Choose Them & Disciple Them

As I was sitting down tonight to open my Bible and eat my little kitkat bar, after putting Levi to bed, I smiled to myself thinking about how much I love my beautiful baby. I can't get enough of him. Everything about him is precious, and pure and so innocent. And yet, throughout the day I continually find myself slipping away from him to do laundry, check social media, do dishes and sweep. It makes me feel so awful at the end of the day to think about all the moments that I let pass by, where I could've been setting all of that aside and making him laugh instead. Oh my goodness, his laugh... It consumes my heart. 

I know we all go through these mommy moments when we feel like we aren't enough for our children, or we don't do enough for our family sometimes. And especially giving God the time that He deserves from us. I've been feeling that a lot lately. Hence the reason why I've left the blog untouched. I'm definitely not one of those major multitasking moms that miraculously finds an immense amount of time to accomplish every goal in 24 hours with three kids and a job. Not me. Stay-at-home mom, one baby, and my day flies by in what seems like 10 minutes... Aside from all of that, the best part of my day is when I rock baby Levi to sleep. It's that one on one time, just me and him, singing songs that he hums along to with his sweet smile and cute baby voice. He is my angel. In those moments, it makes me feel a little better that I'm getting time to really love on him. I imagine that's how God feels on Sunday mornings, when He sees us praying and singing along, worshipping Him. Finally getting time to love on us from the crazy week, and He deserves way more than that. Our children also deserve more from us.

But there's something I read on a fellow mommy bloggers site, where she had a chalk board frame that she wrote in and it said, "Choose Them." She has it above the sink, where to be honest, we mommy's spend a lot of our time. So she can look up and remember that each moment is precious and to put down the dishes and Choose Your Children instead.

There's so much going on in the world today, so much violence and hate. It's so hard to think that our babies will one day be living in it too. As parents, we have the power and ability to choose our children, to teach them, guide them, and show them unconditional love. In the world today, it is absolutely crucial to make sure that our children know Jesus and His love for us. It is crucial that our children know how much we love them as well. Love them enough to throw the clothes in the basket and just go play legos. We have the ability to not only go out and make disciples of all nations, but to make disciples starting in our own home. Trust me, I am talking to myself as well. I just never want Levi to be in a situation where he will look at me with defeated eyes and say, "Where were you when I needed you?" I am not only his earthly mom, I am his sister in Christ. I was created to serve Jesus by serving him as well as everyone else. 

We also need to have the knowledge and therefore ability to explain the difference between friendship and fellowship to our children about who they choose to become close to in life as well. Of all the scriptures about Jesus eating and drinking with sinners, yes of course they are all true, but there wasn't a person who fellowshipped with Jesus that left unchanged. Even Judas Iscariot, one who seemed to be untouched by Jesus's teachings, in the end, he knew what he had done was very wrong, and ended up hanging himself.

The one person that I absolutely know is such a role model for this post is, of course, my mom. She's the real-life super woman. All of us girls are beautiful Christian women, and how she did it is a mystery to me. Actually that's a lie, I know how she did it. She's a prayer warrior. She has probably said millions and millions of prayers for all of us kids. She's been the best teacher I've ever had, which means she's been one of the best disciples of Christ. I want Levi to be able to say that about me too. 

Choose Them, Disciple Them, and love them with all your heart. Because bringing your own children to Christ is the best kind of witnessing you will ever do.

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."' -Luke 18:16


With Love,
Victoria V.

To Christians About Christians: The Word 'Negativity'

I've thought a lot about how I should word this post and how I should reflect love with these words I'm going to share. So I'm going to attempt to do my very best. So many Christians have chosen to close their ears to these issues that surround us and say that they don't care, and that we should choose love and acceptance over addressing the unbiblical. I just don't find that completely truthful.

I am just a Christian woman trying to do what God has called me to do with this blog. Staying silent and saying we don't care has gotten us where we are today, and there is too much at stake to keep that pattern. I hope that if you are reading this you will gain some understanding from my point of view.

I have read, heard, and seen a ton of Christians throw around the word negativity associated with trying to share knowledge about what God and the Bible asks of us in this season of so much defeat. I use the word defeat because I feel that's what's happening to us. A kind of "if you can't beat them join them" type of attitude; so no one will have anything bad to say about you or criticize you in any way. I never thought in my lifetime, a Christian would think Bible verses, or hearing from the Church and our Pastors, would be considered putting negativity in their life. That's very disheartening. It's almost as if some believe the term "Christian" has magically transformed into the term "Hippie." Instead of listening to a Pastor for instruction they'd rather stand for peace, love and everyone you meet is going to Heaven for being a good person. You can argue that it's not about Christianity or religion, that it's just about happiness and equal rights and that's what America is all about. However, that's not what was intended for this country at all. And if you are a Christian, shouldn't God and The Bible be what ultimately consumes your way of thinking and decision making process?

