Dare to be a Daniel

I once heard a quote that said, "If you stand when it hurts, you won't hurt for your stand." Daniel lived out this quote repetitively in his lifetime. He took a stand when everyone else was eating the king's meat. He took a stand and told the king the meaning of his dreams when it could have resulted in his death. He took a stand to continue to pray to his God when Darius had decreed that everyone only worship him. Over and over we see Daniel standing up for his God. There's not doubt that he faced ridicule, hurt, and rejection, but God was with him through it all and blessed him because of the stand he took.

Simeon and I have been reading Daniel 6 this week. This chapter tells of King Darius' decree that the people only worship him, of Daniel's stand to keep praying for God, and of God's deliverance of Daniel when he was cast into the lion's den. Daniel is an amazing Bible character, and we can learn so much from studying his life.

The Bible does not write about these people so that we can idolize them and think of them as super-humans. The Bible writes about them so that we can learn from their lives. We can learn so much from the life of Daniel.

How often to we take a stand for our Lord? Daniel stood even though he faced death, yet we waver when we think someone might laugh at what we have to say. Opportunities come into our lives every day to stand for our God and make Him know to others, and our reaction is to cower and decide to let someone else witness to the cashier or knock on a door or pray with our neighbor.

We are on the brink of a new year. I want to determine to dare to be a Daniel! As the popular children's Sunday school song says. . .

Dare to be a Daniel, 

Dare to stand alone!

Dare to have a purpose firm!

Dare to make it known.

Let's purpose in our hearts just as Daniel did to stand even though it may hurt, and I promise that you won't hurt for your stand! God will bless you for standing up for Him!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay Varner

You Only Live Once

Anyone who has been paying attention to common lingo among people under the age of 30 has heard the acronym YOLO at least once. It's a cute little phrase meaning, "You only live once." People use this phrase as an excuse for inappropriate or dangerous behavior. It's their way of saying that they are going to do whatever they want, whenever they want because they may not get the opportunity to do so later.

Walk into a hospital sometime and ask someone why they are there. Most people in hospitals are there because of poor choices on their part or someone else's. Obviously people just get sick sometimes. Sometimes bad things do happen to good people who make good choices. However, if you walk into the average hospital you'll find that most people are there because of the damage done to their body by bad decision making. Sometimes it's a broken arm from a kid going up a ramp on a skateboard. Sometimes it's a man in a bed waiting for a liver transplant because his liver was destroyed by alcohol. Sometimes a girl is getting shrapnel removed from her from the car accident she was just in.

People make bad decisions everyday, but everyone who is in the hospital because of his own bad decisions is sorry. They are sorry they didn't take necessary precautions or abstain from certain activities.

People are taught today to live today as if it's their last. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it has to be understood properly. For instance, this is a quote I pulled from a teenage blogger,

"Look at you. You’re young. And you’re scared. Why are you so scared? Stop being paralyzed. Stop swallowing your words. Stop caring what other people think. Wear what you want. Say what you want. Listen to the music you want to listen to. Go out for a drive at midnight and forget that you have school the next day. Stop waiting for Friday. Live now. Do it now. Take risks. Tell secrets. This life is yours. When are you going to realize that you can do whatever you want?"

Yes, this is horrible! Kids think they can just take their life and do whatever they want with it. YOLO right? What's life worth if you can't live it to its fullest? All those rules and restrictions are holding you back. If you want to dip your hand in liquid nitrogen then do it! YOLO! That's a silly illustration I know, but that sort of thinking is infused in every area of our society.

We've got churches saying it's fine to be gay as long as you love one another. We've got couples talking about their "open marriages" because they want more sexual partners than just their spouses. What are we supposed to do? How can we fix this?

The Bible says in I Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 

Yes, you only live once. You only have one life on earth. But that's just it, your life isn't your's to waste. It's not about doing all you can while you are alive! It's about doing all you can for Christ while you have the time to do it. Get out there and do what you can for Him, because He deserves it. Stop making bad decisions and live your one life for Christ! People naturally want to do what they want to do. It's our job to show them Christ's version of YOLO.
Keep thinking friends,

Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12

To Everything There is a Season

Why is it that in the dead of winter we wish it was summer time, but in the heat of the summer we wish it was winter?? Or in life, we wish we were in a different "season" than where we are at current, but when we get to that "season" we wish we were in another.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:"

This verse has challenged my heart many times! So often in my own life I miss the season I'm currently in, because I spend my time wishing the next season would hurry and come. Now I don't think the anticipation of the next season is wrong in itself. For example, toward the end of summer, I'm looking forward to the crisp fall mornings. But the error is missing the warmth and sunshine of the summer because I'm pining away and counting down the days until fall comes.

Ok- so are you wondering what all this talk about the seasons has to do with you and I? Here's the point I'm trying to make: God brings seasons into our lives. Some are wonderful and filled with warmth and love, while others are difficult and filled with many cold days. But as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, there is a time and purpose for every season that God brings into our lives! We often must go through the harsh winds of winter to move onto the lovely flowers of spring. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

So the next time you find yourself in the midst of a winter season, trust that God has a plan and has spring coming right around the corner. Don't miss the lessons and blessings God has for you in the season you are in by longing for the next. Find the purpose God has for you in the season you find yourself in today!!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay

Mr. Funny Guy

We all know this guy. Mr. Funny Guy is that person who is always cracking jokes. He doesn't care who he hurts as long as what he says makes others laugh. He'll crack a joke at anyone's expense, including his own. He has to be the center of attention.

Christian, you aren't supposed to be this guy. What? Why does it matter? Can't Christians have a little fun? Well, of course they can! I think Christians should be the people who have the most fun! We have so much more to live for than the rest of the world! We should be joyous and be able to have fun. But does that mean we can have fun but can't crack jokes? Of course not, but there was a day when jokes weren't all negative.

There was a day when even worldly comedians didn't swear constantly or talk about vulgar things in order to be funny. They were able to make crowds laugh with outrageous stories and imaginative scenarios. They didn't need to talk about politics, drag anyone's reputation through the mud, curse, or talk about sexual things in order to win the audiences. That's an art form not common among comedians today.

Enough about comedians, what about me? This is where the rubber meets the road. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." So what kind of words do you think the Bible wants us Christians to speak? Pleasant ones of course. How many times have we said things jokingly that really hurt someone? I am the king of this! I am naturally a sarcastic person, and I'm very light-hearted. It's a blessing at times because I can take things in stride, but it's a curse at other times. When it comes to jokes, I can say mean things and not even realize I've done it! We really have to watch what we say. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21 that death and life are in the power of the tongue. We all have heard the awful stories about kids who've killed themselves over something people said about them. We've also heard stories about how someone said the right thing at the right time and changed the course of someone's life for the better!

So, what's important Christian? Is your joke more important than someone else's feelings? There is a way to tell jokes without hurting anyone. I'm not preaching here; I'm just expressing something I've been thinking about and working on myself.

Keep thinking friends,

Simeon Brazzell
I Tim. 1:12