If you're like me, and you've grown up going to Christian schools all your life, you might find yourself using "Christianese" every day. Christianese is a term that covers a lot of slang in Christian circles. No matter what your church background and faith story is, you might still wonder what the heck some of these terms mean. Look no further.

Once you've read these 12 definitions, you'll be fully educated on Christian culture and slang.

1. Born again

This doesn't mean you come out of your mom's womb again. Firstly, that'd be impossible, and even if it was possible, it would probably suck for both your mom and you. It means your soul has been born again as a believer in Christ, and that you've got a spot in heaven! Essentially it is you leaving your old life, for your new one found in Christ.

2. Redeeming of a something

You've probably heard this word many times. It means to make something new or reclaim something that once was lost. Officially, it means "the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil". So, it's a good thing to be redeemed. Christ redeemed us all when he died on the cross for our sins. Interestingly, redemption meant something different back when the New Testament was still being written. It was the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt, kind of like how you redeem a coupon.

3. Baby Christian

Personally, I really dislike this term. I feel like it minimizes the act of becoming a Christian and how amazing that is. When people call themselves or someone else a "baby Christian", it just means that person is new to to the faith. But next time, maybe just call them a "new Christian". It means just the same thing and doesn't lower them at all.

4. Ring By Spring

Mainly used at Christian colleges, this term describes the goal that many young Christian women aspire to. Having a ring on their finger by the spring of their senior year is like a badge of honor. Disclaimer: I too aspire to this goal, despite having only seven months left to achieve it, but it's cool if it doesn't happen.

5. I've Got an Unspoken

This usually refers to unspoken prayer requests. No matter what you do, even if you are desperately curious, and even if your mind jumps to the darkest possible assumption, you do not ask someone to elaborate on an unspoken. It's just not a thing you do.

6. Purpling, or Lack Thereof

When our middle school youth pastor told people to make room for the Holy Spirit, many people would argue back, "but the Holy Spirit fits in small spaces, Pastor Michael". This led him to make the rule of "no purpling", which is where no red (girls) and blue (boys) can mix because, you know, it results in purple. And we can't have purpling on retreats or in youth group.

7. Being Intentional

Either you hate this word or you love it. Being intentional means that you line up your actions with your motives. You are genuine in your words. You are speakig with a purpose. However, don't just be intentional with that boy or girl you like. Be intentional with everyone.

8. Being Evangelical

When I say evangelical here, I am not referring to the voting bloc that Republicans (and sometimes Democrats) often seek out. To be evangelical, according to the dictionary, means that one lives according to the teaching of the Gospel. It is a lifestyle. You can't be halfway Christian, can you? When you aim to be evangelical, think, "does this line up with what Christ taught?" If it does, then great!

9. Guard Your Heart

Many people take this proverb and apply it to dating. I'm not saying that it's wrong to do so, but we should be guarding our heart in all aspects of life, not just the romantic one. The other half, and equally as important part, of the verse is usually skipped over: "for everything you do flows from it". What's in our heart is going to come out of our mouths and in our actions. Guarding your heart doesn't mean walling it off, but it means being careful of what you let in and what you allow to take root in your heart.

10. Doing Life Together

I write this one somewhat ironically, as my college has a chapel group called "Life Together". It's one of my favorite things about Trinity, my college. Each residence hall floor gathers on Monday mornings and does a Bible study together while sharing things about their life. When most Christians use this phrase, they could mean anything from having dinner with someone to saying hello across the street. Life together doesn't mean you are doing a life sentence in prison with someone, according to Jon Acuff. If you're doing life with someone, be sure that you're genuinely involved.

11. Let Me Pray About That

Don't use this as a way of saying no. Just say you can't. It is okay to back out! Even Jesus himself told us to be straight up in our answers. It is unkind to mask our 'no' in a prayer.

12. It's Just A Part of God's Plan

Of course these words are absolutely true, and of course everything is planned by God, and trials can certainly grow you by leaps and bounds. But you need to be really careful about the times you use these words. It may not be the right time to say it when you are comforting a friend who lost a parent, or when someone has lost their job, or their parents are getting a divorce. Maybe you can say it later, when they are on the other side of it. The best thing you can do is to sit with them in their sorrow at that moment. It really is okay if you don't know what to say.

There are a lot of other phrases I could define for you, but for now, I think this is a good head start. Now you are offically educated on most of the basic "Christianese" terms!