Grey Areas

My dear readers,
I was just recently talking with a friend via email and the subject of churches came up, for me and my family are still on the search for a home church near us. While we were talking, we discussed how both of our families like the King James version of the Bible best, and we like hymns best; and we were trying to find a church that used the KJV and sang hymns, not necessarily exclusively, but mostly. My friend then asked me why I liked KJV and hymns best, for she was trying to get her thoughts on the subject together and wasn't quite sure about it. I told her and then she told me of how their former pastor was adamant and would only sing hymns, and drums on beats 2 and 4 were evil, and all this stuff, and we discussed how one must not get so wrapped up in our own opinions that we force them on those around us. We recalled how Paul wrote about how if a man is convicted of a thing, then he must not do it, or it is a sin for him; and if you are not convicted about it, then it is fine for you to do (this applies to all things that are grey areas in the Bible and are not made clear to us through His word, areas where we must decide for ourselves); BUT if your brother is convicted of a thing, and you are not, yet you do it in front of him you may cause him to stumble. Therefore, you must do all in love, seeking His will. All that to say, I believe that I have learned to like grey areas.

Most people dislike grey areas immensely, and so do I a lot of the time. They are a pain to deal with and make you double guess yourself, and sometimes, many times possibly, you make the wrong decision and must pay for it later.

But I found the other day while I was talking to my friend why God gave us grey areas.

Grey areas cause you to think, and also to make a decision. The decisions you make either grow or harm your character and your relationship with God, depending on how you deal with the decision-making process. To find out what to do with a specific grey area, you've got seek God - through His Word, through prayer, and through discussing the topic with other brethren in Christ. Then you can make a wise decision based on your knowledge of the topic and what God wants you personally to do.

Grey areas are a pain, I admit it. Many times, even after you make a decision, others will try to convince you otherwise and you will either have to defend it or go back on your decision. You may even double guess yourself - something I do often with certain grey areas.

But something I always remember is that God works everything together for good (Romans 8:28) and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13), and that includes standing up for something I think is either right or wrong (depending on the situation). That said, when it comes to grey areas and personal conviction by the Holy Spirit, we must be very careful not to cause a brother or sister to stumble or offend them. This is a tender area and, in my opinion, a super important aspect of keeping the church functioning properly.

All that simply to say, when you come across something that isn't very fun, be it grey areas, trials and temptations, or anything like that, remember that God's got you in the palm of His great and mighty hand, and He won't ever let you go. He will always be there guiding you, all you've got to do is seek, listen, and obey, and He'll take care of the rest.

In Christ our Solid Rock,
Buttercup

Remembering 9/11

9/11/2001 - terrorist planes hit the Twin Towers and the Pentagon...

The devastation was unreal...

Many firefighters and police risked their lives trying to save others and that day they were made heroes...

2,976 people died...

Americans should never forget 9/11 and the terror it brought to our own soil...

Lest we forget how blessed we are to have the freedom we do...

Taking it for granted and therefore wasting our lives in the "pursuit of happiness" when what we really should be pursuing is knowing God more...

You only have one life and then it's gone...

Live for Christ now.

Lord, protect our soldiers. Protect America. 

Forgive America, Heavenly Father.

America needs to remember Christ. 

Before it is too late.

God, please bless America.

Today, remember the families of those 2,942 people who died on September 11th 2001 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the other plane that crashed, and pray for them. They need your prayers - today especially.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

*Disclaimer: photos without my watermark were found on Photobucket.com

NOTE: Photos with my watermark were taken at a military cemetery in Oklahoma, but I do not know if there are any 9/11 soldiers buried there..

They're watching you!

Hey guys, I just wanted to tell you guys something I know I've told you before...but, hey, reinforcing and reminding is good, right?

You are being watched.

The little ones always see you. Your peers see you. Those older than you (guess what?!) see you. Everything you do around others is seen. Only those things that are done when you are alone are not seen.

You are being copied.

Ever see a little kid spout off to their parents and wonder what those parents do at home? hmm. Interesting. If you look closer you'll see that a lot of times, the kids are doing just what their parents are doing. Don't get me wrong though! There are many cases in which the kids are doing something completely abhorrent to the parents, but you can be assured that the kids are learning it somewhere and from someone. You put your attitude in the copy machine and *pop!* an exact replica comes out on a different sheet of paper. Sounds pretty accurate to me.

