Find Religion

I wrote a post awhile back about how I don’t particularly agree with people who refuse to celebrate Halloween based on religious reasons. Halloween is a great fall tradition that has very Christian roots. Google it if you don’t believe me.

However, I do understand how some people could still feel a little queasy at the thought of their child running around as a devil. Dressing up is fun and potentially harmless, but if you don’t want you child to be “evil,” here are some quick alternatives to witches and monsters that you can throw together and still allow your child to participate in the fun tonight:

-Dress in jeans and a tee shirt. Scotch tape smarties (the candy) to your jeans. Go as smarty pants.

-Wear all black and tape socks and dryer sheets to yourself. Tease your hair. Go as static cling.

-Wear an old bathrobe and slippers. Pin your hair up in a towel. Put green makeup on your face (or use a real facial mask). Go as a spa queen.

-Wear brown and wrap yourself in tin foil. Go as a baked potato.

There are countless other non-”evil” costumes you can think up as well. This year, my boyfriend and I went as the queen of hearts and the mad hatter. Costumes worn by other friends this year and in the past: fairy, race car driver, rag doll, bag of jelly beans, disney princess, soldier, angel, strawberry shortcake, superhero, girl/boy scout, beauty queen, cowboy/girl, santa’s elf, rockstar…the list goes on and on.

You don’t have to be dracula or satan to have fun tonight. Be safe!

Halloween, fall tradition, Dressing up, child, costumes

Still talking about witnessing (see previous blogs), I think it is really important to understand how to be a good witness. Everyone posting comments (and me as well) seems to think that different methods work for different people.

So my number one piece of advice regarding witnessing?

Listen.

Listen to yourself. Is what you are saying true and non-offensive?

Listen to others. Are they receiving your message with hostitility, annoyance, or interest?

Listen to God. You’re talking about the Divine after all. Are you being true to your faith in both words and actions?

If you’ve answered any of those questions negatively, perhaps you want to rethink the way you go about witnessing, for your own sake, for the sake of your religion, and for the sake of those who are trying to listen to you.

witnessing, witness, God, the Divine, faith

People have been commenting about witnessing. Is it importnat? Yes, I think it is VERY important to speak about your faith. There’s more than one way to do it, but not every way will work and not every way is good for your soul.

I want to write more on that topic, but for tonight, I will leave you with a story one of the youth leaders at my church once told me.

People of certain faiths like to ring the doorbell (and always at the most inoppertune time, like when you’ve just laid a baby down for a nap) to try to convince you to convert. Even if you kindly tell them you have your own faith, they persist, telling you that their form of religion is better. This was happening to him, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

Then he simply decided not to try to beat them, but to join them. These people have the right idea, after all. It is important to talk about your faith. So the next time they came around and rang his doorbell, he began witnessing to them. He continued to do that every time they returned. At first, he was met with some polite, yet apparent, hostility, but soon he had them questioning their faith.

That’s what good witnessing does–it makes us think about our own belief system. After a few weeks, leaders from their church must have found out, because suddenly they stopped coming and new people rang his doorbell. These people were obviously avoiding his discussions that made the other questioned, as though they had been given specific instructions on what to do with “those people.”

So there’s my suggestion for all the readers out there annoyed by religious callers. Take a hint and talk about your faith to them.

Maybe they need to hear it.

witnessing, faith, soul, church, convert, religion, witness

This weekend, I had the honor of working at a reception in which my college’s largest donors enjoyed a meal and a few speeches about the college. Some community service awards were given. One, the humanatarian award, was given to a particularly inspiring alumea, Mrs. Teeter. She had worked in Haiti for over 30 years and helped found a school for the disadvantage Haitian community where she lived.

I found myself in awe of Mrs. Teeter and hoping that I too could win that particular alumni award one day–not for the actual recognition, but because it is given to people who have done something great in the service of others, and I hope I can do that someday.

