End of Year

Hope you all had a wonderful year. And I hope you all grow this next year more in Christ and closer to Him. ^_^

Lovely Blogging

Well the year is almost over. It's exciting. It's time to come up with next year's goals. What are your goals? I'm in the process of coming up with mine. Hopefully some good stuff will happen this year, Lord willing. ^_^

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for parents who love their children. Too many children are killed today. And many parents just want to get their children out of their hair for most of the year and groan about having them home during the summer. So it seems parents who really love their children and want to be around them are becoming increasingly rare.

Laughter

Laughter is medicine to the soul. And I think that phrase is generally true. It means you can find the humor in life. You can find the fun in the midst of the roughest times. Sure, we can all be in good humor during the good times. But how about the bad times? Are you still happy? Are you still joyful? Or are you stressed and your hair is falling out? ^_^

Ask Yourself

Where are you planning to be over the next coming years? What's your vision? Do you just go with the flow? Or do you have a plan?

Prosperity Gospel

Why is modern day evangelicalism built on a Christianity that seems to ignore passages like Psalm 88? I'm not sure.

Sunday Scriptures

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ~ Luke 2:11

Who is He?

Time is a great teller. It shows us the way one's life is headed. That's why making a decision on who someone is by a couple of isolated data points can be unwise.

Online Fruit

Do you produce an aroma that involves the fruit of the spirit in your online persona?

Thankful Thursday - Stupid Blogs

Today I'm thankful for Ray. He's a wonderful friend. We've done many projects together. Stayed up late, gone crazy. And it's his birthday "tomorrow"/today ;-P.

I'm reminded continually how important good friends are. Many people I know get angry and stomp away like little children whenever a little blip goes on in their radar that's hurtful. But having a friend who you can yell at, fight with in the mud, and yet still come out friends on the other side is what life's all about. And that's the friends that I want to have. There's too many friendships that have one little piece of trash thrown in the mix and suddenly you're all up in each other's faces trying to shoot each other on blogs, gossip columns, etc. I'm tired of it and am thankful for the friends God has blessed me with. And I pray I will be a good friend as well and will be willing to slog through the sloughs with them. As well as enjoy the good times. ^_^

Hello

Sometimes life throws curve balls at you. What do you do with them? Freak out? Focus? Get smart? Get mad? Get happy? Give up?

Yep

“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”~ Oscar Wilde quotes

Multitude of Sins

Love covers a multitude of sins. If I can't forgive others, how will my Father in heaven ever forgive me?

Saturday Sayings

I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.  ~ Francis of Assisi 

Friday Friends

I love my friends, family, church, etc. Snowboarding tomorrow... Zzzzz. ^_^

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for snow. It's beautiful, it provides moisture, and it's definitely a cozy feeling when you're inside with some hot cocoa and a good book.

However, when you're shoveling it, not so much.

Poor Vs Rich

I was reading through James 1 earlier and came across the part that talks about the poor and the rich. 

"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." ~ James 1:9-11 

It's something easy to forget in my quest to make money. This life is literally as short as grass. It comes up and blossoms in the summer and then dies that winter. So just remember as you quest to make money and do fun/exciting things with your money, this life is going to end soon. We are all going to stand before God someday, and the state of your bank account will not matter at that point.

So what are you going to do? Serve God with your money or not? Remember we have a short life, oh so short, yet it seems like so long to us. We only live 60-100 years. Some of us are taken at 22. At one point people lived hundreds of years, but today it's much shorter. Material wealth will disappear like sand particles running through our fingers. Friends leave. Who will you depend upon?

Love God more, and love your money/stuff less. ^_^

Faces

What's behind your face? Are you beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside? Or the opposite? 

I messed around with photoshop a couple weeks ago and took some fairly old people and made them quite young again. Following a few basic rules like the golden ratio/social norms and such I can make people look beautiful in photoshop. But, what's behind those faces? Just the normal or ugly face if I were to see them in person. It's kind of like what all of us do to some extent or another. We have an ugly interior but we touch it up and try to look good to others. If someone were really to get to know us, they'd find out who we really are.

So, what's behind your face? What's going on in that mind of yours? Is it Godly? Is it full of the fruits of the Spirit? Does it put others before you?

Change

When putting aside sins to follow God and His laws, we must depend on Christ for we ourselves can ultimately do nothing without Him and His saving work.

Sunday Scriptures

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ~ Genesis 1:1

Read the Bible?!

If you really want to know how to defend your faith, read the Bible. I'm surprised and a little sad that I rarely see anyone use the Bible as their ultimate source when they determine what they believe. It may be because nobody reads their Bible? I'm not exactly sure. Reading other books by wise people is great. But if you ignore the Bible to do so, you're kind of missing the entire point.

So go read it!

*cough*

*goes off to do so*

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for soap. And lotion. Both great stuff. For sure...

Tired... Zzzzz.

Christmas Is Coming

Yay! I enjoy the holidays. It's a wonderful time with family and friends. There are alot of warm memories throughout November and December. And when we focus those times on Christ I think they become much better.

Conscience

If you want to be awake and functional in the morning, go to bed and get decent sleep.

Do I follow my own advice?

No... <_<

Balance of Fear and Love

One thing that I've been reminded of recently is the balance of fear and love. As I read through the Bible I notice that virtually every Psalm/Sermon on the Mount/etc show the balance of fear and love. It shows how great God is and his power to destroy the wicked. But then it continually brings you back to his grace and love for the righteous.

I can see it being a hard balance for teaching elders/everybody to keep in mind. Balancing between the hell fire and brimstone preacher/the cushy God loves you and is harmless messages seems to be difficult. Most of us do things in a very unbalanced manner. We're flipping over here, doing this, doing that, etc. But you can't ignore one or the other because you can see from the example Scripture gives we are given a balance of both.

As one of the elders in church put it, when you rule with a fist of fear in your family you will get obedience. You won't get an inward wanting or obedience to do it, but you'll get an external shell. I.e. I think much of fundamentalism/mennonites/etc is built on the externals. But what gets you to honor your parents long term and in your heart, it's love. We do things because we love. Not necessarily our choice, but we will follow because we love.

In the same way, in our relationship with God we generally turn from our sin because of our fear of hell and the destruction and judgment promised in the Word. But that doesn't keep us. Ultimately, we'll obey consistently because we love Him and His rules and laws.

New Blog Url ^_^

Check out the new website - www.lovesolvesproblems.com. Feel free to start migrating over there. ^_^ I'll keep posting to both, but this cuts down on most of the typing out my long blog url that no one can remember... <_<

Sunday Scriptures

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Who Are You?

Evaluate yourself once in awhile. Who are you? What are you becoming? Where is the path you are taking going? Why did you take that fork in the road? Why did you say that rude thing to someone? Why did you avoid that conversation? Why didn't you eat dessert? Are you growing closer to Christ or farther away?

