Grow to Be Like Our Friends

One thing I've noticed about people, is if you want to figure out who they are as a person, check out who their friends are. If you're around unkind/angry people, you'll generally begin to grow those traits. In general, I believe you need to find friends who you admire their strong traits, and spend time with them. And over time, those traits will rub off on you. So a couple thoughts, number one, find older mentors who you can befriend and glean wisdom from. They have already proved themselves. They have spent way more time in this world, having already fought through the battles that young ones like us go through. Number two, be a good friend. Don't look for perfection in your friends. Try to rub off some of the good character/gifts that God has given you on them. But don't be the one always looking for the ultra weak/those with terrible character, "Bad company corrupts good character." — 1 Corinthians 15:33 

Evil rubs off easier, just purely because of the fact that our hearts are wicked and tend to want to do evil. As my grandma says, "If more of them is rubbing off on you than you is rubbing off on them, get out of there/leave."

So Much to Do

Lately, I get up and see so much to do. And yet I have so little time to do it. I'm starting to feel old. I know, old isn't exactly the word I should be using, but I look back at the last 21 years of my life and wonder what in the world I've been doing. I have skills in a few areas, because of the work I've done over the past 9-10 years, but why am I still standing where I am? I don't compare myself to others, because I've learned that's a recipe for disaster. But still. I could have done so much more if I had gotten serious about life 5-6 years ago.

I have this conversation with myself too often..

Daniel: "I've floated too much.. And why?!"

Conscience: "BECAUSE YOU'RE LAZY."

Daniel: ".....

Yeah.

What else?"

Conscience: "YOU HAVE LITTLE TO NO VISION... ^_^"

Daniel: "Anything else?"

Conscience: "You don't love God."

Daniel: "That's a serious problem..."

Conscience: "I'm glad you recognize that fact, now go do something about it."

And that's been the conversation my conscience and I have, way too often.

So I know you're asking the question, Daniel are you still sitting in this quite sad state?

Well, sometimes. But less often now than before. ^_^

A few things that have helped me are these:

Writing down plans with general action items. This is kind of my vision for the week, month, year. It's really something I do on a more weekly basis. I haven't really done monthly and yearly goals, except for a possibly long project.

Then, I move on to a daily task list. I've been trying to also add my fun activities as a to-do list item. I think I find that when I add them as a to-do, I enjoy actually doing a to-do list rather than constantly dreading working through it, day to day.

Work isn't always fun and easy. People tell you to do something you love, and I do get to do what I love, but at the same time, it's not always a picnic and party. There's a reason it's called work..

I read my Bible more consistently than six months ago, and study more good books. I'm really trying to replace my free reading fun books with more insightful books that are really building me up. I'm reading through Practical Religion by Ryle. Which I was actually going to read back in April, but yeah... I didn't.

Really, I could sum this all up in two words. Live purposefully. When we waste time, we always regret it. Those who are wise will live with purpose. Just because we're well taken care of in the sense of having a good job, a cozy house, and a beautiful family, doesn't mean we are to sit back on those accomplishments and chill. We'll regret that four hours we wasted every night watching the tele, when we could have been out starting a business or ministering to orphans or widows. I still waste a good amount of time, but I've become convicted of this and am working my way towards a more purposeful life, with the Lord's help. 

Good night. ^_^ Biking in 5 hours. o.0

Working

Working is about grinding over the hard tasks and pushing the easy ones over quickly. Don't procrastinate on the hard projects. Otherwise you'll dawdle on the easy ones.

Respect and Honor Your Dad

Parents are very important in your life. They bare you. They feed you. They raise you. They cry over you. They give you a kick you in the pants, when you need it.. They clothe you. They house you. They teach God's Word to you. They talk to you. They give you counsel. They love you.

Honor them. Your parents are the parents God gave you. If you think they are messes, well look at yourself and you're a huge mess. God gives children the first commandment with promise, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." ~ Ephesians 6:1-3. And then God says those who curse their parents will have their eyes plucked out by ravens. "The eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young vultures shall eat it." ~ Proverbs 30:17

And I realize that all of us don't actually care what the facts are, because we're emotional beings. But these blessings and curses are very real. God isn't really one you want to mess with because you'd rather disrespect your parents to feel good about yourself/do whatever makes your heart/body feel good. 

I've jumped off and on honoring my parents way too much. I'm not a good son. But through God's grace I'll become better at it. Here's a couple things I've been learning.

Once you start serving others, honoring your parents will be a gazillion times easier. I notice that as I've gotten older I become more self-focused trying to make money or trying to "become my own man." And sure, defining yourself and making money aren't wrong, but they can tend to be incredibly self focused. Young people don't understand how worthless money really is, especially when you're dead early on in life.. And their defining themselves is usually just jumping into pop music and watching crappy movies...

When you love God, you'll love His words, and therefore you'll love honoring your parents. Otherwise, honoring your parents is going to really give you headache.

Anyways, that's it. I needed to talk to someone, and seeing everyone's in bed/I'm editing a radio show you guys can read my random thoughts.

And as I side note, I found this video from an old blog post, and I've been addicted to it for the past half hour.. >_<

Modesty for Women Because Guys Care

Modesty is such a hard issue. If you take a look at the online survey the Harris brothers ran, you can see there are quite different responses from guys in certain areas - http://bit.ly/DtpkC. It's not as if we can say one thing is modest and another isn't in some of these areas. Oftentimes it's where our heart is, and it's asking the question are we thinking critically about these areas.

However, ladies remember that guys are incredibly visual. When women dress immodestly it's difficult for a man, because ignoring it can be difficult or impossible. And we do appreciate when you dress modestly. In a culture where quite a bit of skin is constantly flashed in front of our eyes, it's actually refreshing to be around girls who you don't feel like you have to be constantly controlling your eyes and thoughts.. Desiring your wife is an amazing thing, but it's not an amazing thing when she is not your wife, that would be called sin. And I do appreciate it when girls try to dress modestly.

