Who defines us?

G'day!

So this week started out really nicely! I spent Sunday afternoon at the kick-off party for my college group at church. I played an intense game of Croquet with my brother, Mark, and a few friends of mine, including the Hatter, who I talked about in the last post. She's proven herself more evil than I originally anticipated... 
She became Poison in Croquet, and her first kill was a poor 5-or-so-year-old girl. I, even I, was just shocked at her merciless, bloodthirsty approach. I warned you, Omen, that if we let her into EVILED, she would overpower us with her unquenchable thirst for bloodshed and tears.

On another note, this week I have to start writing my paper for my Athletic Training class... And, this is probably going to fly over most peoples' heads, but it's on the Patellofemoral articulation. Basically, the kneecap and related structures. I guess it can be interesting to some degree, as I'm the one writing it... To anyone else? I neither expect or believe they would find it interesting in the slightest. Regardless, it's when you have to figure out how to start it that you get kinda bored... So I found this weird Elmo toy that, if you click a button on him, he starts laughing and moving. It was kinda creepy, so I made it a little more creepy and made a video... It kinda went a little further than I thought it would, but here you are, the results of my having to write a paper.

So anywho, Wednesday was awesome! I suppose my school has a Mid-Term BBQ, where they give out free hamburgers and hotdogs... It was pretty cool. Of course, I didn't get one... I just have this thing about getting free food. I've always been raised on the idea of TANSTAAFL, There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. And I know, "ain't" is incorrect grammar, but "There's No Such Thing...." wouldn't really have worked. So yeah, I was uncomfortable getting free food, so I just bought myself some licorice and lemonade spiked with sugar, which I didn't really pay attention to until after I finished it... Much to my demise. So next to the BBQ they set up a volleyball net, and they had a volleyball out... So what do I do? I go grab a football and throw it at random people walking by... Nah, I wish. I actually just grabbed the volleyball and hit it back and forth with my friend Ricky... Soon enough, we had teams of 5. Albeit, they weren't very good teams... I had to be one of the better players there, which says a lot, because I'm not a very good Volleyball player. Despite my lack of skill, I really like playing volleyball! Unfortunately, the ball wasn't entirely inflated... So hitting it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, especially after my wrist began swelling.
Also, I learned a valuable lesson that day--- always keep sunblock in your bag. 


So here's a thought I've been considering for some time...

You know what's odd, is there aren't a whole lot of differences between Christians and non-Christians. Have you ever noticed that? Now before you get heated up, hear me out...
Christians are always talking about the church not being what it should be... But a lot of them don't try to change that. The truth is, we're afraid. We know exactly what it means to change; it means to be different from the rest of the world. The problem is we're afraid to be different from the world, because we understand the world... We don't understand God, so naturally we'd lean away from Him, and more towards the world. We always want what is most familiar to us. So what do we do? We try to be like the world, but we water it down.
We may not swear as much as non-Christians, but what about slang words? We avoid saying "Oh my God," because we know we shouldn't use God's name in vain... But did you know "Gosh" means "God"? So if you're trying to avoid using God's name in vain by saying "Gosh", you're still using His name in vain.

-Gosh-
Interjection
(used as an exclamation or mild oath): Gosh, this bag is heavy!

Origin:
1750-60; euphemistic alteration of God

So tell me what you think--- does that, or does that not, sound like a watered down version of what the world says? Can us Christians really not stand to be so different from the world as to completely neglect their ways, or do we really have to be like them? The problem with the church today is some big mystery to some, but it's quite obvious to me: The problem is that we're basing our standards on the world's own standards, and then watering it down JUST enough to make us look like the good guys while still being similar enough to the world to be accepted by them. What we need to do is look at what the bible says, and base our standards off that and live how God tells us to live, even if it means the world denying us.
We're letting the world define the Christians. We let the world define what is modest, what is good, what is wrong... We often will judge what is right or wrong by what our conscience says, but our conscience can be deceived and shaped to accept what society accepts. Don't judge what is right and what is wrong by what your conscience says, judge what is right and wrong by what the scripture says.
Note that I'm not saying I'm perfect, because I also base most of my standards on the world... But I recently started to notice the problem there, and wanted to share it with you guys.


Let me end with this...
"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." ~Galations 1:10 (NASB)

God bless ya ladies and gentlemen,

G'day!