I have been taking some history classes so that I can begin to go and get my licence to teach. I only need a few so I signed up for them over at Northern Kentucky University. Both of these history courses start with the beginning of time and go up until the 1700's.
With that in mind,
A couple of weeks ago I had really been struggling. Since the beginning of time, every civilization or group started with a focus on the idea that gods or a god must exist. As I thought and prayed about that I was really struggling because i thought about what truly makes Chrsitianity different from all of these other gods and religions. These people truly believed in their gods or their divine being just as I believe in Jesus. What makes Christianity different?
As I thought and prayed through this I thought that it was really cool. because it totally shows that there must be a god out there.
Why?
because we as humans are built with that desire for something greater the desire to be in contact with some sort of divine being. it is built into the way we are created, the way we think. there is no way that anyone can look at history and say that this is not true.
The next thing that i thought was that throughout time the belief in a god has always been selfish. It has always been a selfish desire - as to how god can help me. what do i need to do to make god or the gods happy so that they bless me. what do i need to do so that I have good crops? I need to not make them mad or I'm screwed! or the gods are selfish and do as they please. they party and we try not to get in the way? or we serve the gods for our own benefit... I could go on...
But...I realized that the heart of Christianity is far from selfish - in fact it is very much selfless - has nothing to do with us at all. (we have made chistianity to be all about us but in the true heart of where it started it does not)
A teacher asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was and Jesus responded in matthew 22:36-40
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Here Jesus says all of scripture (our faith) comes down to 1. loving God and 2. loving others. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with loving God and loving others. It is very much selfless. As love God and love others we are truly worshiping God, obeying his commands, living the best life we could ever imagine (crazy that life is so much cooler when we focus on others and not ourselves).
I don't know if this makes sense... but I truly find it cool to imagine how much cooler and different our faith is then any other one out there. I also think it is kind of cool to see that it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with loving God and loving others.
What would happen if christians truly lived this way? if the world truly lived this way? how would life be different?
having fun as a passionate follower of Jesus,
scott sulek
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
SEX!
Recently I have started working for a non profit organization called "Healthy Visions". Through this organization I have an opportunity to travel to different Jr.High and High Schools to talk about sex within marriage or sexual abstinence. It is actually I lot of fun and a great opportunity to talk about truths that are important to our lives.
Anyway, I recently went to speak at a local high school and recived a bunch of thank letters in the mail. I want to thank everyone that had sent me a thank you letter but wanted to share a few letters that I thought were either funny or creative in their response.
Thank you letters:
1. "Thank you so much for coming into our class and talk about sex and abstinance. YOu have made me realize that sex is way better when you are married. so, i decided to talk to my boyfriend. We have decided to stop having sex and wait till marriage. Its really hard but I think we can do it! thank you so much! - I was very impressed with the decicision that this person made with her boyfriend. It may be hard but they are willing to go for it - way cool!
2.Thank you for coming in and talking about human sexuality and related topics. It revealed a lot to me. It revealed a lot to me. I could talk about it more, but I could also draw a picture. i chose the latter. (he drew a pic of some kind of sperm octopus looking thing) - this made me laugh
3. This person said "Thanks" and drew me a picture of something that looks like a penis rocket called the cockroach and on the back is a pic of cockroaches talking about needing to repopulate the world :)
4. Another person commented on my ninja turtle back pack - i really like this person
5. thanks for coming and speaking to us...you did a great job getting through, not even considering it was only your second time speaking! Regardless, anybody who takes time out of their life to try to improve the lives of other people and speak up for what they believe in is nothing short of extrodinary... thanks again bro. - a very wise man, i hope he takes his own wisdom and lives as an extrodinary man!
6. I think what your doing with healthy visions is awesome, you were an awesome speaker! you're a pretty cool guy, your wife is lucky - i saved this one to remind my wife incase she ever forgot :)
7.Thanks for comming and speaking. Your had a good presentation. Have fun not abstaining any more since you are married - i liked this guy too, he is a good encourager
Anyway, I recently went to speak at a local high school and recived a bunch of thank letters in the mail. I want to thank everyone that had sent me a thank you letter but wanted to share a few letters that I thought were either funny or creative in their response.