Questions are good things, especially to ask of yourself. ^_^

Thankful Friday

Today I'm thankful for my family. Sometimes you don't realize what you have till it went on vacation to Florida. ;-(

Growing More In Christ

Whatever you do, whether you go to college. Whether you're getting married. Whether you moving across the country for a job transfer. All of our changes in life must accomplish one thing in particular. They need to bring us closer to Christ and grow us in him. So as you calculate your path and your vision for your life don't forget this. It must have an affect on all your plans and calculations.

Understand?

Ugh, why do people have to be so complicated? *pulls face off* There's a reason every business has an HR department.. Sometimes I wish I could understand why people do things. But that would make life horrible on the other hand. I.e. If everyone was a robot. But what makes a serial killer do what he does? What makes a man destroy another's property?

Ultimately, everything that's done without Christ is done with a sinful mindset. If one is not in Christ, then he is not in him. (He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. ~ Matthew 12:30) And I think most psychology classes are going to miss this. Either one is going to be driven by one's own wicked heart, or by the heart that has been regenerated by Christ. And that kind of un-complicates everything.

Cute

I like watching little people. I.e. babies. They are exploring the world for the first time. They have to put everything in their mouth to test it. They want to explore. Why can't I be more like this? Enjoy the world and explore it? Maybe not put things in my mouth.. But, the point still stands. ^_^

More Than Enough

Christ is more than enough. Without him, we are nothing. But with him, we are everything. It's amazing to think of his sacrifice on the cross for us. But remember his resurrection, because that's the reason we have hope that one day we will rise up to enjoy a feast with our King someday.

Sunday Scriptures

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; ~ Philippians 2:14-15

Too Much

My life is too much about Daniel. It needs to be more about God and his people.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone. ^.^

Understand?

"God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand you have failed." ~ St. Augustine

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the godly heritage in America.

Thanksgiving Tomorrow!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I'm excited. There's much to be thankful for. It's a holiday that most people skip over for Christmas. Maybe it's because it's not so materialistic in its focus? But it's a good time. A time where we emphasize focusing on being grateful. And don't we all have alot to be thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Augh!

Why can't I relax when I play games? <_< Games aren't life and death. But games are meant to be played to win I keep saying. But then they aren't fun... :-( I need to find some balance.

You Only Listening to One Side?

Everyone thinks they're right. Otherwise they wouldn't believe what they say. So if you're ever online and see someone bad mouthing someone else. Take it with a grain of salt. The other person will have reasons that they think they're right. Even a serial killer thinks he is doing good. That's why you can't accept what one angry person who's mad at another angry person says. So next time you read some celebrity gossip, blog, etc, read it with a grain of salt. Typically there are two sinners in conflict or being gossiped about.

Also, don't become a gawker. One time I got stuck in a twenty minute traffic jam. And I found out it was because of a bunch of people slowing down to stare at a burning building. Did these people help the situation by staring? No. They instead slowed everyone down. Similarly, when seeing a conflict or an issue in another's life it's typically not helpful to stare. Unless of course you're willing to jump in and get your own hands dirty.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. ~ Proverbs 21:2

Sunday Scriptures

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. ~ Psalm 103:8

Btw: Sorry for my lack of real posts. I'll try to get back to posting some longer posts this week. ^_^

Saturday Sayings

“We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.” “We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.” ~ John Calvin

Doing

Talk is cheap. Doing, not as much.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for beds. Quite nice and soft, they are quite wonderf..... zzzzz.... ;-)

Strive

Is your faith strong? When times get rough, do you turn to God? When the times are good, do you praise Him? The faith of many today is weak. I always find that my faith tends to hurt when I put something before God. Whether it be video games, tv, work, or play, when other things come to mind before God my faith suffers. Idols are never good and break down our relationship with God. He commanded us to not put other gods before him. Let us strive to tear down the idols in our lives.

Quotes - YAY!!

“Expect nothing and you'll always be surprised” ~ Daniel Defoe

Give It Up

Loving others oftentimes can mean giving up what you desire while putting another's needs above your own.

Sunday Scriptures

Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ~ Psalm 106:1

Street Preaching

We've gone street preaching a couple times lately. It's been a good time and a growing time for me.

I think the thing that excited me the most is that I really have to test my fundamental beliefs. I can sit around with my friends and talk about the little tiny issues all day long. But can I really answer the statements like, prove to me that God exists? How about the man who is a consistent agnostic and believes raping a two year old is okay? Your grasp of doctrine is really questioned and you can't sit on your bed of roses/ignorance.

I also kept asking myself if I really loved these people. Could I love the homeless man who I'm talking to? Can I love this agnostic who is angry at a God who doesn't exist? Ultimately, people's souls are on the line. But then I remind myself that the message of Christ and his resurrection is Good news and people need to hear it.

It's still hard for me to get out of my shell though.. <_<

Death and Destruction

Life isn't really about death and destruction. Life is about living and enjoying the smell of the trees and the beauty of the snow. It's about being faithful, loving others, loving God, and obeying His commandments. Sometimes I feel people focus too much on the fact that life is horrible. No, life is great. With Christ that is. When you're always focused on evil and how it's "winning" then you're going to live your life in a discouraged manner. If your belief is that Christ won on the cross and rose again from the dead, than we have no reason to be down. The short term may look horrible, but if you look up and see the risen Lord reigning than you have no reason to be focused on how horrid life is around you. If you can look up from your foxhole and see that Christ has promised you everlasting life and a seat at his table, you will be more hopeful and cheerful. Eschatology is important and can have much impact on the way you live your life from day to day. (depending on how consistent you are...)

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for fires. Keeping us warm while the cold scrapes at the windows from outside.

Tick Tock

Every second I sit here I'm losing a second I'm never going to get back. The choice to watch that next tv show and waste another 45 minutes of my life is hanging in front of me. But at the same time, I've gotten everything done on my list. But am i stealing from tomorrow by not going to bed now?

It's hard balancing work and play. I'm either on one side or the other. (probably more on the play side. *cough*) I think both are important. But what's the balance? I'm still trying to figure that one out.

A couple thoughts, number one. Make a list. Once you knock out your list, then go relax. Reward yourself. But always prioritize your work. If you don't make a list you end up getting overwhelmed and the work clutters over you and you end up just giving up. But when I have a list I just work through the list and then plan out my next day. Easy, right?

Sometimes I think life is simpler than I make it. But then my lack of character shows me that just because it's simple doesn't necessarily make it easy.

P.S. I should be releasing my new blog soon, with a url that's a little easier to remember. YAY! ^_^

Your Tender Heart

Is your heart tender? Is it tender towards God's Word? Is it tender towards your family and friends? Is it tender towards your dog when it makes a mess all over the floor? Being tender is so important. Living in a culture where respect and naiveté are looked down upon, you have to strive even more towards tenderness. When we watch movies  and tv shows where people are dying constantly it's harder for us to understand the value of human life. Is your heart tender towards God? Are you open for reproof? Are you willing to let your friends hurt you. Because that's what love does. Love opens its heart and allows itself to be hurt. Otherwise, your heart will become hard and crusty. 


"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." ~ C.S. Lewis

Feeling

Love is more than a feeling or a selfish desire. It's caring enough to lay down your life.

