Judging

Judging is something that I have been struggling with my whole life. I know we all do it. Look at when we look for a significant other. Usually the first thing we look at is looks which is just a way of judging. Okay well let's jump deeper into this topic and answer a few questions that I have.

Why do we judge?

What can judging do to us?

Okay well the first question Why do we judge? Again like every other sin it happens because we are not perfect and we are sinful. We do it because of us being imperfect humans. Well I really notice myself judging every day of my life. When I drive down the road and I think wow that is a good looking girl or when I am delivering to different areas and am worried about the people in those areas. Have those people done anything to me. NO! But that area is the not best area so I stereotype the whole area. Well my best example of Judging someone came two weeks ago when I played softball with my church. This league is played every week at the Macomb County Prison and yes we do play against the prisoners. Well two weeks ago was the first time that I have played and I was a bit nervous. After a few innings and sitting and just joking around with a few prisoners I became less tense. Well after the second game and before we left each guy from the church took 1 or 2 prisoners and prayed for them before we left. Well I was waiting for a guy to come over to me to pray and the largest African american man came to me. He was a 6'6" guy about 300 pounds and most of that was in muscle. He was given the nickname tank. I was a bit intimidated but it was such a great experience. Tank's real name was Sean and he was a first time player for the prisoners. I sat down and prayed for him and then which shocked me he turned around and wanted to pray for me. I never felt so moved when he stood in front of me and lifted me up in prayer. After the prayers me and Sean talked for a few minutes and I got to hear his story and how he has been working on correcting his ways.

That time with Sean made me really realize that yeah he could kick my butt but he is just like any of us. He was a guy that made a mistake and now he was paying for it. He was not bitter about it but was going to deal with his punishment and move on. If we just didn't look at people by who they are on the outside or the few facts we know about them then we could change the world.

The second question What can judging do to us? Well judging can do alot to us. We can miss out on meeting some of the most amazing people in the world. We hurt ourselves because we tend to say we are better than others because they "aren't good enough to be in our group". It is really tough when we judge. We don't want to admit we do it but we all do each and every day. The question here is what can judging do to us but the real question is what can judging do to others? When we judge others we do not give them a chance. Usually we stay away if they are to big or they swear to much or for other countless reasons. If we do this we could cost them that chance of hearing about God. I bring back my story about Sean ("Tank"). He was a guy I was very intimidated about but I was able to sit down and pray with him. Maybe that prayer was the first time he has heard about God or maybe he was dead in his faith and this was going to rejuvenate it.

Judging can be very dangerous for us as Christians. It is so hard not to do but we need to stop it and limit it as much as we can. Every person is special in God and has their own story. Maybe they haven't had the best life before that time you meet them but that doesn't mean that they can't still want to be saved and feel the love of God. You need to just look at everyone for the person God made them and not the person the world has made them. Each one of them is special in God's eyes and each have a heart that with some love and kindness can turn around and show that love and kindness to others.

Deut. 1:17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.

Be who you are

So again it has been a while since I have posted on here. My work has been busy lately and I haven't had to much time to sit down here at the computer to write to you all. I have had alot on my mind though and have come up with some ideas for blogs which I hope to have every week. Well lets get to what is on my mind today.

One thing I have been thinking about lately is being a different person in different situations. I know this is something that is easy to do, but why do we do this. I notice that depending on who is around me I am someone completely different. Why is this?

Are we conforming to society?
Are we scared to show our faith?

Well the first question are we conforming to society? I really think when I do it I am conforming. I try to live my life on a daily basis to God's will but as a sinner I fall short of his glory and make mistakes. I see this with stuff I can correct though. I noticed lately that I am one person when I am around one group and a different person when I'm around another. For example, When I was visiting school a few weeks ago I barely swore, focused on God a large part of the time, and had some great theological conversations with people. Now the person I am when I show up to my job is completely different. I have no problem saying swear words and not focusing on God much at all. I really have been trying to change this but it isn't a simple change. Sometimes I do not even realize that I am doing it until way after I have done it.

I feel in this case I am conforming to society. I am letting who I am be based on who I am around. This is terrible. God talks about this in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." I work on this everyday and try to focus on the renewing on my mind. I know I can do it but I have to understand I will slip up, since I am a sinner. I need to push on and let everyone see the Christian I am. Since usually the people I don't act like one around are those who do not know him and have the benefit of the personal relationship with him yet.

