one more for the road

This is Daniel

Wow, well it has been a long time since posting last. I just need to lay down some personal opinions about religion in this country.

We as christians, have become so obsessed with being PC that we are afraid to voice our opinions or be outspoken for whatever reason. When did it become not okay for christians to be passionate about something?

The people who do speak up are often labeled as "intolerant" or "fanatic." We need someone who is unafraid of truth and unafraid to ruffle some peoples' feathers and shoot straight.

Think of the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. He didn't try to be tolerant of those who mocked God. Instead, he challanged them to a show of who was more powerful. He approached without fear.

He showed the prophets of Baal who the real God was. When Elijah prayed, he asked for everyone to know who God is. Knowing God is different from knowing about God. People have seemed to forgotten about this. I have personally seen so many people intellectualize about God and treat him as some abstract philosophy instead of having a personal relationship to him.

People these days are forgetting how important relationships are to Christianity. I have seen too many people ignore the church in their relationship with God. Fellowship with other believers is vital to doing the work of God. And yes, one of the basic foundations of Christianity is helping others, caring for the poor, and evangelising.

So many people of my generation compartmentalise religion and think about the life-affirming feel good aspects of Christianity but never really act. Now I do appreciate the fact that non-religious people also donate money to the poor and help them out, but I really want to encourage Christians to give more and do more to make a positive impact on this world.

And last, evangelism, this is probably the greatest challange of my generation. The reasons are twofold: people in general are becoming more desensitized to religion, and this generation seems less willing to evangelise to their peers.

People these days seem more resistant to people telling them about religion and what the truth is. People today are more cynical and tend to have less faith in things. They act like they can't trust what anyone says, and people today need more proof until they believe something. I am encouraging my generation to gather their faith and believe in something; we need to have more than just a vague hope. We need good 'ol fashioned FAITH.

To the Christians of my generation, don't be afraid to tell people what you believe. If you act ashamed or timid about your faith, why should anyone else believe it? It is not pretentious to tell someone the truth, nor is it to disagree with someone based on your faith and what you believe is the truth. If you start accepting wrong for right or ambiguity for morality, then you are selling your faith for doubt. Christians do not profess their faith as intolerance, but the truth has absolutes.

I believe in absolutes: Heaven and Hell. Pro-life. Creation.

So yes, I have absolutes and yes, I will tell anyone who asks. I challange those in my generation to rise up and speak their faith and act on their faith and make themselves known. The time to philosophise is over and the time to act and speak out is now!

It's been a while...

Since we updated. Daniel is still struggling with his job and career choices, but he knows that I just want him to be happy. In the meantime, the Philippines is becoming more and more of a reality. We're looking at airline tickets, we're filling out applications, and we're doing whatever it takes to get our baby, Tiger Lily, on the road with us.

Cooking and baking is still amazing to me. Recently I made my great-grandmother's butter divinity. It was amazing. Kind of hard to make, but I did it juuuust right. I'll make it again soon and post pics and her recipe. Grandmama Crouch will be turning 100 this December and she's still relatively healthy. That's pretty impressive to me.

My sister got married, younger than me, even - and my new, favoritest brother-in-law David is now in Coast Guard boot camp. I miss him already. Having him around was such a blessing. I've never had a brother before, so it's a new experience - one that I certainly won't be taking for granted. It's like having a buddy to just chill with, without necessarily having all the crazy emotional turmoil that sisters do! Not that Julie and I fight... we just certainly do not keep our opinions or thoughts to ourselves. But perhaps that's just a Bowman thing.

Right now I finally get a break - fall break! No school until next Tuesday. AHHH. And I just got back from a big business trip. I presented my 31-page published Media Guide to Indiana Healthy Marriage and Family Coalition, part of Madison County Health Center. I did really well. I met lots of amazing people and ate way too much chicken. I don't think I'm going to be able to eat chicken for the rest of the month. Literally every single meal we were served was chicken.

Anyway, I'm doing really well recently. Daniel and I recently were forced to make some firm-set decisions about having children, and we have both decided that we WILL wait until we can completely and totally financially support ourselves, in our own house, before even trying. And nothing else will deter us. I had really gone through a really rough patch - I really did want to throw away my future to have kids soon, no matter the consequences - but Daniel talked me through it. Sometimes what you WANT isn't always what you NEED. What our future children NEED is two fully mature adults with their careers on track and the income needed to provide them a comfortable lifestyle. I don't want my kids to live in poverty or with dependence on people other than their parents. And Daniel is the one who had to whisper these jewels of wisdom into my ear. I certainly wasn't able to do it myself. Sometimes, my emotionally charged brain can get the best of me.

I hope you're all doing well. If you're reading this, well, God's blessings upon you. You all mean a lot to me, you probably just don't know it.

Over, off, and out.

Jennifer<3