After the meal, I slipped out to work in the coat check room as guests left. Before the mad rush hit us, an older couple, the Buchs came to gather their coats and I had the great pleasure of talking to them. Mr. Buch was quite a character and told us dirty jokes and invited us to his house to “booze” anytime, much to the annoyance of poor Mrs. Buch. Amidst his stories, he told us how distressed he was that it was raining.

You see, once a year, the college sends over a group of community service students to rake his leaves. The following morning was to be their Saturday at his house. Because it was pouring, there was no way Mr. Buch’s leaves were going to get raked.

And that made me think.

You don’t have to do something big and great and wonderous in your life to positively affect another person. The Bible tells us that that we are not saved by good works alone—but you have to admit, whatever religion you may be—community service is a mighty, might thing. Everyone needs a helping hand here or there, and without service, the little things would never get done. Sure, we need to end world hunger. But we also need someone to work a shift at the local food bank.

Get out there and make God’s love a reality in your own small way. My fellow co-workers and I have decided that when the weather is nice again, we are going to rake Mr. Buch’s leaves. It needs to be done and we can do it.

What needs to be done in your community? What can you do?

community service, service, The Bible, good works, helping hand, God’s love

I’ve recently been contemplating the very title of my blog–find religion.

I’m not sure a single website can help anyone find religion if they are truely searching. However, I do hope that this may help people formulate their own answers to life’s important questions. Whether you believe in a Divine being or not, answering these questions, or at least exploring them, is the only way to find religion. Religion isn’t just a tradition handed down to you from your parents to be blindly followed.

Is it out duty to help others find religion? Yes, I think it is. Stay tuned for advice on this subject, and feel free to leave some advice of your own. How can we help others find religion?

find religion, Divine, Religion, advice

At the end of the day, we can look back of the last over the last 15 or so hours we have been awake, and we can see either a day of accomplishments or a day wasted.

God has given you the tools you need. Use them.

God has given you the puzzle pieces. Assemble them.

God has given you the fire. Light your way.

Let your life not be wasted. Breathe every breath in honor of your imagine of the Divine, whatever that imagine may be. Someone once told me that every hour you spend worrying over trivial things leads you one hour closer to your death.

I may sound a little soap box-y tonight, dear readers, and for that I do apoligize. However, I simply urge you to consider your daily life, tonight and from every moment now until you take your final breath. Learn whatever you can. Do whatever you can. Pass on to the future whatever you can.

God, life, Divine, Learn

God loves you.

If you don’t believe that, believe this: I love you.

If you are contemplating suicide, please go here first, as a favor to me if for no other reason:

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

And if you ever need to talk, contact me. And if I’m not around, contact God. Suicide is not your only choice.

God, I love you, contemplating suicide, Suicide

I go to a small private college (read: everybody knows everybody). Yesterday, the campus community found out that a soph. student “tumbled off of an overpass and into oncoming traffic.” She died.

I knew her.

Not well…but I knew her. Everyone knew her. She was a nice girl.

There has been some speculation that it was suicide. Nobody saw it happen–the road kinda goes up a hill and she was laying on the pavement already when the driver hit her. We’ll probably never know.

I think suicide is a difficult subject for Christians, and for everyone of any religious value.

I’m not sure I want to speculate either way. I mean, I’ve heard people full of pity and sadness and I’ve heard people full of anger and I’ve heard people full of guilt, all talking about suicide.

I’ve heard people say that the person who committed suicide is going to a better pain-free place now. I’ve also heard people say that it’s selfish murder for which the person is going to hell.

There’s more to say about suicide that most people know how to put into words.

So instead, for once, I am not going to dissect this subject. I am simply going to pray for her soul and her friends and family. Suicide or not, it is a tragedy. I encourage you all to do the same.

KJ, you are in everyone’s hearts right now.

college, community, suicide, sadness, tragedy, KJ

I’m a college kid (for one more month!), and so I know that when you move to a new area, going to a new church can be intimidating. College is the worst. I mean, there’s so much to do on a Saturday night, that when Sunday rolls around, it is very tempting to turn off the alarm, roll over, and go back to sleep.

