Rainbows and Butterflies

I normally enjoy Christian radio. Most of the songs are uplifting (even if they do sound very similar) and help me to focus my thoughts. Every once and a while, I'll get sick of it and not listen for a few weeks. Mostly because I get tired of all the songs being just about love. Allow me to explain:

Salvation is only possible through the love and grace of God.

Salvation came to this Earth in the form of sacrifice; complete and total self sacrifice, the kind of sacrifice that hurts.

I believe that too many people think that once they become a Christian, the world will be filled with rainbows and butterflies. Of course the joy from setting your soul right is overwhelming, but this physical life will not suddenly empty of its pain, suffering or hardships. It actually gets harder. Now you have the entire world and all its sin to resist. To be a Christian means sacrificing the things of the world so we may have eternal life.

An example from my own life; Jeffrey and I recently purged our DVD collection and threw out those raunchy or violent movies that we enjoyed, but knew were movies we didn't need to be watching. This also extended into our theater and renting choices. We sacrificed sinful pleasure in order to help us keep our thoughts more pure. That was pretty easy though.

 There is always that one sin that seems to live in our bones, that one the we can't or won't let go of. I struggle with greed, which branches out into many different thoughts and actions that pushes God off my priority list. It makes me selfish, jealous, money-minded and unhappy. I can't seem to fully convince myself that contentment is the way to live and I struggle with it daily. It reminds me of a passage in Mark 10:19-22 "19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

This young man had the zeal and the desire to follow Jesus but his stuff kept him from it. Don't dog on this guy, because we are all in this boat at some point. It's a lot to ask of someone to get rid of everything and be a Christian. It's a lot to continue to not have everything and be a Christian.

There are many days where I have to constantly remind myself that it is worth it. There are many days where I still feel temptation to go back to the way things were.

But then I remember that God has promised to help me.

1 Corinthians 10:13 "13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Philippians 4:13 "13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

There are also examples of those that sacrificed everything and God used them for tremendous things.

Hebrews 11:24-27 "24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible."

So guess what? The sacrifice is worth it. It's worth everything you gave up and everything you will continue to give up. Then what happens? People take notice. You are now a shining light, an example of Christ. Someone will be uplifted or even lead to Christ because of how you live your life. An example of this can be found in 1 Peter 3:1-2 "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear."

A Christian lifestyle has many blessings in this lifetime. Peace, comfort, security and purpose. And in the end, when you and those you love, those you have influenced, those who found Christ because of you, will find eternal rest and joy.

Everyone gets tired. God will give you strength. God will reward you. 

Playing Darts with the Devil

I have discussed this issue before, but I do really struggle with it. And I know that many have already dissected these verses before but this is very applicable to my situation.

Satan has been throwing lots of darts at me lately. (Eph 6:16) I will explain:

As many of you know, I am currently a salesman at a large horse trailer dealership. This job is a wonderful blessing- manageable hours, ability to earn commission, wonderful coworkers, etc. I get to meet a lot of great horse people and will get to work horse shows during the fall and winter. I really am enjoying myself in the "real world", even with its hardships.

This means that I am constantly surrounded by big, beautiful, horridly expensive horse trailers. If you are not familiar with living quarter trailers- take a gander at Outlaw Conversions. Just watch the slideshow on their home page- I have about 10 brand new ones sitting outside my window, with 3 more coming in the next few months. A bare bones basic package, not including the actual horse trailer, is about $45,000. "The Big One" as we affectionately call her, sits right outside my window. I get to stare at her all day long. It sold yesterday for well over $100,000. She's top-of-the-line, drop dead gorgeous and fully loaded.

Satan is using these trailers, silly as it sounds, as darts. He is trying to fill my mind with lusts of the world and I am struggling in my fight. I have let these thoughts continue past what is required of my job and let them seep into my spare time. The trailer I have now needs to be replaced, due to structural issues. But instead of only buying what I need (which isn't much) I find myself demanding much more. I'm getting greedy.

Ephesians 6:14-17 "14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"

The fight we fight as Christians is not a physical one, but a spiritual one. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 10.

