Fear is one of the most powerful forces in the world...just look at what fear has given people the ability to do. The Holocaust, the Cold War, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Fear cripples a person, a community, even a civilization. Some of our weakest moments in our lives are during times of great fear. It is truly exhausting for a person to live in fear, waking up in the morning to a pit deep within you that is filled with fear. It takes your energy, your mind, even your hunger. Once fear has broken someone, they will turn to literally anything that will relieve them, even if only for a second or two. That relief is where the danger lies in wait. This relief is what causes civilizations to crumble, causes friends to be forever broken, causes people to lose faith. It is in these moments of relief that the worlds biggest mistakes have been made. All any mistake takes is simply saying yes to someone or something, and in a weak moment many people will. We sometimes forget how easy it is to create turmoil. In a weak moment we look to others, the people we surround ourselves with. Do we have trustworthy people to lead us on out of the darkness or will they simply ignore you and continue on?
It is hilarious to me when I look back on my life and the situations I have been in. The time the girl punched me in the stomach when i told her that I loved her (3rd grade). Impressive right? Yeah I tell it like it is. The time I flipped my dirtbike and told my friend Logan that I broke both of my knees, I was just in shock though. When I had to ask a girl to my first homecoming, yeah I was shaking. My first speeding ticket and when I had to tell my mother and father about it. Graduating from highschool and having to go to college. The hilarious thing about each of these situations is that I was probably thinking that this is the scariest event that I will ever experience in my life, nothing will ever change me like this has. I feel that everyone thinks that exact same thing each time we get trapped in fear. Take heart though! We are stronger than we realize...and very few realize this. Everyone has the ability to stand on their own two legs and face a situation. It is with the confidence and strength that God designed us with and instills into us everyday that we walk this earth in faith. Yes we have seen what fear has done in this world and it is truly daunting, but look at what man has done in this world. The Lunar Landing, the Golden Gate Bridge, Dubai...look at the civilizations that we have built across this planet earth! How can fear be so daunting when we have accomplished so much? It is because we understand that fear can easily destroy it all. But while fear can destroy something, it is in faith that it may be rebuilt stronger than it ever has been.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Rome is Still Burning
In AD 64, the world watched as one of its greatest and most powerful Empires burned to the ground. A historic Empire losing itself and spiraling out of control thanks to one event. There are many theories as to how the fire actually began but a few seem to put the blame on one person. Emperor Nero. One man brought down Rome, thats all it took...
When did it become okay in this world to ignore personal responsibility? When did it become a social norm for people to be a person of faith yet belligerently break God's commandments and challenges, and be able to walk into church that Sunday and no one say anything to them? When did pastors become more concerned about numbers...those attending church, facebook friends, twitter followers, radio show listeners, amount of people saved in a service, contacts in a phonebook...it used to be all about one. I have been taught in my life as well as learned that if you can do anything, save one, help one, do something for someone. If you decide something isn't important because no one is going, you are severely missing out. This fear of losing numbers has caused pastors to become "soft". They now allow, "'I'm working on it", to fly instead of only recognizing, "I'm sorry and I'm going to change." We've created a community of Christians where it's almost "too safe." We don't challenge each other or go out of our comfort zones. Why do you think that "Sunday Christians" exist? Its because we haven't taught people to stand up for themselves. We will play christian in church because its a safe zone where no one will judge us for standing up for our spiritual beliefs but as soon as a challenge prevents itself elsewhere away from our safe haven, we crack, afraid of what those around us will think, do, or say. Heck in that instant that you stand up for yourself you might lose that facebook friend or twitter follower...Pastors won't challenge their churches. I don't mean challenge as in, "this week let's try to act like we have faith", I am talking about using strong words instead of sugar coating it. Make people serious about coming to their church. BUT that fear of numbers scares the crap out of church leaders. So much so that they miss the big picture by staring at the numbers. If they can't save one hundred at once, don't do it. Be nice to our church-goers. We can't teach them to be God fearing, how would that look? People scared of God...its just not right. People aren't learning the truth.
The truth is It only takes one person to destroy an Empire...history has proved that, but we've also witnessed in history that it only takes ONE to save us all.