Here are some suggestions on how to stay connected to worshipping if you have found yourself in a similar situation, college student or not:

1. There are power in numbers. Go to church with a group of friends, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or your roomate. This will inspire you to go every week.

2. Find a later service. There’s no rule that you have to go to church at 8 in the morning. Many churches offer a 10:30 service as well–or even later. On my campus, we hold a non-denom service in the evening. Which brings my to my next suggestion…

3. Get involved with campus worship. Not only do most colleges have campus worship services, but they also have clubs and organizations for all religions. This is a great way to get involved and make some new friends.

4. Stay connected to your home congregation. Sign up for your church’s newsletter, if they have one, and have it sent to your college address. Also exchange emails with church leaders so they can keep you updated from afar.

5. Pack your Bible. Or other religions scripture. With the hussle and bussle of moving, you don’t want to forget it!

Hope this helps—anyone else got tips for college students?

college, going to a new church, worshipping, student, church, campus worship, college students

This is a book definitely worth reading if you are interested in religion and strong in your own faith. I think that before you can truely believe in a faith handed down to us by our parents, it is important to do a little soul-searching and see what other people have to say on the same topics: life, love, and death.

book, religion, soul-searching

I read a study the other daying that prayer does not help a sick person. Apparently they did this huge blind test in which some people received prayers and others did not. The results showed that those who received prayers did not have a better survival rate or faster recovery time than those who did not.

I’m a skeptic. I think a lot of factors in such a study cannot be controlled. What if the people in the “no prayer” group where praying for themselves? Can’t God listen to one individual prayer well as well as he can listen to an entire congregation?

In any case, prayer can’t hurt, right?

So, in that spirit, I’m starting a prayer list on here. Once or twice a week, my post will be devoted to you out there who want our prayers and to your friends and family members who may need them as well.

And if you feel as though you don’t need any specific prayers at the moment, please take a second and say a prayer for those who ARE on the list.

I’ll start. Leave me a few comments and the list will grow each week. You can use names, initials, whatever. God knows who you mean.

-please pray for my friend who is having money problems
-please pray for all the Etown college students having trouble with midterms this week

prayer, sick, God, prayer, prayer list, friends and family, comments

I’ve recently been reading some Hindu teachings, and no matter what your religions background, I highly recommend doing the same.

Accoding to Vedanta, our spirit is divine, pure, free, and perfect. We do not have to work for this, it is simply the case and we only have to realize it.

I think this can be applied to a Christian tradition as well. Our spirit is naturally good. When we do bad things, we simply have to pray for forgiveness.

Lately, I have prayed for forgiveness because I have been overly irritable with the amount of work I’ve had on my plate.

For what have you prayed for forgiveness lately?

If you can’t think of anything, perhaps you should go pray right now.

reading, Hindu, Vedanta, spirit, divine, Christian, pray, forgiveness

People can never be trusted.

God can always be trusted.

Fact or fiction? What do you think, dear readers?

I work a lot. And by that, I mean that I work at least 80 hours every week, when you add up the time I spend on school work and my two part-time jobs.

I work a lot.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to work so often. I miss just sitting back and appreciating God’s beautiful world. It’s a difficult thing to do when you are so busy.

Suggestions please, because I know other people out there are wondering the same thing: How can you appreciate God’s world when you have little time?

My suggest: Say a little prayer of thanks right before you go to sleep.

Your suggestions?

work, Suggestions, God, prayer

I curse sometimes. Especially when I’m really mad. It’s a poor habit, so its one that I’m effectively trying to stop.

One thing that I will not say, however, no matter how mad I get, is “Jesus Christ!” It makes me a little uncomfortable when other people say it too, but guess what kids–I now have the perfect comback, and I wish i could attribute it to someone but I have no idea where I first heard this:

When someone yells “Jesus Christ” simple yell back “Where!?!”

It puts everyone at ease, even when some Christian friends might have a problem with using that as a curse word. After a few times, people will get sick of you saying that and they’ll simply stop using Jesus Christ as a curse word.

And that makes the party much more fun for everyone.

Jesus Christ, Christian, curse word, Jesus