Ah festival season, a time when people get together in the insufferable heat and think it's a good idea to add loads of fried fair food and spinning carnival rides to the mix. Every year, my mom, sister and I look forward to going to the Strawberry Festival together. We make it a point to consume all of our favorite fair foods - Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger (yes, it really is the most amazing substance to ever hit your tastebuds), frozen lemonade, funnel cake, corn dogs, piles of french fries, and the ever-so-famous strawberry shortcake topped with whipped cream. We typically go for the fried Oreo's as well, but this year my sister and I discovered the wonder of fried cookie dough, and my fried food days will never be the same. I'm drooling just thinking about the gooey deliciousness of every savored bite. The rides are exchanged with just walking around the fair grounds - because honestly, who could handle being spun in lightening-speed circles after in-taking that much food? There's always a musical band performing somewhere, crafts to check out, and cute bunny rabbits, along with other animals, to awe at.

Most every night of the festival, a well-known musician or band performs at the main stage, in which tickets cost extra. In the past, we've seen Demi Lovato and The Newsboys. This year, we had the honor of experiencing yet another exemplary show by popular Christian band For King & Country. I have had the incredible opportunity to attend these guys' concerts on several occasions, as they are by far my favorite Christian band. Unlike other artists, the members of this band play many different instruments, always performing with all kinds of drums and cymbals as well as string instruments and the normal piano and guitars. The show leaves everyone mesmerized, as it's something different from your standard concert experience. This band is raw and true, laying out the reason for which they make music without even coming close to shoving it in our faces. They genuinely love people and make their efforts show that everyone is valuable and important.

I think that one thing our culture is lacking in today's society is the willingness to speak up and be heard as Christians among the sea of voices shushing us into silence. We're afraid of being judged and labeled, ridiculed and banned. We start to believe that maybe if we don't say anything, people will just come to know God without our help. That way we can continue to be accepted by others and not responsible for their own life choices. But what if I told you today, that is not what we're called to do?
The Bible explicitly tells us on several occasions to speak the Word of God and not to worry about whether the world accepts us or not.
Mark 16:15 says, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'”
We are called to share the good news with others, so that they might too have to opportunity to hear and understand this very important message that they can be saved as well, if they just lay their life down and fully believe.
John 15:19 says, “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”
Living in the world and being of it are two completely opposite ideas. We live in the world without any choice. I mean, unless you choose to live on the moon or Mars... That would be another story for another time. But just because we are born into this world, doesn't mean we have to be like it. When the time comes that our lives change and we begin to live for His will and His glory, our hearts should change as well, altering our actions along with it. Just because the world says something is cool, doesn't mean we have to do it too, especially if it's something that goes against what the Bible tells us in reference of how we ought to live.

We are an example to the world of what it should look like to be a modern day Christian. People are often stuck on the stigma that has been around for years, portraying us as stick-in-the-mud goody two shoes. But we are so much more than that. We are people just like everyone else. We have our faults and weaknesses too, but the thing is, we choose not to dwell on that. Because we have been made blameless by the one who already was and is perfect in each and every way. Our sins have been forgiven, and so we choose not to center our focus on what we do wrong, but rather on our savior, who is the prime example of how we should be as a people. We are a people who just want to share the love of Christ with others, because we want you to experience the life-changing power of being saved.

I only hope that each of us gains the courage to stand up, come together, and go out into the world, unafraid and unashamed. Because, as For King & Country says, we are irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable. And we are priceless.