Beginnings

April 13, 2017

My first entry in an adventure I feel compelled to begin – I wish I could say what all this is about, but I’m not totally sure. It feels awkward putting my insides “out there” for unknown people to read – strange and uncomfortable. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you probably know me and you’re reading out of charity (thank you). If you don’t know me, you can read more of who I am in “About Me”.

I am a Christian, I love Jesus. I love Jesus and yet I struggle. I struggle with what it means to be a follower of Christ. I struggle with Christian culture. I struggle with giving up – surrendering – my ways for God’s. I think Jesus has been whitewashed….literally. He was from the Middle-East yet is often depicted as a white guy with reddish-brown hair. Jesus wasn’t a wimp – He overturned tables at the Temple and cracked His whip in the face of exploitation of God and His people.

Jesus lived during a time dominated by ruthless, brutal Romans yet never spoke of it. He did however, have plenty to say about religious rulers and hypocrisy. Jesus befriended society’s marginalized:

tax collectors
lepers
the disabled
women
sinners of all kinds

He spoke His mind and regularly offended the establishment of His day.

Christian culture often doesn’t reveal the Jesus I know and love. Click To Tweet

At times, Christian culture has an “us” and “them” feel. I have felt uncomfortable in Christian circles because I don’t fit the mold. I have a son with disabilities, I’m divorced and I don’t play Bunko. I want to live a life of radical obedience yet I often hide instead.

I believe Jesus is for everyone. He came for sinners. He died for me – a sinful, rebellious human who loves and follows Jesus imperfectly. I don’t have it all together. I don’t have all the answers. I wrestle with the truth of God and who I am – how I live and love, think and believe. I wrestle, I doubt, I fail. God in His grace and mercy helps me up, loves me and encourages me to try again. His love is unconditional and without limits.

I feel nudged to do this – write a blog. I’ve procrastinated – there are so many awesome, cool blogs, what the heck could I add that hasn’t already been said?  (in a better, cooler way than I could say it) Yet the nudging continues and I don’t want to miss out on an adventure with God – even if I feel inadequate and not up to the task. I stink at technology, something that is a bit of a disadvantage in an online forum. If I do this, and I’m obviously doing this, I want it to be real – not a dressed up version of me or what I think people want to hear.

Success means together we wrestle with what it means to be a follower of Christ and allow our weaknesses and struggles to connect us. For my unbelieving friends, Jesus is real and He loves you. He loves you without judgment or condemnation. He can handle your doubt, your questions, your past and even your anger and unbelief. Don’t let messed up people with their messed up version keep you from the real thing.

More about Liz

I'm a free spirit. I hate rules and legalism. I love art and nature, music, the beach and dogs. I like to garden, take pictures and read. I tend to speak my mind and have a rip-the-band-aid -off approach to life. (Brace yourself, this might hurt.)

15 Comments
    1. Wow….way to go Liz! Wonderfully written and inspirational.
      Keep it going!

    1. Liz my dear friend,
      Thank you. I believe that once we confront ourselves in the eyes and hearts of others, we don’t ever have to run or hide from our believes. Putting it out there is almost a sense of freedom, free to
      Reveal a snapshot of our inner self.
      God is surely real, and he knows exactly our thoughts, fears, beliefs, struggles. He is so real that he allows us this moment to share our thoughts and love for him with others.
      I am also a Christian that truly loves the Lord, I have my own
      Testimonies where God has revealed himself to me. He is the
      Breath I take everyday, he is the love that I share always.
      It’s him that brings people like you into my life, it’s him ..

      Love you Always,
      Marsha

    1. I feel blessed to have you in my life! The blog is awesome! Keep writing!

      1. Thank you so much! You and your family bless us! We love you guys ❤️❤️❤️

    1. I love this! You are real! I want to be real. I’m not sure what that is. I love Ps 139 ” oh Lord You have searched me and You know me. Verse 1. Verse 23″ search me oh God and know my heart. See if there is any offensive way in me”. You make me think, Liz. Thankyou

      1. Thanks Deanne! I always enjoy our discussions and you are real! I love you, thanks for reading and commenting!

    1. I felt I had to write. I write devotions, many published. I also wrote a story about losing our home when my husband lost his job. We lost most everything except an old pickup truck, clothes and some furniture. Funny as this sounds, it was one of the better things God allowed to happen to us. He moved me out of my complacent shell. He taught us we could hit bottom and survive as long as he was there. I found that every home he ever gave us was a blessing, a place to enjoy for that moment of time. Then he moved us on. By God’s grace I can now see all this. It was hard going through it. It was hard to understand until I came to the place where God showed me all that he had done in my life through the trials and circumstances. Just so you know, God still loves you and cares. He’s just leading you to tomorrow and the days after. May God bless and fill your heart.

      1. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Your words mean a lot. Please consider using the “Share Your Story” page to share your story – my prayer is this becomes a place of encouragement and hope. A testimony to God’s faithfulness. It sounds like your story is all of that and more. I so appreciate you taking the time to encourage me – may God bless you as well. ❤️❤️

    1. Wow! You just described me. I have lived like this my whole life! 41yrs. I don’t really fit in anywhere. I’m not of the world but I certainly don’t fit in with the church folks either. In fact all of my friends are not Christian. I was always seen as not good enough by the church folks. And to be honest I was okay with that. I saw the world the way you do. We should be reaching out to the lost by showing the love of Jesus but unfortunately what I see most of the time is judgement and finger pointing. It really saddens me at times and at other times it makes me angry. It’s really refreshing to see there are others out there like me. Thanks so much for being real! God bless!

      1. Hey Katt! So glad you stopped by – thank you for reading and commenting. I relate to so much of what you say. There have been times where the feeling I get is I’m not “Christian enough”. But the church is made up of imperfect people – the only perfect person is Jesus. So I’ve learned to value people for who they are and keep moving when they don’t get me. I so agree we need to reach the list by showing the love of Jesus. Thank you for an awesome comment!

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