Christian Living

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So, I had the privilege of spending some time with my good friend Eric Schroeder today. I always enjoy my conversations with Eric, as he is a very respectable young man. During our conversation he presented a very valid insight that I think I need to address, and that is exactly what this note will be intended to do. So sit back, relax, kick your feet up (but not if you are at your parents house and not in your own room of course. Lol. You don’t want to get yelled at), and do your best to try and soak in all that I say in this note. Please, I assure you that this note is solely for the benefit of those who read it. Let’s get to it shall we?

When I write, I tend to write a lot really fast. My wife and I sometimes joke about how I can sit down to write a two sentence message and I end up writing a six page single spaced paper within an hour and a half or less. My brain just goes so fast sometimes. It is like the energizer bunny, it just keeps going, and going, and going, well, you get the point. And although this issue is not new to me, I realize sometimes that people, for whatever reason it may be (I don’t particularly want any input on what those reasons might be. I am well aware of most of them, if not all of them), that people seem to think that I must think that I am better than everyone else and that I think I know everything and that I am always right and so on and so forth. Well, let me just say, plain and simple, none of that is true. Now I do believe that I am right an awful lot, you can ask my wife if she agrees with that, and that is merely because God has given me an overwhelming abundance of life experience and intelligence that allows me to work through things, whether in my head or on paper or however it may be, and to understand real truth on a much wider scale than most people, but no human is always right, and I am well aware that I make mistakes from time to time (which is why I must trust in my Lord Jesus to sustain and renew me whenever I mess up). But, having said that, that does not in any way make me any better than anybody else. I will be the first to tell you that I, just like every other human on this planet, am scum and completely worthless without the eternal mercy and grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My good friend Staff Johnson can attest to that if you don’t believe me. I also am well aware that, although I know an awful lot about an awful lot, thanks to God and the gifts and experiences He has given me, I would clearly be a fool to assert that I know everything, and that is why I would never even think of making that statement, because it is simply not true.

Now that that is out of the way, I would like to talk a little about what the purpose of most of my recent notes has been. To put it in plain, straightforward language, my notes are almost always meant to do one thing, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ. You see, I have the privilege of being able to see the world from many different angles because of my brain as well as the thousands of different people that I have met and the many different cultures that I have lived in. I became a Christian when I was five years old, and I have been doing my best to serve God with all my heart ever since. Yes I have made mistakes, but that is merely a testament that just because you are a Christian does not mean that you are perfect, and as Christians we need to be humble and remember that above all else. One of the things that I have noticed over the years, and especially in more recent years, is that FAR TOO MANY Christians are living mediocre lives and, quite frankly, simply do not know what it means to be a steadfast Christian. Revelation 3:15-22 says this: “15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. 21 The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” 1 Corinthians 10:21-24 says this about the subject: 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 24 No one should seek his own ⌊good⌋, but ⌊the good⌋ of the other person. That is the main issue that I wish to address from this point on in this message. As Christians, we have got to step up to the plate and be the men and women of God that we are called to be. So, prepare to be encouraged and challenged.

I have spent a few nights in jail. I have tipped over a portapoty on the side of the highway when nobody was looking. I have been charged with a felony, although I did not get convicted by the grace of God. I have been in far too many fights. I have beat several people up in my life. I have talked back to my parents. I have called people names and been very mean and hurtful at times. I have had a one night stand (once, and I got an STD from it. Luckily I got rid of it and it wasn’t permanent). That last sentence is something that you young people especially can learn from. When adults tell you it only takes once, “they ain’t lyin.” I got suspended from school over 100 times, yes, I said over 100 times, from the 4th to the 10th grade. The list goes on and on. I do not ever claim to be perfect. It is not easy at all growing up trying to live a good Christian life while having to deal with ADHD and bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders and antisocial disorders and being pumped so full of drugs that you don’t even know what day it is for months at a time. I have been taking medication since I was four years old. I have taken well over 250,000 prescribed pills in my life time. More than once for many months, if not years, at a time I had serious physical “twitches” because of my medication, and quite frankly they made me look like a freak. At one point growing up there was a three year span where I was taking 19, yes 19 pills a day. I was on seven different medications at one time. And the worst part is they were supposed to calm me down, but in recent years doctors have found that giving people who are bipolar, like I am, ADHD and other certain drugs, like they gave me, actually makes those people even more crazy. You would not believe the stories I could tell you about some of things I did growing up that I simply could not control.

