tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2012:/articles//4 2011-11-09T01:41:36Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2011:/articles//4.540 2011-11-01T23:29:49Z 2011-11-09T01:41:36Z

C.S. Lewis loved fairy tales. Not just because he was a writer who loved to study literature, but because he thought they were important. I’m sitting here watching the new TV show Once Upon a Time and I think I...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com Once Upon a Time and I think I understand what he was getting at. I think they really are important. I think they’re meant to remind us that the life we’re living is a part of a much bigger story. A story of good versus evil, and whereas it’s important to understand that we’re not the main characters in the story, we are important. We’re the supporting cast…and in this story, for some reason, the Good Guy chose the supporting cast to be His army. So if the bad guy (and he’s really much worse than any bad guy ever written) wants to stay in the game, his only option is to take us all out. He already knows he’ll never win this thing, and he even knows that, for him, it’s going to end very very badly - but the darkness in him is so dark that he keeps fighting because his purpose in life is to steal, kill, and destroy. So…since he knows he can’t destroy his main nemesis, he goes after the army that he CAN destroy, and in hurting them, he can at least make the Good Guy suffer. Because the truth is that the Good Guy loves this ragtag army that He’s created. Loves them enough to join them in the thick of the battle and even die for them. So if you’re fighting a war you know you’re going to lose, but you want to inflict as much pain as possible on your opponent, you figure out a plan that will have maximum impact; something that will take out the greatest number of your opponents in the worst way possible. I think that part of his brilliant plan (he’s bad but nobody ever said he was stupid) is to distract and confuse all the supporting characters, because if you can distract an entire army from the war in front of them, they lose. In the show Once Upon a Time, the Evil Queen curses all the characters in the fairy tale and sends them to a town called Storybrooke where there are no happy endings and nobody can remember who they really are. Sounds vaguely familiar...no happy endings and we can’t remember who we really are. Actually it FEELS vaguely familiar, and as I watched the show I couldn’t help making some connections. Like maybe, in this world, part of the curse is simply that we forget how valuable we are and who we belong to. And maybe our lousy circumstances are only a desperate attempt to make us think that the Good Guy is really the bad guy and that He couldn’t possibly love us. What if the truth is that we're an important part of this battle and the easiest way to take us out of the fight is to get us so focused on ourselves and everything we hate about our lives that we're no longer any good to anyone? Or what if, for some of us, the mundane, boring, every-day stuff has made us so dull and hopeless we’ve forgotten that we’re supposed to be on the alert and battle-ready instead of numbing out in front of our computers or TVs? What if hopelessness, desperation and despair are the enemy’s most useful weapons? What if all it takes are a few little well placed lies, like land mines, and whole battalions or societies are wiped out? The “what ifs” keep coming as I process this show, and for you maybe a totally different set of “what ifs” come to mind, but I think it’s important that we follow these thoughts to the truth. And maybe along the way we’ll remember who we really are and get back into the fight, because the one thing I haven’t forgotten in the muddle that is my mind these days, is who wins this fight in the end…and whose team I’m actually on. ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2011:/articles//4.524 2011-04-01T23:31:27Z 2011-04-11T19:17:59Z