It always encourages me when I see women who take care that their appearance on the outside reflects the beauty within. Hence, while I do appreciate modesty I also really like when women express their personality in clothing. I absolutely hate seeing people who all dress the same as if they're all robots or crazed people from an asylum.

In conclusion, girls ask your dad and brothers (in Christ) what they think of your clothes. I hope that they would be willing to come to you if they saw issues, but sometimes you just have to ask.. And as kind of a personal pet peeve. Please don't just ask other girls/women. They're not guys, they won't necessarily see it in the same light.

Reproof

In today's culture it isn't cool to be dogmatic about anything except humanism. Part of the reason being that being a god to oneself is not a hard message to an already selfish person. 

However, if you are going to be a friend to someone you are going to reprove them at some point. People are not perfect, and because of that, at some point your friend is going to do something sinful. That's why as a good friend you have to ultimately be okay with reproving them, because you love them. One of the hardest things to do is when you see sin in your friend's life having the love to be willing to tell them to quit and work with them through their sin. But here are three things you don't do. 

Number one, you don't come by one time and tell them to quit and then leave. No. You have to stay involved. Sin is incredibly hard to deal with because our flesh loves it. It will be a battle and most of a time a long campaign that will last your entire life. 

The second thing you don't do is avoid saying anything. Why would you not address it if you truly love them? (Well one reason, but we'll get there.) Don't you fear for their souls? Don't you love them enough to see them loving God and the others in their life more? Don't you want to see them repenting before God more? 

Of course it takes wisdom, and relationships drive specificity. But the point is, when you do have a good relationship, why don't you minister to them?

Finally, don't go around reproving people when you have your own secret unrepentant sins you are dealing with. Of course, we will always be sinners, that won't change. But get that log out of your own eye before you go after the speck in your friend's eye. 

Sunday Scriptures

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his nameJah, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. ~ Psalm 68:4-6

Husbands That Don't Care and Leave

In my short life, there's one thing that has always saddened me. I see these homeschool families, their children are very involved in lots of events, the moms are running around doing things with them, and then you never ... see ... the ... dad. As a child I always wondered why this was. Well, you would see him occasionally on the outskirts of a large party, or at a graduation ceremony, etc. But he really wasn't involved.

Years pass, and then I eventually hear the inevitable, too often heard, story where the dad left. He left his wife and children, and went to live a miserable life serving himself. This problem really irks me. I hate uninvolved dads. They ruin their children's lives by not really being there, and then physically up and leaving.

But in reality, dad left years before. He was never there in the first place. He never conquered his lusts.

Dads are a very important part of a child's growing up process. (Moms are too, but that's not really the point, right now) They teach their children how to be men and women. They show their daughters what to look for in a man, as they lead by example. They show their sons how to act like men. Have you asked yourself why we have so many homosexuals? It's because of terrible fathers, who are either not there or they're abusive.

I do understand that our culture wants the men to look like little puppy dogs who the mom and kids walk all over. (I.e. Virtually all Disney shows) But God didn't make men this way. He gave them a desire to conquer.

But, too many men throw away their lives, and other people's lives in the hope of fulfilling their own fleshly lusts and desires. Men want to conquer, but sometimes all their conquering is reduced to is staring at flashing images on a screen with women who will do whatever they desire. They've become the miserable wretches that Disney/the world wants them to become.

Conquering is about conquering the flesh. It's about ignoring our own lustful desires for women, money, and power. It's about being a servant leader. Not a boy, who never grew up and has no reign over his flesh.

Sadly, we will fail. I've failed plenty of times at my young age. But thankfully God is good. And we will ultimately conquer with His help and the brothers that God has put in our lives to encourage/exhort/reprove.

In conclusion, I think one of the best things one can do at a young age, is to confess our sins and stay accountable to our friends. Living in darkness is what many of us do in our internet/techy age. Instead, we should expose our sins to the light, and pray that God will help us.

Sunday Scriptures

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. ~ Psalm 121:1-3

Life Is More Than Blogging?!

I'm sorry for not writing my blog. :-( The last 2 1/2 weeks have had 4 conferences in them, and that doesn't allow me to let my creative juices flow. And any time in the last week that I've had to write I'm trying to use to write a song, so *cough* sorry. But I think this song is going to be fairly interesting, so it'll all be worth it long term. I apologize for abandoning you all.

But, you know I have to be frank with you. I don't really enjoy blogging. :-/ I enjoy hanging out with my family and friends. I like my over the top and having a little (cough) loud Skype calls with friends/gamecasting. I like awkward moments when my sister and I get caught dance-daring. I like talking to strangers. Making music videos and creating stupid videos with others. Talking with my dad. Having fun and hopefully (o.0) edifying conversations. And overall, just spending time with people.

Life is so much more than writing a blog that really only a couple hundred people read. And I think it is important to write and come to an understanding of how life works by thinking through your posts and such. But when I spend all this time writing stuff that is mostly a bunch of immature and dumb posting, I don't see the point. If people took the time they spent reading my blog and instead read Rushdoony, Calvin, and other great men in history they would grow so much more.

I'm way more of an extrovert than an introvert. And that's a large part of it. But relationships drive specificity, and I feel blogs don't really lend themselves very well to relationships. And that kind of applies to the whole internet in general.

But, I'll keep writing blogs, so you don't have to unfollow me. /-P

Maybe.

Hope

There are many messed up people in this world. People who have been abused, those who have abused, those who are sexually destroyed, those who are liars, those who are murderers, etc. And I think at times we can give up on these people. Those who we are close to you who you spend lots of time with who hate God and any morals that Christianity requires can oftentimes be the most discouraging. But I think we need to remember that Jesus came for the murderers, adulterers, thieves, and the rest of the sins we commit. The thief who was dying on the cross next to Jesus was given salvation just before he died. There is always hope and there is strength in the blood of Christ.

Moving

All of us are constantly moving. Our views are moving, our skills are moving, our walk with Christ is moving, etc.

The question is really, where are they going? Are they going towards Christ, or away from Christ? Are we losing important skills and gaining non-essential ones? Just remember that you need to think critically about these things. You don't want to wake up someday and wonder what happened to you.