Thank you letters:
1. "Thank you so much for coming into our class and talk about sex and abstinance. YOu have made me realize that sex is way better when you are married. so, i decided to talk to my boyfriend. We have decided to stop having sex and wait till marriage. Its really hard but I think we can do it! thank you so much! - I was very impressed with the decicision that this person made with her boyfriend. It may be hard but they are willing to go for it - way cool!
2.Thank you for coming in and talking about human sexuality and related topics. It revealed a lot to me. It revealed a lot to me. I could talk about it more, but I could also draw a picture. i chose the latter. (he drew a pic of some kind of sperm octopus looking thing) - this made me laugh
3. This person said "Thanks" and drew me a picture of something that looks like a penis rocket called the cockroach and on the back is a pic of cockroaches talking about needing to repopulate the world :)
4. Another person commented on my ninja turtle back pack - i really like this person
5. thanks for coming and speaking to us...you did a great job getting through, not even considering it was only your second time speaking! Regardless, anybody who takes time out of their life to try to improve the lives of other people and speak up for what they believe in is nothing short of extrodinary... thanks again bro. - a very wise man, i hope he takes his own wisdom and lives as an extrodinary man!
6. I think what your doing with healthy visions is awesome, you were an awesome speaker! you're a pretty cool guy, your wife is lucky - i saved this one to remind my wife incase she ever forgot :)
7.Thanks for comming and speaking. Your had a good presentation. Have fun not abstaining any more since you are married - i liked this guy too, he is a good encourager
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Not so haunted house part 2
Here are just a few more stories that connect with my first post:
1. God gave me a band-aid: I had an allergic reaction to my deoderant and had a huge bump under my armpit and it hurt really bad. i had to go to work but it was hard to move around. So, i searched our entire house for a band-aid with no luck. So, as I was walking around and praying I ended up going to where I would usually chill with God in the morning and on the pillow where I would usually lay there was a band-aid. It was a band-aid that was shaped like I had never seen before. Not to mention i had been laying on the pillow just the night before - i was even the last one awake. I then asked everyone in the house to see if they had band-aids shaped like that and no one did. God showed me that he takes care of my needs, no matter how big or small, even when I don't ask. God taught me this during a time when I really needed to hear that.
2. God united us with new and old friends. allowed us to worship with these friends as we lived life together, asked tough questions, encouraged, challenged, prayed, partied, hung-out together and so much more. We were able to celebrate a messianic passover together as we focused on Jesus and what he has done for His people, experienced healings of the heart, ate together, shared life together, laughed, cryed, creativly worshiped, fed the poor, stuck by each other when we were in pain or sick (kidney stones - lol) and soooooo much more.
thank you God!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for loving your people and teaching us to live life as the church as we love you and love others :)
1. God gave me a band-aid: I had an allergic reaction to my deoderant and had a huge bump under my armpit and it hurt really bad. i had to go to work but it was hard to move around. So, i searched our entire house for a band-aid with no luck. So, as I was walking around and praying I ended up going to where I would usually chill with God in the morning and on the pillow where I would usually lay there was a band-aid. It was a band-aid that was shaped like I had never seen before. Not to mention i had been laying on the pillow just the night before - i was even the last one awake. I then asked everyone in the house to see if they had band-aids shaped like that and no one did. God showed me that he takes care of my needs, no matter how big or small, even when I don't ask. God taught me this during a time when I really needed to hear that.
2. God united us with new and old friends. allowed us to worship with these friends as we lived life together, asked tough questions, encouraged, challenged, prayed, partied, hung-out together and so much more. We were able to celebrate a messianic passover together as we focused on Jesus and what he has done for His people, experienced healings of the heart, ate together, shared life together, laughed, cryed, creativly worshiped, fed the poor, stuck by each other when we were in pain or sick (kidney stones - lol) and soooooo much more.
thank you God!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for loving your people and teaching us to live life as the church as we love you and love others :)
Monday, October 02, 2006
Not so Haunted House
About a year ago we thought that G-d was calling us to start a church in cincinnati that looked differently then any other church. In the beginning of this process we figured there was no way we could start a church without a house...so we logically bought a house. But, Little did we know that the church was not going to turn out the way we expcted! Throughout this past year we have expereienced life as the church in ways that we would have never imagined a year ago. We have learned and are still learning what it means to live life as the church and part of where this life as the church has taken place is under the roof of a house where a family developed - a family of friends, disciples of Jesus, and random people who found their way to the front porch and even beyond.
