Jolly Ole Saint Nick

Santa...eh? or nay? Harmless fictional character to whom you encourage your children to believe in? Or a code name for Satan that will only lead to doom and destruction of your child's innocence??

Believe it or not I have heard arguments for both ends of the spectrum (Fictional Character??? Some people are just nuts!) and up until now I was not sure what my stance should be. Being the insane Christmas fanatic that I am of course I love Santa, but also as a Christian I do see that sometimes Santa can steal the spotlight of the holiday in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Not too long ago I had a parent approach me and ask if I had any suggestions on how to break it to their child that Santa isn't real. The parent's predicament was that they had been teaching their child about how fibbing is wrong...and now they were going to tell her that they had been "fibbing" about Santa her ENTIRE LIFE (which spans about 7 years).

I started thinking... why do we put ourselves through this? Why introduce Santa to our kids when we know that sooner or later they will be disappointed? Is it ethical to go to such great measures to get kids to believe just to let them down in years to come?

Who is Santa? He is a guy in an amazing red suit with an enchanting smile who answers the requests of children around the world. When kids believe in Santa they never think about how expensive the gift might be, or how implausible it would be for him to get it down their chimney, they believe Santa can make it happen...no matter what.

Santa is a faith builder. Matthew 7:9-11 illustrates that a good parent takes care of his children and knows how to give good gifts, and if that earthly parent know how to give good gifts how much great would the gifts be from the Heavenly Father. My Bible tells me that nothing is impossible for God...there is no limit of what God can do... no gift is impossible...

As children don't think about the logistics of how Santa will come through for them so we don't have to worry about logistics of how God can come through for us!

Faith & Belief in the Unseen

[Parents: when it comes time for you to real the truth about Santa to your child go at it with the approach of you are acting as a representative of Saint Nicholas (a generous man who gave gifts to children). Not that you have been lying to them, but you wanted them to know what it feels like to believe all things are possible, because that is how it feels when we put our faith in God!]

The Gym: Fitness for Life

Recently I have made a fresh new commitment to my physical fitness. I try to go to the gym 5 days a week and there are 2 key ingredients that I have found very helpful in sticking with this commitment:
 1) have a work out buddy
2) have a regular class schedule.

Going to classes ensures that I make the time each day--- plus my gym has their own App that plugs the classes I choose into my calendar... very helpful. Then having my workout buddy is just that extra kick in the pants to put on those gym clothes and get to work--- if I am running late I can be assured that I will get a text from her that always makes sure I am coming. 2 levels of accountability to be on task with where I desire to be physically.

Spiritually it is no different. We as humans are built to need each other. Just like I need my 2 key ingredients for physical fitness I also need 2 key ingredients for spiritual fitness. In our spiritual walk we also need a buddy-- someone to follow up with you on how you are doing spiritually. This someone should be a person you know will send you a text if they didn't see you in church last Sunday or that will follow up with you on a prayer need you had shared with them before. Accountability is key to gaining spiritual muscles.

Secondly, you have to schedule the time for spiritual growth. Getting involved in a local church is a great start. Many offer life groups that allow you to come together with other believers and get fed spiritually and build connections with people your age or who have some of the same interests as you.

To get fit--- we need a plan--- and our plan cannot be done alone.

The Princess Warrior

Survivor Mud Run 2012 

Princess Ball @ Harvest Christian Center

This was an exciting weekend in the life of Becks! I was a Princess on Friday and a Warrior on Sunday...One girl...two personas...both equally a part of who I am and what I was born to do!

Galatians 4:7 tells us that we are no longer slaves but heirs to the kingdom of heaven in which our heavenly Father is King above all! This by pure definition makes me a Princess. God created each of us with a divine destiny to rule and reign on this earth and when we have that understanding of who we are in Him whom shall stand against us? The Father desires for us to take hold of the Kingship anointing that says the battle is the Lords and that He is victorious in every battle.

This however does not give us a free pass from the battle front. We must also be willing to get down and get dirty in the midst of Battle. Our preparation is found in time in the word (sharpening our sword skills) and prayer (building strength and endurance). Just because we are chosen for royalty does not dismiss the fact that there is a very real enemy and his only goal is to stop the army of the Lord. He will try every trick and scheme in his power to distract, disarm, and destroy as many children of God as he can. I'm not gonna lie and tell you he never wins a battle...he does... but more importantly he will NEVER win the war!!!! 

So its our job to know our identity as sons and daughters of the most high God and to take up authority over the enemy. Then, we must also continually train for battle and be determined to be more than conquerors and not be discouraged by the obstacles and distractions that may be along the way.

I am a Princess

I am a Warrior

and I AM VICTORIOUS!