Sunday Scriptures

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. ~ Proverbs 2:1-5

Sunday Scriptures

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. ~ Deuteronomy 11:26-28

What Is It?

What is your life going to be about? There's a million things that your life can be about. Wine collecting, rat killing, prairie dog preservation (lol), family, government, church, etc. We are all going to be a combination of some of these things, but all of us are going to have our own specific area. That's why you can't say everyone has to be just like you. God created all of us with different gifts and abilities that we should use and not bury under the ground. Many of us can pine away with wanting what we can't have or are not in a stage of life to be able to act on those aspirations.

Rather than wandering through life being pushed from one place to another, let's live life purposefully. Just because you could do a million things doesn't mean you have the ability to do a million things. Try to find something and make it yours. Become good at something. Work hard. Love others. Love God.

Sorry, kind of rambly. I'm tired. >_< Zzzzz

Sunday Scriptures

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Storyteller

I'm interested in film. art, photography, etc. And so I tend to watch a ton of amateur stuff. The thing that I've found to be super important is story. It seems too many people want to be good filmmakers, but they ignore the story. They like their cool panning shots, shaky cam stuff, lighting, etc. But in that jumble they make unrealistic stories that no one connects to, or wants to connect to. Stories are what we connect to. We watch youtube videos with substandard quality, and enjoy it because it's a good story that we can connect to or want to be part of.

Peace

Peace is important. Too many of us aren't peaceful to be around. We get angry too quickly. We get frustrated. We get discouraged. We are selfish. Not enough peace. This doesn't mean that we aren't busy. You can be busy and not be angry, selfish, and discouraged. This is something I need to work on. ^_^ G'night.

Have Fun, Work Hard

I think you can have fun working hard. Doing it with friends helps alot. ^_^ YAY!!!!!

Always Right

All of us have a very strong intuition in many different areas. We believe we are right, even though we have nothing to base our opinions on except our own personal experiences. And personal experiences are not a great way to determine if we are right. We need to test out our intuitions. One thing I really appreciate about my dad is he is a statistics guy. He tests out many of his intuitions using statistics and studies. And this is really important in our lives. We could be wrong. And that's why we use a testing of what we think to be right. That's why studies and statistics are so important, and not television, well placed political words, etc.

Sunday Scriptures

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. ~ Psalms 23

Meh

Mmm, sorry for the lack of posting. I've been fairly busy this week. I'm finishing up an iPhone app that I'm hoping to finish next week that is definitely exciting, especially since this is my first app that I've programmed myself. ^_^ And I'm working on a 30 second commercial that is going to take something like 8 hours to shoot. And other stuff. It was a good week, but I'm pretty tired. One thing I've noted is that I need sleep in order to do things. I seemed to average 6 hours of sleep per night this week and it's just not really conducive to thinking well and getting the most done with my time. I know many people say that working long hours is important. But I think most of life is about a balance. Most people don't work very efficiently who work 16 hours per day, every day. I think the hardest worker can tend to be the smart worker. The one who spends 2 hours focusing extremely well on a problem compared to the guy who spends 8 hours on the problem because he was distracted, or whatever. I've fallen in that category a few too many times. So I've been working on getting out of that mode.

But now, I tend to be fairly unbalanced and either like to work and ignore everyone and be a grouch or I want to be mister social and not get much done. This is something I'm going to try to work on these next few months. Staying happy and social while at the same time staying focused on the things that need to get done today. Hope you all have a wonderful Subday worshipping God. ^_^

Creation

Creativity and creation is what we want to do as human beings. We want to become the world's best designer, or build Facebook, or build a house, or take the best pictures on Instagram. We want to come out with the new biggest and most creative idea. We want to find that original idea that no one has ever thought of.

But in reality, everything has been discovered and created at one time or another. Nothing is new under the sun. Everything has been based on someone else's idea or ultimately on God's creation.

God is the only one who makes things that are original. And that's why if we go to the source of His creation and His words we will receive the best inspiration for our ideas.

We as humans don't just create things, we innovate. We need to become good innovators. If we're always searching for something brand new and outside of God, eventually we will turn out really junky designs because we are trying to avoid the ultimate creator.

P.S. Also, you can check out one of my friends blogs: He designs stuff. ^_^ http://raysuzuki.org/blog/

Sunday Scriptures

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Dwell on the Evil

I've spent much of my time in the past muddling through the internet reading articles about the evils of this world. It's as if news today thrives on the odd and the evil. Yes, there is the occasional story of something good in the world, but it's typically filled with the trolls of the internet going at it in the comments below.

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." 


At one time, I did enjoy reading the news articles that tended to be very exploiting. But over time I've grown to see the emptiness. I much more enjoy talking to a child about how his day went. Listening to the story of how the cat did some hilarious thing. How someone closed a big contract. So much of life is already tough. The long hours working, the constant problems with our cars, relationship difficulties, angry people at Walmart, and many others. Instead of wasting much of our day on these other evils, let's spend more of our day looking at the beauty of God and His work in our lives and our friends' lives. Sin is not beautiful, it's something we have to deal with in our daily lives, not something we sit around admiring on our computer screens. >_<

Abortion Kills Babies

A few months back I was watching a late night tv show and the host accidentally called the baby in a mother's womb a baby! o.0 He quickly corrected himself and said fetus. He had to make sure everyone knew it was just a piece of worthless flesh until that magical moment when baby transferred from inside mom to outside of mom. Honestly, it's moronic. Some people try very hard to save their 7-8 month old precious baby and others kill them. What separated the two children? Nothing. Except one's mother hated them and the other did not.

Our culture does not want to admit they are addicted to selfishness. They get angry at Casey Anthony for allegedly killing her daughter, but justify themselves in destroying their babies that just haven't popped out of mom yet. A mom that kills their child when they're two versus three months old in the womb are both extraordinarily selfish and guilty of the same crime.

When a baby in the womb of a mother is killed, you are destroying those beautiful eyes that would look out at the world in wonder and slowly grow older and eventually look down at their young children and grandchildren someday. The ears that would hear a mother's tender loving voice, that would hear the birds chirping in the mornings, and the words that would Lord willing be brought to him/her about Christ and His beautiful salvation. The mouth will never say words like "I love you mama." There will never be a child's little laugh echoing through your house.