The second question here is Are we scared to show our faith? I think sometimes personally I am and I see it with others also. Just like we don't want to be the person to raise our hand in class we don't want to be the person who stands out. But why is that? We are the ones who have nothing to lose. We have God on our side and are ready to live for him. So we don't do some things our friends do but is that going to change who you are. If we act how we are suppose to as a Christian and just work on showing God's love to others, people will respect you. We get scared that as a Christian we will not be accepted but we will. The ones that seem to not be well received are those forcing God down others throats. We need to be smart and just express God's love and realize it is others choices to accept God. We cannot be scared to show our faith, we just need to be confident and know that God loves us and his love is all that matters.

Those are just some of my thoughts on Being yourself. I just feel that as a Christian we are not choosing to do it 4 days a week but 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Choosing Christ is a lifestyle and we need to live that lifestyle no matter who we are around. I need to work on this and I am on a daily basis. It is a hard battle but starting my day with God greatly helps. If you have any thoughts please let me know.

2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Seeing God

So this blog came to me the other day when I walked out of my house and just saw the sweetest clouds in the sky. I was just flabbergasted at what The Lord has made for us and started to look for God more in my daily life. So here are some questions that were in my head.

Why can't we see God everyday in our lives?

Can we see him and do we just overlook him?

So to look at the first question: Why can't we see him everyday. It is so easy to not see God in our everyday lives if we don't make sure to make him a part of our lives. It is easy to see for example your mom or dad everyday because you get to see them in flesh each day, but with God you have to have the faith that he is with you everyday (which he is). Alot of people say "Out of Sight Out of Mind" and that saying couldn't be more true. Why is that though? We might not see God in human form here everyday but look in the sky and its all him. Look at all the blessings you have received. That's all him. You cannot look at anything that happens in this world and not see God if you are looking.

A way to help seeing him everyday is make him the first thing on your mind when you wake up. Maybe that is by starting your day with a short prayer or maybe doing a devotional time. With doing this in the morning you will be focused on God and everything you see that day will help you see God more.

The other question I had was the part of us overlooking him. I think this is true to parts. I see everything God has made on a daily basis but I have just become so accustom to it that it means practically nothing to me. Its a cloud big deal, its rain big deal, or its the sun big deal. I know we get so used to everything we have in this world that we just see it as what life is suppose to be like and not as a blessing. If we look at our time on Earth as a blessing we will see God EVERYWHERE. If you looked for God in everything you do you would never see anything that he didn't have a part in. So try not to make what's in the earth just what is suppose to be there but look at it as a gift from God.

This blog was plain and simple about seeing God. It is tough but being a Christian is not the easiest thing in the world. I ask that you try to look at everything you see in the world and see it as that gift from God. He has given us blessings that we cannot even imagine and if we look at them as blessings we are in great shape. Start your day out focusing on the God and the rest will fall into place. If you can see God in your everyday life your faith will start to grow without limit and you will be excited to jump into his word on a daily basis. He is truly amazing, just look at all he is given us. I have one question for all of you:

WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN GOD TODAY?

If you want to talk please comment on the blog or email me. I would love to help you see God on a daily basis.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.

Charity

So it has been a while since I wrote last. I was having a hard time figuring out something to write about and then something started to resonate in my head yesterday. As some of you may know my mother recently broke her foot and has become handicapped. AKA Myself and other family members have needed to drive her to work on a daily basis, do more chores, run errands, and other daily things.
Well of course with doing these things for my mom it started to get under my skin. I was having to get up early almost every day. I would get home from work and would have to run her somewhere or go grocery shopping (which I hate) by myself. These acts got me thinking:

Why am I so selfish?

Why do I need a reward for what I do?

Well let's hit the first question: Why am I so selfish? That is a good question that I could go far into. The first thing is I am a sinner. I don't see what is good in life and always look at the negatives. Its not "Oh I'm happy I could help" but its more "Geez I wasn't able to work out because of this" or "Seriously I lost an extra hour of sleep." But why is this? This is my mother. The woman who carried me for 9 months, got sick because of me, and so many other things for me in 21 years of life. Why is it so hard for me to give her an extra hour or 2 a day for 6 to 8 weeks. It really is stupid I can't do this and I am trying hard to do this. But this made me start thinking about my relationship with God. Why can't I take even 10 minutes to read the bible a day, pray before I eat, or not use profanities to honor him. This man (no offense mom) did so much more than anyone ever could. I wasn't even in this world when he went up on a cross and just got destroyed for ME. I look at all he did for me and every other person in this world and just get upset we can't give him the light of day alot.

