By Tonja Condray Klein©04/07/2022

Christianity isn’t just a religious way of life, a moral standard of living, or even a fight for the greater good. The reality of Christianity is having Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, the Only Son of the Only Living God of Creation Who died in the place of each and every person’s sins passed down from the first humans through their blood line…until Jesus Christ was born with the blood line of God Almighty instead and was able to die for every single person throughout time who would simply BELIEVE. It sounds simple, but people make it so blasted hard to understand. Whether it’s due to the misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or direct misdirecting, the actual full message of Christianity through Grace by Faith isn’t presented as the Power-filled life of believers since many who claim to be believers have NO POWER by choice.

There are many groups who claim to be Christian that expect you to do all kinds of spiritual contortions that have NOTHING to do with SALVATION as stated in the Christian Holy Bible: “Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” THIS IS A FIRST STEP INTO A NEW LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST WITH HIM AS YOUR SAVIOR. Christianity asks for you to let Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit and His Living Word to begin restoring you spiritually, changing you personally to empower you supernaturally once you claim Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, Lord, King, and God of Creation.

THIS IS PERSONAL. This is the most important relationship you can have in your life since it is with the One who took your sin, knows you better than you know yourself, and wants for you to know HIM. His Spirit fills you again once you accept what He did FOR YOU, let Him take all sin you’ve done away FROM YOU, and let Him give a new life TO YOU. Salvation is instant, but LIVING your new life will take a lifetime. Justification is through Faith in Christ, and Redemption is promised. NONE of us are perfect so no matter how long a person is saved he or she will sin even if they have the best intentions to live for Christ, but His forgiveness is promised as long as you take sins to the Lord for Him to reapply His blood to your life once again for you to go forward AGAIN. AN ONGOING AGAIN!

Life is hard. Every day idiocy grates on the nerves and makes even a sane (or semi-sane) person want to destroy what is in the way of peace, joy, love, and even complete sanity. I’m writing this with tears in my eyes since I fail all the time to control my anger over things that overwhelm me when something that should be easier to handle drive me crazy! Is it possible I need to pray more, read the Bible more, and let go of things interfering with my Christian life more? YES! Is it possible the RRMS I have, though in remission, has me taking medicine that could be part of over- reactions? YES! Is it possible that approaching 50 years old with changing hormones could make me do the same? YES! Is it possible the enemy causes things to happen to turn the screws on my psyche so I fall short being a model Christian? YES!

We ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We ALL have the same tainted blood due to the human fall from the Grace of God Almighty our Creator that happened by Adam and Eve. WE ALL NEED JESUS! I can’t do the things I wish I could do or NOT do the things I wish I would NOT do. I AM HUMAN… inherently undisciplined in mind and body. I’m not proud of myself, and I certainly hurt my own heart when I do the things Jesus cries over each time I fail Him. There is NO excuse. I’m still trying to live my Faith to make my Savior be thankful that He did die for me. I am His even when I mess everything up. I’m still redeemed but ONLY by Faith in what HE already did for me. I’m supposed to be learning, progressing, and growing in His Grace, and yet I falter at the worst possible moments I could at times.

Christianity is NOT something to use so you can claim to be perfect; Christianity IS the WAY to reach the ONE who IS perfect as HE then helps you to try to live your life to SHARE that He lives IN YOU by His Grace through your Faith in what He’s already done for you and ALL WHO BELIEVE HIM. We each are supposed to be a Light Shining on the hill by living for Jesus with all of our abilities in spite of our own failures. Do things seem so out of control most of the time that it can make us question why we should even try? Yes. Do some people claim to be Christian yet seem to try to hurt others? Yes. Is either okay? NO! Jesus Christ gave His life to restore yours to how yours was meant to be before you were even born. HE SAW YOU when He was on the Cross of Calvary! Accept HIM to begin Life Restoration!

“That seems a bit dramatic!” some might exclaim. What happened on the Cross was as DRAMATIC as it was TORTUROUS and HEART-BREAKING. Every time I make a mistake and sin then my heart hurts since I know Jesus bled a drop to cover it for me. “That is some nonsensical way of thinking” others might yell out. Each person has your own decisions that you need to take responsibility for doing, and NO ONE has the power to live good enough on your own to overcome the sin in your soul. “Who do you think you are to judge anyone?” more scream in outrage. I’m not. I point to the facts according to the Holy Bible that gives the argument that we ALL have sinned and need a Savior Who has given HIS FREE GIFT for you that you need to accept so HE can change you from the inside out over time.

It is an ongoing struggle to even try to live for Christ sometimes. It is NOT always sunshine and roses. There are moments of rain and thorns. I’ve been through enough storms to tell you that it’s not easy, but in the midst of the storm is when Jesus shows up to help you not sink in a wreck and even walk on some kind of spiritual water if you trust Him. I’m still trying to understand why I had the car accident a couple years ago that totaled it. I only had a couple of bruised knees, so I’m thankful, but why did it have to happen? I was in shock but didn’t have a nervous breakdown and gave out cards to the police officer, towing driver, and owner of car I rear-ended after 30 years without an accident so I still ask WHY? Did any of them come to find the Lord or find a closer walk with the Savior? I don’t know, but the possibility gives solace.