First, watch this video from www.girleffect.org. (You'll have to click "agree" first...unless of course you don't agree...then don't) Now...think about what you just saw. Think about your life and how different (or not) it is from that video. Think about...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com www.girleffect.org. (You'll have to click "agree" first...unless of course you don't agree...then don't) Now...think about what you just saw. Think about your life and how different (or not) it is from that video. Think about how blessed you are if you live in a culture where it's not normal to be married off at 13 or 14. Where you have the freedom and opportunity to be educated and choose a career or path in life instead of having it forced on you. Where you won't have to resort to prostitution to take care of your kids because you have family who love you and will be here for you. If you have all of that, then take a minute (or a lifetime) to thank God for it because there are literally MILLIONS of girls out there who would give anything for the life you have. For parents who drive them crazy wanting to know about their life. For a school they can go to everyday instead of babies to take care of and a husband who's as old as their dad and hits them sometimes...because to him they're nothing more than cattle. I'm not making this stuff up. It's a reality for a lot of girls in this world, but if enough of us pull together I think we can do something about that. The truth is that in God's eyes girls are just as valuable as guys no matter where they live or what their culture says. And He hasn't left us here vulnerable with no way to fight back or make things better for ourselves and others. Did you know that when a country invests in their girls through education and health care, the entire country prospers? Did you know that most micro-finance organizations give the majority of their loans to women because women tend to think outside themselves and help their families and communities when they have the opportunity, instead of just helping themselves? And do you realize that God created us with a nature that desires to help others because He's that way Himself, and He knew that in this world we were going to need each other to get through? Now that you know that, what will you do? Don't let yourself get bogged down with the big picture. You can't help everyone out there who needs a hand, but you can help one. If you helped one girl, and then she helped some girls around her, before you know it an entire village could be doing better. And if you get your friends involved and they each help one girl, pretty soon we would have a movement on our hands that would be hard to stop. Not because we're awesome or really really talented, but because we believe in a God who's willing to work in and through His people. So even if you feel like you don't have much to offer (honestly none of us does) remember that you know the One who has everything to offer, and that He's asked us to love each other in order to show the world how much He loves them. Being a girl is a gift from God, but for so many girls in this world it's treated like a curse, so if you're interested in getting involved and helping someone who could use a hand, here's what I propose: First - We pray. Every thing, every day, every idea should begin with prayer so that we remember our connection to the God who loves us, has all the power, and has promised to guide us through this life. Second - Do a little research. There are a bunch of resources on the girleffect.org website that show how you can help someone in need. I also know of several organizations where you can help someone living in poverty through financing a small loan ($25), sponsoring their education, or even just becoming a pen-pal to someone who's lost everything, including their mom and dad. Write to me here at VR (jamie@virtuousreality.com) if you need help getting started. Third- Choose one girl to invest in. To love. She can be an orphan in Africa or a friend from school. And you don't have to start big, you just have to start. Say "Hi", make a call, write a letter. Get to know them and find out what they need instead of assuming you already know. Then move toward helping to provide it. Millions of girls will go to bed tonight not knowing Jesus, feeling totally alone in a life that's a nightmare, and wishing they had just one person who loved them enough to help them out. You could be that person. ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2011:/articles//4.514 2011-02-01T14:00:00Z 2011-02-01T21:58:15Z

If this was my last day on earth what would I say to you? I would say that God is so much better than you think He is but He doesn’t owe you anything. Not a happy marriage, cute kids,...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com "Promises and Verses for Living for Christ" and remember that God is the only One you can trust to never lie to you about anything. Download file ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2011:/articles//4.507 2011-01-01T14:00:00Z 2011-01-06T22:43:18Z

I was just in New York City over the Christmas holiday and this lady ran over me in her mid size SUV. True story. She actually ran over my shoe, or rather up the backside of my shoe, and was...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com if she doesn't stop she's going to break my leg". But she does stop, mostly because my friend has thrown herself in front of the lady's car (thank God for friends who will scream for you when you don't think to), and after she backs up a bit she asks "What was that?". To which my dear friend says "YOU JUST RAN OVER HER FOOT!!!!". I want you to guess what her response was. Anyone? Maybe an "I'm so sorry! Are you ok??" That would have been nice, but no. Her actual response was "Why was she so close to my car?" Now you might be thinking that was a good question, but you should know that in her rush to get out of the parking garage, she had driven right up on me as I buckled a four year old into his car seat, and my only way out was to squeeze between the two cars so she could get by. So the question isn't really "Why was I so close?" because I had no choice; the question is why, in the world, didn't she wait until I was clear of both cars to start moving forward? And the even bigger question is why, when all was said and done, couldn't she simply apologize? Why was it more important to shift the blame to me than to simply acknowledge that she had done something foolish that almost caused serious bodily harm? I've been thinking about this since it happened - it's like a puzzle I need to solve. I'm not angry about it, just thankful I didn't get hurt. I am, however, stumped by her response because when you break it down it makes absolutely no sense and yet I have a feeling most of us have done something similar at some time in our lives. Why do we so naturally try to shift the blame when we do something wrong or stupid instead of just owning it? I know it's because we don't like to be wrong, and we hate getting busted and looking stupid, but in the end her refusal to simply own her actions and apologize made her look small, selfish, and mean...and I don't think that's what she was going for. In trying to avoid looking stupid, she wound up looking so much worse than stupid. Which is what happens when we live for ourselves instead of others. In that one moment she made a negative impression on everyone around her, but she had the opportunity to come out of it looking humble and caring. If she had apologized, my lasting impression of her would have been a positive one. I would have thought she was kind and gracious though maybe not the best driver. I think this is how we respond to God on a regular basis too. We refuse to own up to our sins and ask for forgiveness, because it's easier to blame other people and the world around us. And we slowly become bitter, selfish, foolish, friendless people who can't shake the weight of our sins because we never really saw them for what they were and dealt with them. Remember that the next time you make a mistake and are tempted to blame it on someone or something other than yourself. Our natural tendency is to shift blame and save ourselves from negative consequences, but there's a higher road that leaves us looking a lot more like Jesus when we take it...which is the goal after all. ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.502 2010-12-01T14:00:00Z 2011-03-23T03:43:10Z

