This is an article written by a Chinese woman who was forced to have an abortion because of the One Child Policy in China. This totally surprised me and opened my eyes to the horrors of abortion and forced abortion. Please read..
http://womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/Wujian.html
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
..Cheese
Beautiful insight from G.K. Chesterton on.. that's right, cheese!
Enjoy..
My forthcoming work in five volumes, "The Neglect of Cheese in European Literature" is a work of such unprecedented and laborious detail that it is doubtful if I shall live to finish it. Some overflowings from such a fountain of information may therefore be permitted to springle these pages. I cannot yet wholly explain the neglect to which I refer. Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. Virgil, if I remember right, refers to it several times, but with too much Roman restraint. He does not let himself go on cheese. The only other poet I can think of just now who seems to have had some sensibility on the point was the nameless author of the nursery rhyme which says: "If all the trees were bread and cheese"--which is, indeed a rich and gigantic vision of the higher gluttony. If all the trees were bread and cheese there would be considerable deforestation in any part of England where I was living. Wild and wide woodlands would reel and fade before me as rapidly as they ran after Orpheus. Except Virgil and this anonymous rhymer, I can recall no verse about cheese. Yet it has every quality which we require in exalted poetry. It is a short, strong word; it rhymes to "breeze" and "seas" (an essential point); that it is emphatic in sound is admitted even by the civilization of the modern cities. For their citizens, with no apparent intention except emphasis, will often say, "Cheese it!" or even "Quite the cheese." The substance itself is imaginative. It is ancient--sometimes in the individual case, always in the type and custom. It is simple, being directly derived from milk, which is one of the ancestral drinks, not lightly to be corrupted with soda-water. You know, I hope (though I myself have only just thought of it), that the four rivers of Eden were milk, water, wine, and ale. Aerated waters only appeared after the Fall.
But cheese has another quality, which is also the very soul of song. Once in endeavouring to lecture in several places at once, I made an eccentric journey across England, a journey of so irregular and even illogical shape that it necessitated my having lunch on four successive days in four roadside inns in four different counties. In each inn they had nothing but bread and cheese; nor can I imagine why a man should want more than bread and cheese, if he can get enough of it. In each inn the cheese was good; and in each inn it was different. There was a noble Wensleydale cheese in Yorkshire, a Cheshire cheese in Cheshire, and so on. Now, it is just here that true poetic civilization differs from that paltry and mechanical civilization which holds us all in bondage. Bad customs are universal and rigid, like modern militarism. Good customs are universal and varied, like native chivalry and self-defence. Both the good and bad civilization cover us as with a canopy, and protect us from all that is outside. But a good civilization spreads over us freely like a tree, varying and yielding because it is alive. A bad civilization stands up and sticks out above us like an umbrella--artificial, mathematical in shape; not merely universal, but uniform. So it is with the contrast between the substances that vary and the substances that are the same wherever they penetrate. By a wise doom of heaven men were commanded to eat cheese, but not the same cheese. Being really universal it varies from valley to valley. But if, let us say, we compare cheese with soap (that vastly inferior substance), we shall see that soap tends more and more to be merely Smith's Soap or Brown's Soap, sent automatically all over the world. If the Red Indians have soap it is Smith's Soap. If the Grand Lama has soap it is Brown's soap. There is nothing subtly and strangely Buddhist, nothing tenderly Tibetan, about his soap. I fancy the Grand Lama does not eat cheese (he is not worthy), but if he does it is probably a local cheese, having some real relation to his life and outlook. Safety matches, tinned foods, patent medicines are sent all over the world; but they are not produced all over the world. Therefore there is in them a mere dead identity, never that soft play of slight variation which exists in things produced everywhere out of the soil, in the milk of the kine, or the fruits of the orchard. You can get a whisky and soda at every outpost of the Empire: that is why so many Empire-builders go mad. But you are not tasting or touching any environment, as in the cider of Devonshire or the grapes of the Rhine. You are not approaching Nature in one of her myriad tints of mood, as in the holy act of eating cheese.
