How can I stop being judgmental?

February 16th, 2012 by Admin

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I struggle with being judgmental, especially towards certain groups of people.

I am a Christian, albeit young (19) and a little unsure of myself. I normally keep quiet whenever people of other faiths/beliefs say nasty stuff about Christians, but it kills me inside. More than once I have secret desires to bad mouth these people back even though I know it’s not right (I have yet to actually lash out). I mean, imagine, people who defend their religion or lack of it say that we [Christians] shouldn’t even have been born, we should go to hell, they must all rise up to get rid of us and others. I hate it!

I suspect that, like many non-believers, my problem is that my Christian faith is my identity rather than a relationship. I feel extremely emotional, just like how many would feel when people insult their race/country/family etc. It feels so sore inside, and I often wonder why Christians let people step all over them when every part of me wants to let the haters have a piece of me.

Then I see certain Christians treating everyone else like humans, loving even the most foul-mouthed of haters. Jesus was able to mix with all kinds of people regardless of their beliefs/character, and even though many wanted him dead…I want to be more like my Lord but my nature screams the opposite. I do want to love my non-believing friends as human beings and see them beyond their beliefs. How do I do this?

This is my faith hurdle. —Bea

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Why are Christians hypocrites?

February 9th, 2012 by Admin

Why are there so many hypocrites in the church? They say one thing; then do another. Do you see this? What can we do about it?

This is my faith hurdle. —Daisy

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Should we trust a heaven experience that isn’t described in Scripture?

February 2nd, 2012 by Admin

I am wrestling with the new book, Heaven is for Real. I’m wondering, should so much stock be put in a book of one person’s experience of Heaven that describes things that God did not tell us in the Bible?

This is my faith hurdle. —Daisy

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Is there anything wrong with skipping Bible Study, if the group does not supply the depth of study that I am looking for?

January 26th, 2012 by Admin

Being a student athlete I cannot commute to church on the weekends, so I searched for a Bible study. When I found one, I realized I was not in the same place in my walk of faith as the rest of the group and was not feeling challenged after our meetings, so I stopped attending and began studying on my own. Is this abandoning of the fellowship wrong?

This is my faith hurdle. —Owen

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Is it selfish for me to attend college? By studying a subject of interest instead of serving him through mission work or some other service, am I putting my own wants above his will?

January 19th, 2012 by Admin

I recently read Louie Giglio’s book, Indescribable. And after reading this, I felt so small and I realized that my efforts were not as valuable as I thought. So I thought that maybe should, instead, use my efforts to build HIS kingdom through formal ministry. This is what brought me to questioning of whether it was not selfish for me to go to college.

This is my faith hurdle. —Owen

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What is the Biblical gift of prophecy?

December 15th, 2011 by Admin

I was listening to the MOPS podcasts and I remember Jonalyn said jokingly (though I suspect there was truth to it) that Dale had the gift of prophecy. This piqued my curiosity. I’m wondering how this looks in your life? When I hear “prophecy” it automatically brings up images of Isaiah in the temple, or Ezekiel’s visions. You know, men having vision from God about things to come in the future. The reason I’m interested is because as a freshman in college (6 years ago) I was wondering what spiritual gifts I might have and prophecy (randomly) came to mind. I thought that would be cool, but didn’t think much more on it. That summer I took a job at a christian kids’ camp. A coworker who I’d never met before came up to me and the first thing she said was that sometimes God lets her see things about people and that He wanted her to tell me that I “had prophecy written all over me.” Kind of a cool coincidence… or maybe not a coincidence. I’ve held this all with a grain of salt for the past 6 years. Then I heard the MOPS podcast. I’d never heard anyone talk about having the gift of prophecy before, so I’m very interested to hear what it looks like. What does it mean to have that gift?

This is my faith hurdle. —John

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How do I stay patient for help from God?