People went a little berserk a few weeks ago when the LA Times reported that Disney was done with Princess movies. Well they're not (according to Ed Catmull, the President of Disney) but when word first hit that Tangled might...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com Prince who rides in on His white horse and saves us all from the dreaded evil antagonist. A perfect Prince who knows you need to be rescued and is already coming for you. Pretty awesome actually. Our problem is that we get the real Prince confused with some future guy who's going to come along and make all our dreams come true. So we sit around and pine away and get all consumed with the idea of "the man of our dreams" or "mister right" or any number of terms we've given this imaginary future man, and in focusing all our energies on that dream, we forget to focus any on our true Prince whose name happens to be Jesus. Have you done that? Because I have. And when some guy came along who sort of fit the bill (well he said a lot of nice things about me and told me he loved me), he had my full attention and Jesus was tossed aside for much much too long. In the end, the guy stuck around until it wasn't fun anymore and then moved on, leaving me feeling pretty used up and abandoned. It was horrible and I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but I know so many of you are headed in that same direction. I wish I could stop it. I wish I could make you believe that your Prince has already come and that He's always here, always listening, always available. And when He says He loves you, it's for real and forever. He loves you when you're grumpy, ugly, fat, snarky, boring, unfashionable, untalented, and downright unlovable as well as on your good days. So I'm writing this today to encourage you, to encourage all of us, to keep the dream alive, but let's make sure it's the right dream. The fairy tale DOES exist but the happy ending comes after this life is over. Think of this life as the time Cinderella spent scrubbing floors and living in the attic as a servant. Or as the battle that must be fought in order for the Prince and Princess to end up together. There will be good days and bad days, and God will give us good gifts even in this life, which might or might not include a husband and family, but He's saving the Happily Ever After for when this battle is over, and it's going to knock our socks off. This life is where we do the hard work in front of us, knowing that the best is yet to come. It's where we live by faith, trusting that our White Knight is on His way but until He gets here, His Spirit will never leave our side and is committed to getting us home safely. So there it is. The Prince, the trusty Sidekick, the damsel in distress and a billion different ways the story plays out. Our God is quite the storyteller and no matter how things are looking right now, He's coming for you. Remember that this Christmas as you celebrate the birth of your Savior and Prince whose name is Faithful and True, and let it help you celebrate well and with the right heart. Merry Christmas everyone! We love you.]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.498 2010-11-01T20:07:37Z 2011-03-23T03:44:44Z