Sunday Scriptures

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. ~ Titus 2:11-14


Day 292

Encouraging Words

The Bible has amazing and encouraging words. Read it. Every day. ^_^

Day 291

Thankful Friday

I forgot thankful Thursday yesterday. :-( But I can be thankful today, as well.

God is very good to me. He's given me a wonderful family who care about me. He's given me wonderful and encouraging friends. I'm very blessed. I don't deserve one bit of it. And that makes me grateful. If I felt I deserved all this, I think I would be less grateful and more whiny. God loves me. I don't deserve it. And because of that, I am beyond grateful for Him.

I am grateful for the life I've been given so far. Twenty years. Much of it I can look back on and regret. But because of Christ's forgiveness instead I look forward with hope on the rest of the years the Lord gives me on this earth.

Push

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.  Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.  If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.  ~Dale Carnegie


Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.  ~Author Unknown


Day 289

Narcissistic Conversation

Narcissistic conversation is really easy to fall into. Either I'm spending the entire conversation talking about myself or I'm trying to think of questions to avoid talking/engaging. It's hard for me to keep up a good conversation. And good conversation is very important. I can grow closer to others in ways I just couldn't without having a purpose. But how do we get good conversation?

I think much of good conversation stems from a love for one another. You care about them, and are looking to help them and wish to see them grow closer to Christ. And if this is a mutual affection then you end up with a pretty good conversation.

Also, I find coming into a conversation with some sort of purpose is important. A relationship takes work. (Ugh, ;-P) And that includes conversation. Stuff doesn't get done by those who wander around life wondering what's happening to them.

And of course you don't need an agenda whenever you talk to someone, but coming into it with purpose is important. Purpose not to gossip. Purpose to glorify God. Etc. (Colossians 4:6)

Day 288

Undecisive Leaders

I don't like to make decisions. I worry about offending. Or, maybe I'm making the wrong choice. Or maybe I'm stepping on someone's toes too hard. But I'm coming to realize that what people hate more than one who makes a bad decision is one who won't make any decision at all. I think much of it can be because of a lack of faith. (i.e. something like Hebrews 6) Also, if you're worried about failing, don't worry. Just pray. Easy. ;-)

Also, reading God's Word, highly recommended. ^.^

Day 287

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is about laying down your life when no one will even know.

Day 286

Sunday Scriptures

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Day 285

Saturday Sayings

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.  ~ Winston Churchill

Day 284

Separate and Married?

I was sitting in the airport a couple days ago, people watching. And I saw several older couples who looked very cute together. They looked like each other, they talked similarly, and you could see that they loved each other. It seems this is getting more and more rare today. 

And I think some of it may stem from the fact that many couples lead separate lives. Husband works in his job and spends more time with his female coworkers than he spends with his wife. His wife works and it's the exact same issue. They both have different friends. Wife goes and hits the gym with her friends while hubby hits the bar with his. 

I think this is one of the biggest downsides to the industrialized and materialistic age. Husband has to be away from home for half of his waking hours, and the same for the wife. When being husband and wife is not about being one flesh, but both continuing your own little separate visions the marriage dies. 

For instance, divorce is a huge problem in the homeschool community. At first, that surprised me. But I spent several minutes reflecting on it and it all made some sort sense. Here's the wife throwing herself into her children and hubby doesn't get in the way. Eventually, wife is spending all her waking hours worrying about her children's education. Husband is not even connected and could care less whether she homeschools or not. And then he's not supporting her so she begins to depend on her children for emotional support. He doesn't support her so whenever he gets home from work she's frazzled and stressed. And then he goes looking for some woman who will take care of his needs and isn't always stressed/the internet. And that's the story..

This is a huge problem. People forget that they are one flesh. They live out separate lives and don't invest in the marriage relationship. I think it would be better to lose your children rather than to lose your marriage. But I think when you are investing in your marriage and work together as one flesh, the importance of raising your children as Godly men and women will come.

We need to stop thinking of marriage as a partnership where we are going into a merger for reasons that benefit both of you. I think it's much more than that. And now I'll go back to my state of not being married and quit posting on this.. <_< lol

Day 283

Thankful Thursday

As I sat in an airplane yesterday looking out on the little mountain range of clouds and stared out on the beautiful blue horizon, it reminded me just how blessed we are.

When I lay down outside on our trampoline late at night listening to the Rockies play over the radio I see beautiful stars. And I'm just blown away that God made this for us. If God didn't create these stars and sent out the light, we wouldn't see them for thousands of years. (It saddens me when people try to turn the story of Genesis into an allegory. They try to reduce the amazing glory of God and don't believe that he could be God and all powerful in that way.)

And as I sit and watch stars shoot across the sky I remember that, that could be our sun. We could be snuffed out in a second. Then I think of how God has placed our sun in such a particular place that if it was any closer we would burn up, or if it was any farther away we would freeze. 

I hear the howl of coyotes in the distance and it reminds me of how many incredible species God has created. Strong elk, diligent little ants, funny otters, spectacular sea creatures, cute kittens, and wonderful dogs are just a small sample. 

And then I look up and see the tops of the trees and think of the multitude of useful resources we have been given. Gorgeous diamonds, rich oil, majestic trees, and hundreds of others are just another small picture of how God has provided for us. 

In the end, I look at how beautiful this world is and marvel at what it must have been like before the fall.  When the curse of the fall didn't make every step forward incredibly difficult and thorns didn't rip at our flesh as we till the ground. Seeing how God has given us this amazing world, I look forward to seeing the even more amazing work he has made for us in heaven. And all of it due to the work of Christ's death and resurrection. That's what gives me hope as I fight the good fight. 

What gives you hope today?

 

Day 282

Types of Love

Love is an interesting topic. Today, it seems many associate the word love with the idea of lust or an Eros love. Whenever I read an article about some Father/daughter ball there's always some pervert in the comments saying that a father who loves his daughter is without doubt loving her in an Eros way. But why do they say this? 

Because this is all they can know or understand. They see a close friendship between men as running along the ragged edge of homosexuality. They can't see a relationship as being more than a way of satisfying ones' self.

There are basically three types of love. One is the love of Eros. It's lust, a selfish and fulfilling ones own desires in lust. Should one as a Christian ever have an Eros type of love? No. We aren't perfect of course and must lead a repenting life. But how about the marriage relationship?

Even in marriage, where sex is a good thing we do not have an Eros type of love. Why? Because it is selfish. It's a fulfilling of ones own desires. In the marriage relationship (which I have so much experience in.....) you are trying to follow the example of Christ and his church, laying down your life. You're not filling ones own cup of selfishness. 

As Christians we must practice an agape and phileo love. An agape love that lays down our life for others. (Ephesians 5:25) It loves even when we want to quit. Phileo love is the love that tenderly loves. The one that most friendships are built on. The kind that we have for our Lord. (John 16:27) A love for others. Not a love that is driven by lust and self satisfaction. And ultimately, I believe those who have not experienced the amazing self-sacrificing love and affection of Christ will ever be able to truly understand what it is.

