Archive for January, 2009
yessss
Jan 28th
i saw this and seriously found happiness, momentarily.
why? because then I read, “we are sorry Pandora does not support this device.” I hate Alltel!
Be Perfect
Jan 27th
I am still digesting this whole blessed life thing. I figure the easiest thing to do would be to go to Matthew 5. Matthew is my favorite book in the bible. Matthew, in my opinion, does the best job of providing intricate details about the life of Christ. So, I read chapter 4 and then chapter 6 before checking chapter 5.
My friend Brian dug into this a few days back here.
The last verse in chapter 5 struck me.
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Really? Perfect? After telling me that I am blessed in spite of my circumstances, you go on to tell me that I am to follow the law and live under grace, and that I can be perfect…? Maybe I can live perfectly for an hour. But then again you convict me that I am not giving you enough faith. That redundant 3:14 verse has surfaced.
This is why I worship you Jesus. I know, I don’t worship you all the time but I try. You were perfect. I believe you suffered and dealt with the same temptations I do. I know, I have not gone through half the crap you did. And still you were perfect. You could have sinned. But you didn’t. You were tempted face to face by your advisory. And you were hungry. My wife knows how my hunger effects me. If I was in your shoes I would have turned the rock into bread.
I am blessed. I thank you. I apologize for doubting you. I apologize for blaming you.
I am blessed. No matter what, you have my back. No matter what, you will not forget me.
I am blessed because I know my purpose. I am blessed because I get to serve others.
I am blessed because my answer to everything can be YOU. YOU are in always control.
Shit Happens
Jan 26th
This thought was brought up my life, “why do bad things happen to good people?” Obviously, it happens. The questions is, why does it happen?
I am lucky to be a part of a life group that clicks. We can joke and be serious at the same time. It has been great. My favorite part is that each person isn’t afraid to voice their feelings and that each person comes from a different denominational background. Everyone brings something different to the table.
We have been studying a so called “blessed life.” What does it mean to be blessed? Is it possible to have a blessed life?
I will attempt to answer these questions. Actually, I should probably state that I will not conceive a great answer. I can only speak from my life and the answer may or may not reflect the answers of anyone in my life group.
What does it mean to be blessed? Blessed to me, is acknowledging that God will provide spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is a state of mind. It is faith. It is hope. It is assurance. I am currently on an adventure looking for scripture that supports this viewpoint. Honestly, my viewpoint has been influenced by C.S. Lewis.
Maybe the easiest way to answer this question would be by looking at the opposite end of the spectrum. Are we not blessed because shit happens? This is were peace settles for me. I find blessing in God’s control. I try to live my life as purely as possible. I try and fail. I have found that if I sync with God the more euphoric I feel. Happy. Peaceful. Thankful. And yes, shit still happens. My only answer for this is that I wasn’t truly synced or God is God. I know, that is a sucky answer. But God is God and God is faithful.
Lately I have been intrigued by the dusty books at the back of the Old Testament. Right now, these are the best scriptures for me to help grasp the rhyme and reason for how and why God does what He does. I think it is absolutely wrong of me to even question God, but I do. However, I find hope in that fact that all these crappy things happened to God’s chosen people. I say again, His chosen people. I must say, nothing was unjustified.
Regardless of what happens, I know God is in control. I am not saying that I live by this. I am not saying that I have never questioned God. I just know that when shit happens, there is a purpose greater than me in the works. Unfortunately, I think I forget that I am a sinner who deserves shit to happen. God has a right to test, judge, and punish me.
As I poorly attempt to express these deep theological questions, I can’t help but think about my Lord Jesus Christ. I think about His life. I think about all the shit He had and has to put up with because of me.
In short, for me to be blessed, I must trust His purpose and live by His principles. There are a lot of principles and to keep up with all of them at the same time is and can be daunting.
I’m done. I will try to answer the second question later. My humanity is embarrassing and doubts have suddenly risen.
Christian Ballers…?
Jan 22nd
A Child's Eyes
Jan 20th
This is my daughter Kyah. This is her favorite friend LaShawnda. Well to Kyah, she is La La. Lashawnda’s mom won a trip to the inauguration so La La is in DC. Lucky!
Kyah doesn’t know that LaShawnda is different. At least, different looking. All Kyah knows is that La La is supposed to pick her up from daycare and that they are to walk back to my wifes classroom. Today, I pray that the world looks past Mr. O’s color and supports his position. Obviously, you do not have to agree with him but at least respect him.
Racism is taught. It is the most unnatural act on earth. I was taught racial tendencies demographically, sexually, and religiously. If you study about every major war, you will find that each stemmed from racial barriers. Can those that have been taught to be racist change?
Kyah, I want to be more like you.
