Being Christian Means…

What comes to your mind when you think about Christians? Maybe you conjure up bible-carrying, people-hugging, worshipping church attenders. Maybe a cross hangs around their neck and they just keep talking about what God has done for them in their lives. Maybe they tell you what God can do for you. But how does one go from being an atheistic, man-made, sin-ridden person to one that would carry their own cross and walk the long, sometimes lonely road, to serve our Father?

Being Christian starts on your knees.

Yes, you read that right. You don’t get to Jesus by being full of yourself, thinking that you know everything there is to know in this world. You can’t know Jesus by pushing Him away and believing He doesn’t exist. You can’t know Jesus if you don’t get on your knees and admit that you know nothing. You must admit that you aren’t perfect. You must feel the weight of your sins, and place them at the feet of Jesus.

Being Christian means being able to say I’m sorry.

It takes courage to acknowledge that we have done wrong in our lives, that we have sinned against others. It is so hard to do that when our loved ones are looking at us with tears in their eyes, hurt by our actions. Instead of owning responsibility for their actions, many people turn away and cover their shame. Others will pretend that they have nothing to account for and will go about their business leaving the other person shocked in disbelief. If we can’t look at each other and admit our faults, how can we bow down to our Savior with guilt in our hearts?

Being Christian means forgiveness is the light at the end of the tunnel.

You can’t expect a person to be forgiven if they never apologize right? How can a person move on from their pain if they never hear “I’m sorry?” It’s hard to find the strength to love again. It’s a struggle just to find peace in our own hearts let alone lend that peace to someone that doesn’t deserve it. That’s how we all feel when we are wronged. Thankfully, that is not how Jesus feels. He is more than just a hope but the true light that provides healing to broken and bleeding hearts. He is the avenue we must all come to in order to find peace in this ugly and brutal world.

Being Christian means being loved.

Jesus is our Savior, born to each and every one of us because we are worthy of His love. It doesn’t matter how many times we mess up, He is always going to be there for us. It doesn’t matter if you feel like you are worthy or not. We are all special in His eyes, made in His likeness, and meant for bigger things than the lives we set out for ourselves.

Being Christian means being saved.

Jesus sacrificed Heaven to come here and rescue us… those that know nothing about Him, those that want nothing to do with Him, and those that love Him with all of their heart. He was born this day to give life to so many that don’t deserve it. Knowing this, doesn’t it just make you want to get down on your knees, bow down to Him, and thank Him for all that He has done in your life? It doesn’t matter what religion you are currently practicing – we can all come to Jesus as we are.

This Christmas, I pray for you and your families. I pray that you invite Jesus into your heart, into your life, and allow Him to work through you. You need not be afraid – I was once in your shoes, an unbeliever, and I fell unashamedly in love with Jesus. It was the best day of my life.

Being Christian means being born again.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

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For more information about Kristeen Nicole Gillooly, her music and her ministry, please visit http://www.kngmusicministry.com. You can also visit her artist website at http://www.kristeennicolegillooly.com. 

Seeking Refuge in an Unsafe World

In a world of hostage situations, shooting sprees, beheadings, and more, we as a people have become largely desensitized. Thanks to the Internet and social media, there is immediate access to the ongoing terror alive in this world, and while it angers us, it has not been enough to stop us from watching. I, too, am guilty of pouring over news sites and Twitter, waiting for any new information as these dramas unfold. Tears fill my eyes but I cannot look away as I pray for those whose lives have been affected by tragedy.

While most of us look on in horror, there are some that quietly champion the acts of others. Some will quietly record these events in their mind and think that perhaps it is something they can do one day. I fear for these people and the things that go through their minds. I fear for the families they intend to target, and I fear for the state of our humanity as we continue to witness relentless killings against each other.

It doesn’t matter what color or race you are, or even where you live. It doesn’t matter how old or young a person is, what religion a person practices, or their sexual preference… we are all targets.

There is no safe place for us to escape these terrors.

If we are lucky enough to not be shot at, raped, held hostage, or any of the other countless tragedies that can befall us, we still have to live with the repercussions of just knowing these things are happening to our family members, our friends, and in our communities. Each tragedy is a reminder of the evil in this world, and tragedy upon tragedy can make us question what good is left in the world.

In the case of the Sydney siege, one girl inadvertently started a campaign on Twitter to help Muslims travel safely when she said she would ride with them. #Illridewithyou became huge in just a matter of hours and has been a way to bring together that community in the midst of tragedy. This is just one story in response to one tragedy but it reminds us that…

The evil in this world is not enough to corrupt every heart.

We can thank God for that.

