You know what annoys me? Christian denominations. They get so caught up in their petty rules and regulations and spend so much time fighting each other. We as Christian people are supposed to function together as the body of Christ. We are all smaller parts that come together to make up the entire body, and if one thing is not functioning properly, another thing won’t function properly, and next thing you know, the entire body is dysfunctional and gets nothing done. I look at it sort of like I do a regular body.
Your heart can be doing the right thing and pumping blood and your eyes can be focused on the world and your brain coming up with ideas and your ears listening for what happens next. But if your leg, which would represent one of the many Christian denominations, decides to attack another denomination and bash them instead of focusing on spreading the message of Jesus Christ to a broken world, it’s not going to function.
So while the other parts of the body may be up and ready to go and move about the world, your leg won’t be functioning, and you won’t be able to walk. The ability to not walk prevents you from moving place to place and spreading the message of Christ as effectively as possible.
See? Our main purpose as Christians is to spread the love and glory of the amazing Jesus Christ, but if we spend all of our time constantly bickering and fighting each other, we are wasting time. As Christians, we are the only vehicle through we Jesus uses to spread his name through the world. He loves us so much and gave us the awesome responsibility to change people’s lives by telling them of him. If we are the only way Jesus can spread his love and hope through the world and we spend all of our time freakin’ bickering and worrying over petty things,
many people who need to know the love of Jesus Christ the most never come to know it. Like I said, we Christians are the way Jesus reaches non-believers and broken people all around the world.
I know that we obsess so much over things that don’t matter, like the slight differences in the way preachers run their churches and the slight differences in how some people interpret the bible, and we fight over these tiny things to no end. I truly believe that we are so focused on these smaller details that we don’t see the things that really matter: the need to change the lives and hearts of hurting people and to convince a fallen world that their truly is a hope and a reason to live, and a reason to live a good life, not just one that focuses on getting by.
The reason is Jesus, but the body of Christ wants to fight so much that it can’t function as one. When people start to hate Christianity and religion and God because they see so much fighting in the body of Christ, we shouldn’t blame God for so much of the suffering we see in the world. We are supposed to be an example of why non-believers should want to be Christian and know Jesus, by loving each other. We are supposed to put petty things aside so that people have a reason to believe in Christianity and not just see fighting.
Who wants to be a part of a religion that promotes love and grace and mercy if we are constantly fighting, not showing love, grace, or mercy to one another?
If I were a non-believer looking in and seeing this kind of behavior, I certainly wouldn’t want to be a part of that. The reason we often times don’t see God move like we want him to is because we are inhibiting him from doing so. He can’t change people if we scare people away because we act horrible to each other.
I know that people have different denominations, and slightly different interpretations of the bible, but I believe it’s safe to agree that the main and most important message we’ve learned about Jesus Christ is that he loves unconditionally. Screw the little differences.
He loves unconditionally. And people just cannot see that if we cannot learn to accept each other. So we are supposed to focus on love and spreading it so the world might believe and that God might be able to heal the planet. This is why it’s important to see the big picture: His love.
If we focus on love, we learn to love each other. Then others watching us will believe that Jesus is real because they will see love and want to be apart of it. No one wants to be apart of hate and hypocrisy like Christians often demonstrate so much of.
Focusing on love, we might grow to know a world that begins to believe in Jesus. Then, they could see why he is so powerful and amazing. God would be able to act and show his power off, if we could just learn to love one another!
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This is a picture I drew. Click on it to see the actual size.
See how love can be a flower in this grey world. =]
2nd Banner, OCC, Elizabeth’s B-day, Lacey Mosley
{ November 15, 2009 @ 6:53 pm } · { Art Work, Love, Specific Lessons }
{ Tags: art, Atypical Jesus, banner, birthday, CD, christian rock, Christmas, comments, draw, ECF, Electric City Fellowship, Elizabeth, Flyleaf, gift, gifts, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kindness, Lacey, Lacey Mosley, Memento Mori, neondragonart, Operation Christmas Child, paint, shoe box, shoebox } · { Leave a Comment }
Second Banner
Here it is:
I have my second Atypical Jesus banner!!! I LOVE doing this stuff.
I draw my art on this website: Neondragonart.com. When I posted this piece of art and left a link that leads to this site, some people who were not believers got upset. Some other people defended me, even if they didn’t believe in Jesus, and I’d like to post some of those people’s comments.
Replying to comment by someone who called themself a “half atheist”, another person said:
Woohoo, that was awesome of them!
“`Half` atheist? Speaking as a 100% atheist I feel compelled to say you should respect other members artwork by not calling them an idiot for believing in something YOU dont agree with. Religous freedom works both ways and they were not bashing atheists or making you go to church so calm down. As for the picutre I like the lettering and heart that you did.”