The second question to tackle is Why do I need a reward for what I do? I feel like America has made it this way but this also comes from the sinful nature of us. I have tried so hard not to think what am I going to get out of doing stuff for my mom but I have. You know what did she get every time she had to leave work to come pick me up from school when I was sick. Now I look at this on the God side and charity. So many times I go into a situation and am like should I do this for whatever reason. I barely go in with the right thoughts of I'm doing this to further God's kingdom and show people what God can do for them. And God has given us a gift we don't even need to work for (Eternal Life) so what do we need to wait for.

I just wanted to bring this all to you guys tonight and see your thoughts. I believe charity is one of the most important things we can do for others as Christians. I have had some amazing experiences with Charity but I've noticed that it usually occurs when I have my heart/head in the right place first. Charity helps to spread God's kingdom and just can bring a smile to your face and other's faces. I ask that everyone takes some time to help someone out. Maybe it is by giving some money or some time. Whatever you can do please do it and make sure your heart is in the right place. Don't do this for you, but do it to honor him. Look at all he did for you can't you take some time to honor him. I learned I am selfish this week and I am going to work on that. I'm not set that I will change that this week or this year but I pray that soon I can be selfless and think of others before myself always.

Please leave some comments/feedback. I would love to hear what your thoughts are. If you have any personal questions send me a comment and we can exchange email addresses.

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Old Friends

So this is a bit of a random topic today but its on my heart so here we go. So I was looking through a scrapbook (that my mom made me) of my senior year and was just looking at all the pictures I had with all my friends in there.

It got me thinking. Why don't I talk to most of these people anymore? These people were part of my life everyday and now they are just a memory. I need pictures to remind me of them. Yes and some of them have gone onto different lifestyles from me (I can tell by facestalking haha). But one question just has been sitting with me since seeing these pictures.
Why is it not important to me to talk to them anymore?

Is it because they are not exactly like me?

I don't think that should be my reason but I have used it that's for sure. Some of them chose different directions in college but why should that change how I am with them. I have friends I have made in college that don't live their life just like me or remotely close to me but I still find time to spend with them. But I have always seen this as an opportunity to minister to them through my actions and words. And I have taken advantage of these opportunities when I could. Now why don't I still try to talk to those from high school? I really don't know. I have known them for so long and sometimes I feel I put having spiritual conversations with them as not important because they have had that Christian background. But is one person greater than another. I think not. And this is something I need to think about and work on daily. I see that person as an easier target (bad word choice but you know what I am saying) and go that way. I should look at everyone and try to tell everyone about God.

Is it because I see myself as say better than them?

I really don't know how to explain it. I am highly involved with my faith at college but that makes me no better than anyone and I realize that. I have led freshman through CRU for the past 2 years and am going to be doing it again next year and the first point I want to get through to them is that if they need anything spiritual or not is that I am there for them. Now why am I doing this for people I am just meeting but not for people that were super close to me for four years of my high school life. I can't explain that. Sometimes it is because I see these people on a weekly if not daily basis but now with tools like facebook, blogging, and twitter and all the numerous social media platforms I can contact all those people on a daily basis too. I need to be there for those people who where close to me always and if they are taking that wrong path try to help them and focus them back on Christ.

I don't know if this will make sense to any of you reading this but it just started bothering me. I just want you to look at yourself and be able to ask yourself the question Do I tell everyone about God or do I show favorites? Do I try to help everyone I meet further their relationship with God or do I just forget about them? Those are just two of millions of questions you can ask yourself. And depending on how you answer those questions you can see what you can change. I am asking myself these questions right now. I want to know when I go to sleep that I have given everyone I see a good impression of Christ and that I was able to help someone. I realized going through that scrapbook today I need to value these Christian friendships I have more and help build those up with Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

The reason I started this

So I gave you all a background about me and my testimony yesterday and wanted today to talk about the reason I decided to start a blog like this. My first thoughts of doing a blog was when I was talking to a really close friend of mine. She is the same age as me and attends a Lutheran University. I was startled when we were talking about a new guy she was talking to and was so impressed by how he could talk about his faith. She then preceded to talk about how after 3 years being at this Lutheran college he was the first guy that would actually talk about his faith.