Pic of the day:

Day 281

Hunting

I went hunting. Yay! First time. Well, I didn't hunt, but I went with my sisters who had tags. There were several things I learned.

One, I learned that hunting is not necessarily about getting the animal. I kind of went into it wanting to get an animal, which is part of it. But because I set that as my end goal, I came away from the first day with some dejection. But then I reflected on the fact that God brings the animals. It's not as if we can control the patterns of an animal. God will bring them. We need to do our best to be there when the animals come. Know to sit downwind and all the other tricks of the trade.

It's the same as life. You can do your best, but at some point you have to realize that God brings the increase. It was a good lesson for me this week.

I also learned that safety is a good thing. It keeps you from shooting yourself/your friends. But it can also keep you from shooting the elk. Another lesson for real life. It's easy to use the wrong tools for the right situation. Or the right tools for the wrong situation. It's hard to be balanced.

I learned that I like fires. Especially when you're in the dark, on your twentieth match wondering if you're ever going to get the fire started.

I learned that I'm really small. Looking out on the long mountain range and seeing the many stars while shivering in the dark during the wee hours of the morning you remember just how wimpy and small you are.

Overall, a great time. I'll probably go next year. But I'm more of a hunter who comes for the fellowship, rather than the love for the chase..

Pic of the day:

Day 280

Lazy Day ----

Leisure is the time for doing something useful. This leisure the diligent person will obtain the lazy one never. ~ Benjamin Franklin



Day 279

Sunday Scriptures

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:4

Day 278

Saturday Sayings

Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes. ~ Daniel Defoe

Day 277

Awesome God

We serve an awesome God. Through him we've received freedom from sin, death, and hell. We need to take heart and trust in him. We need to love him with all that we have within us. Put aside your sin and run the race that is set before you. This takes putting off the old man and becoming new. How do we put off the old man and become new?

By loving the Lord will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27). In other words, obeying the commands God has put down in his Word for us.

I'm so incredibly grateful for the saving grace that God has given to me.

Day 276

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for work. Otherwise I'd be bored, and that's never good. ^_^

Day 275

Too Busy?

In a time long ago there lived a small boy. He grew up in a small village that was situated in a small valley. He loved his goats that he took out to the mountains day after day. He loved looking up at the mountains and admired the beautiful flowers that came in during the spring. He laughed and played with his friends in the cold mountain streams during the summers. He meandered through the trees as they glowed a final goodbye before their beauty hid itself for the winter. He loved staring at the fire while snow billowed outside during the winter. And he loved the people around him. It was a simple time. The people were simple. They loved their little valley. This small boy slowly grew older. Once he turned eighteen he heard stories of the big cities beyond his large mountains. He heard of the fun, the business, the trinkets, and the many people there were. He slowly became dissatisfied with where he was at now. What were these people doing? They were simpletons. And so he left. He left for the big city.

As he came into the city after a tiresome journey he looked around and marveled. "Such large buildings," he thought. So many people bustling around. He wandered around and stared in shop windows, admired the street vendors, and eventually ended up in the city square. In the city square there was what seemed to be a riot going on. There were people yelling. There were signs with expletives written all over them. And he wondered why these people were so angry. They had so much. They had their beautiful buildings. They had their big towers. Yet they still weren't happy. He wandered away and saw husbands working in offices. But where were their wives? In his village families worked together. And no one looked happy. They owned big houses. They had lots of trinkets. They had so much, yet they weren't happy. Why?

It seems like when we have much we forget about the simple time of life. Now we are so busy. We lose focus on the things we should focus on. We don't see the simple life as cool. But I do see some of its benefits.

Day 274

Start the Relationship with a Lie

Have you ever caught yourself trying to be somebody you're not? I have. I want to look good in other's eyes. I want to act how they act. I'm trying to change my personality or get rid of my sin nature in order to look good in their eyes.

But the problem that I've run into is that you can't keep up your facade forever. At some point, people are going to figure out that you're a sinner (*shock*). But because you built your relationship on false assumptions at some point the relationship could end in disaster. People imagine you're one thing and in actuality you're a totally different person.

People tend to want to be accepted for who they aren't. Or they have a fear that who they are and what their personality is will not be liked. And honestly, we're sinners. We aren't super pretty. We sin. But if someone can't accept that you're a sinner they won't make a very good friend.

Now this does come with a caveat. You can't show up in a relationship and say I steal, cheat, and am addicted to pornography and then expect people to just accept that's you as a person. If they're going to be a true friend they will not accept sin as good. Why? Because they love you. If you were to die tonight without them calling you to repent of your sin, how horrible would they feel?

However, don't try to change your personality. Your personality is you. You should be willing to change things that are sin, a lack of character, or being unloving, and such. But don't try to become someone you're not. Don't try. You'll fail and be unhappy at the same time.

As friends we must push each other. And the only way to push each other is to know each other. If your relationship is built on a facade, how will you ever grow?

Day 273

The Race Card

I'm amazed at how often I hear about racism.  Thankfully, hating people for the color of their skin is still a sin in our post-modern world.  But it's hard to find a lot of rational thinking on the topic.


It's easy to play the "race" card, but the very sensitivity to "race issues" usually stimulates even more racism.   Just watch little children. Do they really care what someone's skin color is? No. But then we spend so much time talking about it, we all develop a big conniption about it and wallah, we're back to being racists.  Skin color.  How is it that any different from the number of eyelashes one person sports over another? If we spent hours upon hours talking about how we shouldn't think less of someone who has 100 eyelashes in comparison to someone who has 150, what do you think is going to happen? I used to care less about who has how many eyelashes. But now, I'm going to be checking everyone's eyelashes.


Couldn't we instead just say we are all created in the image of God? And then marvel at how amazing it is that God created a gene pool in one man and one woman that could have created so many different varieties in shapes, sizes, and skin pigments?


Oh wait, but they tell us that man evolved to his present state by natural selection. Now, we don't know which people are lesser or not. Are the Aborigines truly human? Or how about the wolf people? You see where evolution and the practical working out of Darwinism can end up leading someone? At one point Darwin and his eugenicist cousin Francis Galton slapped Africans, gorillas, Australian Aborigines, and baboons in the same general category.  These are the roots of racism.  If we cannot trace ourselves back to a common ancestor (ie. Adam and Eve), there may indeed be some genetic strains more advanced than others.  The Doctrine of "Survival of the Fittest" then puts the various people groups in competition with each other.


In the end, I think the confusion on different skin pigments/more eyelashes/more body hair, has its roots  in evolutionary dogma. When you start down the road of treating humans as nothing less than animals you're going to find fundamental differences in people groups, which will lead to dehumanization. 


Survival of the fittest?  No way.


"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." ~ Genesis 1:27


Day 272

Sunday Scriptures

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. ~ James 3:18

Day 271

The Courtship Box

A machine requires parts to run. In order to make sure you don't get junk as your completed product you need one thing. Everything that comes into said machine must be the exact same when coming into the box. I think some people apply the same philosophy to courtship. They create this machine called "courtship." Then they go to lots of classes/conferences on it. They read lots of books on it. They want people to tell them how to do it. They have then created their box. But we run into a small problem. The people coming into this box aren't boxy. People aren't widgets. It's rare to find a person who will fit into a box perfectly.