According to Ephesians 6, I need to "gird my waist with truth"- my translation of this is that I need to know the truth of God's word so I can know when the devil is trying to convince me otherwise. Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

"Breastplate of righteousness"- this armor is protecting my heart, so it needs to be more than bullet proof. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is my righteousness, no where else can you obtain it. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

"Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace" - shod your feet basically means to put on shoes. How am I to prepare with the gospel of peace? There are two ways of thinking with this phrase. One way is that the gospel of peace, the gospel of Jesus Christ, should release our burdens and bring peace to our souls. A worry-free warrior is much more effective than one distracted by doubts. Another way is that what should be beneath us, our foundation, should be the gospel of Christ. Everything else depends on that central belief. A solider with flimsy shoes can't march long or far. Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

"Shield of faith"- my faith in Christ Jesus will help me overcome my temptations, to overcome Satan. Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Read your bible and increase your faith, its that simple.

"Helmet of salvation"- without a helmet, a solider is vulnerable and not equipped for close combat. Your salvation protects you from a spiritual death. This helmet also displays who we fight for; we fight for the Son of God, who came to die for our sins and set us free. Jesus is the only one who can guarantee our salvation. John 10:9-11 " I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

"Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"- The Holy Spirit works on our hearts through the words of the Bible. Knowledge of God's Word is the most powerful weapon in the world. Acts 17:6 "But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." Your knowledge and understanding of this book gives you the power to turn the world upside down.

This armor set up allows me to battle each day with the devil, and to WIN. The tools God has provided to me won't take away my temptations (they will always be there), but allows me to overcome them to achieve victory.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57

“O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

What's In Your Way?

I haven't been a Christian for very long. I grew up believing in Jesus and God but as for being repented and saved, it's only been 3 years.

I grew up with very "common" beliefs; God loved me a lot and that he sent his son Jesus to die for me. I read my Bible very sporadically and with a shallow mindset. I didn't know much doctrine or scripture.

After meeting Jeffrey, he began asking me questions about my faith. I found that I couldn't answer him with any scripture, only emotions. After talking about it for many months, I knew that I needed to find for myself what the truth was. I originally set out to prove my actions had been and were correct. What I found was very different.

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

Check. I had believed for a long time

Matthew 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven."

Check.

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Ummmmm, maybe? I looked up the meaning of "repent" and "baptized" in Greek. (Strong's Dictionary)

Repent: metanoeó: to change one's mind or purpose

Baptize: Baptizó: dip, submerge, but specifically of ceremonial dipping

Not check. I had not changed my mind about any of my actions or my purpose. Therefore I was not growing spiritually or bearing fruit. Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." I had also never been submerged into the waters of baptism specifically for the remission of sins.

You can argue all you want about what these verses are saying, but it seems pretty black and white to me.

Believe, Confess, Repent and be Baptized is the formula for a clean soul.

I was not right with God.

I am going to be honest, I was heartbroken. I was staring at God's commandments and I had not followed them. I felt like a tree that had been suddenly and violently uprooted. I was a storm of anger, fear and grief. I knew what I had to do. I needed to repent and be immersed in baptism. What would my family think? My friends?  I would have to change my entire life and deal with the pain and regret of my past.  I would have to admit that I was wrong and that I needed salvation.

I prayed a lot.

I studied the Bible a lot.

And I thought a lot.

"What's worth your salvation?" I asked myself. 

Are your friends worth it? Not compared to an eternity with God. So I let some go. It was not easy.

Is your family worth it? Ouch. Just the thought that they could reject me for this made me physically ill. But if I don't do it, who will lead them?

This would also force me to deal with the sin of my past. I'm not going to give details and I am so ashamed of them that only my closest loved ones know. My regret was and is endless. I was experiencing repentance in its raw form. It was terrible, but my contrite heart pushed me toward baptism. I had to get rid of this sin.

The only thing left was my pride. I never thought myself a proud person, but most proud people don't. Human pride is the most deceitful of all sins. It convinces you that to have pride is happiness, when it keeps you far from the love of God and the love of others. It's like holding on your own blindfold. So I humbled myself to God's will. That, my friends, was the hardest of all. The amount of humility it took from me was the most I had ever given.

In August of 2011, I was baptized. My old body of sin was crucified, I was buried and resurrected with Christ.

Romans 6:5-7 "5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin."

"freed from sin" the three most beautiful words ever written. Three words more valuable than anything in this world. Three words that I now could say with complete and full confidence. No doubt and no fear.