Last month we asked the question "Are you a fake Christian?" and some good conversations came out of that. This month I want to know if you're a bully, and hopefully some good, honest discussion can come from this one...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com Last month we asked the question "Are you a fake Christian?" and some good conversations came out of that. This month I want to know if you're a bully, and hopefully some good, honest discussion can come from this one too. So are you? Are you a bully? Because if you answer yes, my next question is, why? I'm a firm believer in getting to the root issue of why we do what we do, because I think it's only in honesty and repentance that God can change us and make us who He wants us to be. So really think about what it is in you that makes you pick on others who are different, or weaker, or who have made choices you disagree with. I'll bet that if you really search your heart you'll find that you do it to make yourself feel better about you. I'm betting on it because that's what I see when I catch myself being rude or ugly to someone, and I'm always shocked by how dark my heart really is. How did I become this person who sometimes feels so bad about myself that I resort to tearing others down? Have you ever heard the saying "Comparison is the thief of joy?" I believe it's also the maker of bullies. I really believe that when we get to the bottom of the issue, mean girls and bullies exist because we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others that we never simply enjoy being who God made us to be. The more we measure ourselves against those we feel are better than us, the more likely we are to attack those we think are worse than us. If God had wanted a bunch of blond haired, blue eyed, size 2 clones, with an off-the-charts IQ, He would have made us all like that. But He didn't. He LOVES diversity and the absolute truth (that the world lies to us about every day) is that He doesn't play favorites and He doesn't think more highly of some of His kids than others. He just doesn't. He doesn't put us in categories like prettiest, funniest, smartest, most athletic, most likely to succeed, - people do that, and in the end it kills us all a little bit. This life isn't a popularity contest or a beauty pageant, but in getting us to live in that mindset, the devil has sidelined a lot of us and made our lives a sad, petty mess. If you've paid any attention to the news lately, you're probably aware that he's also used our mouths and prejudices to bully people to death. If you and I are going to live as Christians in this world we need to know the truth of who we really are and what value we have, as well as how Jesus expects us to treat each other. None of us who call ourselves Christians have the right to bully or abuse another person no matter how much we dislike or disagree with them. God's expectation is that we treat others like we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12) and that we love others as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). In order to treat someone well I need to understand that God loves me completely, unfailingly, each and every day, regardless of what a jerk I might be or how many mistakes I've made. I need to know, deep in my soul, that He created me this way for a purpose and that He doesn't make mistakes. There's a reason I exist and it's a good one, and there's a reason I don't look like everyone else...also a good one. God, being all good and full of love, can never do a bad thing or a wrong thing. This means that He didn't mess up or have an accident when He was weaving you together - He knew exactly what He was doing and wants you to be you...not anyone else. Imagine a world where we all stop comparing ourselves to others and just enjoy being who we are, with the God who loves us like crazy. Sounds like Heaven doesn't it? All that time spent cutting, obsessing, dieting, fretting, weighing, and taking out our frustrations on others would be freed up to live joyfully with the God who adores us. Until that happens I think we need to start holding each other accountable in how we treat each other and even what we say about ourselves. Let's remind each other daily that God expects us to love, not hate others, and that we're here to represent Jesus, who loved the worst of us more than we'll ever understand. If you find yourself being the mean girl or bully, for the love, DO something about it! Ask for help, for prayer, for someone to slap their hand over your mouth when you start to get ugly. It's not OK no matter what the people around you are doing. Keep in mind, the person you offend the most is the One who died for you, and who dearly loves both you and the person you're hurting. tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.489 2010-10-01T14:00:11Z 2011-06-18T20:11:19Z

