was uncertain of everything concerning such a situation except for the basic truths I know from the Bible(A.K.A. if the person who dies was saved by Jesus Christ, they will go to Heaven and if they had not made the decision to accept Jesus as their Savior, then they will go to Hell).

The day my grandmaw died I was not at home with my family, I was actually out of town with family friends staying with some of their friends. Everyone who I was with, however, were my brothers and sisters in Christ.

My mom called me on April 2nd saying something along the lines of, "Logan, I've got some bad news. Maw-Maw(my grandmaw) passed away last night in her sleep."Immediately, tears began to roll down my face. Every feeling I had ever felt in my life rushed at me like a tidal wave hitting me hard against the rocks. Realizing my greatest fear was rapidly becoming my reality caused me to become the most uncertain I had ever been. With uncertainty looming over me and with my head against a wall, I did not know where to turn, yet when I turned around to face everyone, Christ showed himself to me.

A good friend of mine once told me that your true friends will be the ones that laugh with you and also cry with you. When I turned around, the family I was staying with and the friends of theirs who we were staying with were all there. They all comforted me each in different ways. They reminded me of where my grandmaw was and how great of a time she was having in heaven. They turned my tears of sadness into tears of joy because of the certainty of where my grandmaw was.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34

We have all heard this verse before, but I tell you that the people who I was with completely transformed the way I think about it. I had not known the people who's house I was staying at for more than a few hours, but they treated me as if I had known them for years. They did not know my grandmaw or me at all, but they still showered their love onto me just like Jesus commands us to. It amazed me, to say the least, to witness the love Christ talks about in action. Its like I did not really think people ever really practiced the command to love others until I saw it for myself in one of the hardest times of my life.

As I felt completely uncertain of what the next few days of my life would include I was certain of Christ's endless love and how joyful my grandmaw was.

As you continue reading over the next few days, you will realize their will be many more examples of Christ's love. Thanks for reading!

Job 33:28

Not So Far Away...

Hello Friends! If you are reading this, then you probably know I have not updated my blog in about two months. I do apologise for not writing in such a long time. However, I do have quite a bit of explaining and thoughts to share. I actually have so much to share that I have decided to write a little series where for the next week I will just write short stories about the subject at hand.

To make a very long story short, during the night between April 1st and April 2nd, my grandmaw died. As you may have read in previous posts, my grandmaw was a major part of my life. Granted to say, I have many thoughts, emotions, feelings, and actions that I will share over the next week. Today, I wanted to share one of the happier thoughts that were born from this whole experience.

When my grandmaw died, I remembered that I had sent someone a message who's grandmaw was going through medical problems and I went back to that message. The words I said in that message helped greatly in my situation. I thought it was very strange how God used somebody else's circumstance in which I was trying to help them to help me through my circumstance. But we know that God works in mysterious ways. Here is a portion of that message:

Concerning the situation with your grandmother: I found these two little stories in Luke and John that I think go really well together and if at all possible I hope and pray that these stories can be passed to your grandmother. In John 14:1-6 Jesus tells the disciples about the afterlife. Jesus talks about how how he is preparing a place for all of us(heaven) that will be amazing and that all who believe will be there with Jesus. Jesus is comforting us in these verses, but to truly realize how outrageously incredible heaven will be, I think that Luke 16:19-31 gives an indescribable story of heaven. These verses tell the story of how a rich man had an amazing life on earth(opulent to say the least), but was not a believer. And when he died, he was sent to hell where he was tormented and cried out for God to come rescue him(you might consider leaving that part of the story out for it is very painful). But the amazing part of this story is about Lazarus. Lazarus was completely covered in sores and lived in pain most of his life, but trusted in The Lord. So when the time came for him to die, he went to live with The Father in eternity. And in heaven Lazarus was free of all sores and the Bible says he was comforted and without pain. So, for your grandmother, I pray that she knows that God is with her, and then when it is her time, she will be with Him forever. And not only will she spend eternity with Him, she wont have any pain and will always be comforted. Also, I think revelation 21:4 wraps this up very nicely. But please know I am praying everyday for her and that she be free of all pains and anxieties. and also know that God can work miracles, even when times seem the darkest.

"Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You"

I know my grandmaw is in Heaven and is free of all the pain she was in, but I still miss her.I probably will always miss her. However, I labeled this post "Not So Far Away..." because I know missing her will not be something that will last for eternity. I may miss her the rest of my Earthly life, but I know that soon enough I will be with her again and there will be no memory of ever missing her. I love knowing that. I love God for allowing me to know that truth.

Thank you so much for reading!

2 John 1:3

Dress to Impress?

So the other day, I had a very interesting conversation with a teacher about her past church experiences and I was very perplexed at what she said. She claimed that she no longer attends church because of what students and adults are wearing to the church. She told me that she feels they are disrespecting God by just wearing jeans and a t-shirt or whatever. She continued saying that she grew up at a time where Sunday morning was a "big deal" when it comes to what you wore. She claimed that every Sunday morning her family would wear there nicest clothes to show honor and respect to God. However, what stuck out most to me was that she wasn't going to church because of what people were wearing. I thought to myself, "How is this come to be?" and , "Why does it matter what we wear to church?" After a little reading and a considerably large amount of thinking, This is what I came up with:

There is a song that immediately started playing in my head when I thought about this whole situation. It goes, "Come, now is the time to worship. Come, just as you are to worship." Did you catch that? Come, just as you are to worship? To me, this means: it doesn't matter who you are, what you do, where you've been, or what you are wearing, just come worship God. I feel as though we have taken a legalistic standpoint on this situation. I think what we are missing is the fact that God wants us for who we are, not for what we wear. What is important is that we are with God no matter what. When my teacher said she doesn't go to church because of what people are wearing, it deeply saddened me. To know that because of something as materialistic as clothes are preventing someone from having an active relationship with Christ is terrible.

On the contrary, I completely understand what my teacher was saying about wanting to honor God with her best attire. I feel as though whatever we do, as humans, we should do it with the best attitude and effort in an attempt to glorify God. And since we can honor God in a countless amount of ways, I think if we feel compelled to dress nicely, then go for it. However, the reason we wear clothes in the first place is because of sin. I know it sounds strange, but its the truth. When Adam and Eve betrayed and dishonored God through their actions, they realized they were naked and were ashamed. Thus, they began to wear clothes to cover their shame. So, why should we care about what we wear in the first place?

This is when I turn to Matthew for some words of wisdom. Matthew 6:25 states , "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Jesus clearly made the point that we don't need to worry about clothes because there are simply more important things in life such as life itself.

So where do we go from here? For those of us who want to dress nicely at church, go for it! For those who want to be casual, go for it! The truth of the matter is, is that God just wants 100% of our hearts. Not 10% of our clothes and 90% of our heart, but 100%. God wants worship, not our clothes. And whatever allows you personally to have a better worship experience and give more of yourself to the Father is what you should consider. Also, if you feel as though everyone should dress their best, but they don't...do not let it affect your walk with God. Keep your focus on Him and He will put you in the right direction.

Proverbs 3:6