So what's stopping you? It better be worth it. 

Pinterest

Wrapping It Up

I have talked about the Big Bang Theory and what you need to know before jumping into a discussion with a non-believer. Now its time to build up your faith and put on the armor of God. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

It is my opinion that the Bible explains why we observe galaxies traveling away from each other, which is the core for the Big Bang Theory.

Isaiah 42:5 "Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it."

What Edwin Hubble saw is not the result of an explosion, but of God putting them into motion; Of taking the heavens and expanding them. So you could say that the Big Bang Theory is on the right track, just add the Lord's hands. The context of this verse is talking about Jesus, the Lord's power and promises, so no problem there.

(In an argument, sometimes people will use verses out of context. You can teach the correct application by logically explaining the context.)

A lot of the time, an argument about the Big Bang Theory will naturally lead to the Story of Creation and the Age of the Earth. They are all related and disproving one can crumble the others.

Let's jump on into Genesis.

The Big Bang Theory sets up a timeline for evolution. It sets up the billions of years necessary for our solar system to form, for life to begin and evolve from a single cell. However, Genesis clearly states that God created a mature creation. A mature creation doesn't need billions of years, it needs 6 days.

Genesis 1:1, 5 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."

In Genesis, light appeared instantly, it didn't take millions of years for the sun to form. Dry land appeared instantly, there was no waiting around for volcanos or continental drift. There was no evolving from a single cell to plants and animals. There was no waiting  for humans to come from monkeys. Everything was created in its mature form so that it could immediately begin to multiply and populate the earth.  This completely takes away the millions of years necessary for evolution and shortens the age of the Earth significantly. 

Genesis 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished." By the sixth day, EVERYTHING was complete.

(http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=4082&topic=56)

The Bible, however, does not give an account of every creature made, especially the big ones. Dinosaurs are not mentioned in the story of creation. Science tells us that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, long before man ever came onto the scene. But if we believe that everything was created at the same time, that means that man walked with dinosaurs. Now we sound like crazy people! The website named Apologetics Press is a collection of work from scientists and other highly educated people with arguments and explanations of God's Word. My favorite author is Eric Lyons, a graduate from Freed-Hardeman University. He does an excellent job explaining the story of creation and how it does make sense! Please please ready his articles over dinosaurs in the Bible:

http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=1180

http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=184&topic=59

You believe that man walked with dinosaurs and  you can support your argument! That is going to stun a few people.

The Carbon Dating method is a large obstacle in the way of convincing others of the Story of Creation and supporting a Young Earth. It is a well used and supported method to date organic material as far back as 40,000 years. There are apparent flaws however and if brought up in a discussion, these articles (again from Apologetics Press) will be valuable.

 http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=464

http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=307&topic=59

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Why is it so important that as a Christian I believe in Creation? Why can't I believe in God and Science?

John 1:1-18   "In the beginning was the Word….He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." 

If you believe in Christ, then you believe in Creation because He was there.

You could also think of it this way: If I don't believe one part of the Bible, what's stopping me from disregarding the entire Bible? 

Please don't misunderstand me: There is nothing wrong with science and discovery. We are designed to be an intelligent, curious creation to care for God's Earth. I have a degree from Oklahoma State in Animal Science and I love to learn. However, there is something wrong about rejecting God's Word and replacing it with the little knowledge and understanding we have. Its almost prideful if you think about it.

People will ridicule you for your belief, God's people have been for a very long time. John the Baptist was put in prison and beheaded. The apostle Paul was stoned, imprisoned and threatened for his zeal for Christ. But God will reward you if you are faithful! 

Matthew 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Keep your eye on the prize- bringing souls to Christ!

John 8:31-32 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Study Up!

This is information that I have found to be most helpful to improve my understanding of the Big Bang Theory. If you have something constructive to add or have a question, please leave it in the FB comment section!

The Big Bang Theory is essentially, an attempt to explain how something came from nothing, with no Creator. 