Just recently I had the opportunity to see this in action...unfortunately. A group of teens of which I was a part of were watching an exceedingly large group of young children for a few hours. Unfortunately, one teen thought it best to start yelling at the kids; another thought it best to stand on a chair and raise their voice (not yell, just speak really loudly); and a bunch of them thought it best just to leave a couple of us to our own demise and just left the room. 

The teen who frequently yelled at the kids, needless to say, didn't get anywhere with it. In fact, the kids just got rebellious at this act, and simply made more noise. 

The teen who stood on the chair and raised their voice didn't get any response at all.

The teens who left the room...yeah, they didn't even try.

Finally, after I'd stayed shut up for way too long, I broke up the yelling and calmly asked the boys who were causing the most ruckus to watch out for the younger ones and be quieter. They responded by being open to me with their feelings and wants, they were calm, and they behaved quite nicely the rest of the time. What caused this difference?

Love.

When you love like Christ, when you act like Christ, when you serve and care like Christ, you get a different response. When you respond out of love in every situation, you can make ANY situation better. Guaranteed. 

Most people today do not respond that way. They respond my yelling, then breaking down because no one is listening, and yelling some more out of anger. But when kids (and teens and adults) are treated with love as fellow human beings, and not as animals needing to be herded and led about, they usually respond back in love - at least, if not in love, they are calmer and respect you more for you are taking control of the situation calmly.

Therefore I exhort you, my dear brothers and sisters - set the example!

Love like Christ. Serve like Christ. Care like Christ. Behave like Christ. And finally, have the attitude of Christ. Do all things out of love, not out of anger or frustration; those things get you no where, but love conquers.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

NOTE: I absolutely do not hold anything against those teens that I mentioned! They just haven't learned that lesson yet. I pray that I might be an example to them that they might see Christ through me.

Wishing you all...

...a very happy Valentine's day!

On this day, I encourage you to not only think of all those who love you and who you love, but also, who loves you way more than anyone else ever could! Jesus Christ!

No greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13

He loved us so much that He died for us. He loved YOU so much that He died for YOU.

True love is an emotion that can't stay contained. True love proves itself through actions. Follow Christ's example: This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. - John 15:12

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

Forgotten Christmas

Dear readers, I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas time and break off of school! I sure am! Anyways, I was looking back at the comments I received from a recent post, and came across one I had forgotten about. Cari, someone who works with Gospel for Asia, left a comment telling me about a site they made - Forgotten Christmas. I encourage you to go to their website and look around, it is definitely worth the time! I know it is after Christmas, and I'm sorry I didn't post this weeks ago, but you can still make a difference! Hop over there and check it out!

Here is one of the videos:

Love in Christ,

Buttercup

P.s. the December issue of Go Ye Therefore is coming out on Friday! Shoot us an email if you want to receive it! :) (helpnm@embarqmail.com)

The Extra Challenge!

Hey Y'all! Remember how I said that on the 20th I would post an extra challenge? Well, I'm actually doing it! lol. Kinda creepy, since that never happens. "Aren't you proud of me?!" ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs")

So, The Extra Challenge is...

Matthew 6:3-4 - ³But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: ⁴That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Do actions of thoughtfulness *in secret*. Not only does God enjoy seeing us do things in secret, but they are also really fun. *hehe* Therefore, I would like to challenge you to do some "fall actions of thoughtfulness" in secret! Here are some ideas:

-Leave anonymous notes.

-Slip a note of appreciation in someones mail folder at church (our church does the mail folder thing, but I don't know about others)

-Leave a little gift (i.e. chocolate, candy) in someones chair or desk.

-Leave cookies with an anonymous note in random places (obviously where it's legal and where people are gonna find them soon)

-Send anonymous emails (you know how much fun these are?! Most of the time I get found out though, cause I'm not that good at hiding my name and email address.)

Also, here are some other ideas for not-so-secret actions:

-Buy an extra sandwich and give it to someone who needs it.

-Send a friendship e-card.

-Buy a drink for a grocery store worker.

-Clean a room without being asked.

-Smile (you know how many people don't smile these days? This is one way we can show the world that we are different. And sometimes, someone needs a smile.)

-Make and give baby blankets to a pregnancy center.

-Donate clothing and shoes to a resale shop.