Occupy Wall Street Movement

As I reflect on what is happening in my country on this very day my heart is grieved for hopeless individuals who seem to believe they will change our economy by blocking up streets and parks in cities all over America.

Today, November 17 2011, marks 2 months that the members of the Occupy Wall Street Movement have been protesting. This is a collective group of people from all kinds of backgrounds coming together to “stick it to the man” so to speak. They call themselves the 99%... the underprivileged....the have-nots...etc. They are dwelling in the poverty line and they see no hope. They look at the wealthy and only see all of the injustice. 

Young Adults make up a large percentage of those participating in the movement. My generation is known for being active in fights for social equality, rights of the people, and movements in general. There is something about this generation that desires, to borrow the phrase from Blake Mycoskie [founder of Toms], to “start something that matters.” They are “revivalists” in some regard. Taking a stand on injustice.

This can be a good thing....on the flip side it can also be bad. Though it is noble to stand up for what you believe in and be the voice for those silenced by injustice, one must be careful not to slip into a mindset that says-- “Life is not treating ME FAIRLY. I DESERVE better. This is not what I WAS PROMISED. I want what THEY HAVE.”

This is what is called an entitlement mindset and can be a slippery slope if it is entertained in one’s mind for too long. Once we begin to believe that we are the victims of some great injustice we begin to see the world through a lens that is constantly looking for others to treat us unfairly.

Entitlement.

That is the mindset I see over not only this particular movement but over a generation.

I’ll tell ya what we are entitled to--- DEATH, ETERNAL DAMNATION, A LIFE OF MISERY.... oh goodie! NOT! I’ll pass on what is rightfully mine and embrace the grace covering of Jesus Christ. He came so that life DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FAIR!

Grace simply put is getting what we don’t deserve.

So as for this movement I pray that individuals would experience the Love of the Heavenly Father. That they would realize life isn’t always fair, and that is actually something to be grateful for. Lastly, that they would find hope and lasting peace in the one who has a track record never to disappoint...unlike Wall Street. 

Hope.

Peace.

Grace.

Faith is action

Faith is an action word
its scary..... its not simply sitting at a distance waiting for the blessing... its more like running full speed off of a 50 ft cliff not sure how it will end... those butterflies you get when you are at the very tippy top of the roller coaster and can't see over the edge so it almost appears that there is no more track... the raw emotion of starting a task and having no idea what the outcome will be, just knowing that you are at the point of doing something you have never done to get results you have never gotten

that is faith

As I reflect on Mark 5 and the time Jesus healed a woman of a life long disease and raised a dead girl to life all in one day I come to one common factor--- faith.

The woman had exhausted all of her resources. Literally. She went broke trying to find a cure for her lifelong disease that kept her in utter seclusion. Then she heard about this man Jesus and was filled with faith--- so she went on to do what she had never done to get results she had never gotten before.

Sometimes to receive the breakthrough we must step out and do the unthinkable---
faith is an action

we must act
and Jesus will bless....

cuz he is faithful

Jesus is a Friend

Jesus and his disciples were tight! They were the inner circle of the Jesus crew-- they ate together, hung out together, traveled together, did ministry together--- basically anywhere Jesus was the disciples were sure to follow... kinda reminds me of the little lamb who hung around Mary in the nursery rhyme... wait- and Jesus is the great shepherd which makes us his sheep, hmm never thought of the connection between the two like that before....

anyway...

They were with Jesus because of his charisma and contagious personality that drew massive crowds... people just wanted to see what he would do next! He went everywhere and did miracles and caused people to think in ways they may never have been challenged to think before. And the disciples studied...

When you spend this much time with another person chances are you are going to start acting like this person--- its inevitable... and so the disciples began to act like Jesus. In Matthew 10 Jesus commissions the disciples to go and do the stuff they had been watching on the sidelines Jesus do for a while now. In verse 16 he says he is sending them out as “sheep among wolves”... that right there tells ya that he never said it would be easy.... it would be hard... but totally worth it and with God far from impossible.

We as modern disciples are commissioned with the same cause--- heal the sick, drive out impure spirits in the name of Jesus. Disciple simply means “christ follower”.. one who strives to be like Jesus and fulfill the mission he set before us.

We have been given a Bible with 4 whole books that follow and track the life of Christ giving us the tools to study who he is and what he was all about.... then as if that wasn’t enough we have been given an open connection with him through prayer....

in order to be a disciple we must first know him as friend....

then live like he lived on the planet...

spread the good news to all mankind!

God Knows

Day 6

Job 6-9

so yesterday i skipped ahead on accident so now im going back to the one that shoulda been yesterday today so we are up to date

all things happen for a reason-- even though it makes no sense to us sometimes

this sounds like a simple, emo, my cat died type revelation

but i guarantee its not

simple message

God knows what he is doing