Saturday, January 10, 2015

Romans 12: 9-13 Behaving like a Christian....

Hello Friends, Family and Fellow Hikers,

Greetings of CHRISTian Love to you all in the blessed name of our Savior and Friend JESUS CHRIST.

     I have been pondering on this topic since yesterday. We had a phone interview; conference call,  at Camp  Comeca concerning becoming the Camps New Director and in this interview they asked us several questions. One of these questions sums up our family in a nut shell, HOSPITALITY. I; myself said,  "I am Hospitality"! For all of you that know us or have met us should know that we love hospitality . We answered that it is required for someone as a christian to be hospitable. As a christian it says in Romans, how to be a christian and it goes on to say be,  fervent in spirit and given to hospitality.
     I feel that if you are a believer of God's word than hospitality should just become second nature. We have been walking across America for 8 months and we have never really met a stranger. I mean, we would meet people we have never met before, but treated them as though they were long time friends or part of our family. I feel that if you are a christian than you are family and you are a friend already. In this passage of the bible it says let LOVE be.... I hope that we show everyone CHRIST LOVE when we meet them or you. I try to treat others the way I want to be treated. We try to live by the golden rule in our family.
     We were ask what is hospitality to us? I felt as though if each one of them in the meeting could have walked one day with us or would be willing to go to town with us just one time, then they would understand us for who we are. We hold fast to God's word and we apply it to everything we do  in our lives. We strive hard to hold each of ourselves accountable to God's words and we expect the same from others. I mean, we wear coverings and we do stick out and this in itself is truly an accountability thing for us but not why we do it. We can not be yelling or acting in a negative way in a store or any where. We are called to be a city on a hill, a light unto the world and yet, this is why we are so accountable for our actions daily. We take that to heart and try to be a light for all to see, Jesus in us.  People are waiting to see you make a mistake so they can say; look they do it and they are Christians, so I can too. Our lives changed when we went back to the bible and truly read it for what it is saying and asking of us to do and set our thoughts aside. Our family became stronger in faith and stronger in HIS word. We began treating others better than ourselves, and each other higher than ourselves. This became such a blessing to us and others we met. We began praying together and with others we just met and so on.
     Being a Christian is everything to us. It is what makes us,  leads us and guides us daily. Christ died so we could be free. HE did this so we would believe and we would sow seeds for others to know Him and spread LOVE and with that comes Hospitality. All hospitality is is serving others, putting their needs before your own, caring about them and showing others LOVE, Jesus' Love. I wish just one day you would come walk with us for an afternoon or go into town with us to see how and who we are. I pray you will read this passage and take it and apply it to your life and live it  and LOVE more.

May the LORD Shine HIS LOVE upon you today and forever!
We LOVE You ALL!

In CHRISTian Love,

GentleFir ...Jennifer

Go and extend hospitality today! Tell someone you LOVE them and that Jesus does TOO!


Friday, January 2, 2015

LOVE....... WORD or ACTION

Greetings Friends, Family and Fellow Hikers,

         I have been wanting to write for sometime now but have not found the time to sit and put all of my thoughts into words until now. Happy New Year to ALL and I pray that this year will be one of blessings and service for our Lord.
         We have just finished a Holiday camp for children who were not going to be getting much for this Holiday season. We had 19 children whom touched my life in ways that were life impacting and heart breaking.  These children were sad when they came to camp, not because they were at camp but because of their life situations. I witnessed these little ones learning how to share with others they may have just met and how to LOVE. Why can we not do this as adults? It seems like we as adults are always worried about stuff; our stuff, not sharing with others as we should, not LOVING others as we should. These little children came to camp with the same kind of mannerisms as us adults; but of course, because they learned from adults how to act. Which brings me to my post title.......

LOVE......WORD or ACTION???? What is it to you? Are you showing Love as an action in your family and to others you meet?? OR are you showing LOVE to your family and to those you just meet as just a word that you say???? What do you want your children to do with LOVE?????

         God places a lot of emphasis on this subject in HIS WORD. WE are walking for this word, LOVE! To many times we as a people get to busy in our own lives as individuals to really stop to see if we are showing LOVE as an ACTION or just as a WORD. Take a few minutes to stop and think about what you may be doing with the word LOVE in your life. I know that I myself am guilty; of sometimes not taking the time to really show someone LOVE. God commands us to LOVE one another, to LOVE our neighbors, to LOVE our enemies, to LOVE our brethren and the GREATEST of these is that you LOVE....! That must mean that LOVE is very important to GOD, so it should be very important to us as believers. So, do we really show LOVE as an action like we are commanded to do or do we just use it as a word in our daily vocabulary?? We as a people seem to use LOVE in the wrong way more often than not. We are quick to say I LOVE my dog, cat, car, truck......I am also guilty of this and it is wrong.  This is not a place to use the word LOVE. 
          LOVE.....Is meant to be an ACTION!  We are to show LOVE not to just say it. I witnessed little children this week at Holiday camp learning to LOVE when they did not know how to LOVE or how to express it. I witnessed children sharing and giving up gifts that they themselves really wanted top keep to make someone else happy. This was the true meaning of LOVE. I watched as one child would get hurt and another would come to comfort them, or to offer a hug or a kind word. We as adults should stop to show someone less fortunate than ourselves this kind of LOVE also. This is the kind of LOVE GOD is commanding of us as believers, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Maybe if we ALL began to say, I unconditionally LOVE you, or I unconditionally LOVE my pet, we would see that it is a serious word and not to be just said without meaning.
          Through our walk across America, I have heard so many people from all walks of life and all kinds of classes of people say I am not excepted in church or no one cares if I am in church or not... This is truly saddening! We have heard WHY are you talking to me or WHY are you praying with me or hugging me???? This is what we as believers are called to do, to show LOVE to ALL, young and small, rich and poor, homeless and in mansions, sick and desolate and much more. Jesus himself was among the wretched, lowly and sinners and frowned upon the elite. We need to take that message to heart and to put into practice UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
            The little children this week learned that LOVE is an ACTION not just a WORD thrown around. They showed LOVE back once they learned that we ALL at Camp Comeca did LOVE them unconditionally. We saw broken children beginning to laugh and to share and to care for one another in just a few short days because we all showed them that LOVE is an ACTION. If these little children can change in just a few short days think of what we can ALL do in the world if we ALL took LOVE out into the world as an ACTION and not as a small WORD we throw around in our daily vocabulary. So lets learn from the little children and and go out and LOVE as we are commanded to do. What a better place we could have if we truly just LOVED one another as an ACTION!
        
         Is LOVE a WORD or ACTION to you???

WE LOVE you ALL!

IN CHRISTian LOVE,

Jennifer GentleFir