These past couple of months I have been frustrated with this house. I have been frustrated with the work that we have had to put into it (i am not a fix-it man), the things that go wrong with it, cutting myself open (not purposly) trying to fix it, and the time that it has taken away from other things that I find more important. I even questioned whether we had heard from G-d when we bought it or whether we were just "stupid little kids" but God has recently kicked me in the butt and showed me that he has used this house to teach us what it means to live life as the church, used the house and us to impact people's lives, to be a light in a dark place, and to have a lot of fun as we worship Him through our lives!!!!!
Here are just a few of those stories:
1. When we first went to look for houses: sarah found a realtor who she thought would be able to help us out. Our realtor was incredible. she put up with the tons of houses that we wanted to look at. many of them were nothing but junk and other ones were more than we could afford. Not to mention we had it set in our minds that we were going live in norwood but G-d had other plans. Sarah finally found a house in clifton (which was not where we thought we were going to move) and so we walked in this house and we knew that this was the area and the house we were supposed to move to. But, with discouragment and fear from our parents we chose to keep looking. We looked at a ton of houses and then found another one and so I mentioned that we should pray (knowing our realtor was not a christian and curious to how she would respond). We prayed and felt that the orginal house that we walked into in clifton was the right house and then I got a word for our realtor. it was way cool! our realtor then said that she was greatly impacted through that prayer time - felt that the other house was the right house, said she had never really been "relgious" but felt she needed to talk to G-d more, said her husband was going through surgery and he needed prayer, said her friend has been telling her to talk to G-d more but she has not listened but felt because of this that she should do so. From the beginning God was moving.
2.There was a family whose car broke down right in front of our house. I walked outside to offer assistance. They said they didn't need any but I offered for them to ring our bell if they did. They later rang the bell to use the bathroom and we got to talking and found out that their six year old granddaughter, who was in the back of the car, had cancer. so, we gathered a couple of peeps around her to pray for her and her family.
We had continued to pray for them as a community and found out that Adia's Cancer is in Remission!!!!
3. Pat (our next door neigbor). An older man in his late 40s early 50s. We have had some strange conversations and some of them have been about G-d. he had mentioned that most people don't care and Christians are one of those type of people. He had lost his job a bunch of months ago, was struggling with money, was close to eviction, had contemplated suicide many of times and was about as down as you could get. We would get opportunities to talk and would check up to see how he was doing. Even helped him out with money at times but recently he stopped me in passing and excidetly told me that he got his old job back. he hugged me and thanked me. he said most of the time people say they care but their actions don't show it and then thanked G-d.
4.Mike and jillian - a couple who was introduced to us through some mutual friends. felt they needed to move in with us. This led to an adventure of questioning, learning, growing, challening conversations and situations, healing, friendship, life as the church, community, learning about Love and so much more. Crazy!
5. Nancy - she was a 60 something year old woman who lived 2 houses down. We had a few conversations with her but didn't know much about her. then some dude landed on our front porch who went by the name billy. billy told us she was going through a hard time so we invited her to dinner. We all went out to dinner and nancy became a part of our group (kind of). she would always stop by, we would pray and talk with her, we would listen, we would protect her, be there for her, feed her etc. at times she would even admit she didn't want to be here but she couldn't help but show up, had some wierd spirtual stuff going on but it was incredible how G-d worked on her life. she later on became more alive, credited her life change to Jesus, was excited about sharing Jesus with everyone around her, was happier and more lively, wanted us to pray for her, etc. very cool!
6. Billy - don't know where he came from or where we went but hope that we had some impact on his life. he taught us some interesting things about people that God was going to bring to us and even already had!
