Grace Girl

I think the big question we all need to ask ourselves is: How do we show not only the world, but other Christians what Christians should be like, and what Christianity is really about?? I think we all need to "set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

You know, I think the Scripture that scares me the most is, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prohpesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainily, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23) If only people would realize how important it is not only do the Will of the Father, but also to gain a relationship with the Son!!!

Yip, I'm telling you that nightclubs are serving 13 year-olds. In fact, most of the people there are under 16. Even more disturbing news is that most of them have already started popping pills, but it's not the older youth dealing to them... it's the mothers!! Night life here is quite petrofying!! The thing is that no one could care less about the youth these days. The attitude is just as long as they're out of the parent's hair, that's the main thing. But this is a whole different topic... I think I'll post another topic about it for anyone who's interested.... And I'm not extremely opposed to drinking, I'm extremely opposed to drinking excessively, and breaking the law. What I mean by blind drunk is six or seven double vodka and cokes, and they can hardly walk without falling over. I suppose what I'm telling you is just as unrealistic as 2 km petrol queues, but those exist too!! I'll admit, I'm not 100% sure just how true it is that there is a youth group going to the night clubs, but it was my Youth Pastor who told me, and I know he has a poilcy of not giving out information without first researching it. But I know my country, and I know what the youth are like here, and I am sure of the rest. I've seen it with my own eyes. Ha ha, if anyone leads a sheltered life, it's me -- I mean I've been in homeschooling since I was 9!! It does sound really bizarre , and sad, but it's true. Oh, and thanks, JC49, I am encouraged, and trust me, I will be praying... It's sad, Nebula, it may be difficult for people under-age to get alcohol where you live, but here, anyone can purchase it from any store, and there are no questions asked.

I'm not talking about people who realize that they are sinners and go to Church because they know they need help. I'm talking about the people who "have a form of godliness but deny it's power" (2 Timothy 3:5). Let me give you an example. There is a youth that meets up every Friday. But they don't meet up at a church... they're meeting up at different night clubs. They're talking to people about Christ and His love for them. But the thing is, they're doing it blind drunk!! So we have a bunch of 13 - 20 year-olds going into night clubs, getting drunk (remember that most of them are under age, so they're breaking the law anyway) talking about how Christ died for their Sin... something just doesn't work!! These are they hypocrites I'm talking about. Still think it's the best thing that they can do?? Just one more question: What/Where is the Church?? The church is a hospital for the sick, but the church is not a building. Us Christians are the church, and where we are, so the Church, and Christ will be also. (For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them. {Matthew 18:20}) So why do we have to go to a church to be healed? Why not just go to a fellow Chirstian and ask them to pray with you? Afterall, it is written: "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:14)

Please read what I wrote about this subject before you vote...

I've got a few things that have been on my mind for a while now. There's just so much I want to say, so please bear with me if I chop and change subjects. My brother strongly opposes Christianity. He says, I quote: "Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites who pretend to be better than everyone else. They go to their Church services every Sunday and talk to their 'Christian' friends. They tell them how great God is, then go home, ignoring the fact that they feel absolutely rubbish inside, and avoiding the real issues that really matter. " The sad thing is, I have to agree with him. What happened to Christianity as it was, in the beginning??? I constantly hear Christians saying, "Christianity is a way of life, not a religion." But then the next time I see them, they're blind drunk, using every foul word under the sun. If they're Christians, and that's their way of life, what does that say about Christ?? "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18) "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29) I'm tired of turning on the tele, listening to TBN or TCT or whatever other "Christian" channel, and listening to the same message. If you're broke, you're doing something wrong. Please, someone tell me, where in the Bible does ANYONE preach the prosperity message?? Sure, 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor so that you, through His poverty might become rich." But the Bible also says in Matthew 19:21, "Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.'" And He continues to say in verse 23, " I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." So, to me, 2 Corinthians says that Christ gave up his riches for us, only for us to give up our riches for others, like in Matthew. (I hope I'm making sense!!) Jesus also says, "No one can serve to masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24) I feel that people have turned Christianity into a Religion and are trying to use God to make them rich!! They justify themselves with Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Saying, "I'm seeking God's Kingdom, and He's added wealth and prosperity to my life because of it -- just like He said he would." Ummm... read carefully!! He is saying, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Then He says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." So which things will be given?? Food and clothes, NOT riches and prosperity!! And another thing that really gets to me is that some Christians have completely left out persecution!! They think that if something goes wrong, or if they're in financial trouble, it's because they're "not right with God". It doesn't occur to them that they might be just where God wants them, but they're suffering persecution. The religion of Christianity says that we can do what we like, we're meant to be wealthy, and life will be a bed of roses -- if you're not in God's bad-books. The Bible says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:3-11) And, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) So I leave this with you: "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word: be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men 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 aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5) _________________