According to a recent study on teenagers and their faith "more American teenagers are embracing...a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem." If you're like most of the 3,300 teenagers...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com recent study on teenagers and their faith "more American teenagers are embracing...a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem." If you're like most of the 3,300 teenagers interviewed who call themselves Christians but can't explain their beliefs and aren't living what they say they believe, then you probably need to ask yourself if you're just faking it. Maybe we should define "faking it" first before we try to figure out if that's what we're doing. Fake Christians have been around since Jesus first kicked this thing off. Think of Judas, the one who betrayed Him in the garden. Here was a guy who walked around with Jesus for years, and who everyone thought was a straight up disciple like the others, but secretly he didn't really believe and in the end he betrayed Jesus and destroyed his own life. That story alone tells me that there have been, and will continue to be, fakers right up to the highest positions in the church. Also, in Matthew 7 Jesus is talking specifically about fakers (false prophets and wolves in sheep's clothing) when He says: "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" What I learn from that passage is that some people who walk around doing good things and calling themselves Christians aren't really Christians at all because they have no relationship with Jesus. Maybe they do the good things because it makes them look good. Or maybe it's all about their own fame and glory, but the point of this life is not to work hard at being good, but to know, love and follow Jesus. What these two examples tell me is that a faker is someone who looks like a Christian on the outside but their heart is far from Jesus, and in the end what He really wants is your heart, not your empty actions. If Judas had really loved and believed in Jesus, he would never have lied, cheated and betrayed Him. In the same way, if we really love Jesus, we'll spend our lives running after Him instead of just going through the motions and not having time for Him. It doesn't mean anything to Him if you go to church every Sunday, volunteer at a homeless shelter each week and call yourself a Christian, but never get to know Him. So are you getting to know Him or are you just playing the part? Do you call yourself a Christian and live however you want or are you letting Him change your heart so you can live according to His plan? If you truly believe, you change your views to match His instead of expecting Him to be ok with your personal choices. Like we know that He's against sexual immorality of any kind so do you make it to youth group every week, but still have big make out parties with guys at every opportunity? And can you even explain to someone what it means to follow Jesus or would you be stumped if someone asked? If you're thinking that following Jesus might be a harder gig that you had been told, keep in mind that you're in a battle, and there is an enemy who's working hard to make sure you don't make it into the Kingdom. If satan can keep you a faker for your whole life then he wins and you lose more than you can even imagine. In Luke 13 Jesus tells us that few find the way into the Kingdom of God and that we should "strive to enter through the narrow door". That word strive comes from the Greek agonizomai which means to fight or struggle for something; it's where we get our English word "agonize". So the question then is, do I agonize over this relationships with Jesus like I do over my relationships with friends and family? Do I fight as hard to hold onto Him as I do to hold onto those things in my life that are most important to me? None of us are saved so we can live however we want - playing with sex and other worldly pursuits and coasting on our imagined salvation. This pursuit of Jesus is a lifelong thing and a daily battle to choose Him and His plans over the world and our own. If you call yourself a Christian but live however you choose, then you probably aren't one. Sounds harsh but biblically it's true. If you call yourself a Christian but you're sinning just as hard as everyone around you, with no intention of stopping, then you need to recognize that you're in trouble and decide whether you want to fight to really believe, or if you're content to just fake it and see what happens. Keep in mind it's your eternity that's on the line here, not just this short life. If you could use a boost and want to see what it looked like for one young man to truly believe in and follow Jesus, check out the book I Would Die for You. I blogged about it this month so if you're interested in being challenged click here for more about BJ Higgins and his short but convicting life.. And don't shy away from challenging your parents, your churches, and your youth pastors if the Christianity they're modeling is nothing to get excited about. Biblically, that shouldn't be the case and if "Christian" adults are faking it, how can we expect young people to do any better? ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.419 2010-09-01T22:22:00Z 2010-09-05T20:57:46Z

Once upon a time there was a girl named Gomer. Not the greatest name, I agree, but maybe it was a family name and, who knows, maybe it was even popular back then. Anyway...this girl was pretty but we don't...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com what unconditional love does. It doesn't give up and it doesn't stop loving because it isn't dependent on what the other person does. Because Hosea was faithful and true, eventually Gomer learned to be the same. Her heart healed, and though she struggled to love well, she learned from him and over time she stopped running and became the person he always believed she could be. If you're reading this story and thinking love like that doesn't exist, then you, like most of us, don't have a good understanding of how outrageously loved you are by the God who made you. The book of Hosea in the Bible isn't just the story of Hosea and Gomer, it's our story. And in the story we're the unfaithful wife and God is the loving husband who comes for us over and over and over again after we've cheated on Him and run into the arms of our idols. Every time I read this story it makes me cry because I can see myself in Gomer, and I can't help but wonder why Jesus keeps coming to my rescue. My prayer is that I will understand His love for me more and more every day and that as I see Him more clearly, I'll become more like Him. Someday I hope to be as faithful and true as He is, but until then I will thank Him daily for loving me more than I love Him. ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.481 2010-08-01T14:00:00Z 2011-03-23T03:45:25Z

by Jamie Lamb I was just reading a blog about a five year old girl who's fighting cancer, and her parents finished the story by saying they have faith that God can heal their girl. Which is true because "Nothing...