When I had done my pilgrimage in the four wayside public-houses I reached one of the great northern cities, and there I proceeded, with great rapidity and complete inconsistency, to a large and elaborate restaurant, where I knew I could get many other things besides bread and cheese. I could get that also, however; or at least I expected to get it; but I was sharply reminded that I had entered Babylon, and left England behind. The waiter brought me cheese, indeed, but cheese cut up into contemptibly small pieces; and it is the awful fact that, instead of Christian bread, he brought me biscuits. Biscuits--to one who had eaten the cheese of four great countrysides! Biscuits--to one who had proved anew for himself the sanctity of the ancient wedding between cheese and bread! I addressed the waiter in warm and moving terms. I asked him who he was that he should put asunder those whom Humanity had joined. I asked him if he did not feel, as an artist, that a solid but yielding substance like cheese went naturally with a solid, yielding substance like bread; to eat it off biscuits is like eating it off slates. I asked him if, when he said his prayers, he was so supercilious as to pray for his daily biscuits. He gave me generally to understand that he was only obeying a custom of Modern Society. I have therefore resolved to raise my voice, not against the waiter, but against Modern Society, for this huge and unparalleled modern wrong.
..Cheers!
Enjoy..
My forthcoming work in five volumes, "The Neglect of Cheese in European Literature" is a work of such unprecedented and laborious detail that it is doubtful if I shall live to finish it. Some overflowings from such a fountain of information may therefore be permitted to springle these pages. I cannot yet wholly explain the neglect to which I refer. Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. Virgil, if I remember right, refers to it several times, but with too much Roman restraint. He does not let himself go on cheese. The only other poet I can think of just now who seems to have had some sensibility on the point was the nameless author of the nursery rhyme which says: "If all the trees were bread and cheese"--which is, indeed a rich and gigantic vision of the higher gluttony. If all the trees were bread and cheese there would be considerable deforestation in any part of England where I was living. Wild and wide woodlands would reel and fade before me as rapidly as they ran after Orpheus. Except Virgil and this anonymous rhymer, I can recall no verse about cheese. Yet it has every quality which we require in exalted poetry. It is a short, strong word; it rhymes to "breeze" and "seas" (an essential point); that it is emphatic in sound is admitted even by the civilization of the modern cities. For their citizens, with no apparent intention except emphasis, will often say, "Cheese it!" or even "Quite the cheese." The substance itself is imaginative. It is ancient--sometimes in the individual case, always in the type and custom. It is simple, being directly derived from milk, which is one of the ancestral drinks, not lightly to be corrupted with soda-water. You know, I hope (though I myself have only just thought of it), that the four rivers of Eden were milk, water, wine, and ale. Aerated waters only appeared after the Fall.
But cheese has another quality, which is also the very soul of song. Once in endeavouring to lecture in several places at once, I made an eccentric journey across England, a journey of so irregular and even illogical shape that it necessitated my having lunch on four successive days in four roadside inns in four different counties. In each inn they had nothing but bread and cheese; nor can I imagine why a man should want more than bread and cheese, if he can get enough of it. In each inn the cheese was good; and in each inn it was different. There was a noble Wensleydale cheese in Yorkshire, a Cheshire cheese in Cheshire, and so on. Now, it is just here that true poetic civilization differs from that paltry and mechanical civilization which holds us all in bondage. Bad customs are universal and rigid, like modern militarism. Good customs are universal and varied, like native chivalry and self-defence. Both the good and bad civilization cover us as with a canopy, and protect us from all that is outside. But a good civilization spreads over us freely like a tree, varying and yielding because it is alive. A bad civilization stands up and sticks out above us like an umbrella--artificial, mathematical in shape; not merely universal, but uniform. So it is with the contrast between the substances that vary and the substances that are the same wherever they penetrate. By a wise doom of heaven men were commanded to eat cheese, but not the same cheese. Being really universal it varies from valley to valley. But if, let us say, we compare cheese with soap (that vastly inferior substance), we shall see that soap tends more and more to be merely Smith's Soap or Brown's Soap, sent automatically all over the world. If the Red Indians have soap it is Smith's Soap. If the Grand Lama has soap it is Brown's soap. There is nothing subtly and strangely Buddhist, nothing tenderly Tibetan, about his soap. I fancy the Grand Lama does not eat cheese (he is not worthy), but if he does it is probably a local cheese, having some real relation to his life and outlook. Safety matches, tinned foods, patent medicines are sent all over the world; but they are not produced all over the world. Therefore there is in them a mere dead identity, never that soft play of slight variation which exists in things produced everywhere out of the soil, in the milk of the kine, or the fruits of the orchard. You can get a whisky and soda at every outpost of the Empire: that is why so many Empire-builders go mad. But you are not tasting or touching any environment, as in the cider of Devonshire or the grapes of the Rhine. You are not approaching Nature in one of her myriad tints of mood, as in the holy act of eating cheese.