What if I was the only Jesus those people will ever see? That is a thrilling but a frightening prospect since I’m not the best I’d choose for it. How many people have I failed to reach? How many people have I turned against Jesus by some careless action? How many have I pushed away by not showing the kind of Jesus they needed to see? It shadows parts of my life with how they could have happened. All I can do now is to TRY to live more like Him so all those going forward will see HIM instead of just me. Sharing the sea-walking Galilean carpenter Savior that died for all can happen in a better way, but what if that unexpected accident, scary disease, or ongoing illness put you in a place where Jesus can use you to reach even one soul that no one else will ever be able to reach? EVERY Christian needs to REALLY consider that.

Am I glad the car accident happened? Am I glad that I have Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis even if I’m in remission? Am I glad that I have to see a regular doctor, an allergy doctor, and a neurologist doctor? NO to all three, but if I have managed to show even a slight light to someone during one of those visits that reached someone for Jesus then that IS something that I’m glad about happening. I’m not a masochist so I don’t want pain, problems, or persecution, BUT if a moment of discomfort leads to an eternity in Heaven for even one person to have then it ALL will be worth it. I don’t like illness, but it’s an old thing to me since I was a child. I’ve wept sitting in the middle of a hospital bed more than once, but knowing that my Savior was right beside me singing over me has always been a comfort that I want everyone to have.

I used to be an optimist most of the time when I was younger, but if I’m honest I’m more of a realist now when it comes to everyday life. I have moments of utter joy with things I find beautiful, inspiring, and truthful, but desolation hits when the world feels like it’s falling down on me at the toughest times I’ve known. I trust people too quickly and get hurt often, but I still try to see the good a person has inside to help them get closer to Jesus to see good become a brighter light for others. It is part of my calling and the reason for my songs and books, but when others can’t understand things I try to use in a different way to do that reaching then it hurts more than anything else has in my almost 50 years. ‘Judge not lest ye be judged’ isn’t something many Christians seem to take very seriously. I do and try to live by it each day.

Like I’ve said before many times, I’m NOT perfect; I’m not even close or approaching it at any speed other than a human crawl. I try to let the Lord change what He wills with music, scripture, books, research, and any media He chooses. It’s interesting what He DOES use sometimes, but there are many who wouldn’t believe it was God Almighty who does it because they try to put God Almighty in a religious box of their own making. I DON’T. I know that HE KNOWS ME. HE KNOWS WHAT REACHES ME. HE KNOWS WHAT REACHES EACH AND EVERY PERSON. That is WHY I still write what I write and sing what I sing. If one part of a book or one stanza of a song reaches them then that means I wrote it FOR THEM TO FIND HIM! Will that be many? Maybe not, but even 1 is worth it. Even 1 matters. Even 1 is enough.

I keep watching “Castle”. That series helped me to finish writing BREAKING THE SHACKLES, Book 1 of my “Rebirth of Eirinth” Christian Speculative Fantasy Novel Series. I don’t claim it’s the best book you’d ever read or if the writing is what some would want, but I tried to do something different to reach a few specific groups of what I’d hoped would be my readers based on my eclectic interests and how the book interlaced Fantasy novels, Japanese Anime series, and Christian music within the pages of the story. It has a positive purpose even if some can’t see it. It definitely has my heart throughout it, so if anyone knows me at all they should see it in the art, read it in the story, and hear it in the music. If it and TREADING THE PATH, “Rebirth of Eirinth” book 2 don’t show Jesus Christ too in some way then I failed.

When I chose ‘Tenrai Daystar’ as the name for my version of Jesus Christ in Eirinth it wasn’t done lightly. Tenrai is a Japanese word that means ‘sound of the wind, divine, beautiful poetry’ and that is how I FEEL about Jesus Christ, my Savior, Lord, King, and God Almighty. I knew I needed something else, and the song “Daystar Shine Down on Me” came to me when I prayed about it and sounded right when added to the first name. ALL character names were chosen for their meaning to give spiritual background and personality traits once shown through their reactions and places in the storyline. That was how I planned it and hoped readers would understand and find the one they related to the most to then find their path in this world toward Faith with their skills and abilities that God can use to show Jesus to others too. I truly hope.

If my songs and books are my ways to be the only Jesus people see then I’m thankful for what I’ve done as a teen and adult with my music and as an adult with my books even if others can’t recognize it now. I’ll have a table at the Gem City Comic Con on 07/23-24/2022 at the Dayton Convention Center for the first time. Though my book series is NOT the comic genre but written Fantasy books, they have similar artwork. Maybe someone there will be interested. I’m giving my music CD “Eirinth Breaking” with each purchase while supplies last and will be in ‘costume’, so maybe something in my multi-media project will reach out to EVEN ONE PERSON. It might seem a small return for all of my time, money, and tears, but what if THAT ONE is your son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, parent, grandparent, spouse, or friend?

A Worldwide Revival is prophesied to happen BEFORE the Rapture (calling away) of the Believers in Christ as many believe happens BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins. I recently read the online article at Kehilanews Community Blog under “Yeshua’s Hidden Identity Revealed on Succoth, His True Birthday” by Richard Honorof on Oct 7, 2020. He believes that Worldwide Revival will begin in Jerusalem once people there see the link that Mary (Miriam) has to the line of King David through her father AND the line of Aaronic high priesthood by Zadok through her mother. This gave Jesus Christ not only the KING line but also the HIGH PRIEST line for the final SACRIFICE HE GAVE FOR ALL OF US!

What if YOU are the ONLY JESUS people in your life SEE? What if…?