James

I am sad, my friends, to share with you that my journey with James is over. Maybe I hadn't mentioned it? I was doing a Beth Moore Bible study on the book of James. WOW! I really love Beth Moore - I love how in depth she goes. A few things stood out to me - First was James was intense. He called out any and every fault in the church you can imagine. He challenged believers to DO what they preach. How relevant, even today. One thing I have learned in recent years is that if you have to ask someone if they are a Christian - they are probably not living the lifestyle that Christ followers are called to live. That's right. I said it. You can see faith. This became super evident before I got married and when I was dating. I didn't want to date and ultimately marry someone who just said they were a Christian - I wanted a husband who LIVED it. I didn't have to ask my husband if he was a Christian. I could look at his life and the choices he made based off the Bible. His life radiated Christ and his love for God.
Rewind! Back to James.
I am not sure how studious you all are, but friends, James' story is an interesting one in the least.
Did you Know: James is Jesus' step-brother. By that I mean, James was born of the virgin Mary (Jesus' mother) and Joseph. Because Jesus was born of the holy spirit, and James born of Joseph, but same mother, we have step-brother. They grew up in the same house, under the same roof. Can you imagine living with Jesus??!!? Here is the kicker. (If you want references from the Bible, please let me know). James did not believe Jesus was the Christ. He was not James the disciple - he did know follow Jesus. In fact, he did the opposite - he mocked Jesus! Crazy, huh??
After Jesus was crucified, burried for three days, and resurected from the dead, He visited a list of people.