“The theory maintains that, in the instant—a trillion-trillionth of a second—after the big bang, the universe expanded with incomprehensible speed from its pebble-size origin to astronomical scope. Expansion has apparently continued, but much more slowly, over the ensuing billions of years.” – National Geographic 

This is currently the most widely accepted theory for the origin of the universe. It originated in the 1920’s with a Belgian priest named Georges Lemaître. He suggested that everything came from one single “primordial atom”. Edwin Hubble then supported this theory when he observed galaxies moving away from each other in all directions. Many scientists believe that cosmic microwave radiation (just like your TV uses) is remnant of that light that came from that massive explosion (National Geographic). 

Next, the theory of “cosmic inflation” was originally proposed by Dr. Alan Guth in the 1980’s and later revised by Dr. Andrei Linde of Russia. Cosmic Inflation suggests that instead of the universe beginning as a rapidly expanding fireball, that the universe inflated extremely rapidly from a tiny piece of space and became exponentially larger in a fraction of a second (Stanford News). This idea could provide a unique solution to many difficult problems of the standard Big Bang theory.  In March of 2014, which was like 2 months ago, Harvard released its findings of “gravitational waves”; according to John M. Kovac, leader of Harvard’s team, these gravitational waves are “the signature of a universe being wrenched violently apart when it was roughly a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old. They are the long-sought smoking-gun evidence of inflation, proof, Dr. Kovac and his colleagues say, that Dr. Guth was correct” (NY Times). The findings, however, need to be put under scrutiny. The experiment needs to be repeatable (the basis of the scientific method) before it is held as truth. 

Then comes the formation of galaxies and planets. According the NASA, there are two main theories. The first says that small chucks of matter began to clump together to form galaxies. The second proposes that several giant walls of matter broke off into smaller clumps, which then formed galaxies, which then formed planets, stars and what not. There is little evidence to support either theory.

There are a few theories of what came before the Big Bang. Professor Dr. Stephen Hawking stated in one of his lectures that “The conclusion of this lecture is that the universe has not existed forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, had a beginning in the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago” (Stephen Hawking).

Two laws that you should understand as well are the laws of thermodynamics, especially the first two. The first law is that of "conservation of matter and energy," which states that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. The second law of thermodynamics states that energy of all sorts tends to change itself spontaneously into a more random or less organized form. According to this law, our solar system and presumably the entire universe should theoretically become a completely random array of molecules and heat in the far distant future. Using these laws, it is logically to say that after the universe expanded, according to the second law everything should have become more chaotic, not organized into galaxies, solar systems, planets and resulting life systems. Most people will have a hard time defending this line of logic.  You can use these two laws to break up the foundation of The Big Bang Theory.

The basis of the Big Bang is simple deduction. It was observed that everything in the universe is moving “out” in all directions; therefore they must have all started at the same point and were pushed out. From there, science has invented String Theory and other higher physics and mathematics to help explain the early universe. There are still flaws and the most important thing is that it is and has always been a THEORY. 

Here are some videos that add extra explanation and information. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs-yWMuBNr4- a simple and short explanation of the Big Bang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NbBjNiw4tk- this video is really informative, but almost 45 minutes long. At about 30min, he begins to explain the Big Bang and the current theories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_MFhAoUUmQ- a long and very well-done explanation of the Big Bang and the moments following

(Something you will notice about these videos is that they use terms like “created”, “forged”, “destiny”, “genesis”, etc.)

My Sources:

(http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/origins-universe-article/)

(http://web.mit.edu/physics/people/faculty/guth_alan.html)

(http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/science/space/detection-of-waves-in-space-buttresses-landmark-theory-of-big-bang.html?_r=0)

(http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/physics-cosmic-inflation-031714.html)

(http://origins.stsci.edu/faq/galaxies.html)

(http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.html) 

Scientific Search for Truth

Apologetics: derived from the Greek word "apologia" which means to make a defense. It has come to mean defense of the faith (http://carm.org/dictionary-apologetics).

    

 I've always like studying apologetics and have been tinkering with the idea of really digging in and sharing my findings on my blog. I'm going to start with some simple arguments, things that would be useful for a Christian to have in their memory bank to battle questions or their own doubt. Apologetics is the 2nd best faith builder after the Bible in my opinion. I will use logic and peer reviewed scientific research (all cited at the end if you wish to read further) to support my arguments. I'll also try to give you logical arguments that disprove atheist reasoning and help strengthen your own argument. My own personal weakness is becoming too emotional and letting another person overwhelm me- I'll give debating tips to help you stay calm and cool. I gladly welcome questions or comments on the FB link!  