When did it become okay in this world to ignore personal responsibility? When did it become a social norm for people to be a person of faith yet belligerently break God's commandments and challenges, and be able to walk into church that Sunday and no one say anything to them? When did pastors become more concerned about numbers...those attending church, facebook friends, twitter followers, radio show listeners, amount of people saved in a service, contacts in a phonebook...it used to be all about one. I have been taught in my life as well as learned that if you can do anything, save one, help one, do something for someone. If you decide something isn't important because no one is going, you are severely missing out. This fear of losing numbers has caused pastors to become "soft". They now allow, "'I'm working on it", to fly instead of only recognizing, "I'm sorry and I'm going to change." We've created a community of Christians where it's almost "too safe." We don't challenge each other or go out of our comfort zones. Why do you think that "Sunday Christians" exist? Its because we haven't taught people to stand up for themselves. We will play christian in church because its a safe zone where no one will judge us for standing up for our spiritual beliefs but as soon as a challenge prevents itself elsewhere away from our safe haven, we crack, afraid of what those around us will think, do, or say. Heck in that instant that you stand up for yourself you might lose that facebook friend or twitter follower...Pastors won't challenge their churches. I don't mean challenge as in, "this week let's try to act like we have faith", I am talking about using strong words instead of sugar coating it. Make people serious about coming to their church. BUT that fear of numbers scares the crap out of church leaders. So much so that they miss the big picture by staring at the numbers. If they can't save one hundred at once, don't do it. Be nice to our church-goers. We can't teach them to be God fearing, how would that look? People scared of God...its just not right. People aren't learning the truth.
The truth is It only takes one person to destroy an Empire...history has proved that, but we've also witnessed in history that it only takes ONE to save us all.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Fall
In bible study this week we talked about how men should be, spiritually speaking, in relationships. How we should be spiritual leaders. That is not the point of what I am writing though, just a quick back-story to where I'm getting my thoughts.
So in the beginnings of Genesis we have Adam and Eve. Wonderful people, like long walks on the beach, bowling, listening to bad music...however they also had a terrible fruit addiction. God recognized this and told them to stop, but they did the exact opposite and ate from a tree that grew the most delicious fruit of all. This was the fall of man. We became imperfect and sinful. Adam and Eve immediately recognized their imperfections and hid. They covered themselves in leaves and hid from God. Notice how they covered themselves...do we not do the same thing today? We cover our imperfections with little things as we show ourselves to God saying, "Look Lord! I am perfect in your eyes!" Then we bite our lips as he observes us. The first leaf is pulled off. "What is this?" God asks us. "Oh...Never noticed that before...how was your day?" We cannot bear to show our true imperfect selves to the one who loves us for who we are. Our creator. Now, how can we improve ourselves or move towards perfection, if we hide ourselves from the one who is perfect? Are we so prideful that we lie to the one who knows the truth always? Lying to God is like yelling at a stump, it helps nothing. Unless we show him our true selves how can he help us? Most of us know how God gets our attention...He busts the doors of our lives wide open and says, "My turn." I laugh when I think about it, how childish we must be! I feel like people act like my 2 year old nephews act. They do the opposite of what you say, and so we all do to God. Tell my nephews to stand in a spot for 1 minute and you'll be right back. 1 minute later you return to find the spot vacated and the kid half way to China. Are we much different? Yes and no. We cannot listen to simple demands of us and so we are the same, yet we work MUCH harder to cover things up, and we are different.
I find it so interesting that Adam and Eve hid though. The passage in the bible that says this stands out to me in a ridiculous way. They not only covered themselves they also hid from the one who can see everything. Then I wonder, how are we any different??? We go day to day hiding from God, consciously and subconsciously. Then reveal ourselves at our prayer time or something similar. "Here I am God and I am ready to talk." We go over things and then tell Him goodbye and walk around the corner. However, the minute we reach the corner we find the nearest ally and sprint down it and hide again. Realistically I'm saying that we do not spend every minute of everyday with God. We set up play dates but outside of those we ask Him to leave us alone.
I know I'm saying a lot but this is an extreme description. We all do this but for some only to certain extents. anyways...
My point is that we as Christians need to learn how to truly communicate and walk with God. We miss out on so much joy simply because we do not allow him into our lives, only certain parts of them. We are to walk with God in our daily lives, without that walk...we are simply walking around in the dark with nothing being revealed to us.