When I had done my pilgrimage in the four wayside public-houses I reached one of the great northern cities, and there I proceeded, with great rapidity and complete inconsistency, to a large and elaborate restaurant, where I knew I could get many other things besides bread and cheese. I could get that also, however; or at least I expected to get it; but I was sharply reminded that I had entered Babylon, and left England behind. The waiter brought me cheese, indeed, but cheese cut up into contemptibly small pieces; and it is the awful fact that, instead of Christian bread, he brought me biscuits. Biscuits--to one who had eaten the cheese of four great countrysides! Biscuits--to one who had proved anew for himself the sanctity of the ancient wedding between cheese and bread! I addressed the waiter in warm and moving terms. I asked him who he was that he should put asunder those whom Humanity had joined. I asked him if he did not feel, as an artist, that a solid but yielding substance like cheese went naturally with a solid, yielding substance like bread; to eat it off biscuits is like eating it off slates. I asked him if, when he said his prayers, he was so supercilious as to pray for his daily biscuits. He gave me generally to understand that he was only obeying a custom of Modern Society. I have therefore resolved to raise my voice, not against the waiter, but against Modern Society, for this huge and unparalleled modern wrong.
..Cheers!
Monday, July 6, 2009
..A little reflection
The Fourth of July has come and gone yet another time during my lifetime. This past Saturday, as I watched the firework show with my family in Gilbert, I remembered the Fourth of July of 2008. Only a year before, I had been with my sister and three of our good friends, in Cali, on the beach, watching fireworks (yes, I haven't had an English class for a few semesters). As I remembered that trip last summer, it was hard to believe that it had only been one year since that trip (although, in one sense, it seemed like yesterday)!
So much has happened in this past year. A lot of things have happened that I didn't think would happen. Some things good, but most not so good (Or, at least not what I had thought was good at the time). I see God's hand through it all (Now, anyways). I feel like God has been shaking me, too see if my foundation was strong. Or, rather, to show me if it was strong, because, of course, He already knew it wasn't.
Last summer, I had just been accepted into the architecture program at ASU. I had a 4.16 GPA and was feeling pretty good about myself. I had been working at Jamba Juice for a little over 2 years and was pretty much the man there. I felt I could get along with almost anyone and that I was a pretty cool dude. I also felt like I could win pretty much any theological discussion with anyone. I felt like I had my priorities straight. I felt like I had everything in order. I was mistaken.
This past year, all of the things that I found my confidence in, have been shaken. I realize now that I did not have my foundation 100% grounded in Christ. It may have been 80% Christ, but it wasn't a firm foundation. I see that now. God has taken me into a new understanding of who I was, who I am, and who I am called to be. He knew it all along, but He had to show me. I needed to change.
The thing I struggle with most is pride. With my GPA, my rank at work, my ability to get along with people, and my ability to win arguments (or so I thought), I felt above other people. I didn't think that I felt that way, but looking back on my life, I realize that I did. I was very arrogant (and am struggling with it).
This past year, God has..
.. taken my 4.0 GPA. Sure, I still have a really good GPA, but I was pretty pround of that 4.0. In the fall I was in the top 15 architecture students in my year out of 80. In the spring, I did not make the same accomplishment. I realize that there are a lot of gifted students in my program that are more gifted than me. I have to work extremely hard to be in the top.
.. given me a job at the one place I told myself (and everyone around me) that I would never get - at In-n-Out Burger. I went from being a manager at Jamba Juice, to being a noob at INO. Not only that, but I had to shave my facial hair (yeah, I miss it). Everyone now thinks that I am 16/17. I went from knowing everything about my job, to knowing nothing about it. I thought that it would be easy for me to get promoted - it hasn't been.
.. shown me that I don't have complete power over my relationships. He has given me many new relationships, and has pulled some away from me. I have been confused by some people in my life, and yet, I realize that I have probably confused some people in my life. I cannot always be there for someone, and they cannot always be there for me. God has shown to me who my really good friends are, and the ones that are not as beneficial to me.
.. taken me through His Word, and shown me that I don't know as much as I think I do. He has given me new friends that can challenge my views on things. I may have the right view on many things, but sometimes I do not know why. I love these talks with friends. I love God working on my heart. I am grateful to Him that He has given me people in my life to challenge me.