My point in the previous paragraph is that I am well aware of what trouble, stress, pain, and life is really like. I did not even mention the four times I have been hospitalized for homicidal/suicidal tendencies due to my bipolar disorder, or my divorce a few years back that I had to go through because my ex-wife found someone that she loved more, or how I almost never get to see my son because I didn’t have money for a layer for the divorce, or….., or……, or….., the list goes on and on. Now, the reason that I brought all of this up is not to complain to you about my life. It is quite honestly completely tied in to the purpose of this note. I am bringing all of this up to you, and believe me I left a lot of stuff out, to make you aware, in case you don’t already know, that no matter what you do, no matter how bad you get, no matter who you hurt, GOD STILL LOVES YOU AND YOU STILL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP GETTING RIGHT BACK UP AND GIVING IT YOUR BEST EVERY SINGLE DAY, NO MATTER HOW SHORT YOU MAY FALL BY THE END OF THE DAY!!!!!

We all go through things in life. Those last few paragraphs, during all of that stuff that I had to deal with day in and day out, I still brought my Bible to school every day. I still attended youth group and went to church every week. In the fourth grade we moved to San Antonio, TX. I did not know anybody there at the new school, but within a few months of school starting I was preaching to my friends at school during recess. I led at least four of my friends to Christ that year. THE FOURTH GRADE! PRAISE GOD AND ONLY GOD FOR THAT AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS GOOD AND PERFECT!!! In the ninth grade, a few years after we moved to Ft. Benning, GA, I led my best friend Randy to Christ on afternoon. In the eleventh grade, in El Paso, TX, where we only lived for 11 months, I saved one of my friends life who was having a seizer in the swimming pool while everyone else was inside (we were at a youth group pool party) because this kid was “different” and most of the kids did not want to be his friend. His parents were so funny; they invited my whole family over for dinner one night and just would not stop thanking me for saving their son’s life. I got made fun of countless times growing up in school for bringing my Bible, reading it during breaks, praying at lunch before I ate my food. I even had a few teachers as several different schools try to tell me that I could not bring my Bible to school because of the separation of church and state laws. I simply had to show them and tell them what the separation of church and state laws actually stated, and every time, after I plead my case before the principle, I always won, because they were simply misinformed about what the law actually states. Two weeks after I got married to my wonderful wife Emily last year I had the privilege of leading her to Christ. This list also goes on, and on, and on…….

You see, we all have issues, pain, struggles, trials, problems, and whatever else you want to call them in our lives from time to time and from day to day. But, and this is where the purpose of this note and all the others comes in, we still have to continue to do our absolute best to live for Christ in the midst of all that we are going through. I will be the VERY first to tell you straight up that LIFE SUCKS SOMETIMES! There is no question about that. But when life really sucks, and we are going through something hard and difficult, we need to look at Scripture, at verses like James 1:2-4 and others that tell us that through our struggles and trials comes spiritual maturity and completeness. And we need to remember verses like James 1:22 that tells us that we are to DO what the Word says and not merely hear and read it. We need to remember verses like Philippians 4:13 that tells us that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. We also need to be open to GODLY AND RIGHTEOUS rebuke and correction, which is why we need to remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which tells us that “all Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that man (or woman) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I know life is hard sometimes, and sometimes it doesn’t even seem like it is worth living, but as Christians, WE MUST REMEMBER that we are not here to please and live for ourselves or anyone other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who died on a cross for us, who created us in His image, and who longs ever so much for a healthy and intimate relationship with each and every one of us. We have got to keep on going the best we can, and REMEMBER Hebrews 12:1-2 where it tells us to “run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” And Colossians 3:1-3 which says “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God.”

I want to strongly encourage whoever reads this note to stand strong in their faith and remember these verses, along with many others, such as Ephesians 3:11-12 which says “This is according to the purpose of the ages, which He made in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him.” Remember that no matter how bad, or good, life gets, we are still here on this earth for one main purpose, to serve and worship God in ALL that we say and do, let alone what we think and feel. Keep the faith, for Hebrews 11:6 says “Now without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

If you are reading this, I want you to know that I love you and I want to encourage you to live a life that is pleasing to God in all that you do, to the BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. Yes, you are going to screw up hundreds if not thousands of times, but that is why we got saved in the first place, because we cannot make it on our own. We are sinful humans who need our Savior. WHEN you mess up, pray, confess it to God, thank Him for being loving and Holy enough to forgive you of it, ask for the strength and the will to do better next time, get back out there, and keep on truckin. If there is one thing that I have learned in my life above everything else in this world, it is that GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!! We just have to be willing to do our best, at let God do the rest.

Love in Christ,

Trevor “Unashamed” Slone

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