What is a Christian? People from all faiths come up with different definitions. For me-Christianity is more than just a religion , but a personal intimate relationship with God through Jesus-Yeshua after acceping Him as "Lord-Savior" (see Salvation-Testimony) as you grow and put your "sin-ful" past away... .

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ (Colossians 3)

" 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. "

When was this "term" first used in the Bible?

"...and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."-Acts 11:26

It's a lifestyle, which isn't perfect (yes, we are all hypocrites, which is why we chose Jesus to be our "Lord"-we need Him to direct our lives and we cannot live life by our selves)with daily temptations and/or life challenges. This is why I made the links down below to show what I feel is part of being a Christian....

*Note: I'm no expert on these life lessons, but I just want to direct or point people the one who God-Elohim through His Son Jesus!

Accidents, personal stories from Morris!Adoption, orphans are God's children
Accuser, cults, occult, and other demonic strongholdsBackslidden, drifting away from our Heavenly Father?Bible, a "love letter" from our Heavenly FatherBlessings, "when the praises go-up, the blessings come down"Boldness
Christian Portfolio, Sal's resume as a Christian
*ever heard of this? Well, I first heard of this when a missionary (former UMM alumn) came to share at the local church I curently attend. She encouraged us to do this to show others how you've been serving God and for other mission groups to know more about you when applying for a mission trip.
Discipling, mentoring one and oneDeath, part of life!DreamsEternity, commonly asked questions about HeavenEvangelism, sharing the "good news"FaithFamily, balancing ministry and family lifeFellowship, surrounded and encouraged by the Family in ChristFinancial, "wisdom" from the Lord on tips on budgeting and other daily life spending from a personal experienceForgivenessFriendship, lovely e-mail forwardsGiving, symbol from Christmas, which should be an all-around season traditionGood Works, how much "good" we need to do?Hope, keep hope alive from stories of life challengesHumility
Hypocrites, the church is filled with them!Joy, get some laughter!LoveMarriageMinistry, getting equipped!Missions, reaching the nations from UMMAlpha!Obedience, submitPatiencePeacePersecutionPerseverePositive, optimistic!
Prayer communicating with GodProphecyPurposeRest, for the soulSingle LifeSexSin-LessSufferingsTime, for God, family, close ones, friends, or to help peopleWorship and Praise, in spirit and truth (lifestyle and singing)

Peace and Joy

" 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

Galatians 5-Life by the Spirit

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other...

Books

Calvary Road, by Dr. Roy Hession
*an awesome book my "Workplace" Bible-Study is currently (Jan 2007) going through. It's about being "broken" (humble) and the recent chapter I just read is about ministering to our very own homes first.
Table of Contents

Volunteer

I can Help Twin Cities

Articles

Why Would Anyone Want To Be A Christian?By Allen StarkSpecial to ASSIST News Service Sunday, October 31, 2010 assistnews.net
"ATLANTIC, IOWA (ANS) -- Most people don't want to be a Christian and shouldn't unless they are willing to take a radical stand, which requires a strong unshakable faith, generous spirit and a mission-oriented mind driven by agape love. Hopefully, by using the above title I have got both the Christian and non-Christian to read my opening paragraph.
In saying what I have, I am not referring to the type of religion that today perpetuates the brand of religious broadcasting that attempts to get into your pocketbooks and wallets, or the often too boring irrelevant church services that many times promote judgmentalism based on ingrained doctrines and churchisms.
Some of the things which initially kept me from wanting to associate with a church, are those within the church walls that are judgmental, arrogant, narrow-minded, bigoted, hypocritical, and brainwashed. And for quite some time I didn't want to deal with the political baggage most churches seem to deal with.
...

Books

Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller
Born-again rebel Don Miller reveals 'best sermon I ever heard'By John Blake, CNN July 19th 2010
"...Miller had inspired many with his words. His Christian memoir, "Blue like Jazz," sold a million copies. He was a sought-after speaker. He had been dubbed the voice of a new generation of evangelicals.
Before that, though, Miller was an angry teenager and petty thief who blamed himself for his father's absence. Then one day he met an unusual man....
"Sunday morning church service is not an enormous priority; spending time with other believers is," he says. "Some people associate Sunday morning with God. One of the things I associate with God is a sunrise. How many sunrises have you missed over the years, and God created that?"...
Miller appeals to evangelicals because there is a "profound starvation for honesty," says Brian McLaren, author of "A New Kind of Christianity."...
"What sells radio and television time is sentimentality and promises of easy answers," McLaren says. "He is honest about his pain and his doubts and his life being messy. But he's also honest about his hope and faith."...
my new book is about," he writes in "Father Fiction," his latest book. "But in so many ways, I'm still that kid, not sure exactly how to be emotionally intimate with a girl without feeling weak, not sure my work is good enough, not sure if the people who are clapping would really like me if they got to know me."
Some people associate Sunday morning with God. One of the things I associate with God is a sunrise. How many sunrises have you missed over the years, and God created that?--Donald Miller. author "Blue like Jazz"
Miller is not content to write about that void, though. He created "The Mentoring Project," a program that offers mentors to kids without fathers. He contends that men who grow up without fathers are more predisposed to prison and brutalizing women.
The Mentoring Project has attracted so much attention that Miller was asked by the White House to join a presidential task force on fatherhood.
Miller accepted that invitation -- and another that was far more personal. He met his biological father.
Miller says his mother and father divorced when he was a kid and his mother never talked about his father. He blamed himself for his father's disappearance.
"I was afraid he'd rejected me for a reason, that he somehow knew I'd grown up and become fat."
He had his father's number for two months before he finally called him. When he drove to his house, a big man opened the door and hugged Miller.
"I'm sorry," he said as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Do you forgive me?"Miller said he did....
He left a Southern Baptist church and ultimately joined the Journey IFC (Imperfect Faith Community) church in Austin, Texas, where people sat on sofas instead of pews and the only church mission statement was love Jesus and love your neighbor as yourself....

Deep Thought

Persecution: He Wasn't Kidding

"When you have a bad day and you feel persecuted, think of the Apostle Paul. Your life is a picnic compared to his."

Documentaries

FRIENDS OF GOD: A ROAD TRIP WITH ALEXANDRA PELOSI, from HBO.com
*I just saw this last weekend (Saturday, November 9th of 2008), which I thought was very interesting.
Friends of God - 004/006