WOW! the more I think back this house has been an incredible blessing. I will continue with more stories later on this week. In my selfishness I have forgotton the incredible ways God has used us and this house to impact our lives and the lives of many people around us.
THANK YOU GOD! for being absolutly incredible! words can't describe!
These past couple of months I have been frustrated with this house. I have been frustrated with the work that we have had to put into it (i am not a fix-it man), the things that go wrong with it, cutting myself open (not purposly) trying to fix it, and the time that it has taken away from other things that I find more important. I even questioned whether we had heard from G-d when we bought it or whether we were just "stupid little kids" but God has recently kicked me in the butt and showed me that he has used this house to teach us what it means to live life as the church, used the house and us to impact people's lives, to be a light in a dark place, and to have a lot of fun as we worship Him through our lives!!!!!
Here are just a few of those stories:
1. When we first went to look for houses: sarah found a realtor who she thought would be able to help us out. Our realtor was incredible. she put up with the tons of houses that we wanted to look at. many of them were nothing but junk and other ones were more than we could afford. Not to mention we had it set in our minds that we were going live in norwood but G-d had other plans. Sarah finally found a house in clifton (which was not where we thought we were going to move) and so we walked in this house and we knew that this was the area and the house we were supposed to move to. But, with discouragment and fear from our parents we chose to keep looking. We looked at a ton of houses and then found another one and so I mentioned that we should pray (knowing our realtor was not a christian and curious to how she would respond). We prayed and felt that the orginal house that we walked into in clifton was the right house and then I got a word for our realtor. it was way cool! our realtor then said that she was greatly impacted through that prayer time - felt that the other house was the right house, said she had never really been "relgious" but felt she needed to talk to G-d more, said her husband was going through surgery and he needed prayer, said her friend has been telling her to talk to G-d more but she has not listened but felt because of this that she should do so. From the beginning God was moving.
2.There was a family whose car broke down right in front of our house. I walked outside to offer assistance. They said they didn't need any but I offered for them to ring our bell if they did. They later rang the bell to use the bathroom and we got to talking and found out that their six year old granddaughter, who was in the back of the car, had cancer. so, we gathered a couple of peeps around her to pray for her and her family.
We had continued to pray for them as a community and found out that Adia's Cancer is in Remission!!!!
3. Pat (our next door neigbor). An older man in his late 40s early 50s. We have had some strange conversations and some of them have been about G-d. he had mentioned that most people don't care and Christians are one of those type of people. He had lost his job a bunch of months ago, was struggling with money, was close to eviction, had contemplated suicide many of times and was about as down as you could get. We would get opportunities to talk and would check up to see how he was doing. Even helped him out with money at times but recently he stopped me in passing and excidetly told me that he got his old job back. he hugged me and thanked me. he said most of the time people say they care but their actions don't show it and then thanked G-d.
4.Mike and jillian - a couple who was introduced to us through some mutual friends. felt they needed to move in with us. This led to an adventure of questioning, learning, growing, challening conversations and situations, healing, friendship, life as the church, community, learning about Love and so much more. Crazy!
5. Nancy - she was a 60 something year old woman who lived 2 houses down. We had a few conversations with her but didn't know much about her. then some dude landed on our front porch who went by the name billy. billy told us she was going through a hard time so we invited her to dinner. We all went out to dinner and nancy became a part of our group (kind of). she would always stop by, we would pray and talk with her, we would listen, we would protect her, be there for her, feed her etc. at times she would even admit she didn't want to be here but she couldn't help but show up, had some wierd spirtual stuff going on but it was incredible how G-d worked on her life. she later on became more alive, credited her life change to Jesus, was excited about sharing Jesus with everyone around her, was happier and more lively, wanted us to pray for her, etc. very cool!
6. Billy - don't know where he came from or where we went but hope that we had some impact on his life. he taught us some interesting things about people that God was going to bring to us and even already had!
WOW! the more I think back this house has been an incredible blessing. I will continue with more stories later on this week. In my selfishness I have forgotton the incredible ways God has used us and this house to impact our lives and the lives of many people around us.
THANK YOU GOD! for being absolutly incredible! words can't describe!
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