Through it all, God has shown me that I really am not all that and a bag of chips. I need Him. I have been through some hard stuff this year (some of which, I will not tell you about). I have been broken. I realize that sometimes He has to break us down, so that He can build us back up how He wants us. He certainly has been doing that with me lately. I needed to get my life back together. To have new purpose and new passion for Him and His Kingdom. To have less of me, and more of Him. I don't want people to see me when they look at me (bleh, not a pretty sight) but to see Jesus in me!
I thank God for teaching me so much this past year! He has shown me that I need to live sold out for Him. To change my priorities. To love on Him with all that I have, and to experience the most beautiful relationship ever. To realize that He is an awesome God all the time! To love others, as much as I love myself. To live up to the calling He has on my life, and to not settle for second best. To swim against the current. To set myself apart from the world. To be humble and not proud.
I have had a great adventure thus far, and am looking forward to what He has in store for me this next stage of my life. I wonder where He will take me this next year, and how much I will grow by the Fourth of July of 2010!
Cheers.
So much has happened in this past year. A lot of things have happened that I didn't think would happen. Some things good, but most not so good (Or, at least not what I had thought was good at the time). I see God's hand through it all (Now, anyways). I feel like God has been shaking me, too see if my foundation was strong. Or, rather, to show me if it was strong, because, of course, He already knew it wasn't.
Last summer, I had just been accepted into the architecture program at ASU. I had a 4.16 GPA and was feeling pretty good about myself. I had been working at Jamba Juice for a little over 2 years and was pretty much the man there. I felt I could get along with almost anyone and that I was a pretty cool dude. I also felt like I could win pretty much any theological discussion with anyone. I felt like I had my priorities straight. I felt like I had everything in order. I was mistaken.
This past year, all of the things that I found my confidence in, have been shaken. I realize now that I did not have my foundation 100% grounded in Christ. It may have been 80% Christ, but it wasn't a firm foundation. I see that now. God has taken me into a new understanding of who I was, who I am, and who I am called to be. He knew it all along, but He had to show me. I needed to change.
The thing I struggle with most is pride. With my GPA, my rank at work, my ability to get along with people, and my ability to win arguments (or so I thought), I felt above other people. I didn't think that I felt that way, but looking back on my life, I realize that I did. I was very arrogant (and am struggling with it).
This past year, God has..
.. taken my 4.0 GPA. Sure, I still have a really good GPA, but I was pretty pround of that 4.0. In the fall I was in the top 15 architecture students in my year out of 80. In the spring, I did not make the same accomplishment. I realize that there are a lot of gifted students in my program that are more gifted than me. I have to work extremely hard to be in the top.
.. given me a job at the one place I told myself (and everyone around me) that I would never get - at In-n-Out Burger. I went from being a manager at Jamba Juice, to being a noob at INO. Not only that, but I had to shave my facial hair (yeah, I miss it). Everyone now thinks that I am 16/17. I went from knowing everything about my job, to knowing nothing about it. I thought that it would be easy for me to get promoted - it hasn't been.
.. shown me that I don't have complete power over my relationships. He has given me many new relationships, and has pulled some away from me. I have been confused by some people in my life, and yet, I realize that I have probably confused some people in my life. I cannot always be there for someone, and they cannot always be there for me. God has shown to me who my really good friends are, and the ones that are not as beneficial to me.
.. taken me through His Word, and shown me that I don't know as much as I think I do. He has given me new friends that can challenge my views on things. I may have the right view on many things, but sometimes I do not know why. I love these talks with friends. I love God working on my heart. I am grateful to Him that He has given me people in my life to challenge me.
Through it all, God has shown me that I really am not all that and a bag of chips. I need Him. I have been through some hard stuff this year (some of which, I will not tell you about). I have been broken. I realize that sometimes He has to break us down, so that He can build us back up how He wants us. He certainly has been doing that with me lately. I needed to get my life back together. To have new purpose and new passion for Him and His Kingdom. To have less of me, and more of Him. I don't want people to see me when they look at me (bleh, not a pretty sight) but to see Jesus in me!
I thank God for teaching me so much this past year! He has shown me that I need to live sold out for Him. To change my priorities. To love on Him with all that I have, and to experience the most beautiful relationship ever. To realize that He is an awesome God all the time! To love others, as much as I love myself. To live up to the calling He has on my life, and to not settle for second best. To swim against the current. To set myself apart from the world. To be humble and not proud.
I have had a great adventure thus far, and am looking forward to what He has in store for me this next stage of my life. I wonder where He will take me this next year, and how much I will grow by the Fourth of July of 2010!