So in the beginnings of Genesis we have Adam and Eve. Wonderful people, like long walks on the beach, bowling, listening to bad music...however they also had a terrible fruit addiction. God recognized this and told them to stop, but they did the exact opposite and ate from a tree that grew the most delicious fruit of all. This was the fall of man. We became imperfect and sinful. Adam and Eve immediately recognized their imperfections and hid. They covered themselves in leaves and hid from God. Notice how they covered themselves...do we not do the same thing today? We cover our imperfections with little things as we show ourselves to God saying, "Look Lord! I am perfect in your eyes!" Then we bite our lips as he observes us. The first leaf is pulled off. "What is this?" God asks us. "Oh...Never noticed that before...how was your day?" We cannot bear to show our true imperfect selves to the one who loves us for who we are. Our creator. Now, how can we improve ourselves or move towards perfection, if we hide ourselves from the one who is perfect? Are we so prideful that we lie to the one who knows the truth always? Lying to God is like yelling at a stump, it helps nothing. Unless we show him our true selves how can he help us? Most of us know how God gets our attention...He busts the doors of our lives wide open and says, "My turn." I laugh when I think about it, how childish we must be! I feel like people act like my 2 year old nephews act. They do the opposite of what you say, and so we all do to God. Tell my nephews to stand in a spot for 1 minute and you'll be right back. 1 minute later you return to find the spot vacated and the kid half way to China. Are we much different? Yes and no. We cannot listen to simple demands of us and so we are the same, yet we work MUCH harder to cover things up, and we are different.
I find it so interesting that Adam and Eve hid though. The passage in the bible that says this stands out to me in a ridiculous way. They not only covered themselves they also hid from the one who can see everything. Then I wonder, how are we any different??? We go day to day hiding from God, consciously and subconsciously. Then reveal ourselves at our prayer time or something similar. "Here I am God and I am ready to talk." We go over things and then tell Him goodbye and walk around the corner. However, the minute we reach the corner we find the nearest ally and sprint down it and hide again. Realistically I'm saying that we do not spend every minute of everyday with God. We set up play dates but outside of those we ask Him to leave us alone.
I know I'm saying a lot but this is an extreme description. We all do this but for some only to certain extents. anyways...
My point is that we as Christians need to learn how to truly communicate and walk with God. We miss out on so much joy simply because we do not allow him into our lives, only certain parts of them. We are to walk with God in our daily lives, without that walk...we are simply walking around in the dark with nothing being revealed to us.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Ultimate Dare
I'll start off a story as an example of where I'm going to go with this blog.
My newphews are all starting to reach that age where they realize that they have the ability to ignore adults. "Don't touch that!" Archer creeps closer. "Don't touch that Archer." Another step. "Archer, do not touch that." He touches whatever it was...and you now learn that telling them not to do something no longer suffices. You have to physically pull them away if they continue to ignore you! Now they aren't exactly ignoring you, there is purpose in what they are doing. They are pushing you further and further to see just how far they can get before you take action and they get into trouble. Some of you are laughing and thinking how difficult kids can be, probably reminiscing on times that you dealt with a kid doing the same thing. Remember how frustrating it was? Well adults are no different.
haha how did that feel? I was joking about kids and then I called everyone out for acting no differently! It didn't feel good to me either.
10 strict commandments...other spiritual guidelines (drinking, sex, lying...these things), and everlasting life as our reward! It is an easy gig right? NO! "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Well we screwed that up. BUT we are forgiven! However this time we will be more cautious. And like my nephews, we test the waters of God. How far can we go before lightening strikes? Before we feel the loneliness and forsakenness? Well culture continually pushes further and further. It is, for the most part, culturally accepted to have pre-marital sex and to do drugs and get smashed...all in one night! I've actually heard people tell me that it is actually okay because culture accepts it...that christianity is adaptive of culture and so it changes as culture changes. This is true to an extent...but the rules and commandments are clearly universal! They don't change...God does not have political parties asking for amendments...God tells us not to do something and we continually step closer and closer to it! The closer to it we get the further away from Him we get. I've felt that distance and it is the worst feeling imaginable. Some people do not realize that they are feeling the distance because they have never felt true closeness with God.
In order to feel that closeness they have to HAVE TO step away from the things that pull us away from a relationship with our Father. We gotta step out of that ignorant culture that the world has developed and into one that has seemed to slip into the shadows. How many people do you think will do that? It is a big thing to ask someone to step out of the popular norm and into something challenging. We can not show them the reward...they have to discover it for themselves!
So the challange I present in this blog....