Abortion can't go on if we want a culture that will survive. It's training a culture that doesn't love life. Many theologies I've been seeing arise on the internet world are very pessimistic and nihilistic. We're hardened by the gore we watch on tv, the birth control ads on tv, and the abortions that happen all around us, and we don't have the soft hearts towards children that we once did.

Thankfully God does provide healing and forgiveness. And that's why we can look hopefully one day to being able to taste the food on our Lord's table after we die. But we can't just stand by and watch children being offered on the altar of selfishness. It's just like the Mayans who brought their children to be sacrificed, we just serve a different god, ourselves.

College or Not?

The recent question that many people are asking is, "Is college worth it?" I've read plenty of news articles about the most worthless degrees, why college is the most overpriced product on the market, some homeschool books about it, etc. And I think there are plenty of good arguments on both sides. But here's my take on it. It's not quite long enough for a book, so I'll just post it here. :-/

You need to work. If you do not have the ability to make enough money and work your bum off without a college degree, then go get one. If you're sitting around your house not learning and not working, go to college. Hopefully that will be a big enough kick in the pants to get you started in life.

The End ^_^

Enjoy God

Do you enjoy God? Do you enjoy worshipping Him on Sunday? Do you get excited about church? Do you get excited about the daily worship you have in His Word? Does God make you excited? Does His law make you excited?

I don't think being excited is about jumping up and down and screaming. But looking forward in anticipation to it may be one working out of your excitement. Instead of wondering what you're going to do Sunday afternoon, you look forward to the worship would be one instance.

Our spiritual lives are very important. We spend a whole lot of time working out, working so we can provide ourselves good vacations/nice house/etc. Shouldn't our eternal life be thought of as even more important? Does your love for God work out in your daily life?

Sunday Scriptures

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

Life is a Long Race

Having done one marathon and watched a couple, I've seen people who gave up on the race. They gave up when they had made it 20 miles. They only had 6.2 to go, but they just couldn't make it. It was too hard.

I think many people do the same thing, in regards to their lives. They make it 50-60-70 years following Christ, staying faithful to their wife/husband, loving their children, etc. But they gave up. They hit the wall. In marathon running the 20-21 mile mark is often called the wall. It's when your body no longer has anything left in it. Your body uses up all the glycogen(energy) stored in the liver and muscles and begins to start burning fat.

Life is the same way to a certain extent. People hit that mid-life crisis. They were running on their own strength and it ran out. Maybe they haven't made enough money, they haven't traveled enough, they haven't lived life to the fullest, at least not up to their standards. And so they leave their family, or they just live their sins in secret, etc.

I pray that myself and none of you will be these people. This race is long. The way is narrow. There are many turns off this narrow pathway. It will not be easy. As CS Lewis said, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

And this is another thing I've been learning more and more. You cannot depend on your own strength. It will fail you. You have to turn to Christ and he is the one who will uphold you. Cling to that rock. Don't allow yourself to think you can conquer sin on your own. You can't. Christ has though. He has conquered sin and has crushed the head of the serpent with His heel in His laying down His life for us.

This life won't be easy. There will be plenty of pathways that look prettier or easier. But they won't lead to heaven. There is only one way to heaven and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Not through you or your works. ;-)

Relationships - Real Life

I'm coming to the point where I want to have real relationships. I want to talk to people. I want to get in awkward situations. I want to not know what to say. I'm getting tired of the fake personalities of the internet where people act smarter than they are, post quotes that nobody would want to hear in real life, and put together perfectly thought through/witty thoughts. 

I want to talk to people and begin to become a better friend. I'm bad at it, but I shall try. ^_^

Sunday Scriptures

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. ~ Psalms 100:4-5

Sorry no book report on Saturday. :-/ Was tired from some long days at a conference we were at and didn't have a clear mind. :oD

All About You

What is life about? Is it all about you? Is it all about how you feel? Is it all about how you prosper? 


Or is life about others? Is life about seeing others grow in Him? Is life about edifying others to be more like Him? I've found when I stop focusing on myself I work more. I stop clinging to my sins. I begin to cling to Christ. I begin to realize that I can't serve others without Him. I can serve myself all day long without Christ. But when I have to turn from being selfish to unselfish it doesn't come naturally without my doing it for Christ and because of my love for him he gives me the strength to love others.


We need to be laying down our life for others. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." ~ Matthew 16:25 We need to be laying down our lives for Christ.

Head in the Clouds?

People like to have their head in the clouds. See themselves as bigger than they are. They want to be the big movie star. They want to be like a movie character. They may dream about being married. They may dream about traveling the world.

The thing is, dreams don't get you places. Doing stuff gets you there. Dreams are good in the context of giving you an idea of what you're trying to get done. But they don't get you places. If you want to do something go try it. If you're terrible at it, then you know you are. But if you just talk about it you'll never know if you're gifted in that area. You'll be stuck with your head in the clouds.

Sunday Scriptures

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. ~ Mark 8:34-35

Babies

You know, I really like babies. They help me understand that as we grow up we become more complex. We don't look at life in as much wonder.
They bring me back to the idea that my job as I grow older is to create a world that will give the generation after me a more beautiful life. A life where they can even more easily grow up and worship God. Rather than creating a world that revolves around me, instead I look toward a world that will go on generation after generation, long after my short life is over.

Health

Why is stuff that is good for you not as tasty? Chocolate cake is much better than green gunk. (See below) Cookies are better than broccoli, etc.

Why is it that our flesh wants the candy of life? The carnal pleasures of money gotten easily, sex outside of the context of marriage, lies to get us ahead in life, etc. are what we want. Things that are good for us long term are not necessarily as pleasurable in the short term. It takes character, waiting, and obeying God to be successful.  And lots of prayer, fasting, and reading His Word.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" ~ Matthew 16:26

Good Friends

I have good friends. I have a great family. I'm blessed. That's all.