Cheers.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
..Thoughts
Man, it has been a long time since I sat down and blogged. It is not because I have nothing on my mind that I want to talk about. Rather, I have too many things on my mind. I do not know which one to blog about. I figured that today I would summarize most of what I have been thinking about lately:
God is a jealous God. He wants to spend time with us. He is jealous of all the other things we pursue. He wants us to pursue Him whole-heartedly! He desires us to be with Him. He delights in us. He pursues us with everything. He is relentless, and He won't give up.
Being in the presence of God is my favorite thing in the world. I love to worship my God, my Savior, my King. Why is it so easy for me to forget this? I spend my time on other things that have no value - the Bible says that everything here is rubble, it will all pass away. I have access to the Creator of the Universe! How can I not spend time with Him? Not only does He allow me to, but He has a burning desire to spend time with me!
Priorities: The things we spend our time/money/effort on reflect what we deem to be important. What is important to us? God should be our number one. How can we claim to be Christians, yet have no passion/desire to spend time with Him? Why is it that when we get really busy, our time with God is the first thing to go? It should be opposite! Entertainment has no real value to me. Why do we desire it so much?
I recently heard a short message on how God relates to His people: It is like God is on one end of a rope, and we are on the other end. God tells us to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. It is not like we have to pull the rope all the way to God, he meets us in the middle. Once we start to pull on the rope, God pulls on the rope with all of His might. He comes running towards us. It is like in the parable of the prodigal son. As soon as the father saw his son coming from far down the road, he ran out to meet him. He not only accepted him back into his house, but he threw a party for him. God is waiting for the prodigals to come home. He doesn't expect more than you can give, He just wants you to take the first step. He will welcome you with open arms and with a love that I cannot comprehend. No matter what you do, God's grace is sufficient.
Passion. Where is the passion in the children of God today? God has a brilliant plan for our lives. He wants to use us mightily. He loves us so much that He will not force us into it. He allows us to choose. Are we like Salmon who swim with the current, enjoying the easy life and good water? Or, are we like the Salmon who swim against the current, striving for the best water up stream? God wants us to be set apart - to come after Him with everything. Why are we waiting?
God never promised that living sold out for Him was going to be easy. As soon as we say, 'God, I am yours. Use me.' He will. This doesn't mean that life is going to go perfectly and all of our problems will be gone. But, we will live life abundantly in Him. Nothing else matters.
Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Jesus doesn't just say to love the Lord your God, and end it there. He says that with all your heart, soul and mind you are to love God - with everything! What does it mean to love God with your mind? Does what you think about bring glory to God? Do the things you use your mind for (work, etc) bring glory to God?
Also, I recently realized (or, at least, I have been thinking about it more) that in the second greatest commandment, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means that we need to love ourselves. If we don't love ourselves, how can we love others as ourselves?
I was also talking to my friend recently about how the heavens declare the wonders of God. Creation points to a Creator. This world is so beautifully designed, and with an intricate attention to detail. And, space! It is huge! We cannot even know how big the universe is, yet we don't believe in an intelligent Creator?
God is an amazing designer and he has designed an ultimate plan for our lives. If we only let Him, He will turn our ugly lives into a beautiful masterpiece.
God, I am Yours. Use me.
Cheers.
God is a jealous God. He wants to spend time with us. He is jealous of all the other things we pursue. He wants us to pursue Him whole-heartedly! He desires us to be with Him. He delights in us. He pursues us with everything. He is relentless, and He won't give up.
Being in the presence of God is my favorite thing in the world. I love to worship my God, my Savior, my King. Why is it so easy for me to forget this? I spend my time on other things that have no value - the Bible says that everything here is rubble, it will all pass away. I have access to the Creator of the Universe! How can I not spend time with Him? Not only does He allow me to, but He has a burning desire to spend time with me!
Priorities: The things we spend our time/money/effort on reflect what we deem to be important. What is important to us? God should be our number one. How can we claim to be Christians, yet have no passion/desire to spend time with Him? Why is it that when we get really busy, our time with God is the first thing to go? It should be opposite! Entertainment has no real value to me. Why do we desire it so much?
I recently heard a short message on how God relates to His people: It is like God is on one end of a rope, and we are on the other end. God tells us to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. It is not like we have to pull the rope all the way to God, he meets us in the middle. Once we start to pull on the rope, God pulls on the rope with all of His might. He comes running towards us. It is like in the parable of the prodigal son. As soon as the father saw his son coming from far down the road, he ran out to meet him. He not only accepted him back into his house, but he threw a party for him. God is waiting for the prodigals to come home. He doesn't expect more than you can give, He just wants you to take the first step. He will welcome you with open arms and with a love that I cannot comprehend. No matter what you do, God's grace is sufficient.
