Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil

Chris and I are about two days or so into our week long fasting. Our fasting, however, is not of food (I would need a lot of prayers to make it through that one), soda (impossible) and it is not for any other reason than we wanted to. We wanted to strengthen ourselves and our relationship with God. So, what is our fast? We have set out to only listen to the two christian radio stations that are played here. When we are not in the car, or want a change of pace from the radio, we only listen to the Christian and/or Generation Unleashed Pandora stations. Chris had been doing this for a few days before he talked to me about it. When he told me about what he had been doing, I was more than excited to take on the challenge myself! I had noticed that listening to the secular music, especially lately, made me feel grumpy, cranky, and irritable once I was done, which was not a favorite mix for Chris! :) Thinking that a constant surrounding from songs that sing about God and Jesus as well as forgiveness and grace would make my life more happy, I took on the challenge without hesitation!

Since the challenge, I have noticed a huge difference in my attitude! It used to be, that my day could be good, I would listen to music, and then be a little more negative. Now, I listen to the music and I am happier and have an even deeper connection to God. It is not surprising, however, that these would be the results. The Bible is very clear on the benefits of feeding our mind with only positive thoughts!

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things" Philippians 4:8, NKJV.

The book of Philippians is talking about more than just what type of music we listen to, but music is a start. God calls us to fill our head and surround ourselves with things that are good in this world. By surrounding ourselves with good images and words, it makes us happier and enables us to better serve God. We are told in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace, long suffering  kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." (NKJV). Maybe it's just me, but songs about womanizing, drinking, fighting, and cheating do not seem to promote any of these fruits in me. We are suppose to be made up of these fruits, to Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), and by surrounding ourselves with negative images, I do not see how that makes our burden easier for us. In fact, most of the songs in the secular world today are about the very things that keep us from God. The songs of today's culture are more about what the Bible calls as "of the flesh". What these items would look are "...sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such thinks will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:19-21, ESV). I think we can all easily find quite a few items listed in Galatians 5:19-21 that are a subject, if not a title, of some of the secular songs in today's world.

Now, I am not saying that we need to cut out ALL secular music and if we don't, we are not going to Heaven. Not at all! I won't lie, I am OBSESSED with Harry Potter (sorcery). I think these books are amazing. From the story line to the style of writing. I read these books as often as I can! It is safe to say I have read them all at least two to three times. So, where do I personally draw the line? I draw it when I feel personally, emotionally, physically, and mentally changed. While I say I would love if Hogwarts was real (don't judge, you know you wish it too!!!), I do not believe magic is real. I believe in miracles by our Sovereign Savior. I believe He has all the power and I am not looking to go work on practicing the expelliarmus charm. So then why do I choose music? Music emotionally and mentally impacts me. Secular music makes me angry and negative more times than not which therefore inhibits me not only acting out God's will, but it also affects how others view me. Instead of being viewed as a loving Christian, sometimes it can come across as the girl with negative energy. My goal as a Christian woman is to represent God in all I do. Music can inhibit me that way. But not everyone has the same response to music as I do. Music is my influence. What is yours? In what unexpected form does Satan find a way to get in our path?

On a slightly separate note, one of the Christian stations Chris and I have been listening to are having a pledge drive to earn money to stay funded. These stations are COMPLETELY listener supported! If anyone feels like or is interested in helping to support this amazing station, Air1, check out their website to find out how you can!

The Blessed Life

In thinking about what I should blog about in my first entry...EVER...I decided I could write about my intention of this blog. Then, something AWESOME happened to my husband and I this week that I just had to share!

But first, lets start from the beginning...

I have always had a heart for foreign countries and adopting. I only recently have had an idea as to what my calling is, but I have always known that orphans, especially those in third world countries, had my heart. James 1:27 has a dear place in my life: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Farther is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble..." (NKJV). We are called as Christians to look after our widows and orphans. As to why we are called to do this, I believe it is because it is people in these situations that need the most help. They need the most love. They need the most hope. Being in dire situations such as the loss of a spouse and/or parents can put people through such a dark and sad place. Situations like this can set the tone for the rest of someone's life, what better tone to set for someone then the tone of Jesus' love, which is reflected when we care for them.

In addition, we are also orphans ourselves, as we are told in John 14:18 "I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back" (MSG). From this verse we can determine that as long as we are not standing next to Jesus, we are orphans, we are without our Father. God is the Creator of all things (Col. 1:16), including us. God is our Creator and our Father. As Isaiah 64:8 says:
"But now, O Lord,
You are our Father.
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand" (NKJV).

We all need parents. We all need our Father. Someone to give us advice. Give us unconditional love. Give us a home. We ourselves are orphans, so we are called to care for the orphans of the world. We can relate and give these orphans hope. So, as well as caring for people who need it when they are hurting the most, another reason we are called to care for orphans is because we are orphans as well. We can relate.

My husband and I this week decided to sponsor a child through Every Orphans Hope. The children on this website are all from Zambia, living in AIDS-infected communities. While they offer other amazing programs, such as Chicks 4 Orphans and mission trips, we were beyond excited to enroll ourselves in the sponsorship program. Doing this was fulfilling a lifelong goal and dream of mine. The very next day, we got to see a picture of the amazing 9 year old boy we are sponsoring, Jerry. We are very excited to be an influence in Jerry's life, as we know he will be in ours. Not only are we excited for the privilege of being part of Jerry's life, but it is also so fulfilling and exciting to be doing God's work. To be doing as we are called to do is such an amazing feeling. I am so proud to be part of Jerry's story, and that we both get to be orphans together, striving to be with our Father some day in heaven.