So let me ask this one question, why don't we care more about our brothers and sisters?

Instead we are crippling their walk.

We're crippling them by staying silent, we're crippling them by saying we shouldn't care about what people choose to do with their lives, we're crippling them by saying everyone deserves happiness and equal rights. We're crippling them by telling them not to say anything in fear of being called ignorant and intolerant, and to keep their mouths shut about these issues. Any way we try to argue it, we're still crippling them. And believe me there are people paying attention to the things you say.

"At one time it was good to have biblical morality, now it's bad, you're a prude. At one time it was good to believe in the Bible and stand with the Bible, now you're a bigot. Everything is absolutely reversed. The abnormal has now become normal and what used to make people ashamed now amuses them. An absolute turning of light and darkness." -Pastor John Lindell

The truth is though... above all of what anyone chooses to see in me or to call me, what I truly am is accountable. I am the one that will be held accountable in front of a Just, Holy, Almighty, and All-knowing God for letting my brothers and sisters play with fire. You will be held accountable as well.

I do feel that we need to humble ourselves and repent before we try to help anyone overcome any kind of tampering with sin. But at any cost, help them. Help them understand where we should stand in this nation right now, instead of causing confusion. Acknowledge that you know ALL sin that God diligently took the time to explain for us in His Word is wrong so someone else won't stumble.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." -Isaiah 5:20 NIV

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path." -Galatians 6:1

With love,
Victoria V.

A Letter To My Former Youth Ministers

I took a month off from writing to get a little break and reevaluate why I take writing so seriously. Then it dawned on me... I do this because of the people who had such a strong Godly impact on my life when I was growing up. When I was just a broken teenager without the presence of family, you became my family. You saw through the easily influenced side of me and helped mold me into a leader, the leader I thought I'd never be. In high school and middle school I always used to hear the phrase, "Be a leader not a follower," whether it be from my mom or from a mentor. And I always thought to myself, "I wish I could turn my life around and really be like that." I was never as devoted as I should've been and that's one of the things I regret the most. Only to one day realize and begin to truly appreciate the time and diligent teachings you invested to my life. I may not have fully understood then but I completely understand now how important and crucial our time was. Without your well prepared words given to you by God, I wouldn't be who I am today. I never thought in a million years God would place me and my family in a church that we have the opportunity to help build up and be leaders of.

I don't know how many "thank you's" you get from former students, but I wanted you to know that your time spent educating and in a way training me, was not wasted. Nothing that you do will ever be wasted. Your kind words and sometimes even scolding lectures will forever be with not only me, but all of the kids you've encountered. I finally understand how unyielding your job is. You have to be on constant guard of what you say and how you act because of those attentive eyes and ears following you. This country needs more men like you. I can only hope and pray that my son will also have amazing Godly mentors and ministers aside from his father. Someone he can talk to and confide in when life seems unbearable as a teenager. You not only gave me Godly wisdom, you gave me a second home to come to anytime I wanted. Your words impacted my life so much and I'm realizing that more and more every day. I will be forever grateful to you for being my brothers in Christ and also becoming the brother/father figures that lacked in my life. Thank you for pushing me to better myself as a Christian, and thank you for helping me discover those spiritual gifts I've been blessed with. To this day I pray for you and your beautiful families, for strength to always keep teaching and bringing the influence of God's Word to everyone you meet. 

You will always be in my heart, and I will always consider you my friend. Thank you for everything you've done for me.
(And I will probably always continue to ask you random questions that I can't quite figure out on my own.)

With Love,
Victoria V.

The Heart Behind These Words

I've done a few posts that have been really hard for me, and this is going to be one of them. This subject has been causing me so much grief and confusion, and I just wanted to sit down and let it all out. So with tears and a heavy heart, that's what I did with this one. It's not about pride or boasting, it's about the truth about what kind of person I truly am.

I have a gay friend named Michael that I worked with a few years back. He is full of life, he loves seizing new opportunities, and making people laugh. One night I got a call from him and he was in tears at the hospital, before you freak out let me tell you that it was just kidney stones. However, he was still in a lot of pain at the ER and they wouldn't give him pain medication until someone arrived to drive him home. So he trusted me enough to call and ask me to come and eventually take him home. Of course I went and sat with him and tried to talk him through the pain before the meds started to kick in. He was in full blown crocodile tears, and said he thought he was going to give birth, haha. I know I shouldn't laugh, but men crack me up sometimes... So I helped him out of the hospital and into the car, and drove him home. He said he was fine to be left alone and he wanted to rest so I went home. He was really thankful, and the next day he had my friend Kimberly deliver me a surprise bouquet of flowers to work for being there for him. 