Shawna Peterson http://www.virtuousreality.com Nothing is impossible with God". I think you have to remind yourself of that over and over in order to get through the hard stuff in this life... but when I read that last line the thought that echoed through my brain like the ghost of a whisper was "but even if He doesn't..." It's like Rack, Shack and Benny from Daniel 3 (thank you Veggie Tales) were floating around in my head, and for a second I realized how much it must make God's heart swell to hear His kids say "I trust that God will take care of me but even if He doesn't do what I want most, I will still trust in Him." For that split second I saw how beautiful those five words must be to God and how they say much more than I've ever realized. They say 'Regardless of how my current situation works out, my hope is in God.' They say 'God is of greater value to me than anything I can lose in this life.' I think we have a hard time understanding what it means to face being burned alive with that kind of fearlessness...no, I think fear was an issue, maybe a better word is just courage. Imagine someone loving you so deeply they were committed to being with you no matter what they had to give up or do without. Now imagine yourself being that person. Hard to do, isn't it? One of the down sides of growing up in suburbia is that we feel safe and protected from a lot of the evil in the world, so we never develop a dependence on God that will carry us through the earthquakes and tsunamis when they come...and they will come. Maybe your earthquake will be the death of a parent or close friend. Maybe it will be the loss of your health or your dreams. Or maybe, like Job, it will mean the loss of everything you hold dear other than Jesus Himself. What will you do then? What will you hold onto? There's really only one thing in this world we can count on all the way to the end and that's Jesus. Everything else is temporary and can be lost or taken away, but He said "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you" and He's never broken a promise yet. In John 16:33 Jesus said "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." That word tribulation doesn't just mean things will get a little hard now and then, it is sometimes translated as anguish, persecution or distress. Jesus was totally up front about this world being a mess (because of what we've done, not because of Him) and the fact that we would suffer here, but He wanted us to keep in mind that all of this, even the worst stuff, is temporary and that He has won this fight already. "But even if He doesn't" says to God that though this world does it's worst, we trust that He will make it right in the end. If you're reading this and you feel like you'll never have that kind of faith, don't get discouraged, none of us can work that up on our own. It's something the Holy Spirit builds in us as we go through this life and you can trust that He will finish the good work He has started in you (Philippians 1:6). So let's pray, all of us, that we have the faith of Daniel and his three friends. A faith that holds us up even if we get thrown to the lions or into the fire. A faith that stands firm, eyes on Jesus, and says to our worst enemies "I know this God who loves me can make this all go away, BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN'T I will not give up on Him and you will not win!" Here's a note from an African martyr that says it all. I hope it inspires you. “I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made – I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, top, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and I labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work until He stops me. And, when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear.” -Note From The Desk of An African Martyr ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.374 2010-07-01T14:00:00Z 2010-07-01T14:34:41Z

Ok... (deep breath)...let's tackle this issue of "The One". The fairy-tale "One". The "One" God has created just for you, who's out there looking for you if only you'll wait long enough. I just had a great, spontaneous conversation with...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com "For in him we live and move and have our being." That last quote is what I think we're looking for in men but it can only be found in Jesus. We want to be so close to someone that we move together through life like we're dancing. We want to lose ourselves in someone so we never feel alone again or have to go through life by ourselves. The great news is, that's exactly what He's offering. Throughout the Bible Jesus calls, "Come to me, seek me, follow me, trust me, lose yourself in me and I will make you whole." He says "you are Mine, whom I created for Myself". How sweet is that? Don't those sound like the words you might hear from the love of your life? They are; we just need to start believing it and ask Him to show Himself to us.]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.469 2010-06-02T05:09:21Z 2011-03-18T20:30:23Z

I'm sure that by now most of you have seen Miley's new video, but I'm not going to post it. The video isn't really the point of this article anyway - she is. Miley the person. Miley the child of...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com Galatians 1:10, Paul says that we can either live for the approval of men or of God, but not both. Once our goal is to please the world we stop being a servant of Jesus. We also know from what Jesus taught that we will live this life as either a slave to the world or to Him, so if we've chosen to try and win the world, we have by default chosen to be its slave. And where God is a good and loving Master, the world has only our destruction in mind. When you look at it that way it makes perfect sense that Brittany and so many others have fallen so hard. That's what the world does to people. The question now becomes, how do we stop contributing to the mess and start being a force for good in this world of idols and small gods? We have got to stop worshiping the famous and start praying for them. Understand that Miley is just a young woman caught up in the lies the world feeds all of us, and start begging God for her freedom. He knows her completely and loves Her as deeply as He does all of His kids so let's start acting like family and step up on her behalf. I believe that God is at work in her, but she's in a bigger battle than she probably realizes so let's fight for her when she can't fight for herself. The applause of men is a much more dangerous drug than most people realize, and once someone is addicted to it, it's hard to see the need for rescue. We might also need to do an inventory of all our stuff to see how deep our worship of people might actually be. Do you have posters all over your room and do your clothes and accessories advertise an obsession with anyone or anything other than the God who deserves all your affections? Do you spend more time praying for celebrities or gossiping about them and stalking them online? God doesn't have favorites and He doesn't assign value to people according to their talents or their beauty, only people do that. Instead He looks at our hearts. Can you imagine how beautiful it must be to Him when one of His girls battles in prayer for the soul of another who is in trouble? ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.466 2010-05-01T14:00:00Z 2010-05-05T22:07:01Z