Light

Confessing your sins is hard. It's admitting that you're not perfect. But do you want to be perceived as perfect when you aren't?

Sunday Scriptures

He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ~ Luke 24:6-7

Love is Hard

Love is easy when others agree with you and are quite amicable in general. Angry people are hard to love. People who disagree with you are hard to love. People who sin are hard to love. But what is love if it isn't hard?

Darkness Before You

Does your life ever feel like you are looking ahead through some sort of darkness and can't see clearly in front of you? But you do see that light in the distance. That light that gives you a hope and will to keep moving in life. As a Christian that's what gives you hope. A promise of something better. As you are attacked by those who hate God and the daily trials of life, we still have that hope before us. That bright light at the end of the tunnel. 

Sun

Turn From Your Own Wisdom

When we are lost in the dark what do we look for? A flashlight, a lantern, or maybe a lighter would be good options? In the same way, too many people don't use God's Word to direct them when they are lost. I can't believe how many of my own blogs aren't using Scripture to present their position. Using "experts" and other books are fine, but if your ultimate source is not God's Word you will be lost. And wander off that road. Maybe as I go forward, instead of using Scripture to prove my point, I'll use Scripture to create my points.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." ~ Psalm 119:105

Age

Age doesn't necessarily mean maturity. I may be 20, but a 15 year old may be more mature than me. I may be 40 and a 30 year old may be more mature. I sometimes think too much in terms of my "age." I need to grow up by a certain age, I need to do this by a certain age. And yes, age is a great way to tell time and to set goals for yourself. But really we should strive for maturity whether we are 10 or 50. Just because someone is younger than you doesn't mean they aren't more mature than you. If you're young, that doesn't mean you have to act young. Our culture has made it that way to some extent. They say you can't grow up till late in life. Have fun while you can. We won't let you grow up, we'll baby you. No alcohol, smoking, driving, etc until we decide you can. Also, you can't work for money. Actually, we'll make laws that make you act like a lazy bum who can't work.

But even though those pressures are on you to not grow up, that doesn't mean they're right. Don't accept the low standards. Strive for bigger and better ones.

But at the same time, don't become too big for your britches. >_<

Sunday Scriptures

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ~ Ephesians 4:2-3

Running

So, anyways...

I'm starting to wonder what I can do in terms of daily commitment to the world. I really liked the pressure of the posting every day. My blog may have suffered from it, in terms of quality of content. ;-P So, let's make it happen again.. I'm probably going to do a picture every day. Most won't be artsy, and most will be on my iPhone, but it'll keep the daily content coming.

So let's start with what I've been doing for the last 3 weeks.^_^ Editing 29 hours of audio and 13 hours of video. 0.0

Christian Fundamentalism - Fundies

Ugh, externalistic fundamentalism. That beautiful concept that has helped produce more crusty Christians than I can imagine. It makes a lot of sense. Much of child training up until 1995 when Ted Tripp's book "Shepherding a Child's Heart" came out drove the child's externals and really ignored the child's heart. They wanted their children to look good and be a pretty trophy on their shelf. 

When people care only for the letter of the law they are not setting themselves up for success. And when they add to the law, especially in application to other people's lives, they are setting themselves up for destruction. I've heard more than enough stories of unrepentant hypocrites who made a big deal about how they dressed, how they never watched movies, how they never danced or drank, etc.   Where was the faith?  The love?  The heart? 

If you're a dad and you're handing your son knowledge but it's filled with nothing but hypocrisy, your son will throw it out. You may think he doesn't perceive your hypocrisy but children aren't stupid; they will see through the lies.  The children sit and watch their dad or mom say one thing and do the exact opposite in their actions. This leads to the overwhelming rebellion we see today.

But do we replace the externalists with antinomian libertines?  These guys want to dance on the grave of fundamentalists who pretend to take the Bible seriously.  They want to dress however they want, show off as much cleavage and leg as possible, in reaction to what they perceive as narrow-minded, externalistic fundies.  "So get drunk and party down!" Is this the proper reaction?  This doesn't sound a whole lot like loving God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength either.  They disregard everything the Bible says and live like the devil, but go to church on Sunday. The one thing I appreciate about fundamentalism is at least they're trying to obey God while the opposing party could care less about what God thinks. There's a difference between trying to obey and completely ignoring every single word that God says. He gave us this wisdom in His book called "The Bible: The Word of God." Use it. 

I'm asking for you to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Quit worrying about others and forcing your little gray-area principles down other people's throats. I ask that you force the Word of God on others. You tell them the Word and then they have the responsibility to go live it and make applications themselves. They are the ones responsible to God for their decisions and actions. 


And that's the ultimate problem I see with fundamentalism, Mormonism, Islam, Catholicism, etc. They don't want the heart. They are training these people to live to the letter of the law. Not to the heart of it. And that's what makes Christianity distinct and an amazing religion. People do things because they love God. They obey the law of God because they love him.

And I pray I will love God more today then I did yesterday. And that tomorrow I will love him more. I've struggled with many sins over my short life. And I struggled with assurance for some time. But at the end of the day, I look at my sin and hate it because I love the God who was willing to send down his Son to die on the cross for my sins and rise again three days later and now sits at the right hand of the Father. And he died to cover our sins and be the ultimate sacrifice. But do you love him and keep his commandments?

Be wise, search God's Word and strive to obey him to the best of your ability.

Let me end this with Proverbs 1:20-33:

Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place ofconcourse , in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will makeknown my words unto you. Because I have called , and ye refused ; I have stretched out myhand, and no man regarded ; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh ; When yourfear cometh as desolation , and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress andanguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose thefear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Take Care

I've found that there are certain pathways that lead me to certain sins. If I start to wander down that road in my mind, I typically end up going elsewhere. 

I think the Proverbs 7 warning holds true, especially in the lust sin. " Passing along the street near her(seductress) corner; And he took the path to her house" ~ Proverbs 7:8 

If we allow ourselves to wander down a road in our mind, it can lead us to bad places. Walking down the road may not be bad, but where it leads can be a problem. So if you struggle with a sin, it can be anything, anger, lust, complaining, bitterness, etc, look for those warning signs. Look where you're walking. Be careful. It can oftentimes be easier to avoid temptation in the first place by avoiding those areas that hurt you in your fight to grow to be more like Christ.