The “half atheist” was complaining about Christians and how relgious ‘idiots’ should just go away. I appreciate the 100% atheist because they showed me respect, even when they didn’t believe what I believe. That takes some real courage and even some Christians won’t show those who don’t believe what they believe respect. This person shows good character and true kindness. On top of that, they actually said something nice about the picture.
Another person said:
“i like the picture, but im not…uh, well im not wutever religion u r, that’s for sure. i really like the border. and the stuff around the heart.
actually, i don’t think anyone on here is the same religion as me…..not even my family is…..XD “
I love that this person can say they don’t agree and still show such kindness. That’s sweet!
Another said:
“I like how the border blends in. The gold color makes it pop.
P.S .to bashers- Art is all about expression of your own thoughts and beliefs. This is something she has a passion for and incorporating it in her art is what MAKES art personal.”
This last comment blew me away. This was amazing that this person realized what makes are so personal and real. Part of art is expressing a piece of who you are, and that’s what I did, and that’s what she pointed out. BRAVO.
That’s it. I replied to kind people and I really wanted to post this.
Religious freedom does work in both ways. It takes respect from both parties for us to live together and to tolerate each other better. This is how we can get along more in this world.
Elizabeth’s Birthday
My friend from my bible study group turned 18! It was last week and I made her a card and got some of our friends to sign it. I made muffins for 12 and just for her, I got a piece of strawberry cake and put a candle in it. I got neckleces and gave them to my friends. I got a bunch of candy and shared it with people who came to our table. I gave her a birthday balloon. She said she loved it all and she thanked me a lot for it. My friend Andrea said I was too sweet, and that comment made me so happy. It’s still ringing in my heart, LOL! I told Elizabeth I loved her and she was so happy. This is what I do for my friends to show Jesus’s love through me. It’s what I’m supposed to do- care. Not necessarily this much, but I just wanted to care this much.
Just doing small, nice things for people- congradulating them, making them feel special, talking to them, being nice to them- you can show them God’s love.
Operation Christmas Child
Instead of going to NewSpring for the past few weeks, I’ve been going to Electric City Fellowship, which is a smaller and more personal church, because it is smaller. Not to say that NewSpring is not personal. They were doing this program called ‘Operation Christmas Child’, where people get shoeboxes and fill them with gifts for needy children around the world.
Even without a real job, I scrambled up some money to do two boxes, which cost me about $40. I did one for a boy and one for a girl. I bought an Etch-a-Sketch, 2 boxes of markers, a stuffed animal, 2 ring pops, 2 toothbrushes and 2 boxes of toothpaste. I put a picture of myself in each box along with a letter in each one and a picture of Jesus with children in each one. I put a little green bible in the one for the girl.
I honestly wish I could have put more stuff in there, but I did not have that much money. My letter explained how Jesus loves them very much, and how even when they are sad, he is watching over them. I said if they trust him, they will meet him in heaven and always be happy, even when they are not happy on earth.
I explained how he thought they were beautiful and precious and how they mean so much to him. I said that he really wants them to have the gifts because he loves them, and then I put in a few sentences about how to recieve Christ. I prayed that they might recieve him, and I’ll pray a lot more. It’s so important to me. I wrote everything in a way that I think 10-14 year olds can understand. I must say, the feeling of giving to those who actually need it most is worth much more than a mere $40. The act in itself will be priceless to them, and it’s priceless that they might meet Jesus and that he may change them and flip their lives right-side-up and make their lives a lot better.
Christmas is not about Americans getting more of what they have plenty enough of, it is not about selfish acts and endless greed. For well-off people, Christmas should not be about getting but about giving. Sometimes, that goes for those who don’t have much. God the Father gave us Jesus, because we need him so much. We should also give because others need it much more than we could ever need it. That is the true Spirit of Christmas, and that’s what Jesus is really about.
Here’s a story about someone who received a gift from Operation Christmas Child, and how it changed her: Read it please!
More Art
LOL it took sooo long, but it was so worth it. Flyleaf is an AWESOME christian rock band, and Lacey is amazing, hence this picture. Haha. I must say that their new CD recently came out and I wanted to get it. I remember going to Target to get my Operation Christmas Child stuff and I thought about how it had just came out. I looked in the CD isle for it and saw one was left.
A picture of Lacey Mosley, from the band Flyleaf. It’s one of my all time favorite bands, along with Korn. It took me around 10 hours to draw.
This is the smaller version. Click on it to see the actual size.
Reference picture: Lacey Mosley!
You like?
The CD is called ‘Memento Mori’ and I had been waiting for the longest time for a new Flyleaf CD to finally come out, because I had heard all they already had out. Of course, there was no way I would trade the Christmas Child opportunity for that desire. It broke my heart to walk away from it and it really did hurt a little, but it was truly okay. I think I child’s life means so much more than that! Thank you, Jesus!