Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Purpose Driven Life
Welcome to my blog!!! I created this for women who would like to join our discussions on The Purpose Driven Life (and many more books to come), but can not make it to a meeting/s! Please feel free and open to share your thoughts and feelings. I am here to learn from everyone, as I feel that will help in my journey. My pupose for doing this is to develop a closer relationship with God...I hope you all join me on this journey...I will be posting thoughts and questions from days 1-3...please feel free to share your thoughts!
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5 comments:
Hi Jessica,
My goal is similar to yours, in that I want to "de-clutter" my spiritual life. I came from a place where I had been hurt by some folks who called themselves "Christians" and were supposedly full of love....blah blah you get it. I left the church because the doctrine didn't resonate with my reality. I spent the last number of years being 'unaware' of my spirituality. What I have discovered in the last 2 months, is that I am indeed a spiritual being having a human experience. God/the Ultimate Creator has become a reality to me.
My spiritual life has always been a big part of me - thanks to good examples set by parents, and despite not-very-good roles set by some others, who were supposedly 'Christians'.
My life has not been as challenging as some, but everyone faces fear/pain/greif at some time.
If we can 'de-clutter' our spiritual lives, then emotional ones - the brain and body will soon follow!
Thank you for sharing! I didn't grow up with much of a religious background. We would go to a Catholic Mass on Easter sometimes...but that was it. And i didnt really get much out of the mass...no message. Now when I go to service or Bible Study at my church, I feel like I am being fed. I get so much out of it. I guess I am different in that I have nothing to de-clutter because I didn't grow up with a Christian background. My parents are very good, hard working, honest people, we just didn't sttend church often. I think because they were "forced" until their adulthood to attend by their parents, it turned them off...So, since I never really went--I'm now like a sponge, which is why i love that my Church is very Bible based (the services). My fear at first was not being able to be good enough, or that I had to change everything I do in order to be a good Christian. I know that God forgave us, and continues to forgive us, and that the transformation is a process, at least for me. But, i feel myself changing more and more everyday.
I'm a strong believer that you are the person you make yourself out to be by the actions you take. Society is full of advertisements everywhere. You as a person must be headstrong and heart-strong to believe in yourself in order to believe in radical change for a better society. I continue to believe that it is called self-control, self-awareness and of course, it is the continued exposure to other's cultures, beliefs, and others' customs that we expose ourselves to which helps us be more conscientious of life around us. It isn't an individualistic thing we do. In other words everything we do doesn't have to be about us. It could be for others, but in the end you were a part of this huge creation that's becoming of it...But again, it's not about you. It's about others. And I think as long as we continue to revolutionize more minds, we, as a whole can accomplish, love, trust, and responsibility which in turn creates a better future for CHANGE!! The way I live my life today is not for "stuff"aka materialistic "things". I choose to live small, but give MORE than I can take. I call this my appreciation for life & friends. Thank you Jessica for inviting me to share my thoughts. Love you, Artey :)
My walk with the Lord has been very passionate at times especially the last few years after my marriage fell apart. I grew up with very secular, worldly "Christians" who didn't teach me about God by their actions. It was an abusive environment but I know now they did the best they could with the tools they had.. . I did "get" something from church and Sunday school however even tho it was a very secular Episcopalian church. But I found the Lord in my early 20s, thankfully. I didn't really serve Him or do what He was asking me to do in His word at ALL! I did many crazy things... but now I have an amazing relationship with Him and it gets better and better. I have learned that He is kind, forgiving, full of grace and mercy, and not a taskmaster. He is a God of three Persons, and as such, possesses personality plus! This was a huge revelation to me; that He was even funny and very real and gentle in His rebukes.
He has changed me and continues to! I love that about Him!
Thanks Jessica for sending me the link to your blog!
This is cool! I go to the Saddleback (PDL) church with my boyfriend Joel on Friday nights. And when I lived back East we did the 40 Days of Purpose home groups at my church. It was very very special! I had a sense I was gonna end up at that church somehow in southern California, and here I am! Wow. God gives us glimpses..
I am so happy you are on this journey Jessica!
Love in Christ,
Your Sister in Arbonne AND Christ!!! :)
~Rebecca
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