Look in the Mirror

Do you ever stare at yourself in the mirror and ask who you are? Who are you becoming? Why do you do what you do? Being honest with yourself about who you are and the direction that you are headed can be difficult. Oftentimes we're blinded to our own faults and easily see others very clearly. The Christian life is about walking down a path. You're either walking away, or you're walking towards Christ. Where are you walking?

Sunday Scriptures

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:10-11

What Will You Give Up?

If you were asked the five things you wouldn't give up no matter what torture or means were used upon you, what would you say? Are you passionate about anything to an extent that you would not let anything or anyone trample on or destroy it?

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." ~ Matthew 21:12-13

Sometimes I wonder when we are around those who hate God and express it loudly, if we back down are we as passionate about what we believe in as they do?

Romance is About Planning

That's probably one of the most unromantic things one could say. The whole chic-flick genre is all about spontaneity, new, and exciting. But is this really how romance works? It's about the spontaneous trips to Italy? It's about finding love in the most spontaneous and fun dude? I don't know. The thing is, what takes priority in your life is that which you schedule in your life. Sure, I guess if you don't have any kids, you don't have a really stressful job but a very high paying one, and you are a creative genius one could come up with a way to keep romance alive in many different ways spontaneously. But how many people are like this?

Chic-flicks or any movie for that matter is about a problem. It's about finding flawed people and putting them in really horrible, stressful, or weird situations and making them react badly to most of the situations they are in. Otherwise, we wouldn't watch it. But is that how our normal lives are? Filled with drama all the time? No. And we need to stop trying to make our lives like the movies, or emulate the movies because it's unrealistic. They pack a lifetime of excitement into an hour and a half. 

The most successful men I know financially are good at planning and scheduling. They run tight schedules that help them to get the most done and find the quickest way to do it. The men I know who make family devotions a priority in their lives schedule it. If in all these other areas people schedule to be successful why not romance as well?

And I get that romance is all the time. It's doing the dishes, it's cleaning up the house, it's putting the little people to bed, etc. It's about serving. And I think scheduling romance is a great way to serve as well. Scheduling the dinners out. The nights away, etc. It means you actually care. I appreciate the fact that my parents go out quite often. They go off for a couple nights here and there. They run out to dinner a few times per month.

Here's why I think marriages will lose their spark over time. Guys are selfish. Girls are selfish. That pretty much sums up my thoughts on it.

What are your thoughts? I'm unmarried and single, therefore my opinion doesn't hold much weight anyways. I'll get back to you in 10 years and let you know, Lord willing. ;-)

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done one of these in awhile. I think I'm becoming less thankful. :-/

Today I'm thankful for work. Because otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Work does stuff. And I like doing stuff, or at least the idea of it. Therefore I must work. Cool. ^_^

That's it... Zzzzzz.

What Are You Going to Do With Your Life?

Ask any guy or girl that and you'll often hear "I don't know" or something ambiguous. How about yourself? Do you know what you want to do with your life? Perhaps you don't know the specific thing that you want to do. But writing out a vision and creating one will help make that happen.

So where do you start? Look at your gifts and talents that God gave you and use those. Go do something. Your heart follows actions. Don't follow your heart. Your heart will lead you to destruction.
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ~ Matthew 6:21" Put your money, time, and energy into where you want to go and generally your heart will follow. ^_^

Church Explosions

I've heard of quite a few, I've seen one. These churches will literally be torn in half.

One thing that I think is important is don't make hasty decisions. Stick around for awhile. Let the bombs stop exploding and let the dust settle. Rashness is where I see most people make a big mistake. That's one way my dad has impressed me. He's willing to stick out uncomfortable or antagonistic situations. Of course, there is a point where things just have to end. But I can't tell you how many situations I personally would've thrown up my hands and got out of there where he keeps going. (I don't envy the job of the pastor.) And that's one thing we need. Be patient. Be humble.

Too many people treat the church as some sort of entertainment choice. They come because the preacher is dynamic, or the fellowship is good, or the fellowship meal food is tasty. Easy come, easy go. My dad always says, choose your bunch of sinners and stick with them. I think we need to have this philosophy more. It'll make us more stable long term. Maybe one group really turns you off, well then go somewhere else. No big deal. But do find someplace and create roots. I realize that stability is mocked. Marriage is mocked for instance. But don't let that be your driving force. Try to be stable. Christ is incredibly stable. He's the rock. Shouldn't we attempt to be this way, instead of being blown around by every wind of doctrine or little fight?

Please don't be the angry men and women who are unstable and want to hurt others. Love others. Even the ones you disagree with you should love. If there was only more love I think we would see less big explosions.

Sunday Scriptures

Every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. ~ Hebrews 3:4

Last Words

The last words Paul wrote to the Corinthians were "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss." ~ 2 Corinthians 13:11-12

Too many people either just want to be right or more mature and throw their friends under the bus. Or they talk about being in unity and making up the truth to be whatever they want. This verse brings it into perspective.

Also, greet each other with a holy kiss. :-)

;-) Or at least try to be more relational - hugs are cool. But don't get creepy. ;-P

Little People

Why call them children or kids when they can be called little people. Way better. ;-)

That's all. Sleep tight everyone. ^_^

Through the Tears of Blood

How will you know a true friend? How will you know who is going to ride through those waves of blood with you? How will you know who really loves you and will lay their life down for you? You're going to have to get in the ship and ride those waves with him. I've known a good number of people during my short lifetime, and over the years you see this exact scenario. You reach some sort of horrid impasse and either they stick through it, or they leave and possibly even throw a few stones on the way out. I'm kind of sad to put it this way. I honestly wish we could just all take a test or ask a few questions and suddenly low and behold we know who will be a true friend.

My best friends are those who I've fought with. The ones who have borne the brunt of my sin. This is how it's always going to be. To reach a certain level in your friendship you have to accept the challenge of that level of friendship.