I complain about the education system. And one of the reasons is because people are individuals. They don't all learn in the same way and at the same rate. They don't fit into boxes. But then I go try to create a box for the courtship model?

The thing is, we have to remember the goal of courtship. I perceive courtship as a model that is trying to maintain honor/ purity with an end goal of getting married. You're testing the waters without breaking hearts. In theory. Yet, it seems everyone has a courtship story of a friend or family member who has had a huge blowup. And I think much of it comes from pride. Pride of the father, pride of the mother, pride of the boy, pride of the girl, etc. Plus the other thing is if one sees a courtship as inevitably ending up in marriage you're looking at it all wrong. It's a testing out period. It's not like it's different than dating in its goal, that is to get married. Will it inevitably turn into marriage. No. A successful courtship needs to be seen as one that honored God whether or not it ended up in marriage.

When we approach the topic of courtship we need to remember that we are to honor God, as in all things. People are not widgets. And we must love one another through it. Otherwise, go date. Seriously.

Now I'll take my own advice and take a hiatus from the courtship/marriage topic. *cough* ;-P Day 270

Friday Sayings

Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all. --G. K. Chesterton

Day 269

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for God's Word and the wisdom contained in it. Without it, we would be lost. We would spend our days wandering along a cliff without a light not knowing which way to turn.


Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ~  Psalm 119:105


Day 268

How to Love a Girl ^_^

I was painting today while listening to a sermon by Voddie Baucham for the fifth or sixth time. Typically, I only listen to these sermons while I work so I miss parts of them when I get really focused. But painting is so boring that.. *cough* ;-P

Anywayssssssss.

Something really hit me smack in the forehead. He said that, paraphrasing, if you really wanted to know if a potential son-in-law is really interested in protecting your daughter and her heart he won't tell her he's interested in her. Instead, he'll come to you first. You know, I kind of already knew this but it came home to me today. If I really did care about a girl and really did want to marry her why would I just want her attention? Of course I do lust after short lived attention and "love."

If I cared so little that I would try to circumvent the father in her life does that mean I really care about her? And even if her father isn't involved in her life I want to love her and protect her and still run it by him. Why? Well, because he should be involved in her life and he should be the man who most loves her and protects her.

Being a selfish person, I want to be loved and appreciated without the commitment. Or maybe I could call it a lust for those things. And starting a relationship with a young woman on a note where I could care less about her father is incredibly unwise. It shows that I really have no interest in protecting her. If I show that I don't care for her father up front, how am I going to treat her later?

The key to this relationship is love for others in Christ. The thing that I must not forget is that when I'm getting married I am getting married because I want to glorify God and I want her to grow more in Him. If she's not going to grow more in Him, then I am actually hurting her and am not loving her. At times, I see how there is a major focus on getting married around me. And yes, marriage is good. When you find a wife you find a good thing (Prov.18:22). A very good thing. But if you are not under Christ and are not going to point your wife to Him you are failing and should avoid stumbling her.

Day 267

Fantasy of Life

I love movies. I love how so much action is compressed into such a small period of time. The excitement of an entire lifetime, for many of us, has been squeezed into a story of 90 minutes long. It shows us action, epic adventures, amazing romance, and exciting characters. Reading stories of elves, dwarves, and orcs set in a beautiful place is our pastime.

I've noticed as I spend too much time in these other worlds I begin to become dissatisfied with where I live now. The fantasy is getting out of control. Living your life in a virtual fantasy can be an unhealthy place to spend your time. I'm honestly one of the worst at this. At one time, I could spend five-six hours per day in a fantasy land. Being a reader, I would take all the stories that I had read and use them to make my little stories. I let my imagination run wild. To some extent I think having a good imagination is important to life. Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." 

But we can't allow our imagination to control us. Imagination can and does create the most beautiful things. Somebody imagines something that all others say are impossible. And then he goes and creates it. On the other hand people spend years of their lives in a fantasy land of books, movies, and tv shows. Instead of spending time with real people and investing in their friends they spend most of that time reading, imagining, and wishing. They want to be one of those characters. They want to be friends with those characters. Why do you think actors are so famous? People connect with the characters, want to live with them, be part of the story, and then they end up worshiping the actor.

Imagination is important. But use it to honor God. Don't become dissatisfied with the life that God has given you because of the stories that you're reading. We still need to keep our focus on God and in the real world. If your imaginations and the books/movies/tv shows you're watching don't bring you closer to God and instead become an idol in your life you may want to take a break for a short time from them.

And honestly, the digital media has never helped my imagination. Books are definitely the way to go. ;-)

Day 266

Knowledge Vs. Wisdom

Is knowledge very helpful? Mmmm. Maybe. If of course it has wisdom attached to it. You could honestly have all the knowledge in the world and still make incredibly stupid choices.

My mind says yes, but my body says no. And that's knowledge. One needs wisdom in order to carry out a goal. You can have all the knowledge in the world and yet never accomplish anything with it. We were studying Joseph today and how he applied wisdom to the situation when Potiphar's wife tempted him. He knew that sleeping with Potiphar's wife was wrong and then he applied wisdom to the situation and left his coat in the hands of Potiphar's wife. He of course had the knowledge. But he also had the wisdom. 

Our emphasis on education in regards to knowledge is absolutely pointless unless wisdom comes with it. Otherwise, you're wasting your time. You get smart people who don't have any common sense. Like Mark Twain said, "I've never let my school interfere with my education." Schooling is wonderful and good. Knowledge is great. But unless you apply that knowledge it's pointless. 

If one were to know that fornication or pornography is evil and yet still participate in it, we see here that there's no lack of knowledge. There's a lack of wisdom. If one were to lay around the house watching tv, playing video games, and picks up his clothes every five days, and he understands what a sluggard is and the curse that comes with it, he's lacking wisdom. If one were to gossip, and know that gossip is wrong, and yet continue doing it that person lacks wisdom. 

But how do we get wisdom? Well that's why we own a Bible. 

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." ~ Proverbs 4:7

"To get wisdom is better than gold; to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." ~ Proverbs 16:16

But how?! 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" ~ Proverbs 9:10

That's it. We must fear God. Simple. Fear God. We must fear him. Otherwise we won't obey his laws. We won't take the knowledge and understanding that God gave us unless we truly fear him.

Day 265

Sunday Scriptures

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ~ Romans 12:9

Day 264

Saturday Sayings

A little love has made me willingly study, preach, write, and even suffer...
Richard Baxter

Day 263

Saying - Day 262

The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear. ~ Daniel Defoe 

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for marriage. Good friends. Good counsel. Men. Fathers. Wisdom. Bathrooms. Skype. Computers working. The list goes on and on.