Passion. Where is the passion in the children of God today? God has a brilliant plan for our lives. He wants to use us mightily. He loves us so much that He will not force us into it. He allows us to choose. Are we like Salmon who swim with the current, enjoying the easy life and good water? Or, are we like the Salmon who swim against the current, striving for the best water up stream? God wants us to be set apart - to come after Him with everything. Why are we waiting?
God never promised that living sold out for Him was going to be easy. As soon as we say, 'God, I am yours. Use me.' He will. This doesn't mean that life is going to go perfectly and all of our problems will be gone. But, we will live life abundantly in Him. Nothing else matters.
Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Jesus doesn't just say to love the Lord your God, and end it there. He says that with all your heart, soul and mind you are to love God - with everything! What does it mean to love God with your mind? Does what you think about bring glory to God? Do the things you use your mind for (work, etc) bring glory to God?
Also, I recently realized (or, at least, I have been thinking about it more) that in the second greatest commandment, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means that we need to love ourselves. If we don't love ourselves, how can we love others as ourselves?
I was also talking to my friend recently about how the heavens declare the wonders of God. Creation points to a Creator. This world is so beautifully designed, and with an intricate attention to detail. And, space! It is huge! We cannot even know how big the universe is, yet we don't believe in an intelligent Creator?
God is an amazing designer and he has designed an ultimate plan for our lives. If we only let Him, He will turn our ugly lives into a beautiful masterpiece.
God, I am Yours. Use me.
Cheers.
Friday, June 5, 2009
My Prayer
In February of this year, I decided to start reading through the Bible in chronological order. It has been amazing so far! God has been speaking to me through a lot of stuff in the Old Testament that I hadn't read in a long time. This week has been no different.
Today, I was reading through Psalms. I love all of the poetry in Psalms and the worshipping nature of it all. It starts to get redundant after about 100 (or so) of them. I seemed to be just reading them without really getting anything new out of it. Well, I got to Psalms 112 and I read a verse that caught my attention! It was one that one of my good friends had written on a birthday card she had given me last year.
Intrigued, I re-read that Psalm and was amazed at how much it spoke to me. It talks about the ways of a righteous man and how God loves him and blesses him.
Today, I was reading through Psalms. I love all of the poetry in Psalms and the worshipping nature of it all. It starts to get redundant after about 100 (or so) of them. I seemed to be just reading them without really getting anything new out of it. Well, I got to Psalms 112 and I read a verse that caught my attention! It was one that one of my good friends had written on a birthday card she had given me last year.
Intrigued, I re-read that Psalm and was amazed at how much it spoke to me. It talks about the ways of a righteous man and how God loves him and blesses him.
Psalm 112..
Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.
The wicked man will see and be vexed,
The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
I cannot begin to tell you how my heart yearns to be like this man. I want to be rememered like him. I could blog about every word that I have highlighted in that Psalm. Alas, I do not have the time to do that, so I will be content with writing down my desires - my prayer..
I want to fear the Lord above everything else,
and to delight in His commandments.
I do not want to fear anything in this world,
but to have a heart that is steadfast in Him.
I want His light to shine in the darkness for me,
and to be generous with all that I have.
I want people to remember me,
not for who I am, but for who Jesus is.
I want to be bold and courageous,
not fearful and timid.
I want to stand over my enemy in triumph,
and look down on satan in victory.
I want the lost to see my life and be perplexed.
I want them to desire what I have - what I have been given.
I want my life to matter.
I want to be used by God.
Lord, take over and use me.
Cheers. :)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
cRaZy LoVe!
This morning when I got up, I felt God remind me of a message I heard a couple of months ago. I found it online and listened to it. It is so good and so pertinent to what is going in my life right now. I love it when God does stuff like that.
God's love is amazing and it can feel the void that so many try to fill with the spirit of the world. It's powerful. It is life changing. We, as followers of Christ, have it. We can use it. God can use us to speak into the lives of those close to us through the power of His love. When others hurt us, we love them. When they speak bad about us, we love them. God's love is relentless, it never backs down. It is powerful.