If your friendships are about hilarious/well-thought out responses on Facebook and an occasional pithy comment about the sermon on Sundays, your friendship will never go beyond that level. And those friendships will break down as I've seen time and time again. They're not based on anything of value. No substance. Substance isn't something that's built through fun and games, although they certainly have their place, substance comes from hard work and long hours.

Your family is going to generally be some of your best friends because you're stuck together. You grow up with your family. But in the modern day society of baby care, preschool, K-12, college, and eventually a job in who knows where as long as it pays you enough, your own family won't be your best friends.

People say that friendships will last forever if you're always there for each other and care for each other. Yes, true. But why do half of marriages end in divorce? Why do the majority of young people shack up? (In answer to that, the previous generation was the divorcing generation and now naturally the children don't want to have to go through the pain and suffering their parents went through, so they naturally avoid marriage but want some sort of emotional/physical relationship to satisfy them. I read an article on that recently, anyways...)

See? People aren't willing to go through the hard times. This is a new phenomena to some extent. People didn't break off marriage relationships or avoid them altogether just a hundred years ago. We're living in a society that can't have strong relationships. They don't have the ability. They don't have to stick around through a fight, because they could go to school, go to work, take an airplane 2,000 miles away, or can just escape into a movie/computer.

Please guys, live in a way that you can take the seas of blood and hardship. Don't be the one who is ending their marriage or not getting married because you are so selfish that you will break off a covenant or avoid it for that reason.

Friends are amazing. Friends are those who love you. They care about you. They are standing next to you in the ship and when the waves get big and everyone else runs or goes crazy they will still be standing at the helm next to you. Maybe you're missing an arm or your face is destroyed beyond all recognition, but they still stand with you.

Christ is going to always be our ultimate friend. He died for us. Can we all try to emulate him and lay down our lives?

Driven By Emotion

Most people are driven by emotion and personal experience. You can throw facts and statistics at people, but unless you're able to appeal to their emotions they will ignore all of it. We are emotional. One experience we have may shape our view of life in a wrong impression. Much of today's political atmosphere is based on the rhetorician rather than someone who stands for what's right. Whoever can put on the better show tends to win.

Now, facts and statistics can appeal to peoples emotions. But much of the time the deciding factor is driven by the emotions. That's why we know a good speaker or blogger because they appeal to our emotions. A truly good speaker/blogger backs up his/her arguments with actual facts, as well.

Basically I'm saying instead of just absorbing whatever people tell you, try to look at it with an eye of critical thinking. But at the same time don't be the eternal skeptic, like I tend to be.. <_<

Sunday Scriptures

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; ~ Colossians 3:12

Sorrrrrryyyyyy

Friends,sorry for the lack of posts. We were doing our conference this last week and the late nights/talking all day aren't really conducive to getting posts written. I'll be a good blogger next week though. ;-P

Part of the Problem

It's easy to forget that you are part of a problem. It's easy to look at others and see problems. But when you look at you, "Mr. Perfect" there's nothing wrong. Sometimes you have to take a good long look at yourself and see if you're the one or at least one of the ones contributing to the problem. Whatsoever that problem is.

People Remember

People remember for a long time. This is one thing I've learned about people. If you offend them, they remember. They may remember in a way that will not hurt your friendship. But it's like a marker through a sentence in a book. You may forget it's there. But the instant you open up the book, ta-da there it is.

But how do we get rid of that marker blotch?

Well, how many pages have you marked up? How many times have you asked forgiveness? How big a blotch did you make on the book?

Here's the deal. You have to ask forgiveness. When you ask forgiveness, (and mean it) it's like writing next to that big blotch, the words you markered on with a little love you heart scribbled next to it. So, they'll still see the blotch. (and it will fade with time) But instead of cold and angry memories of you making marks all over their book, they will see the love and repentance you had. It'll become a warm and happy memory, hopefully.

Here's the thing, fights aren't bad. Fights happen. People are sinners. People have to stick their foot in their mouth sometimes. But what happens after them? Do you both go away bitter? Do you make big blotches on books constantly? Or do you make those blotches and follow up with some tears, some writing, and just plain old love?

Now if you tore up the book and put it through a shredder, that will be a lot harder to fix.. :-)

Pretty Simple

Life is pretty simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. (Acts 16:31) And yet, this pesky problem called "original sin" keeps making everything complicated. This pesky problem of twisting Scripture to say whatever you want it to say and in the end ignoring the basic principle of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Why, oh why do we do this? Probably because we don't believe in him.

Oftentimes, the person who protests the most or the loudest is oftentimes in the wrong. I've watched shows like CSI where the man who immediately asks for his lawyer is the guilty one. That's how it can tend to be in real life. If one's conscience is hurting them, i.e. when I disobey my parents, I'll oftentimes become cranky and irritable. I want to figure out how they are in the wrong. It's my natural fight response. The other response is flight. Run away and don't deal with things. But in the same situation, my conscience irks me. You see? Now life is getting complicated.

I complicate my life all the time. <_< ....

Sunday Scriptures

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. ~ Colossians 3:1-4

Schedule

Schedule. Schedule. Schedule. The more you do, the more you have to schedule. Otherwise you won't do everything. Shocking. o.0 I skipped too many workouts this week because I had to finish projects. If I had only scheduled. <_<

Eyes

My eyes are tired. I am tired. Good night my friends. :-)

Always Striving? - A Short Story

The thought "I'm so tired" flashed through his mind. His eyes stared at the road with an occasional languid blink. As the minutes sped by those blinks came more often. His lids opened and shut more slowly.

He pinched himself and felt the blood move a little faster.

He glanced over at the sign on his right. Only a hundred more miles to Greenstone. They had booked a hotel there, and he only had to make it another hundred miles. He slowly eased his chair back. He was cramping in his right leg.

"They'd been driving all day." "He'd done most of the driving, and had only slept a few hours last night." As these thoughts passed slowly through his mind, his eyes shut. Only a few seconds.