-Give stuffed animals to a fire station.

-Give bottled water to nurses at a hospital or rest home.

-Bring a gift, or just even visit, a rest home resident. Some of them never get any visitors, and they get so lonely.

-Bring your neighbor's trash cans in on trash day.

-Leave a note and treat for the mailman in the mailbox.

There are literally hundreds of things you could do! So what are you waiting for?

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

*note: some of these ideas were not originally mine.

Fall Actions of Thoughtfulness challenge - what I've done

Hey Guys! I really hope that you have participated in this challenge, no one has told me so, but I can still hope, right? :D

Anyways, I know this post is LONG overdue, and I apologize, but better late then never!

First, for the past couple weeks, I've been making Thanksgiving cards for some of my friends. I've been making them out of colored construction paper that I got at the dollar store (it is really good construction paper though), a glue stick, scissors, and a pen! Easy cheesy, but I think they turned out good. :)

I traced a slightly real looking, plastic leaf, then just kept tracing the leaves I cut out. Needless to say, the leaves got quite a bit bigger as time went on. lol. So they kinda hang over the edges of the cards, but I think that's cool. I think I made a total of about 20 cards before I ran out of construction paper. Well, all I have left are black, blue, pink, and purple! haha.

In the inside on the left I wrote out 1 Thessalonians 5:18a - In everything give thanks. And on the right side I wrote a note to the receiver. Though, only a couple (uh, one or two?) have personal notes, the rest are all the same (because I'm not creative like that). Nonetheless, it's the thought that counts, right? And I worked hard on 'em. :)

Second...aw man. I just went totally blank. I know I did other things, and I was thinking of all of them when I was thinking about this post! Ahh! I hate that. Well, when I remember, I'll post.

So what have you been doing? I hope you've taken this challenge with me, I really do. It's a great time to remember to think about others first - and do things for others before you do things for yourself.

Lastly, I want to encourage you to read these two posts: by Anna and by Chelsea, they are really great!

Till I remember what I did or I think of a good post!

In Christ,

Buttercup

It's Fall and time for a challenge!

Hi Y'all! Well, all day it's been quite chilly, rainy, and windy! As long as I am indoors, and not out, this is my favorite weather! If I'm outside...just stop the rain. :)

Well, seeing that it is now fall, and the month of November, we are getting quite close to Christmas! Dangerously close for those of us who like to make all our gifts! Anyways, in honor of fall, I am going to propose a challenge!

The Challenge

Fall Actions of Thoughtfulness

It sounded kind of weird to me, but not so much that I would try to find another name. The idea is not mine, but another blogger's. But they named theirs "Random Acts of Kindness." So, to be honest, I just typed that into Microsoft word, right clicked each word, found a synonym that I liked, and went with it! lol. (Just in case you thought I've lost it... no, "fall" is not a synonym of "random". But all the synonyms for "random" were bad - not the "random" that I'm trying to get across.)

So that I don't leave anything out, let's get organized with the classic 5W's and an H:

Who: Anyone who wants to.

What: Fall Actions of Thoughtfulness

Where: Everywhere! You figure out what your going to do, and then go do it for someone.

When: From now until November 30th. Making it a month-long thing, I think, will give all of us plenty of time to do many different things! No time excuses.

Why: To do things for others and to bring glory to God by thinking of others instead of ourselves.

How: is this necessary???

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Fall/Thanksgiving cards. Who doesn't like receiving a card or note from a friend? It is a simple thing that says that someone took time to think of you.

• Small gifts. I.e. crocheted scarf, earrings, photo of you and them, etc.

• Take on someone else's chores or do a service for free.

These are just a few ideas, but there are so many things you can do! Get creative!

This challenge is open to anyone, and it will be a challenge. Doing things for others, taking time to do something for someone else and not for ourselves can be hard, but it is awesome when you can lift someone up and make their day; and at the same time, be a shining light in a dark world.

Please, don't shy away from this challenge! Do it with me! I'll be posting what I do so that y'all can hopefully get some ideas and encouragement from it, so I would like you to post too! When you do, please share it with me and my other readers:

When you do put it in here, please put the link to the exact post, and not just your blog - because that makes it hard to find your post sometimes.

In Christ,

Buttercup

P.S. On the 20th, I'll propose a special, extra challenge! So be sure to look out for it!