Conversations that have changed my life...
I once met a pretty free-spirited homeless man, well actually more like chased him down in a field b/c i was so convinced that the Lord wanted me to speak to him, but anyways...we started talking about God and life after death. He told me about his childhood as a missionary kid and how he believes in a "deity" that is good and rules this world, but believes that when we die - that's it and there is nothing afterwards. So our mission here on this earth is to live at peace with nature and the people around us. He went on to say that he strongly supports Christianity because it changes bad people into good people...everyone shares, they are more kind/loving their neighbor etc. So though he no longer believes in God, he still clings to the morals of Christianity. He even encouraged me to keep up what i was doing "people need to hear your message." Dude, what? "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2 Tim 4:3-4
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Last week, while doing outreach on campus, we met a man whose god was money. A kid that grew up with his parents arguing about money all the time, he was determined to fix that problem in his life. So he set out to make money, and boasts that he now provides jobs to feed 20 different families. A "transformed" man that went from at-one-point homeless to establishing his own booming business, right? When we asked him what he believed in, without hesitation he responded: "I believe in money. That's about it." He later went on to pose us as sellers, and told us that "if we get good at what we do, we could make a lot of money." ...ok, first, man: You need Jesus. Second: how can we "sell" something that is a free gift? "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God." 2 Cor 2:17
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I was talking to a guy i used to work with...an ambitious ex-soccer player that is pursuing medical school to be a surgeon. We were talking about classes and blah, blah, blah. I was telling him about a class that I am currently taking and struggling a little bit in. He boasted about how he got 100% on the final in this particular class and if i needed any help to let him know...I told him thanks for the offer, but i just needed to study more. After that he asked what took up all my time that i wasn't able to have time to study ...well, you know - working two part time jobs, taking a GFI course with lots of outside homework, family, and heavily involved in my church family and campus outreach and prayer. His reply: "You came here (college) to get schooling, not all that other * stuff" ...actually sir, you're wrong. i came to college to be a full-time student missionary and i could really care less about school. College is simply a means to facilitate friendships and meet needy souls at the crossroads of their life. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17
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Speaking of loving this world...i was talking with one of my co-workers a couple weeks ago and he was questioning me on why i do not work at our job any more than just part-time. I told him i enjoyed a life outside of work and why would i need to work more hours than what i needed to if i was doing fine with the income i was receiving? He replied with a blah, blah, blah and our conversation ended with: "Just sell your soul (to this job), Janalee, sell your soul!" ...have we gone so far that we are so involved with our job that we actually "sell our soul" to a company, a market, a man-made corporation? Oh, the sad truth is many have; have they nothing greater to live for in this life than their work to make money? "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthews 16:24-26
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Last week, while doing outreach on campus, we met a man whose god was money. A kid that grew up with his parents arguing about money all the time, he was determined to fix that problem in his life. So he set out to make money, and boasts that he now provides jobs to feed 20 different families. A "transformed" man that went from at-one-point homeless to establishing his own booming business, right? When we asked him what he believed in, without hesitation he responded: "I believe in money. That's about it." He later went on to pose us as sellers, and told us that "if we get good at what we do, we could make a lot of money." ...ok, first, man: You need Jesus. Second: how can we "sell" something that is a free gift? "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God." 2 Cor 2:17
...
I was talking to a guy i used to work with...an ambitious ex-soccer player that is pursuing medical school to be a surgeon. We were talking about classes and blah, blah, blah. I was telling him about a class that I am currently taking and struggling a little bit in. He boasted about how he got 100% on the final in this particular class and if i needed any help to let him know...I told him thanks for the offer, but i just needed to study more. After that he asked what took up all my time that i wasn't able to have time to study ...well, you know - working two part time jobs, taking a GFI course with lots of outside homework, family, and heavily involved in my church family and campus outreach and prayer. His reply: "You came here (college) to get schooling, not all that other * stuff" ...actually sir, you're wrong. i came to college to be a full-time student missionary and i could really care less about school. College is simply a means to facilitate friendships and meet needy souls at the crossroads of their life. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17
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Speaking of loving this world...i was talking with one of my co-workers a couple weeks ago and he was questioning me on why i do not work at our job any more than just part-time. I told him i enjoyed a life outside of work and why would i need to work more hours than what i needed to if i was doing fine with the income i was receiving? He replied with a blah, blah, blah and our conversation ended with: "Just sell your soul (to this job), Janalee, sell your soul!" ...have we gone so far that we are so involved with our job that we actually "sell our soul" to a company, a market, a man-made corporation? Oh, the sad truth is many have; have they nothing greater to live for in this life than their work to make money? "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthews 16:24-26
that last conversation has haunted and devastated me all week. it may change more than one life...
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