His eyes jerked open as he hit the bumps on the side of the road. He woke up, but slowly began to feel tired again. He looked at his children in the back seat, quietly sleeping. His wife sat next to him with a few wisps of her hair moving as she breathed. He must stay awake he told himself. Their lives depended on him.

He glanced up and saw another sign. "Only another fifty miles."

Ever so slowly his resolve began to fail him. His eyes again fluttered shut more often. He closed his eyes.

He awoke with a pain in his head. He touched his head and felt liquid. He opened his eyes and saw the red glare on his hand. He felt warm. As cognizance slowly came back to him, he turned his head and saw his wife. Sitting there, just as before. But now, his wife's body no longer breathed. He looked at the dangling rear view mirror and saw what was a peaceful scene before, now turned into a living nightmare.

He sat up in bed. He looked over to see his wife laying next to him sleeping peacefully in their bed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

---------

Our lives are made up of moments. One moment could totally destroy our lives. If we were to drop a hot coal in our laps, we would be left with a scar forever. In the same way, the choices we make can leave scars that will last the rest of our lives.

Many lives have been ruined by men or women doing foolish things. Families, churches, and entire governments have felt the power of the hand of foolishness and lethargy(sin). It ruins lives, it destroys churches, and is incredibly sad.

We must not let our guard down. It only takes one sword thrust to end our lives. We may fight well for an hour, and then let our guard down for five seconds, but it's that five seconds that mattered. Every second matters, don't let yourself be caught off guard.

Does Anyone Really Know You?

In today's culture we hardly know people like we once did. At one time people lived in small little villages. They didn't have their personal iPods, their personal computers, their cars, etc. They were all stuck together. They would live for generations in an area. They'd work with each other, celebrate with each other, etc.

Am I saying this is necessarily better? Well I can see good aspects to it. But it's not as if it's a very viable model in the modern society of today. But moving on.

In the times that we live in today we don't necessarily even know the people who live in our own house. Do we really know what our friends listen to? What web pages do they browse? Who do they chat with? Where do they drive?

Here's my point. If you want to be close to people and let people know who you are, and to find out who they are, you have to be honest. You'll have to confess your sins "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." ~ James 5:16 


If you want to hide behind a mask, you can. You can go to church on Sunday. Go put on your best clothing. Put on your best attitude. Then you can come home and live like the devil. But ultimately, living like this will send you to hell. 


Be open about who you are. It's hard because we sin. We don't want to be open because we don't want to change. But what happens if we don't change? We will end up with the consequences, and they are much worse than repenting and turning away from that which is seen as evil in the sight of God. 


In order to grow to a point where people know who you are, you're going to have to spend time with them. Spend time with people in different contexts. Don't just hang out in fun places and enjoyable settings. Go spend some time ministering to people with others, serve the widow and the orphan, help fix your neighbors house, etc. And confess your sins. Be humble. Don't let your friends perceive you to be more than you really are.


I pray the Lord will make me less of an unrepentant hypocrite. And I hope he will work in you as well.

Sunday Scriptures

Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: ~ Daniel 2:27-28

Sleep

Sleep is great. Going to events doesn't help with getting any..

Trustworthy Friends

There are people who are “always” right. And, sure we all think we’re right, otherwise we wouldn’t say anything. But some people need to let the whole world know that they are right, through gossip, destroying relationships, and hurting people. It’s upsetting to me, mostly because much of the book of 1 Corinthians is berating the Corinthians for the dissonance that is going on in their body and encouraging them to be unified. Unified in Christ.

So that is one type of person, but there is also another type of person. They make promises and keep them. They talk one way and do the same. They are trustworthy.

But how do we determine which someone is going to be. Are they going to be trustworthy or untrustworthy, faithful or unfaithful? Or how about yourself? Are you trustworthy? I personally struggle with being trustworthy, so it’s not as if I have this down.

Number one, just be trustworthy. It’s a personal branding. People will remember times that you weren’t trustworthy. They’ll remember when you failed them. And it takes a long time to forget. 

But how do we get to a point where we're trustworthy? Trustworthiness in general comes from having good character. It will give you the consistency that’s needed to be known as a trustworthy person.

Secondly, find people who are very loving. And I don’t mean some sort of gooshy love that does nothing. I mean people who are willing to give you tough love. They'll generally be the ones who call you to a higher standard. True friends will always try to move you forward and towards Christ.

Finally, you will just have to go through hell with people to truly know them. There are a few people I’ve read of, who met with a little dissonance around them and then either ran away or betrayed their friends, and maybe they were tortured or hurt, but it was a good lesson to me. There are great people out there during the good times, but when the going gets rough, they run away or betray their friends. And a lot of times, sadly you won’t know who your friend is until you go through a time like this with them.

That’s why most of the time your best friends will be your family. You’re forced to go through trials with your family and can’t just leave. You eventually learn to work things out. I hope someday we will have friendships that are similar to a strong family relationship. 

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." ~ John 15:12-13

Directing or Following?

You must create direction for yourself. Are you running through life learning what others teach you? Part of this life will be generally directed by others. Our parents direct us. Our elders and pastors direct our lives. The Christian authors we read direct our lives. But ultimately, does most of the direction of your life come from the theologians of the film world/sports/advertisements/clothing designers/secular artists/authors/etc. 

Take for instance the Super Bowl half-time show. This was a worship service (in the words of Madonna) that saw Madonna as preaching a sermon to the largest audience in America. And yet most Christians will think of this as a well put together or show with no impact on their lives. 

Look at the feminist movement or the attack on patriarchy. These beliefs have been pushed incredibly hard by the Marxists raised up in the Frankfurt schools of thought. The school that pumped out some of the biggest destroyers of culture today. We can see that their beloved ideology is being worked out into a reality in the destroyed families of today. 

I think many people try to say there is some sort of neutrality in life. But in reality, you're going to either take dominion or be taken over by others. Attacking life with vigor is something we have to do. We have to summon the moral courage to conquer the lies of neutrality, Marxism, socialism, and the man other outworks of these ideologies. It's not as if it's easy, to any extent.

What can you look back on that you have done in your life? Or are you being led around by the media from one Marxist ideology to another?