This is when the question popped up in my head why don't (not only guys) we talk about our faith more openly. I am not saying this is everyone and I hope this isn't you, but there are way to many of us doing this. So Why is this?

Why do we keep this gift to ourselves?
Are we embarrassed by it?
Are we afraid of questions about what we say?
Are we just going through the motions?

Those are just a few of the questions that popped into my head when she was explaining this situation. And to tell you the truth I did not really talk about my faith much until a few years ago. Was I embarrassed by it? Sometimes I was. Depending on the group of people I was with I didn't want to be known as the "Christian boy" I wanted to be "cool".

Was I afraid of questions about what I said? Heck yeah and sometimes I still am. It is something that I try to get over, but I do see times where I just won't say anything. Its kinda like when your in that class and you just sit in the back and be quiet because someone may doubt your answer and you have nothing to prove it. I went to a Lutheran school for 16 years of my life and I still have problems backing topics up. I work on that everyday but I will never have all the answers and no one will. What is so wrong with saying I don't know but let me get back to you and I'll research it. We just need to be confident in what we believe and admit we are human and don't know everything.

Am I just going through the motions? Not now but I was for a large part of my life so far. It was something I did just because my family did it and when the topic of Christianity came up I would just try to change the topic as quick as I could.

Those are just a few of the questions we need to ask ourselves. And we need to learn to deal with feeling confident in our faith. When I went on a mission trip the Spring Break of '09 the speaker showed a clip of penn and teller which has always stuck with me. When I can find the clip again I will post it on here. It is amazing that Penn a very well known athiest says near the end of the clip this gift that has been given to you (Eternal life) how can you not tell others about it. I feel after watching that you as a Christian have to feel almost guilty for not speaking about your faith.

It is not hard to strike up a conversation with a person about the Red Wings game the night before but we can't talk about God. It is something I deal with everyday and a struggle I know I will prolly never get over.
I hope that all of you can go out and be confident in your faith and not be afraid to tell others about that awesome gift we have been given. We do it with everything else we get at Christmas so why not do it with the reason we even have Christmas. Just something to think about. If you have thoughts or questions on this let me know I would love to talk.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Hey

Hey Everyone, My name is Zak Kennedy and I am now officially a senior at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am a marketing and management information double major. Well enough about my background how about my testimony.
So my testimony. Well its not one of those crazy stories that you will hear like I was a huge partier and my life flashed before my eyes. Or it isn't I was in a terrible car accident and then saw God standing there. But it is still a testimony so here we go. Well every since birth I have been raised in the Lutheran faith. I was baptized shortly after birth (you would think they would use warm water :-P), and went to a Lutheran grade school and high school. When I was going to Lutheran Schools it was a requirement for me to go to church and do certain "Christian" events so that I could meet school requirements or so that I could get funding to help pay for my schooling. Due to that fact my faith wasn't real strong. Yes, I believed that God died on the cross for my sins, but what did that really mean to me.
So my senior year in high school my grandpa passed away from a sudden heart attack 2 days before thanksgiving and I was at the hospital when he arrived. That hard day really made me step out in my faith. I was pissed at God and the world. I grew in my faith for a bit then but still was just acting. When I left for school in the fall of 2007 I went to a public university and never thought to bring God with me (even though he tagged along anyways). I knew while at school I would keep my faith but I just wouldn't act on it. I would keep my Christian morals but not practice my faith. I didn't even take a bible with me. I just didn't see the importance of staying in his word.
After almost a full semester at school I was invited to a group on campus called Campus Crusade for Christ or CRU for short. This is a small (hopefully not for long) non-denominational Christian group that meets once a week on campus. I went to one meeting and liked it but didn't pursue it to much. A few weeks later I decided to go again. Soon I was a regular and had a solid group of Christian friends around me on a daily basis (I still have most of those friends three years later now).
I decided at that point to make my faith my own and gave my life to him. I am now a leader with CRU on the GVSU campus and just want to help others see the great joy the Lord has brought me. I am excited to use this blog as a way to tell others about my faith and the questions I still have about it. I hear comments everyday that make me ponder my faith and I plan on using this platform to bring it up to others. I hope that if you ever have questions that you will please comment and we can talk more about it. I would love to help grow your faith with the Lord or maybe help you start your personal journey with him.
Well that is a lot about me today. I will post again soon (probably tomorrow) with the whole reason I started this blog.

Have a great day!
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.