My intentions for this story is not to flaunt pride or contradict my beliefs. I wanted to share this story because being a Christian doesn't mean you have to have a cold heart toward someone. Nothing could've stopped my heart from knowing I had to help Michael that night. Though it may seem odd to some and give off an impression of prudence, but as Christians, it is required of us to uphold the laws of God. To vote no to gay marriage. But for a former friend to say, how dare I say I have gay friends and family and that I don't have a heart for all humanity, really broke me. It is not wrong to stand and support those who do want to serve you but just have to say no to participating in that specific type of wedding. Because let's be honest, in our Christian culture that type of marriage doesn't honor God or His law. However, your heart does honor God when you choose to show love to all people around you.

My Dad and I just recently talked about his brother Tim, who passed away before I was born. Tim got diagnosed with AIDS and he was also gay. Uncle Tim died in my Dads arms, and my Dad has never gotten over the pain, and who could ever get over something like that? It's a painful feeling and image to hold on to. So let me tell you why I think Uncle Tim is in Heaven. In the Bible there's a scripture in 1 Peter that reads, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." And in those last few moments, my Dad's heart was so full of love and hope for his brother. It is not our job to tell anyone they are condemned to hell, only to lead them in the right direction toward Heaven. I'm not saying you should encourage and welcome homosexuality, but don't let it keep your heart from loving deeply.

I also wanted this post to be about forgiveness. Forgiveness for heat of the moment retaliation and misuse of words, that cause people to think all Christians carry malice in their hearts. This particular situation has been weighing on my heart so much, and it crushes my spirit to know someone would wrongly classify our family.

So I want to say I forgive you. I forgive you for judging me. I forgive you for saying mean things about me and turning your back. I know my heart was never in the wrong place. I have built this blog for me to have a place to come to spill my feelings and thoughts, and welcoming anyone to read them. It's always raw and vulnerable and sometimes people take advantage of that and say hateful things. But I feel like I'm doing a very brave thing by opening myself up and letting people see me and know that we have the chance to inspire others, take your chance. I know who I've become and I love where I am in life. So I just ask you to please be respectful and know that there is a real person with a heart behind these words...

With Love,
Victoria

My Worst Misconception

Have you ever found yourself having that inner conversation about the church? Thinking that it only holds judgment and you don't have to go to love God or to be a Christian? I used to be this person. And I've had this conversation with myself and God plenty of times. Ever since I graduated high school, I said it would just be me and God, on our own together. I would listen to podcasts of sermons and make myself feel a little better about not attending. I don't mean to make this sound cliche, but I was wrong to ever doubt the church. When you start to doubt the church, it unfortunately is the beginning of doubting God's plans. 

I've read so many things about how awful the church can be and what so many assume that it holds. I've been to a few different ones and none of them have been the same. The church that we are members of now, it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's so attentive and passionate for God, and every Sunday leaves you feeling like God spoke directly to you. Most of the New Testament is Paul's letters to each of the churches. Filling those scrolls with instructions from the Holy Spirit. The church should not be a place of judgement, however it should be a place of change. Hearts, minds, bodies, all changing to follow Christ. It should be a place of repentance. Every time you attend a church service, you should not walk out the same person as when you first walked in. That's what I love about ours; when we worship it's not just singing, it's our Pastor praying over us, and us praying as well. Giving us the chance to ask for forgiveness, for whatever has gone on during the week in our lives that set us back. If we need healing he has the oil out and ready to anoint us, it's real. His people are being moved, saved, and healed. It always leaves me wondering, why aren't all churches like this? That is why I love it so much. It gives me the feeling of closeness to God's Word and the Holy Spirit, it feels like the closest thing to Heaven, it feels like home. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all other churches are doing it wrong, but each one has their own different routine or way of doing things.

There's a story in the Bible I always run back to because I feel like it's the story of my life. In Mark chapter 5, there's a woman who had been sick for a long time and came to a crowd gathered around Jesus, and she said to herself if she could only reach out and touch his clothes she would be healed. And because of that strong faith she was healed when she brushed his cloak against her skin. And Jesus wasn't mad at her, He was stunned by her faith. Now that I know what the church really holds, I'm always so eager to get there on Sunday morning. I always feel like that woman running after Jesus, "If I can only be in the presence of the Holy Spirit today, He will speak to my heart, make me stronger in His name."

I can tell you that the church is of great importance to God. From spiritual correction and discipline to tithing and so many other lessons. The only way for you to really know how important it really is, is if you read His Word for yourself and let Him speak to you about it. Even if you're going through a dry spell, make that effort to find a church you really love. It's one of the most life changing experiences I've ever had. Don't let Satan keep telling you that it's not for you.

"The words of our Pastor that impacted me the most were these: God wants our church to be an Ark, to bring as many people in as we can because the end is near. I've just never heard a preacher say it like that. God gave him a vision for our church, and it was a revelation to my spirit." -My Mom


"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." -Matthew 18:20

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." -Ephesians 4:11-13


With Love,
Victoria