Day 261

Epic Battles

I enjoy stories of battles. I've enjoyed reading the stories written by C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. The wars of good versus evil. The fights to the death that are had against orcs and ring wraiths. Reading of the times of medieval warriors who charged into battle and came out victorious. The epic tales of how one little man could make it into the enemy's camp to throw the one ring into the mountain of lava.

At times I've caught myself wishing I lived then and could experience the battles in the way they did. Where the battles were fierce and fighting was close hand to hand. But then I remember I do fight a fight just like that. It's a fight where we must fight or we will die. The enemy is large. The orcs are grinding their teeth preparing to destroy us. This is the spiritual battle.

It's a fierce fight where the ring wraith of lust launches itself at us. We must fight it off. The witch of ingratitude's haunt is nearby.. The werewolf of deceit and lies is running after us.  Our soul is on the line, defend yourself! The eye of pride watches over us. The orcs of anger are chomping at the bit to kill us. The Grima Wormtongue is whining and complaining in our ears. This is the spiritual battle.

It's a war that's waged inside of us. It's fierce. Many give up. Many will fall. We will not get through this life without a blood caked sword. We will sail through bloody seas. The question is will you make it? And the answer is, with God's help. We are called to fight that we will win. Fighting is rough and tough. It's not easy. But there is a finish. There is a golden crown at the end of this. And moth, dust, or rust will not corrupt the heavenly crown.

Day 260/365 - I'm going to start putting my day down here. :-)

Covering Another's Sin - Day 259

Recently I saw a blog where a whiny woman was angry with her father. She took herself to putting all her father's sins on display. Everything he had done against her that she could think of seemed to be put out there for the world to see. Sure, maybe he did some bad things. Maybe they should be taken to the law. I don't know. But one thing I do know is that she's walking around just like Ham who saw his father's sin and then went around telling everyone. Honoring one's parents is very important. It promises blessings. When one dishonors their parents it promises curses. We must be like Shem and Japheth who turned their backs and covered their father's nakedness. They honored him, even though he wasn't perfect. They covered his sin. The exact opposite of what this woman is doing.

One thing that did surprise me was how many people feel bad for her. Ham's son Canaan was severely cursed for what his father did. Many generations were cursed because of this folly. Maybe the situation is bad. But disobeying the express command to honor one's parents is much worse. Honor takes different forms. Maybe wisdom says to stay away. If they are murdering and raping people on the weekends you are called by the Word of God to be a witness against them. But do we run around laying out their sins for the world to see? No, no, no, no, no. And I pray I never fall into this myself with any of my family or friends.

I struggle with honor. I like to think I'm right all the time, an intellectual pride. But I need to honor. I feel it's so important. So many lives are ruined by the dishonor of parents. Fornication, robberies, murdering, etc.. Yet we still see the rebellion against authority as a good thing.

Let's be ones who are honorable. Trustworthy friends that others can rely on should be our goal. It's pretty rare nowadays.

Merry Monday - Day 258

He who laughs, lasts. ~ Mary Poole

So true. It's amazing how many comedians live a long time. The jovial ones at least.

Sunday Scriptures - Day 257

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” ~ 1 Peter 1:3 KJV

Courageous the Movie Review - Day 256

Yesterday I went and saw Courageous. Overall, I was very impressed. Seeing the slow progression in quality and story by the Kendrick brothers over the past eight years has been quite an impressive journey. This was the first movie I didn't mentally cringe in. The acting was decent, the camera work was acceptable, and the story was much better than their other movies.

Normally, when I walk out of a theater after watching some big budget motion picture, there's some sort of filth dripping off me. Instead of walking out knowing that the movie I just saw on the big screen should not be repeated in my daily life, I was able to walk out of Courageous with a good message and an actual direction to head.

This is a story of reconciliation. The hearts of fathers turning toward their children and children to their fathers. It is a story with powerful plot points and great highs and lows. They mix the serious nature of life with humor fairly well. The story is very powerful and fairly well shot. My only complaint in regards to the filming, that was really distracting, was how much shaky-cam they used. It was too shaky. Some of the shots weren't super well framed. I saw an extra look into the camera. But all little things, I didn't feel they distracted from the movie to a degree that grated on me.

The story is good. One of the things the Kendrick brothers are good at doing is pulling at your emotional heart strings. I thought they did a good job of creating characters that one could connect to. The movie had some very emotional scenes and they did a great job with them. It was still a story that I could only watch once for the pure enjoyment factor. This was for two reasons. Number one, because the characters didn't have the depth to bring me back again to watch it. The movie was just not driven by the depth of the characters. Number two, the plot didn't have a large enough web for me to want to see it again. The ending was pretty much as we expected it. But, I liked it much better than their other three films in that it ended realistically. The other films ended with complete reconciliation and left no question in our minds as we left the  theater. But that's unrealistic. And I thought this film was much better. Instead of glorification which doesn't happen till the end, it ended with the message that even though life will continue to be tough, God brings difficult circumstances to sanctify us to be more like Him each and every day of our lives.

There were parts that were sub-standard and had a television feel to them. Some of the shots looked like a television show. It felt like they took about 6 plots and played them parallel. Which may have been why the depth of the characters suffered some. The film is much better than many films that dropped seventy million dollars on a much worse plot. I'm just grasping for straws here.


The ending was kind of disappointing. Instead of ending the film where it should have ended, instead there was a bit of an altar call at the end. Of course, it was well done. But I felt like it wasn't as good of an ending as it could have been.

Overall, an amazing movie. It's the best that a Christian director has ever pulled together. And for Alex Kendrick to play the main character and direct the entire film, I'm super impressed. So, go see it in theatres and support a Christian director and film.

Friday Night Sleepy - Day 255

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure. ~ Mark Twain

Lol. Tired... Zzzzz..

Thankful Thursday - Day 254

Today I'm thankful for trees. They're majestic. They provide us heat during the winter and shade during the summer. They provide homes for birds, squirrels, insects, etc. And then we cut them down and they provide us a home. ^_^

Enjoy the Journey - Day 253

Life is a journey. There are mistakes that are made. There are blessings that are had. There are trials that you walk through. Enjoying the journey is important. You can't whine about your place in life. You need to enjoy the place where you are at. Of course, be proactive. But enjoy it! Otherwise, you'll be a whiny stressed person. Don't think of yourself as being, "behind" someone else. Maybe you aren't married at 18 like some guy you know. You didn't make a million bucks by twenty-four, etc. Don't compare yourself with others. Don't stress because you aren't as smart, wise, and "successful." Enjoy life. Enjoy being with friends. Love others more. And love your God more. We serve a good God. All he does will work out for good. You don't need to stress about it. :-)

Love one another - Day 252

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.~ John 4:7

Willing to Sacrifice? - Day 251

What are you willing to sacrifice for your friends and family? It's a question I ask myself a lot. After pondering it for awhile, I decide that I'm willing to lay down my life for them. And 10 minutes later I walk through a door with them following behind me and just let it slam in their face.  Nice..

I don't think you can expect to sacrifice in a big way if it's not engrained in you through the little things. When you're under pressure you're going to react the way that you've trained to react. And if you don't sacrifice in the small things, you will not be willing to sacrifice in the big things when the pressure is applied.

