About
My Personal Mission Statement*:
I want to create things to inspire and educate people to live a more loving life for themselves, others, and the world.
Mandy M…
Lives with…
Wonderful artistic husband, Neil.
Three lovely kitties, Wash, Zoe, and Anara, plus a few fish.
Enjoys…
Vegan cooking, sharing that food, her faith, communication, the internet, books, web comics, swinging poi, hosting parties, movies, ARGs and other puzzle games, RPGs, comedy, writing, making pretty things, ModernDayKnights, Urban Dead, wearing skirts, and more…
Reads web comics and suggests you try…
The Broken Mirror*, Count Your Sheep, Friendly Hostility*, Goblins*, Megatokyo*, Octopus Pie*, Penny Arcade*, Penny and Aggie*, Red String*, Shortpacked!*, Sluggy Freelance, Striptease*, The Dreamland Chronicles, Thorn, Three Panel Soul*, Two Lumps
* Indicates a rating of at least PG-13
Has faith… (and would enjoy sharing it with you!)
I’m a Christian, but please don’t jump to any conclusions. I think it is sad that my faith is often more known for what it is against than for the love it is supposed to show others. My goal is not to hit you over the head with a Bible and convert you, but to show you love and to tell you the good news through not only words but actions so that you may come to God of your own free will.
One little point on love. Love is often described as a feeling. True, love can bring on intense feelings, but that is not all it is. Love is a choice to care for others unselfishly.
I believe in Jesus, that he was the son of God, died on the cross and that he was raised again. I believe that anyone who comes to Him, asks forgiveness for their sin and tries to turn away from sin will be forgiven and be welcomed by God. I believe this is a key part of Christianity. Someone told me once that the “R” stands for relationship, not religion. As of writing this I’m learning more and more about the importance of relationships: With God and with the people you come in contact with.
What exactly is a sin, then? There are so many different points of view and sometimes they cause problems between those who try to “pick up the cross” and follow Jesus. I have no problem with people debating about the meaning of parts of the Bible. Sometimes it is through seeing other peoples’ understanding that we grow in our own. The problem begins when these debates start to breed hatred.
In Matthew 7, Jesus speak about why we shouldn’t judge others. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”(7:3, NIV) I understand this to mean, “Yeah, your friend has some problems to deal with, but so do you!”
I have some beliefs that I know some other Christians don’t agree with. I believe that God doesn’t care about what gender or sex you are, just like skin color. This applies to not only marriage but to treating people equally and woman being able to preach in church. Obviously not everyone is going to agree with me. Humans learn, listen and grow in different stages.
It’s my belief that we’ll all be set straight when we get to God. Here on Earth, no human is better than another. We have ALL SINNED. I’ve sinned, you’ve sinned, and yes, even little old ladies have sinned. BUT God gives us this HUGE gift of forgiveness, and to get it all we have to do is ask for it and try to turn away from our old sins.
I believe that God also gave humans the gift of thinking brains and a heart so that both can listen to him. By yourself and with others, I think we are to study the Bible, pray and listen to what God tells us, and to be thankful for what we understand because wisdom comes from Him. Shortly after speaking about not judging others, Jesus tells us to seek in Matthew 7:7-8. If we study and listen we can understand what God lets us so we can try to live a life he wants us to.
If you have more questions, you can e-mail me or I suggest checking out this United Methodist site. I actually fell away from Christ when I did not feel welcomed at my first church, which lead me to seek other ways. (I was pagan for awhile, but it was not fulfilling to me.) It was at my current church that I felt welcomed and it helped restart my faith. This is why I suggest trying a FUM church.
It has been a long road back to God and faith but I believe it is worth it. I have found some of the most amazing people through this trip. I thank you for reading through this and I hope you find your way to Him as well!
