Building on the Foundation

Mental health, or lack thereof, is a hot topic in today's world. People, especially young people, seem to be struggling with their mental health more than ever. Experts say there are many factors at play, the increasing complexity of our modern world, guns, politics, bigots, and intolerance, just to name a few of the things that get the blame for poor mental health.  The National Institute of Health estimates that 23% of American adults suffer from some sort of mental health issue, and I'd like to put forth that it's far more than that once you realize what mental illness actually is. source The mental health crisis in America and the World as a whole is far more severe today than it has been at any time in history. The majority of the people you might meet, even in the Church, are dealing with a mental health issue. People are suffering even to the point of committing suicide because of the strain placed upon their mental faculties, and no one seems to know what the answer...

Our primary goal and mission as Christians is our service and singular devotion to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. That's who and what we are, and it defines everything about our lives. We walk in a manner that reflects glory and honor upon His name, and when there is the darkness of wickedness, His light reflected through us reveals it.  Our highest mission is service to Jesus, who is YHWH. Once a year, however, it becomes abundantly clear that this mission has gotten confused in a lot of Christian's minds. We serve YHWH for 364 days of our lives, but one day a year, it's okay to go out and partake in the works of darkness. It's harmless and fun, so what's the big deal? As representatives of the kingdom, we are children of light. We cannot participate in evil things and expect God to be okay with that. We are to practice what is pleasing to God and do those things which are good, right, and true. That's a pretty good litmus test, and we find it repeated thro...