Hello there, Geek Girl here-
Coming to you from a tiny town in the massive state of California. I go by Geek Girl rather than my real name for two reasons. One is marketing- intensive studies (given to up to 5 people) have shown you are far more likely to like me as Geek Girl due to its catchy alliteration and easy pronunciation than by my actual name. Second, I am a high school teacher, which means that the last thing I need is students who got the grade they earned (significant glance in your direction, Bartleby Jones) to find me online and harass me unduly. That having been said, I do live in CA (which means I am sunburnt), I have a degree in English (which means I'm an experienced reader), I teach (which means I passed a background check with the FBI) and I have attended Comic-Con and Wondercon twice each under varying pseudonyms, one of which was written entirely in Angelo Saxon runes (which means you may have seen me already in your lifetime). In short:
I am a JESUS GEEK.
This means that I love Jesus and many, many geeky things such as Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, TV shows, movies, action figures, and comics. This blog is sort of a platform to discuss both geeky things and spiritual truths with some cross-over because who doesn't love a good cross-over (Ex: Superman and the Amazing Spiderman in a Duel of Titans)? In this blog I will also discuss experiences and issues common to your average female geek (yes we do exist).
Because there are no definitive definitions of terms such as Geek, Nerd, and Dork, I have provided you with the following-my very own:
WORKING DEFINITIONS
Geek (n)
1. a person with specialized (obsessive) knowledge in a specific category that is not necessarily academic.
2. a person with technical knowledge of computers or other electronic devices (I.E. the I.T.)
Nerd (n)
1. a person who is socially removed or isolated from others.
2. a person with academic knowledge in a specific content area : e.g. Literature, Science, Mathematics, etc.
Dork (n)
1. a person with few social inhibitions
2. a person who is obviously and intentionally farcical in their behavior
3. a person who lacks physical coordination
I identify myself as a Geek the most because it most accurately represents me, but I also have nerdy and dorky tendencies. I believe that these terms should be celebrated and used on a regular basis by self-professed Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks in order to destroy the derogatory connotations these terms have carried in the past. I also identify myself as a Christian, and Jesus is my Lord, my salvation, and my best friend. I believe that anyone who is seeking truth will find Him. The following are my spiritual beliefs:
SPIRITUAL BELIEFS:
The Bible says that in order to be saved by Jesus Christ both from your sins and from an eternity separated from God (Hell) you need to do the following:
REPENT
You need to turn away from your sin. You do this by confessing your sins to God and asking His forgiveness.
Sin is choosing your own way over God's way for your life. This is why Adam and Eve's choosing to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was sin-God told them not to because that knowledge and death were not something He intended for His creation. When most people think of sins they think of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) where sins like lying, murder, and adultery are mentioned. When Jesus came He further explained that sin doesn't just come in actions, it takes place in a man's heart and we can also sin through our thoughts (Mathew 5:21-22).
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
RECOGNIZE
This means to look at Jesus' death on the cross and his rising from the dead three days later as a real event and something done personally for your salvation. God is holy and can have no part with sin, which is why when we sin we have separated ourselves from God (see above). And since we have sinned there is nothing we can do to earn our own salvation, we can't reconcile ourselves to God through being good people or doing good things (Romans 3:9-20, Ephesians 2:8).
When we recognize what Jesus has done for us then we understand that God took on the limited form of a human being and faced every temptation we also face but did not sin. He then allowed Himself to be crucified-taking our sins on Himself and even suffering the pain of being separated from God (Mathew 27:46) so that God could forgive us. In order for God to be just there must be a price paid for our sin, and that price is death, but Jesus loves us so much that He paid the price so we could be reconciled to Him both during our lives and after death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 3:23
"For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (added by me for clarification)
ACCEPT HIS LORDSHIP
In addition to repenting and recognizing, you need to accept Jesus' gift of salvation for yourself and ask Him to become Lord of your life. Because you can desire to stop sinning and you can even recognize God's gift as a reality and still chose your own way and not be saved. Just like you can intellectually understand how a political group thinks but not live your life by their standards, so you can believe in Christianity and not belong to Jesus. So the last step is to decide to give up your own will for your life and to ask Him to come live in you and choose for you because you trust Him to choose better for you than you would chose for yourself. Jesus
Himself did this, surrendering His own will in obedience to the will of God the Father (Luke 22: 41-42, Philippians 2:8).
"Jesus said to him (Thomas), 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.'" John 14: 6
"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 (Paul, a disciple of Jesus, wrote this describing himself and how his life is transformed by his choice to follow Jesus.)
PRAY
Praying can be made into this huge intimidating thing, when in reality it is simply having a conversation with God. You can pray out loud or in your heart and mind, but you need to talk to God-tell Him in your own words that you are a sinner and you want to repent, that you recognize His death on the cross was for you and that you accept His salvation for your life and for your eternity.
Ask Him to come into your life and to dwell in you to equip you with the power of His Holy Spirit (John 15:15-18, John 15:26-27) who Jesus talked about as being our Helper. When you pray God is not looking for eloquent poetry He just wants honesty. Say it to Him how you would say it to your best friend -just talk!
READ THE BIBLE, PRAY, GET CONNECTED TO A CHURCH!
Once you have prayed you are saved-you have now entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This may seem like a pretty abstract and overwhelming concept at first, but try to think of it more simply like any relationship you've just started. What would you do with any new relationship? Well, you'd probably talk to that person, spend time with him in order to get to know him better and share more of yourself with him, and you'd tell your other friends about him.
You can both spend time with Jesus and get to know him better by reading the Bible. The book of John shares the life of Jesus with us from the perspective of one of His best friends. The book of Romans lays out how God's salvation works for us step by step-these are two really good books to start with. But don't feel limited them-there is nothing in God's word He is afraid of having you bring up with Him. Praying is also how you can get to know God and to share more of yourself with Him. Remember-keep it personal and real-prayer is a conversation not a grand speech or a guilt trip, or a list of demands. Talk to God about what you need and ask for help. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do too and listen for Him to answer you in your heart, in His word, and in your experiences throughout the week.
Tell the people in your life about the decision you made to follow Jesus. Don't worry about what you need to learn- just share what He has done for you. And finally, join a church so you can talk to other people who also believe in Him. Make sure the church shares the beliefs you have-that all men are sinners, that Jesus really died and rose again in 3 days, that there is nothing we can do to add to that salvation, and that He should be Lord of our lives. And don't let yourself be discouraged, churches are very different and sometimes it takes a long time to find one where you really feel at home. Just pray and ask God to lead you where He wants you.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
In the spirit of full disclosure I hope this gave you an accurate picture of me, dear reader, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future.
~This is Geek Girl, signing off.
NEXT TIME: "Better than 42? " Or "What's in a blog name?"
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