Anyways, I thought everyone should listen to it.. It's worth taking the time to...
http://www.box.net/shared/crfo4ep4gh
God's love is amazing and it can feel the void that so many try to fill with the spirit of the world. It's powerful. It is life changing. We, as followers of Christ, have it. We can use it. God can use us to speak into the lives of those close to us through the power of His love. When others hurt us, we love them. When they speak bad about us, we love them. God's love is relentless, it never backs down. It is powerful.
Anyways, I thought everyone should listen to it.. It's worth taking the time to...
http://www.box.net/shared/crfo4ep4gh
Sunday, May 31, 2009
.. All of me
I feel like I should start of these blogs with "Dear diary, today has been..." or something along those lines. Haha, well, I will refrain from doing that. I feel like that would make me open up completely on here and share some things that you probably don't need to know. :p
Anyways, the last few months have been crazy for me. Since the beginning of the spring semester, I have had a new passion for God - A desire for more of Him. It has been great. There is so much more to life than just going through the motions. I have experienced a deeper relationship with Him and have seen Him at work in my life more than ever before. Things have not gone amazingly great (at least, not how I had planned), but I can see His hand on my life through everything. Yet, through it all, I feel as though something was missing.
This past week, I have become more aware of this fact. I felt like there was something holding me back from going deeper. At first, I thought that it must have been God. Or, rather, that I needed to keep asking Him for more. So, I did. Yet, I still felt like I was not getting anywhere. Something was not right. I needed to find out what it was. I asked Him to show me what was missing.
Well, needless to say, God answers prayer.
Today, I got up and was really excited for church. I usually have a hard time getting up on time and being at church before it starts. Today, however, was quite the opposite. I was not only on time, but even a little bit early :)
Anyways, as we started to worship, I just felt God's presence (best feeling in the world!). We were singing a song that has a part where it says "take me higher, take me higher" and as I sang those words, I felt like God was telling me that He wanted to. In the middle of that song, I just prayed, "God, give me more!". He answered, "Tim, Give Me more!" ..What? Give Him more? I'm the one that wants more! I wanted to get in a little fight with Him.. "no You give me more!.." but it I quickly realized how pointless it would be to argue with the God of the universe. ;)
Then, it hit me, God wants all of me! As much as I want to say that He has all of me, I feel that would be lying. I realized that there are parts of my life that I have not completely surrendered to Him. I have given him 7 pieces of the pie, but have kept 1 for myself (I like pie.. mmmm). I have surrendered to Him, but only as much as I am comfortable with. As I searched my life, I realized that there are quite a few areas that I am still hording to myself. As much as I believe that placing my life into His hands is best, I still don't want to fully surrender.
Well, worship ended, and my mind was spinning. I had a hard time focusing on the announcements and everything going on. It was family Sunday, so all of the youth were in the service with us so it wasn't boring or anything. My mind was just off in another world. I felt like I had gotten what I came for, and now just had to sit through a message til I could go home. Well folks, God was not done with me yet.
The message blew my mind! The title was "I heart God". We are in a series titled, "Things I heart". My pastor, Terry Crist, was preaching today, and He is one of the greatest teachers I have ever heard in my life. He taught from Mark 12:28-31.. the passage where Jesus tells us the greatest commandment.. to love God with all of your heart! My ears pricked when I heard the title and passage. I thought that I had learned as much as I could from that passage, but, boy, was I wrong!
Here's what I got from it..
God wants all of us. He wants all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength. He wants it all! Not just part of it. He wants it all! (right on with what I was getting during worship) What stops us from from giving Him it all? Gaps. The gaps between what we say and what we actually do.
The first gap, is the Commitment Gap. This is the gap between what we want and what we settle with. (i.e. We desire a blessed life in God, but settle for a comfortable life in the world) We say Jesus is in our lives, and He is. We are content with Him living in there and having Him show up from time to time. But, God wants more. He wants the sum total of your life to be Him. He wants all of your life. He is not content to just live in it, He wants to be the center. He wants it all! How do we know if we have not given it all to Him? ... Are you relating to God on His terms, or on your terms? (guilty!)
The next gap is the Passion Gap. Our passion defines us. What we are passionate about consumes us. ..Does your heard burn to seek Him? ..To grow close to Him?
Then, there is the Emotional Gap. We keep our emotions to ourselves and on what we want in this world. ..Does anything excite you more than Jesus?
Next, the Knowledge Gap. We know truths about God, about Jesus, about the Bible. These beliefs should be what we stand on. We need to be able to defend Christianity. When hard times come, we need to fall back on these truths. C.S. Lewis wrote that "Man has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself". This is so true. ..Do we live on our emotional basis, or on our true beliefs? If it is emotional, then we will crack under pressure. We will go with whatever is easy.