Quit seeing everything in black and white. Quit living the cultured cookie cutter lifestyle. Make a change! A life away from those distractions will grant you more reward than anything else on this earth can. We are taught to run away from challenges, to take the easy route....do not belittle yourself and accept what is easy. In the end life becomes more difficult and without purpose. Do not accept the current standards of the world! Just because culture okays it, it does not make whatever act it is okay! "But everyone is doing it!" Congratulations! Why don't you do something that everyone isn't doing? Afraid to stand out, be unique, and be different? Hold high standards and push yourself and others to meet them?
I dare you
My newphews are all starting to reach that age where they realize that they have the ability to ignore adults. "Don't touch that!" Archer creeps closer. "Don't touch that Archer." Another step. "Archer, do not touch that." He touches whatever it was...and you now learn that telling them not to do something no longer suffices. You have to physically pull them away if they continue to ignore you! Now they aren't exactly ignoring you, there is purpose in what they are doing. They are pushing you further and further to see just how far they can get before you take action and they get into trouble. Some of you are laughing and thinking how difficult kids can be, probably reminiscing on times that you dealt with a kid doing the same thing. Remember how frustrating it was? Well adults are no different.
haha how did that feel? I was joking about kids and then I called everyone out for acting no differently! It didn't feel good to me either.
10 strict commandments...other spiritual guidelines (drinking, sex, lying...these things), and everlasting life as our reward! It is an easy gig right? NO! "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Well we screwed that up. BUT we are forgiven! However this time we will be more cautious. And like my nephews, we test the waters of God. How far can we go before lightening strikes? Before we feel the loneliness and forsakenness? Well culture continually pushes further and further. It is, for the most part, culturally accepted to have pre-marital sex and to do drugs and get smashed...all in one night! I've actually heard people tell me that it is actually okay because culture accepts it...that christianity is adaptive of culture and so it changes as culture changes. This is true to an extent...but the rules and commandments are clearly universal! They don't change...God does not have political parties asking for amendments...God tells us not to do something and we continually step closer and closer to it! The closer to it we get the further away from Him we get. I've felt that distance and it is the worst feeling imaginable. Some people do not realize that they are feeling the distance because they have never felt true closeness with God.
In order to feel that closeness they have to HAVE TO step away from the things that pull us away from a relationship with our Father. We gotta step out of that ignorant culture that the world has developed and into one that has seemed to slip into the shadows. How many people do you think will do that? It is a big thing to ask someone to step out of the popular norm and into something challenging. We can not show them the reward...they have to discover it for themselves!
So the challange I present in this blog....
Quit seeing everything in black and white. Quit living the cultured cookie cutter lifestyle. Make a change! A life away from those distractions will grant you more reward than anything else on this earth can. We are taught to run away from challenges, to take the easy route....do not belittle yourself and accept what is easy. In the end life becomes more difficult and without purpose. Do not accept the current standards of the world! Just because culture okays it, it does not make whatever act it is okay! "But everyone is doing it!" Congratulations! Why don't you do something that everyone isn't doing? Afraid to stand out, be unique, and be different? Hold high standards and push yourself and others to meet them?
I dare you
Friday, June 4, 2010
What it takes
I was thinking about faith today and how somebody knows that they actually have faith in God. How does your faith grow? Stuff like that. Most of my thoughts dealt with how your faith actually grows. Is it through constant tests and trials? Is it through constant prayer? Us telling God at every meal that we trust him? I honestly don't know, but what I THINK I know is that we grow in faith through all of that. We grow when we concentrate on our mutual relationship with the Lord. Its about keeping that connection we have established...not hanging up on our end of the phone. In our trials, we can't just go through them...thats not the point. The point is where are you after you make it through? Are you lower than you were before? Are you exactly the same? Or have you grown? If you haven't grown then you've failed. We go through trials to learn about ourselves, to push our faith so far that it MUST grow. If you come out on the other end stronger...nothing can take you down. It's not one of those things where God hands you a test, you pass, then you are done! Ya you graduated Gods class and now you can live your life. Nah thats bull. More tests come, so that we may improve, to better serve the Lord. We are stubborn poeple! Realize this! Sometimes tests are the only way that God can get us to SHUTUP about how horrible our lives are so that we can listen to Him and let him step into our lives. Sometimes people have to hit rock bottom first. Then they can grow, it's like restarting your life. You must be stripped of everything first, until you stand with nothing, you stand alone. Then you have a choice...try rebuilding with the exact same blocks that crumbled out from under you, or ask God to help you rebuild in the way that is right according to him. Then you will stand above everything that is wrong in this world, stronger than any challenge you've faced and ever will face. You'll no longer be standing alone.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Answer
My back hurts everyday so I take Tylenol, I have heartburn issues throughout the day so I take Prilosec, maybe I get tired and I take a fatburner to give me energy and help me lose weight.
