Christianity Matters

Christianity 101-The Basics of the Faith

This page contains chapters of a book manuscript I wrote during a very difficult time of my life. I wrote this while trying to deal with my daughters drug addiction, an addiction after many years she has overcome. It was our faith in God that gave us the strength we needed. Writing this manuscript was a huge contributing factor in building my faith as I had to study scripture. In addition I had to research and study many Biblical commentaries and resources. Writing and researching gave me a much clearer understanding of why Christianity has such life changing power, an understanding I wanted to pass on to others who may read it. The manuscript walks you through the basics of the faith. It covers evidence supporting scripture, core principals, benefits and fruits of Christianity.

When I wrote this I was working as a Financial Aid Officer at the University of New Mexico. I have always had a love for sports and both my children were involved with sports, so I had a tendency to try and get to know our student athletes. Because of getting to know these student athletes I became familiar with the many struggles they went through, which is why there are many sports analogies in this book. And if you wonder how serious can the struggles of a college student athlete be, they can be serious enough to commit the ultimate act of despair - suicide. It was the suicide of one of our student athletes that made it very clear to me that no matter how things may appear on the outside there can be a ton of hurt on the inside. How else can you explain the suicides of celebrities who we think have it all or the lifestyle choices of celebrities that show they want to escape from life rather than embrace it?

I would understand why you would ask yourself what makes me qualified to write a book on basic theology, which is pretty much what this book is. I took one Masters level class at Liberty University called Theology 101 so that makes me an expert!. Seriously, I understand one class hardly classifies me as a religious expert, but what makes this book credible is my desire to know the truth. I have no desire to live a lie because it suits my interests, I did a lot of research, using many reference books and studies as well as commentaries, in other words I relied on individuals with far more Biblical knowledge than I to write this manuscript. I simply added a few of my own insights and stories with hope of making this manuscript interesting and relatable.

Listed below is a descriptive table of contents. In order to access the chapters of this book click on the desired chapter number where you can download a pdf file for that chapter.

Chapter 1 - The Secret

Christianity is much more than a religion. It is having a purposeful relationship with a God that gives us peace, contentment, and an abundant life. This chapter offers strong evidence , as supported by various studies, of how a strong faith will lead to a more fulfilling life. It also touches on the purpose of our creation, why free will is so important, and God's love for us.

Chapter 2 - Peak Performance

Spiritual growth does far more than just get us into heaven! Our spiritual growth will help us develop personal attributes that will help us improve our performance is all aspects of our lives.

Chapter 3 - Can We Trust Our Playbook?

A very important chapter that provides compelling evidence why the Bible can be trusted. You will read how science does more to point to creator than disprove one as well as other evidence that indicates the Bible is far more than a good book of literature.

Chapter 4 - The Only Way

One of the most common and most dangerous misconceptions about Christianity is it is just like all the other religions. There is nothing farther from the truth, as this chapter will point out. In addition you will also understand the other dangerous lie many believe - if there is a God all "good" people will get into heaven. In other words this chapter will explain the significance of Jesus - our only hope of salvation.

Chapter 5 - Who's Driving Your Car?

What drives us? For many peer pressure and destructive forces do. This chapter simply asks you to examine what driving forces are in your life and suggests what forces should be driving you.

Chapter 6 - True Freedom

Why is obedience to God important? You will learn in this chapter how ignoring God's instruction causes tremendous bondage and living by His standards actually gives us more freedom in our lives. Promiscuity and substance abuse are important topics discussed in this chapter.

Chapter 7 - Who Am I?

Peer pressure has so much to do with how we value ourselves and others. Often we are made to feel inferior because we don't "measure up" to the standards set by our peers. We often make unhealthy choices because of unhealthy influences. Our spiritual growth should change the way we view ourselves and what is important to us, in other words how we determine our identity. This chapter explains how baptism and communion are connected to forming a new identity as a child of God.

Chapter 8 - Pride is a Major Stumbling Block

Pride is the number one reason people reject God. Christians are not exempt from having a pride problem. Pride causes us to be judgmental and unloving. Pride also keeps us from reaching our potential as a person.

Chapter 9 - Dealing with Failure

We suffer more than we should and too often "beat ourselves up" because of perceived performance and/or spiritual failures. Redefining our view of failure will help us. This chapter should help you cope with the disappointment and heartbreak experienced when you feel you are not meeting your expectations or hopes.

chapter 10 - Expect to Win

We often sell ourselves short and discount God's power in our lives. This mindset is due to not having a powerful faith that can transform our lives and help us reach our potential. This chapter will help you understand God is not a passive God, he is a God that will give you power to truly have a life of value and impact.