Lastly, there is the Priorities Gap. Where do we place our priorities? ..Are you serving God without reservation? "What do I love when I love my God?" Looking at your priorities is a great way to see if you are living sold out for Jesus.
Wow. I have written a novel, but I'm not done yet... keep reading!
Well, I hope I did justice to that message, because it was really, really good! Anyways, at the end of the message, Terry told us that we all fall short and have these gaps in our lives. God wants to help us to close the gaps. He will. We just have to ask Him. "Knock and the door will be open unto you". That's all He is asking. He just wants us to take the step and ask.
There is a difference between what I have been asking for and what He wants me to ask Him for. He is the answer to both questions, but I need to ask Him to help me give Him all of my life. I desire more of Him and He desires more of me. It's a perfect fit! :) God is amazing. He is the answer to all of our desires/longings/questions. He is the answer.
I need to go hard after Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength! He is waiting with open arms! It is so simple! I just need to spend time with Him and everything else falls into place. He is everything I need, and so much more. I love spending time with Him. He wants all I have, and all I want is Him.
He can have the last piece of the pie!
Cheers.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
.. And So It Begins
Well, I decided to finally create a blog. I have realized that it will encourage me to write down my thoughts more often and it will also get me to share some (no, I will not share EVERYTHING) of my thoughts with all y'all. I've been thinking about creating one for a while now and I finally have some time now (w00t! summer!) so I did it!
Just yesterday, I was cleaning my room, which, if you've seen my room lately, you would understand how big of a task this was! I randomly decided to open up a drawer in a file cabinet I used to keep old sermon notes/journals in. I decided to take a "quick" look through "some" of the notes, and before I knew it, I had spent a couple of hours reading through them. Some of the notes were from over 5 years ago! It was amazing how much I have grown/learned since then. I will definitely have to blog about it sometime. I was so glad that I had kept them all this time. It was really interesting reading them and it really encouraged me to create this blog.
Another factor that contributed to this blog getting created was that this past week I've had a lot of really good talks (and I mean really good) with some awesome friends. I've probably had 4 long talks with some of my close friends that have really made me think and have encouraged me. I love it! I wish it happened more frequently and it made me want to write down some of the stuff that I'm thinking about. Hopefully I will get around to it soon.
Also, I am really beginning to realize how important encouragement is. It is truly amazing how such a small word of encouragement can make all the difference to a person. I hope that God will use this blog to help encourage people!
On a side note, I found a $10 iTunes gift card at the bottom of that drawer that my brother had given me about 4 years ago. I must not have had iTunes back then, but I was happy that I still had it. It really made my day! Haha.
Well, I could go on and talk for a long time right now, but I am hearing my bed calling. I just got new silky sheets and an awesome comforter that I am dying to test out! Hopefully I won't sleep in too late (sooo tempting!) cuz I am trying to do a better job at getting to church on time. :) ..Until next time. Cheers.
Just yesterday, I was cleaning my room, which, if you've seen my room lately, you would understand how big of a task this was! I randomly decided to open up a drawer in a file cabinet I used to keep old sermon notes/journals in. I decided to take a "quick" look through "some" of the notes, and before I knew it, I had spent a couple of hours reading through them. Some of the notes were from over 5 years ago! It was amazing how much I have grown/learned since then. I will definitely have to blog about it sometime. I was so glad that I had kept them all this time. It was really interesting reading them and it really encouraged me to create this blog.
Another factor that contributed to this blog getting created was that this past week I've had a lot of really good talks (and I mean really good) with some awesome friends. I've probably had 4 long talks with some of my close friends that have really made me think and have encouraged me. I love it! I wish it happened more frequently and it made me want to write down some of the stuff that I'm thinking about. Hopefully I will get around to it soon.
Also, I am really beginning to realize how important encouragement is. It is truly amazing how such a small word of encouragement can make all the difference to a person. I hope that God will use this blog to help encourage people!
On a side note, I found a $10 iTunes gift card at the bottom of that drawer that my brother had given me about 4 years ago. I must not have had iTunes back then, but I was happy that I still had it. It really made my day! Haha.
Well, I could go on and talk for a long time right now, but I am hearing my bed calling. I just got new silky sheets and an awesome comforter that I am dying to test out! Hopefully I won't sleep in too late (sooo tempting!) cuz I am trying to do a better job at getting to church on time. :) ..Until next time. Cheers.
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