     

 As a junior in college, my human physiology professor was a fervent atheist. He used the first week of lecture to try and prove that the Story of Creation was totally false and that the Theory of Evolution was so overwhelmingly supported by scientific research that in his mind, it was no longer a theory. I was shocked. They can teach this?? Yes, in a university and yes they WILL teach and test over it. There were a over a hundred kids in that class and I was heartbroken by the thought that so many souls would be turned away from Christ because of a bitter and hateful atheist who used to be a Christian! I could barely stand it. These are the type of people that you will need to be prepared to refute, to defend your faith and to not allow yourself to be dragged away from Christ. It is so so so important in today's age to have background knowledge and supporting evidence of Creation, the Bible and the existence of God. 

 Above all- it is about WINNING SOULS FOR CHRIST. It is not about making yourself look good, winning an argument or being right. 

 1 Peter 3:15-16: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed."  Peter's instruction is to have an answer of why your hope is in Christ but to answer with meekness (not weakness and not screaming). Meekness is translated from the Greek word: "prautēs" (Strong's #G4240) which means mildness, humility. This is a foundational principle; don't ever forget this command.

Don't forget this either: 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  

The context of this verse is Peter encouraging believers to not listen to those that are doubtful about the second coming of Christ, that He will come and He will judge everyone. But the Lord doesn't want anyone to perish, but that everyone should be saved and spend eternity with Him. That is your motivation when you think that someone is "too far gone" or seems overwhelming. God wants nothing more than their soul to be reconciled to Him and you could be the one to show them the way to Christ!

 I hope that you all will enjoy what I find but be patient, these studies will take alot longer than usual. Have an awesome Monday!!

Chilly?

 FROZEN!!!!!!!

I know you guys are probably sick to death of Frozen. Its everywhere right now! I'm super crazy about it- the music is awesome, its funny and endearing, all things Disney. But I recently saw a blog on Pinterest about what Frozen is really about. It got me thinking, "you know it really is a different Disney movie..."

If you haven't seen it, go ahead and watch it, you won't regret it! But if you haven't seen it, its a story about two sisters- the oldest is Elsa and she was born with the power to control snow and ice. Her younger sister Anna is a total dork but super adorable. In true Disney fashion, a handsome prince comes along, Prince Hanz- Anna and him sing a duet and "fall in love". Elsa doesn't agree to bless their marriage! Whaaaaaat??
After a fun adventure, Anna falls in love with an unexpected fellow when it turns out Hanz isn't what we thought he was.  In the end, Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister.

A typical Disney story is a princess and a prince meet, fall in love very very quickly. In real life, this is called infatuation. Funny thing about infatuation is that is dies very very quickly. Does that sound like "true love"? In Frozen, Anna finds that her infatuation with Prince Hanz dies pretty quickly when she realizes that another has sacrificed just about everything for her. The fact that Disney made a distinction between infatuation and love is awesome! Everyone should know and understand the difference.

 "True Loves Kiss" is also a common Disney theme. This thought is included in Frozen, but it doesn't work. Whaaaaat? I've only been married for a little over a year, but I still have no idea what a "true loves kiss" would feel like; every kiss should be true and full of love, but an act as simple as a kiss isn't powerful enough to break spells or change hearts; its just a romantic notion. If Jeffrey only kissed me to show his love for me, I would feel lonely and ignored. He does a great job of loving me with his actions. This is from the teaching in 1 Corinthians.

1 Cor 13:4-7:
 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Any of those verses mention kissing? Nope. Its full of action and behavior changes! In Frozen, Anna discovers the difference between infatuation and love and then goes on to demonstrate a true, biblical love for her sister Elsa. Anna essentially dies to save Elsa, without an apology, without any gain to herself and not because Elsa deserved it. An act of true love is required to break the spell, but Anna, not a prince, had to perform this act.

Examples of what  Biblical Love is and isn't all wrapped up... in a Disney Movie.

How refreshing. Meditate on 1 Cor 13 and think of ways you can show selfless love to your spouse, sister, brother, mother, father, best friend. Then go do them! You'll find that it can melt a Frozen heart :)

http://movies.disney.com/frozen

Here is the link to the blog on Pinterest, its really good!
What Frozen Is Really About