November 10th, 2011 by Admin

I have been unemployed for over 2 years and my most recent attempt to provide for my family is all placed in starting a new business. However the delays and hurdles are wearing me out. I pray on this constantly and am grateful to Christ for holding me together this far, but my strength is waning. I believe that God will help us in his own time but it is so painful to be unable to provide for those I love.

This is my faith hurdle. — dkepes

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Does God want us to be happy?

October 20th, 2011 by Admin

Because I’m single and have no real hope at this time of building an intimate relationship with someone, I’m often targeted by well-meaning folk with the line “I just want you to be happy.” Usually, they imply a shade of happiness that is similar to their own. If they’re married with children and everything is going relatively smoothly, they suggest that if I somehow had the same experience, I too would be happy. If they’re in a relationship without children and they’re doing something “for God,” they suggest I get busy doing something for God and I will find my happiness. If they’re living the “American Dream,” buying the latest gadgets, enjoying basic luxuries, they suggest I just get busy making my own happiness. If they’re gay and in a relationship, they suggest I “be myself” and find someone to love. If they’re pastors, they say a variety of things about God’s desire for my life, while they enjoy a salary that I doubt I will never see. But what does God think about my happiness? Is it something He wants to get rid of completely?

This is my faith hurdle. —Stephen

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How did you know that you found the person you wanted to marry? And how did you know that the timing was right?

October 6th, 2011 by Admin

I want to ask my girlfriend to marry me. We’ll call her “Jane.”

Besides Jesus, Jane is the best person to come into my life. I have a list of reasons why I want to marry her. I believe that she has a similar list, but I don’t know what is on her list. So, while all of these are reasons I want to marry her and are phrased as such, they are mutual experiences. Just as she empowers me, I empower her.

Because she helps empower me to be the best that I can possibly be. She believes in my potential, and works to help me achieve that potential.

Because she is someone who I can share my life with. All my hope, fears, troubles and dreams. And she listens to me, and helps me do the things that are important to me; and she helps me avoid the things that I don’t like. Because we work well together as a team.

Because when I am with her, whatever I am doing, no matter how mundane, becomes better because she is there, sharing it with me. I like that we can just sit together, and the world seems like a happier place because she is with me.

Because she is one of the most self aware people I have ever met. She understands, and can explain what is happening inside her head. And when we conflict, we can work together to identify and resolve our conflict without it becoming a fight.

Because she doesn’t need me. She is her own person. She doesn’t need me to make her feel fulfilled. I am not her crutch.

Because she enjoys my goofiness. She likes that I am quirky.

Because she is flexible, without being a push over. She is willing to let things go if they need to be.

Because she is smart without being obnoxiously intellectual.

Because I don’t feel like I have to hide myself from her. Because I can be confidently vulnerable with her. I can be completely honest, and lay all my cards out on the table. I can lay out how I am feeling, or what I am thinking with her without feeling judged or feeling like I need to keep myself hidden because I am afraid how she will respond.

Because she gets me. She understands what I am trying to say, even, and particularly when I don’t.

But then we get into the issue of logistics. Jane and I have only been dating for about six months. We are both in school, working on finishing our bachelor’s. I am unemployed, and have been for a while, with no real prospects on the horizon.

So, I want to marry her, but I don’t think right now is a good time. So, how did you know that you wanted to marry your spouse? And how did you know that the timing was right?

This is my faith hurdle. —John

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How does God feel about suicide?

September 29th, 2011 by Admin

I heard recently of a Christian man in his 30′s who made a very deliberate choice to commit suicide in order to rejoin his deceased wife. I have been giving this much thought since I heard about it. Of course, my knee-jerk reaction is to say that what he did is wrong. Here are my questions: Why is it wrong? What are the theological implications of such a choice? Does Christian suicide affect a person’s experience of heaven? If so , how? (As in the mental picture of God scolding the Christian for getting to heaven too early or something along those lines.) I realize some of these question are difficult or nearly impossible to answer, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to theorize, right? Not exactly a faith hurdle, but something that has been bothering my soul for several days now.

Something that has been bothering my soul. −Andrew