Sunday Verse - Day 250

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6

Saturday Sayings - Day 249

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Vision with no Discipline - Day 248

Big picture is great. People need to have a vision for their lives. If you don't, you'll wander around wondering what's happening to you and where you're going. But at the same time you need to focus on the day to day. Otherwise, you're going to be overwhelmed. I'm amazed at how just working day to day I accomplish things. If I spent my entire time sitting back and looking at the project I would be overwhelmed. But as I complete part by part it becomes a reality and I don't get overwhelmed. ^_^ It takes 10s of thousands of steps to run a marathon. But you just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Thankful Thursday - Day 247

Today I'm thankful for flowers. They're pretty and smell good. They add sparks of color to the world. They are brought to hospitals, weddings, funerals, mom on Valentine's Day, etc to help bring more happiness. They are always happy and smiling. But they do remind us that when they are pulled from the ground they slowly wilt and lose their beauty. Just like when one ignores the Word, neglects to pray, and forgets the worship of God. We wilt and die..

Power of the Press - Day 246

In America the President reigns for four years, and Journalism governs forever and ever. ~ Oscar Wilde

Why? - Day 245

Why do you do what you do? Why do you decide to make one choice over another. Every single choice leads to a consequence. It could be a choice like choosing to skip the second helping of dessert, or it could be choosing a spouse.

Each of our choices are going to lead us down some sort of road. Some decisions will lead to eternal pain and others to everlasting bliss. Try to be purposeful in what you do. Because at some point you're going to have to show the master what you did with his talents he bestowed upon you.

Reality Dating? - Day 244

Last year I was watching a reality tv show. It was a finding love sort of show. And one thing that really struck me was how selfishly most of these people approached relationships and marriage. It was all about them. They were always criticizing others and complaining about how the other person/or people were rotten, horrible, and selfish. They personally never did anything wrong unless they messed up their game plan. 


There was plenty of tears. Tears that felt, in the context, to be selfishly poured out. So and so hurt me and now I'm going to cry. It was never remorse on their part. I'm sure some of the perceived conflict and anger was escalated by the editors, and I only watched one episode, but still.. I later looked up statistics on the show, in regards to the marriages that have happened and such, there was somewhere around 5%* of the couples who ended up getting married. Many of them got engaged, but many of those broke off.


Looking through the list of them, one thing that did interest me was how many couples just decided to try it. Take a test drive. There wasn't a commitment made. They were treating the relationship like a new toaster that you could take back without any consequences. Yet, every single one of those relationships that was treated in that way broke off and was quite messy. 


The problem that I see with todays culture is we're very selfish and want everything to be good for us. We want to have sex without marriage. We want new friends who are better and more entertaining. We only cry when someone hurts our pride. We want the perfect life without any real hard work or commitment. As I understand it, marriage is rough on your flesh. Men and women both have to be incredibly unselfish to make it work. But all good things are difficult to achieve. It's the bad ones that come easy. 


I think ultimately as a non-Christian it's going to be impossible to not worship oneself. It's because the ultimate belief as a humanist is that you are god. Therefore you must honor yourself. And that's why you can't do things without some sort of selfish desire. Even though what you do may be good, the whole idea of seeing yourself as a god means you must treat yourself as one and therefore everything you do has to be done in self-promotion or with selfish desires. 


As a Christian, we are given much. We are able to worship God. We can look to God who honors himself and then we follow him, love him, and honor him. Who greater to honor and love? And as the verse I posted yesterday says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments. ~ John 14:15" Then in Luke 10:27 it says "And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And there we see that in obeying God we must love our neighbor as ourself. And who is our closest neighbor? (For those who are married) Your husband or wife would be your closest neighbor. And now, finally we know that when one is unselfishly loving ones wife/husband we are loving God.


P.S. I saw this video a couple weeks ago and thought it kind of ties into this..

*Part of this has been sitting in drafts for awhile, my stats may be off now..

Sunday Verse - Day 243

If ye love me, keep my commandments. ~ John 14:15

Saturday Sayings - Day 242

In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a companion, a second self. ~ William Penn

Friendly Friday - Day 241

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Thankful Thursday - Day 240

Today I'm thankful for caffeine. Driving at night without caffeine = horrible. With caffeine = incredible.

On second thought everything's better with caffeine..

Cool Head - Day 239

Keep cool; anger is not an argument. ~ Daniel Webster

Living the Psalms - Day 238

Today I felt like I lived a psalm to some extent. We went rafting today and we sort of did the wrong rapids. Wrong means bigger. ;-) Hopped into the boat, very excited, prayer of Thanksgiving. A few small fun rapids: prayers of praise. Big rapid: epic. Fall out of boat: not so much.. Prayers of intercession happened there. Back in boat: prayer of praise. Go over small waterfall and fall out: prayer of intercession. Back in boat: prayer of thanksgiving. Lose one of the paddles: prayers of intercession. Walk on shore for a long ways..... Imprecatory prayer upon all the brambles and sharp rocks. Get back in two boats: prayer of thanksgiving. Find lost paddle a mile and a half down: prayer of praise. Walk around even bigger rapid and get torn up by rocks and brambles: Imprecatory prayer. Get back in boat and float through a bunch of rapids: prayer of praise. Find person with cellphone: prayer of thanksgiving. Get in car with family: prayer of praise. Amazing dinner: prayer of thanksgiving. Overall an amazing day and the best time I've had rafting. Yay! I want to go do it again. :-D

Funday Monday! - Day 237

You may delay, but time will not. ~ Benjamin Franklin Sorry for the lack of real posts. I've just had Internet on my phone. :-\

Sunday Scripture - Day 236

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:10

Saturday Sayings - Day 235

You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy. ~ John Calvin

Fun Stuff - Day 234

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. ~ Dale Carnegie

Thankful Thursday - Day 233

Today I'm thankful for the change of seasons. I appreciate the warmth of summer, the cool of autumn/the beauty, the snow of winter, and the beautiful new life of spring.

Yay! - Day 232

Fall's in the air. w00t!

I drove all night.

That's all. 

Really.

...

New Life - Day 231

New life is amazing. Our cat had kittens today. The little ones who are conceived from tiny little particles meeting one another and growing in the womb and eventually coming out as fully functioning creatures can be hard to get my mind around at times.

We don't appreciate life enough today. In a culture where abortion and survival of the fittest nonsense is mainstream it can be hard to remember how amazing it truly is. We would not be here if it weren't for the incredible way that God created the human body and its means to reproduce. There is absolutely no way that over a trillion years the body would evolve to ever be able to reproduce. Without the many different things that must happen in order for someone to emerge from the womb we wouldn't be here. It's an incredible process and is incredibly fine tuned. Our God is truly amazing.