That is maybe 1/3 the actual amount of pills that some people take. AND IM NOT SAYING THAT THEY ARE ALL NOT NEEDED! My point is that as a society we are beginning to move, or sorry, we have made the movement towards making things accomodate our lifestyle...our very unhealthy lifestyle. Our bones ache because we don't exercise and are gaining weight. LETS MAKE A PILL FOR THAT! So now we can take medicine that allows us to do nothing all day without pain or discomfort. nice.
I saw a tv show the other day about a girl with "social anxiety disorder." Are they just making stuff up now? It's just like card companies and holidays....making excuses to sell more products. I mean i feel for the girl shes got something going on but in the end its just stress! I'm pretty sure the show just helped her handle it with practice in situations. I believe these problems exist because we let them...instead of addressing the issue and working on fixing it, we give it a name and then it becomes an excuse. This may be random but my sociology class has been studying this aspect of "comfort drugs" for awhile and I think its interesting.
That is maybe 1/3 the actual amount of pills that some people take. AND IM NOT SAYING THAT THEY ARE ALL NOT NEEDED! My point is that as a society we are beginning to move, or sorry, we have made the movement towards making things accomodate our lifestyle...our very unhealthy lifestyle. Our bones ache because we don't exercise and are gaining weight. LETS MAKE A PILL FOR THAT! So now we can take medicine that allows us to do nothing all day without pain or discomfort. nice.
I saw a tv show the other day about a girl with "social anxiety disorder." Are they just making stuff up now? It's just like card companies and holidays....making excuses to sell more products. I mean i feel for the girl shes got something going on but in the end its just stress! I'm pretty sure the show just helped her handle it with practice in situations. I believe these problems exist because we let them...instead of addressing the issue and working on fixing it, we give it a name and then it becomes an excuse. This may be random but my sociology class has been studying this aspect of "comfort drugs" for awhile and I think its interesting.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Fishtank
I'm sitting at my gate and I'm jusy chillin people watching. I'm thinking about how many people there are on this earth, with their own agendas, own places to go....and I will never know them. I just saw a guy with a beard and a green shirt and I will likely never see him again. If I do I doubt I'll reconize him. This world is so big and we are all trapped in such bubbles. We feel bad for fish in a tank because they will probably never experience the ocean, but are we much different? We have freedom to travel most anywhere and fish do not, but many do not travel past the borders of our nation...our giant fish tank. And just like fish, everytime someone taps on the glass of our bubble we get scared. Someone we don't know or change walks into our lives and tries to mix things up. Humans for the most part hate change but there are those out there that crave it. I feel that I am a happy medium. That doesn't matter right now though. Right now I'm trying tonlook at the bigger picture outside of me, I'm trying to look at everyone. Things we have in common...
Creator
physcal needs
dialect or language
hopes and dreams
we are all alive
we are at an airport...
But what about the deeper things? Specifics? Everyone has theirown belief set, even with a common religion. My views as a follower probably don't match exactly with all followers. How though? We have a bible...it says the same thing to everyone but not everyone interprets it the same. As followers we lack connection and community. With more denominations than I can count on my hands it is so easy to get lost. We look for churches and types of faith that fit us, but shouldn't it be us that try to fit to God? God is not maleable...He is firm and knows everything about us. What do we know? Not much! So rather than look a Gods commandments like a build your own dinner plate where we pick and choose what sounds good to us, we need to realize that we are either all in...or just lying to ourselves.
Creator
physcal needs
dialect or language
hopes and dreams
we are all alive
we are at an airport...
But what about the deeper things? Specifics? Everyone has theirown belief set, even with a common religion. My views as a follower probably don't match exactly with all followers. How though? We have a bible...it says the same thing to everyone but not everyone interprets it the same. As followers we lack connection and community. With more denominations than I can count on my hands it is so easy to get lost. We look for churches and types of faith that fit us, but shouldn't it be us that try to fit to God? God is not maleable...He is firm and knows everything about us. What do we know? Not much! So rather than look a Gods commandments like a build your own dinner plate where we pick and choose what sounds good to us, we need to realize that we are either all in...or just lying to ourselves.
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