In times of tragedy, we can be part of the problem or we can be part of the solution. Jesus has called on us to love one another and tragedy against humanity can be the ultimate test of our hearts when we look at how we respond. There are those that use it as a photo op (yes, people took selfies outside the cafe in Sydney), those that use it for financial gain (news ratings), and those that have nothing to lose by offering to help. From where I am in the United States, I chose to pray for everyone affected and involved.

In regards to the sin in this world that keeps plaguing our souls, I have this reminder – Jesus is our refuge. We cannot barricade ourselves away from all of the negativity in this world but we can turn to Him for comfort at all times, especially when we can’t find comfort in an unsafe world. I know that there are some reading this that are not Christian and may not want to hear that Jesus loves them. I would like to offer this… I love you. I don’t know you but I love you as a fellow human being that has feelings and desires as I do, that has fears and pain that is hard to live with day in and day out. If you can allow me, a complete stranger to love you, then I invite you to allow Jesus to love you as well, even though you may not know Him and you may not know why He cares for you. I’m sure that you don’t understand why I pray for you either. Just as everyone around the world poured out their love and concern for Sydney today, so did Jesus. Imagine this being done everyday for every life and every event! That is the magnitude of God’s love for humanity – rich and poor, black and white, Christian and non-Christian… We are one humanity loved by the one who created us. Let this inspire you to be loving toward each other, today and everyday.

It takes a world of love to rid a world of evil.

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For more information about Kristeen Nicole Gillooly, her music and her ministry, please visit http://www.kngmusicministry.com. You can also visit her artist website at http://www.kristeennicolegillooly.com. 

Miracle in the Making – Part 3

So, it turns out that I’m not going to make it in the radiologist business. I suppose that makes sense considering that I’ve never gone to school for such a thing and the only experience I’ve ever had doing such work was reading one set of ultrasound results. Oh, did I mention that they were my results? That’s right folks, I revealed in my last post that I crumbled under the weight of stress and impatience and tried to read my own ultrasound results so that  I could learn more about my fibroids. Thankfully, my recent trip to a gynecologist revealed more than just my unmentionables (sigh), and with that I can tell you that there is good news and bad news.

First, the bad news…

I do have fibroids but that’s not what has been causing me so much trouble these last few months. I can blame that on my actual reproductive system misbehaving instead of being the good girl I’ve always known her to be. I could go into details and give you all of the nitty gritty but out of respect for the gentleman reading this post, let’s just leave those specifics in the comments section ladies. BUT the good news is that there aren’t as many fibroids as I thought there were and they’re not as big (see, I told you I wouldn’t make a good radiologist). I was given medicine for the other issue the doctor found but it didn’t work so I guess I’ll be seeing him again. All in all, we’ve still got lots to dance about! **Intermission – let’s do the Carlton dance!** Okay, okay, I know you are probably breathing heavy like me right now after all of that dancing but let’s get back to the point…

I let fear get the best of me.

God was in control the whole time.

Fear is a funny thing that can drive you to do all kinds of things you wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. I let my fear make matters worse. Here I was, thinking that I needed surgery but God knew better. It took so long for me to relax about this situation because I was going through so many things and I admittedly was scared. Still, at least three weeks before my doctor’s appointment, I started hearing His whisper that I wouldn’t need surgery. I wanted to believe this so bad… but after such an ordeal, I didn’t know what to believe.

Trusting God is like climbing a ladder.

You have to look up lest you fall down.

I stayed on my fear ladder for quite some time, afraid to look up and afraid to fall down. God showed me that it was never a serious ordeal to begin with but I feel like I lost two months of my life while I stayed there in limbo. In the end, my faith recovered, but was it really worth stressing over? In hindsight, no. We will never have a complete picture in this life. We will always have to make decisions based on little information and big assumptions. That’s one of the reasons we need God on our side, to take some of the pressure off, and to help us see the miracles.

So wait, what is this miracle in the making then?

Simply put, the miracle is the result of faith when we do put our trust in God. It’s not just reassurance in the end that we have to look forward to but also God’s blessings because we dared to believe in Him. No matter what is going on in our lives, He has always had an escape plan ready to execute when times get tough. We just have to be willing to turn those corners with our eyes closed and know that we will come out safely on the other side. We might get this faith thing right  9 out of 10 times and feel like a champ, but then fall down once and still get bruised. Thankfully, God knows that we are not perfect and that we will trip up sometimes.

There is always room for more faith in our lives.

Thankfully, there is always room for more miracles in our lives too.

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This is the last segment in the “Miracle in the Making” blog series. We encourage you to continue your own faith journey and challenge yourself to turn to God more than you do fear. For more information about Kristeen Nicole Gillooly, her music and her ministry, please visit http://www.kngmusicministry.com. You can also visit her artist website at http://www.kristeennicolegillooly.com. 

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