Support - Day 230

I think in our culture it's easy to forget that being a grand important leader is not the only role in life. The message that is told to us is that being selfish is the way to roll. It's really all about you. But I was reminded today of this when I was cheering on the sidelines of the marathon my sister ran today. At first, I didn't really want to cheer. It was weird. But I noticed that it was because I was full of myself and self conscious. And then I decided it was about others. And I immediately noticed that I was able to interact and encourage people as they ran by. And let me tell you something, I got much more from it while at the same time they appreciated it much more than if I were to just stand there staring. You don't know how much encouragement means when you're running a race. When someone yells at me to keep going, I get that little adrenaline rush and realize that people care for me and it helps me to keep running. But this doesn't just apply at running races. It applies to the race of life. It applies in everyday life. When you compliment someone, when you send them letters of encouragement, when you clap and cheer for them, when you're there for years, etc. you'll never know how much this helps people. Sometimes just those little words of complimenting someone will change the course of their entire life.


We need to stop falling in love with ourselves. It's not about us. It's about others. Stop getting so offended when your personal pride is stepped on. I'm glad it was stepped on. You shouldn't be proud. <_< The instant that you stop giving you're going to start getting offended and uptight about every little thing. I'm telling you from personal experience. Virtually the instant I stop giving to others is the moment that I start getting all mad about things. You can't be ambivalent. You're either going to be giving of yourself or becoming selfish. Why do you think it's so hard to find people who have been close friends for 40-50 years? Probably because they've been told to follow their hearts and dreams. Feel free to throw your friends under the bus as a bonus. And then at 80 their sitting in a nursing home because their children hate them. They tossed them into the public education system as soon as they could, because they hated having them around. Their life was all about money. They would move at the drop of a hat for a thousand dollar raise in another state.

We need to be more grateful for others. People are created in the image of God. We need to stop treating them like trash in our words, in the way we interact with them, and how we debate with them on the internet. It's time to take that cold little grinch heart and start loving others and supporting them.

Sunday Verse - Day 229

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Saturday Quote - Day 228

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." ~ Mark Twain


Exactly

God's Blessings - Day 227

Today I attended a filmmaking class. I learned many good things. But something that really stood out to me was that we need to be purposeful with what we do. We need to have wisdom with what we do. We can't really drift through life in a naive way. We need to be connected and think critically about everything. We need to have plans. We need to be visionary. We need to trust God. And everything we do needs to be done with a purpose. We need to be focused on obeying God. We make films, or write books, or build businesses that honor God. Why? Because we love him and we love his laws. 

We need to take dominion. And taking dominion means many different things. It means adopting children. It means taking care of widows. It means making films. It means keeping the house clean. It means cleaning up diapers. It means building big businesses. It means raising chickens. It means being faithful in your Walmart job. But if your attitude isn't right then it's all in vain. It must be focused on glorifying God and obeying his commands. And God will bless the work of our hands. 

"And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul." ~ Deuteronomy 30:8-10

Thankful Thursday - Day 226

Today I'm thankful for love. Loving people, loving animals(okay, kind of...), and a loving God.

Love: A word that's easy to say. Doing - Not so much..

Perverted Freedom - Day 225

It seems that many Americans today have a perverted concept of freedom. It's about dishonoring authorities. Look at every blockbuster that comes out today. Every single one has disrespect of authorities and of parents of some extent or another. Freedom is getting rid of all authority. It's about tossing out the law and doing whatever feels right. Follow your heart, right? This leads to anarchy as well as tyranny.

This same perspective tends to be extremely popular in the church as well. Instead of throwing out the law of the state, it tosses out the authority of Scripture and the law of God. You can see how culture today is leading the church rather than the church leading the culture. It's following the same approach. So you see the same anarchy and tyranny intermixed in the church. Either you create a pastor who is the head honcho and a tyrant, or you have a community center instead of a church. 

To have freedom we need to have laws. We need to have good Biblical law. We don't create our own revelation or laws like humanism/Mormonism/Jehovah witnesses/etc do. If we do that, we come out with the anarchy and tyranny that all of these produce. 

It also amazes me that people sneer at laws in the Word of God and then curse the laws of today's country. It doesn't make any sense to me. 

Ultimately, grace saves and the law condemns. The law condemns the wicked. Through Christ we are free. But does this eliminate the need for law? Absolutely not. There are wicked people in this world. There has to be a system to keep order and punish evildoers. And the law that has been written and put into the Word of God by a God who is all good and all knowing, is the law that needs to be used.

Rushdoony's book "Law and Liberty" is a good resource and puts it better than I do.

Too Tire.... - Day 224

I need to find a quote because I'm too tired to write anything....

Zzzzzz...

Blessings - Day 223

Counting my blessings takes much longer than counting my trials. Yet, I like to dwell on my trials more. Ironic.. 

Sunday Verse - Day 222

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24

Saturday Quote - Day 221

The right manner of growth is to grow less in one's own eyes. ~ Thomas Watson

I Need More Sleep - Day 220

Ugh, I've been low on sleep for the last two weeks. I know it's not thankful Thursday, but I'm thankful for sleep right now. I'm amazed how much of a difference 6 hours of sleep compares to 9 hours. I can function at 6 hours, but I can't perform. It's really quite odd. I think that's why the saying "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" holds true. Not late to bed, early to rise..

Fourteeners are tomorrow/today, YAY! dv

Thankful Thursday and Chocolate - Day 219

Today I'm thankful for chocolate. Mostly because it's amazingly tasty. (Also the vast health benefits. ;-P) And I'm thankful for my ten thousand tastebuds so I can taste the chocolate. Plus I'm thankful for a sense of smell which further enhances the taste of it. And I'm thankful for eyes to see the brown chocolaty goodness. I'm quite thankful for hands to transport the chocolate to my mouth. I'm thankful for fingers that help grip the chocolate. I'm thankful for ears that allows me to hear the magical sound of the crinkling of the wrapper off of the chocolate bar.

God's given us an amazing number of senses. Each of them is exceedingly creative and allows us to experience life in quite a fabulous fashion. We serve an awesome God.

No Silver Platter - Day 218

Life doesn't hand itself to you on a gold platter. Or a silver platter. I think it likes to throw tomatoes at you though..

Computers - Day 217

FOCUS!

NOOO!!!! But I have a Facebook notification. :-(

FOCUS!

Okay... Oh wait. I need music.

Okay I'm focusing.

Wait, Gmail.

Focus.

But I have a great Twitter message I just thought of.

It's interesting, I'm slowly finding that it takes character to own a computer. I've treated it as a toy for too long. It's an incredibly powerful tool. I honestly don't know another tool that one person can use and affect the world on a large platform base with so little effort. But in order to be that person who uses it to affect others, create programs, write thoughtful articles, and even grow in your walk with Christ, you have to use it in a purposeful way. Just like in Spiderman where Spiderman is told that with great power comes great responsibility in the same way when you have a powerful tool it should be used responsibility. It should be used purposefully. Sit down and do what needs to be done. Maybe you even need to relax. But it needs to be done with purpose. Becoming a vegetable and going from one screen to another is not purposeful.

This is something that's been on my mind quite often lately. Thankfully I'm getting better at it, very sloooooowwwwllllllyyyyyyy. So said the man climbing up a thousand flights of stairs while on the fifth flight..