At least it's not all bad news. I believe that God is using for good what Satan meant for harm. He's working through organizations like the Just Children Foundation who have a farm for the homeless. There are hundreds of people there at the moment, with more arriving each day. Where people were lucky to get one meal a day where they were living, and could hardly afford the rent, they are now receiving 3 meals a day and free accommodation. Amongst all the trauma, lives are improving, and better yet, hundreds are finding Salivation, a Loving Father and a Provider for all their needs. Peaches, if you really want to help, here's the website for the Just Children Foundation: http://www.justchildren.org.zw/ maybe you could contact them and see what they suggest??

Yip, I do! And despite all the problems, I love it here.

For the record, they didn't "re-elect" him. In this country there hasn't been any such thing as "free and fair elections" in years now. They were intimidated to re-elect him. We all know that the polls were rigged, and some even say that he didn't get enough genuine votes to win the last election and that's the reason he's back-lashing -- to get everyone back. Who knows but God?? But there is one thing that I do know, and that is all things work together for good to them that love God and are called together according to His Purpose.

I honestly don't know. I don't like to watch the news because generally my Dad starts watching as well and it gets him depressed...

Okay, well, umm, basically the government -- out of the blue, mind you-- has decided to start a project in which the president stated that he is "cleaning up all the rubbish". On the outside looking in, it might seem like a good move. All the pesky hawkers have disappeared from the shopping centers, and you don't have any vendors on every street corner anymore, and hey, the litter on the roads is also disappearing . BUT -- and that's a b-i-g BUT -- lets see the view on the inside. Tens of thousands of people have been put out of work because their little vending store has been burnt to the ground, or they're not allowed to sell their produce at the shops. Prior to this, minimum wage has more than doubled from $83,000 to $800,000 and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs because of it. So in this corner, we have hundreds of thousands of people out of work... and in this corner... The Police and the Army have gone all around the country with bulldozers and are destroying all "illegal" buildings. Whole villages, where people built their own little huts out of mud and straw, have been torn to the ground. Whole suburbs have been destroyed because every house there was made from wood. Everyone was bitter towards the cops... until you saw that they were forced to tear down their own houses . So, jobless on the one hand, and homeless on the other. What can they do -- and in the middle of winter, no less?? The people wanted to protest, but they were threatened that anyone who stayed off work would be sentenced 20 years in prison, and public meetings are also illegal in the more high-density areas. the churches are struggling with this one. And all for the sake of "cleaning up"?!?! It looks a bit of a mess to me. What people don't realize is that when the president said that he wants to "clean up the rubbish", the word for rubbish in the Shona dictionary is "poor".

Here's one to debate. Is what is happening in Zimbabwe of God, or Satan destroying God's people?? There are many different views on what is happening here. First of all, I just want to state that I believe that it is TOTALLY wrong!! Millions of people are now homeless, and thousands of people have died because of it. To give an example of the tragedy that is happening here: There was a lady who, while she went to the bus stop to meet someone, left her two children sleeping in the cabin. When she came back, she found that her house had been burned down with her children still in it. Pitty the widows. Pitty the orphans who are now on the streets because the only shelter that could be provided for them -- a wooden structure-- has been burned down. Is this God re-establishing "law and order"? A prayer that has been on the hearts of us Zimbabweans? After all, the Bible says, "not one table will be left unturned" or is it an attack from the Devil, trying to hinder us Christians who are praying for revival? Because the devil comes to rob, kill, and destroy? Can we object to this mass clean-up, when that's what we've been praying will happen?? Yes, we can object to the WAY it has happened. Pitty the people.