Do you want to see what it looks like when someone follows God with all their heart? What it really looks like to be a disciple? Then you're going to want to meet Katie. Before I send you off to...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple." And then there's this: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself?" - Matthew 16 What He wants is all of us; nothing held back. He asks us to love Him so completely that we trust Him with this life He's given us instead of selfishly holding onto it and trying to make it what we want it to be. His expectation is that our love for Him makes our affection for others look like hate and that we be willing to give everything up, even the things we cherish most, in order to follow Him. I know that doesn't sound so appealing when you just read it...but when you see it in action, like in Katie's life, you'll get so jealous for the relationship she has with Jesus, and for the adventure she's on, that you might just start thinking about really following Jesus on His terms instead of your own. We are so blessed in this country, but instead of being thankful and offering everything back to the Lord for His purposes we have become dependent all we have, and it has become our greatest handicap. We have traded a life of trusting in God for what seems to us a safer life of trusting in people and money and power and things and our own abilities. What we seem to forget is that God loves to use the inadequate and unfit. God can accomplish the impossible with the least qualified people because those people tend to be the most humble, realizing that they have nothing to offer and praying desperately for Him to do His thing. He chose a murderer to lead His people out of Egypt, a prostitute to welcome His people into the promised land, and an unmarried young girl to mother His Son. All He's looking for is a heart that is totally His - "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" - 2 Chron 16:9. My hope in sharing this with you is that you'll see that God can use anyone who truly loves Him, regardless of age, to do some beautiful, incredible things. Your life won't look like Katie's because God has so many wonderful stories up His sleeve, but imagine getting to be part of just one of them. I'm also hoping that if you're hung up on boys, or your appearance, or the stuff you have...or want, or any of the things that tend to sideline us and keep us from being useful to God on this earth - that this will encourage you and be a wake-up call of sorts. That you'll see what's possible for those who trust in the Lord. That you'll be humbled and inspired. I have been. Look at what God can do with just one of His girls who loves Him more than anything else. Click here to read The Journey, Katie's online journal. Go back to the early entries in 2007 and read all the way through, because if you don't you'll miss important bits of the beautiful journey the Lord has her on. I pray that each of us loves Jesus so much that we hand our whole lives to Him and say "I'm all yours. Do whatever you can with me. Help my life scream to the world how amazingly glorious You are!" As Katie says at the end of her July 28, 2008 blog "LIFE TO THE FULLEST - it exists. The choice is yours."]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.460 2010-04-01T16:58:25Z 2011-03-23T03:46:08Z

By Natalie Witcher I have some amazing girlfriends. The kind of girlfriends that would come over in a moments notice if I needed them. The kind of girlfriends that would listen to me talk about the same thing over and...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com About the Author: If waxy chocolate donuts were a food group, Natalie would be the first to make them part of every meal. But, since they aren’t, she’ll keep her head about her and “feast” on what truly is important—the Word of God. She is a mom of three and a wife of one. She’s a friend, mentor, movie lover and is convinced that when ever a lazy thunderstorm rolls in that God ordered it just for her. Raising her own girls gives her a front row seat to watching God do great things in the lives of great girls! She prays that every girl reading this online magazine will find everything they need in Christ! Author Links Natalie Witcher @ Blogspot]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2010:/articles//4.449 2010-01-30T00:57:55Z 2010-03-04T18:17:56Z

