Quick Update...

It's that crazy time-between-tournaments in which I am madly attempting to keep up on my schoolwork. Thus, the lack of posting.

It's been an amazing couple of weeks however. The last tournament was such a blessing to me and my debate partner, both in the sense of an unexpected victory, and the support shown by our friends.

Here are a couple thoughts from what Mom calls the "pressure cooker"... aka, stressful, exhausting, and exhilarating tournaments:

A little adversity to show you who your friends are is worth it. Adversity lasts for a season. Friends last for a lifetime.

Often, it is when you have completely surrendered your hopes to God and resigned yourself with something else that He decides to bless you far beyond your expectations.

Having trouble trusting God with your future? All it takes is a little self-examination to reveal that He is far more trustworthy with something of such importance than oneself.

Questions that challenge us about our faith should drive us only more desperately to the Cross.


Well... that's all for now. Short posts become the norm when busy season rolls around I guess. :)

(Some) Rainmakers at Silversmith

I'll try to get some pictures from the most recent tournament up here as soon as possible.

High Places

I went to Survival Camp this summer. It was an amazing, life changing experience. But on the last day, something said by the guest director has and will continue to impact the way I think about any other big event.
He told us how the Israelites always went up to the 'high places' to worship God. He compared that to the week of intense growth we had experienced that week in the mountains of Montana. Then he said something that really challenged me. He pointed out that the Israelites, after worshiping God in the high places, didn't stay there. No food would grow there, and the villages and cities where they lived were down in the valley.
It was the same with us. We had grown and been stretched for a week in the high places, he said, but we couldn't stay there, because the people we are called to serve are in the valley.
This is a concept that I've had to continue to apply over and over again as I've attended big events. Just recently I attended another event, and it was very difficult to leave and return to the real world. I had to continually remind myself that the time I spent growing in the high places was improtant, but it didn't mean anything if I couldn't apply what I had learned to my service in the valley.
As Christians, we are called to serve, and as this is the case, we cannot live in the high places, sequestered away from the world. We need to work alongside those to who need the good news we have. The people we are called to serve are in the valley. We need to live, work, and serve in the valley, where the people are, and apply what we learn in the high places to that service.

We need to live a life of servitude.

A Cross Examination

In debate, any case presented by any team has to accomplish a few things in order to win the round.
First, it has to identify real problems,
Second, it has to provide a plan that solves those problems, and
Third, the end result has to be significantly better than the original situation.

And sometimes, debate can be applied to life.

Ever since the Fall, mankind has identified many devastating and all-too-real problems.
Poverty. Sickness. Cruelty. War. Pain. Suffering.
Death.

And ever since the Fall, mankind has tried many plans to fix this problems.
Enjoy life. Make money. Get glory. Achieve fame. Live a relatively good life. Eat, drink, and be merry.

But these plans never worked.

There was still pain, sickness, and suffering.
There was still death.
Aside from that, there was a major disadvantage.
Eternal separation from God.

Mankind was in a hopeless state.
Fortunately for us, that's not the end of the story.

The God who made us also loves us, and has provided a counter-plan. Another option.
God's own Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth as a man. He lived a perfect life, and died on a cross to pay the price for our sin. He rose, and conquered death.

The steps are simple.
Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
And believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.

The plan has a long-term solution for all the problems. One day, Jesus Christ will wipe away every tear. He is the Way.
The Truth.
The Life.

The end result is ideal.
Eternal life with God.

The choice is simple: man's plan, or God's?

It's time for some cost/benefit analysis.
It's time to count the cost and make your decision.
It's time to take another look at God's free gift of grace.

It's time for some Cross Examination.

Can a man become right with God by keeping the 10 Commandments? (2)

Ah, it's February, and I'm back! :)

Thank you Mergus, Sarah, and Lauren for your thoughts on the previous post! All thought provoking things that I will ponder as I actually write the card.
Here is a quick look at what I came up with in the 4 minutes of prep time I had.

1. We can't keep the 10 commandments

First of all, no one can keep the 10 commandments, because we are sinful in our very nature, and don't have the kind of self control necessary. But even further, even if someone could keep the letter of the law, it's more than just rules to follow. As Jesus lays out for us in Matthew 5, it's a heart issue. (You've heard it said... but I say...) It's about motives, and pure motives cannot issue from a sinful heart.

2. That's not the purpose of the 10 commandments

The 10 commandments were written after the fall, which means God knew that we could never keep them. The purpose of the law was never to make us right with God, but to show us our need for a Savior. Without the 10 commandments, we might think we're pretty good people. But when we start measuring ourselves up to God's standard, that is when we realize our need for a Savior.
The 10 commandments are not our way to heaven... they point us to the One who is.
Jesus Christ is our only way to heaven. The purpose of the 10 commandments is to show us our need for Him.

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Hopefully I'm back to posting now... thank you for your patience.

~Rachel Lynn