Hello Friends! It has been a little while since I have written anything, but if I’m being honest, it’s not because I was super busy. I am just not the type of person who likes to sit down and write. But, I have some updates that are super cool! I am now on Route 5! Sadly, my route was cancelled due to low numbers, but this provided me with the amazing opportunity to join a new route and meet some amazing people! My new countries are Romania, Southeast Asia, and Costa Rica!!! If you would like to know more about what I will be doing in each country, you can email or text me and I would LOVE to chat with you, or if you can wait, I will be posting another blog next week that will also have all the info! But for now, I’m just going to talk about my day!
Today I woke up at 5am… it was rough. I haven’t woken up before 9 in a REALLY long time. However, I knew this would give me an opportunity to have some quiet time before any of my sisters got up. I was also able to spend a short time with my dad before he left for work. I’m going to be honest, for the last few weeks, I have been very inconsistent with reading my bible and doing my daily devotions. Just yesterday, I talked with my Young Life leader about my struggles and inconsistency. So, when I woke up this morning, I knew I needed to get out of bed and start the day with God.
If you don’t know, I am a BIG Matt Chandler fan. I really enjoy the way he teaches… plus, he makes a few jokes about the MSG version, which I find funny. I have watched plenty of his teachings, but today, the message really resonated with me.
Inadequate Faith.
As you can tell by the title of the sermon, this was a deep topic. So deep that it took up 4 pages in my journal. At the start of this message, Matt states the difference between Biblical Chistianity and Christian Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Say that 10 times in a row. Obviously Biblical Christains believe and follow the teachings in the bible and identify Jesus as our Lord and Savior. On the other hand, the belief is that Jesus is only there to make you feel better about yourself. So basically, Jesus’ name is used as a label and people behave themselves because it’s moral and they believe there is a God. Those qualities all fall under felt needs. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of quotes. It makes me feel like I know more about something when there is a quote from a scholar. In this sermon, a pretty lengthy quote was used. But I really think it’s a good quote so I’m going to share it.
“In this new gospel, the great “evils” to be redressed do not call for any fundamental change of direction in the human heart. Instead, the problem lies in my sense of rejection from others; in my corrosive experience of life’s vanity; in my nervous sense of self-condemnation and diffidence; in the threat of boredom if my music is turned off in my fussy complaints when a long hard road lies ahead. These are today’s significant felt needs that the gospel is bent to serve. Jesus and the church exist to make you feel loved, to make you feel significant, validated, entertained, and charged up. This gospel improves our distressing symptoms. It makes you feel better. The logic of this therapeutic gospel is a Jesus-for-me who meets individual desires and assuages psychic aches.”
-David Powlson
Wow. That is a lot. But when broken down and processed, it honestly sounds pretty good right? Like I want to constantly feel loved and good, to feel like I am wanted and enough, but it doesn’t last. It can’t do what God has promised us! The good news of the gospel is not that we will be saved by God, and then everything in our lives will be perfect. He promises that we will saved by God, for God; that He will always be available to us, in any situation in life and HE WILL BE ENOUGH!