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28 (NASB) This is the verse I keep thinking about since...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28 (NASB) This is the verse I keep thinking about since we got back from Haiti with Jakob & Isaak. (Short recap - Last month I went with my friend Sharla, to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, to help get her 4-year-old Haitian twins out of there and home to America...and we made it.) The last four years have been a walk of faith for her with these boys, filled with one rescue after another, each one arranged by a loving God who is, every day, working all things together for good. The fact that Isaak is even alive today is proof that the Lord's plans will always win out over the plans of men. He was abandoned as a newborn in the hospital, and since nobody was paying for him the hospital refused to care for him, so he was starved and left in the same diaper for two weeks. When a group of doctors on a medical mission trip found him (still in the hospital), he weighed just over two pounds, was too weak to cry, and the infection from the diaper had eaten through his skin and you could see his intestines. Now, he's a very active, very smart little boy who moves like the Tasmanian Devil (the cartoon one) but comes to a screeching halt whenever there's a baby to hold. Miracle #1. Five months after Isaak was rescued, his brother Jakob ended up in the hands of the same people who rescued Isaak because his mother didn't want him anymore. What are the odds that the boys would be able to grow up together with that kind of beginning? Miracle #2. Then there's the long, drawn out process of adopting Haitian kids, which is bad enough when they're in an orphanage and ready to be adopted, but when they've been abandoned and have no paperwork to make it all easier, it becomes one more mountain to climb...or move. Enter El Shaddai (which means God Almighty), and one massive earthquake in Haiti. If you've been following the earthquake in the news, then you know how devastating it has been to hundreds of thousands of people, but what you don't necessarily know is how many lives have been changed for the better because of this big nasty event. We have this really limited view of the world around us and generally only see the obvious or whatever jumps out at us screaming...like the suffering caused by earthquakes and tsunamis and big stuff like that. But there's always so much more happening under the surface that we can't see, and that's where faith comes into play. God asks us to believe that He is always good and always in control and that He will continue to work miracles and care for His people all the way to the end of this earth and into eternity. So now the boys are in America (or Merka, as Jakob calls it) with Mom, on humanitarian parole, instead of stuck on an island waiting for two governments to get it together so they can be free. Miracle #3. And here we are...two grown women, two hairy cats, and two very busy 4-year-olds, in America, all living at my place while they get settled and look for a home. It's a beautiful thing. What I love most about this story is that I have gotten to watch the God of everything wonderful pull off the impossible to rescue these boys and put them where He wants them. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that God caused the earthquake just to get these boys to America; what I am saying is that in the very worst of circumstances and nightmares, God is always busy, doing His thing, and working the situation out for good. If your world seems to be falling to pieces, ask Him to help you see His hand in everything, and to show you that He's there, guiding, and loving, and arranging all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes...and it might be worth asking yourself if you fit that description. He doesn't make this promise to those who are just slightly interested in Him and mostly want to do their own thing. ]]> tag:www.virtuousreality.com,2009:/articles//4.372 2010-01-02T02:25:57Z 2010-01-02T20:25:27Z

It's the end of 2009 and I'm sitting in the Denver airport feeling a sense of urgency for you guys and for myself. Can you feel it too? I feel like big things are happening all around us but we're...

Jamie Lamb http://www.virtuousreality.com Let me tell you a little about my cousin's daughter Breanna. When she was twelve she was rushed to the hospital with a high fever that turned out to be stage four brain and spinal cancer. For the next two and a half years she and her family fought that thing with everything they had, and the rest of us prayed and prayed and prayed that Jesus would heal her, but instead He came and took her home when she was fifteen. Fifteen. We never think that we might only have a few years on this earth and then it will be over, we tend to think that we'll have a long life and don't really consider the end much, but what if the end is next week? What Breanna did with her last few years was truly brave and beautiful, because she took the opportunity God gave her and did the work He had planned in advance for her to do. She asked almost every person who came into her room if they were a Christian and tried to talk to as many as would listen about this Jesus that she loved so much. Sitting in a hospital bed, blind and bald, that girl kept her eyes on Jesus and tried to love the people He had placed around her. She even said at one point "If my getting cancer brings even one person to Jesus it will have been worth it." We won't know until Heaven the effect her short life had on all the people she met but I know she heard "Well done my good and faithful servant" when she finally met God face to face and her life has been a challenge to me ever since. The truth is that Jesus doesn't owe us a long life or a happy marriage or cute kids. He doesn't owe us an easy life or a good life or even the breath it takes to get through this one day. Each day is a gift from Him to be used either selfishly or for His purposes - we get to choose. So with that in mind I'm planning on living this year as if it's my last. I want to think each day that I might not see the next day and then live a life that I won't be ashamed of if Jesus were to show up tomorrow. Feel free to join me if you haven't already made plans for 2010 :)]]>