Well, well, well, here we are again. Just another post by this young chap. I know lately I have been doing a whole lot of preaching on this thing about topics from God's agape love to my own personal struggles to what it means to be a man of the Lord. Today, my hope with this post is not to condemn you or hurt you, but instead to love you and to try to fill you up as much as I can with my words.
This is what my day has shown me, and what the Father has put on my heart....
This morning, I woke up and really had a heavy heart. I woke up came downstairs and felt the urge to just go back up to bed and spend my day in prayer, worship, and growing closer to the Lord through sermons/testimonies. God really has a profound and unique way of communicating with me. I mean honestly, he knows I spend a lot of time with people, and connected with people over social media and the Internet as well as in person, so you know what the Lord does. He uses that to communicate with me. When I pray I still have a conversation with him, but I usually don't have those "WOW" God moments there. That is just not who I am. I am the kind of person that experiences God through others and through serving, but that isn't what I want to talk about. Actually, that is a part of what I am talking about. Sweet! Anyway, back to the ranch here.
The Lord really showed me today during my day to be with Him what my identity is. He showed me today that all the negative thinking that I have about myself and others is non-existent because Jesus Christ died upon that hunk of tree to wash all of that clean from my mind and from all our minds. We do not have an ounce of negativity in our bones or in our bodies or in our souls because Jesus was not the only person who died on that cross. WE DIED TOO. Then three days later we also rose from the dead and became eternal. We are eternal if we accept Jesus into our hearts. If we let the Holy Spirit do as he pleases in our hearts and let him chisel away all that is unholy and all that keeps our hearts from fully basking in God's glory. That is not all that God did today. He showed me how to figure out my calling, and to then finally figure out who I am in his eyes. Let me dig into that right now.
I think the Lord has some of the greatest timing in all this by the way because I have kind of been doubting myself with the choice I made to go to La Crosse, and then even my decision to pursue ministry after I get a degree at UW-L. I thought maybe I am not called to be the guy who can teach and be a leader of faith because of just who I am. Maybe I am supposed to be a doctor or just an English teacher some where, but today the Father really did some reassuring. I saw today that God has given me an unbelievable gift of being a good speaker, a good listener, and just a person who cares. That is part one of finding your identity. Finding your strengths, and finding the things God has gifted you in. For some of you that is in music, for others it is that you are unbelievably smart, and for others it is because of your leadership skills kind of like me. It doesn't matter what it is because we all have those gifts from God that add to our calling. That is part one of finding your identity. Find your gifts.
The second part of this process is to apply those gifts to a passion. A passion is something that breaks your heart to see, and you wish to apply serious effort to in order to make a difference in. For example, for me my passion is to make an impact or a difference in the youth no matter where they are from. It breaks my heart to see, and hear the types of things that happen to kids in their middle-school to high-school years. It is a struggle to say the least, but I want them all to know that they are not alone, and that God is behind them no matter what others think or say about that. Again, this really varies from person to person and it really doesn't matter what it is as long as you are glorifying God through it you are golden. So the second part is: Apply gifts to a passion.
The third and final part of this process is to glorify God through it all. This part for me really hit me because as I went through high-school I really never glorified God for all my accomplishments and all of my trials. I am just now starting to realize that even though I might be going good or bad in this world that it is all for the goodness of God. This right here is probably the most important part of this process because a lot of people can do the previous two things and yet not be in their right calling or know their identity. To glorify him in all we do is something that really leads to your identity as well because in this part of the process you are doing all you do, and all that happens to the glory and goodness of the Lord. You are putting his will above yours and submitting what the world says your identity is to what the Lord says your identity is. God says our identity is through him. It all goes back to him people. It all goes back to our relationship with him. Jesus is our identity, and the cross is our sign of that. Whenever we look at the cross we should think of Jesus, and then think of us dying up there with him. He is our identity, and all we do should be through him. So the last part of the identity process is: Glorifying God through it all.
That is what the Lord really has put on my heart lately just because of circumstances, and with my day of prayer today. I just hope you guys are at ease, and that you take these things to heart because I did today and I am totally ecstatic about what the Lord has in store for me in my future. I am totally a new person because of what happened today, and I am so ready to go out and live present-future instead of past-present like I was. That is my identity, and how the Lord worked through me all in one day to figure it out. I love you all reading this, and I pray tonight that you all experience answering the call as I have. God Bless.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
MAN UP!
Wow...it has been awhile since my last post. Since I am home now, I think I might be posting more now than I have in the past months, but we shall see. Lately though, I have really noticed the Lord working in my heart about the men in this world including myself. I mean honestly I look around seeing all the things society tells us to be.
Society tells us that we need to be masculine, and pride ourselves in the fact that we can beat the living snot out of another guy. The media depicts men as dirty, grimy, and drunken people who only look for sex and look at women as the source of that pleasure. We as men in this society are told to be prideful, that it is okay to engorge ourselves with lust and sex, no matter how we get it. From forcing our girlfriends to meeting that addiction or from sitting in front of computer screens to get our fix. You kind of get the idea right? We are starting to desensitize ourselves from these things, and we fall into the so called "norms" of this society.
I know how hard this can be. I used to do those things, and I used to be full of lust and temptation. I am not going to sit here and tell you that I do not lustfully look at women sometimes, and that I have not struggled with temptation. I have been sucked into pornography in my past, and I work daily at not looking at it. You are not going to just poof not have anymore lust and things like that. It is a daily grind, and you need to actually work at it. Honestly, I can not tell you how many times I have given in to the temptation. It is hard, but it is worth it.
We as men of God and followers of Christ are called to be more than just the average man of society. We are called to be Christ-like, to live our lives modeled by him, but also humble ourselves to the fact that we can't live like him. That we can't be perfect without Jesus there to sacrifice himself for my sin. That if we call ourselves Christians and believe that God is out there looking down upon us, then we need to put Him first in our lives. He needs to be put before our lust, our temptations to drink, our pride, our urge to be "the man," and finally above what other men think of us.
I really believe that being a man has nothing to do with your age, how many times you have had sex, the amount of weight you can bench, the amount of beer you can drink, and finally by how "good" you look with your shirt off. A man is someone who can lead, be pure, honest, loving, respectful to women, and be humble in the sight of the Lord. I just ask all you men out there. What are we doing?
A song that really speaks to this is Temptation by 116 Clique:
"Manning up is not just managing your sexual temptations
It's not just managing your sin that's not what it means to be a man
Because you can try harder and you can do better
And you can hang on longer that's not manning up
Manning up is our ability to lay down all of our effort
And all of our trying and all of our strength and say I trust in Jesus
I trust in his perfection I trust in his power I trust in his resurrection
Because he's the only one that can get me through this
And he's the only one that can make me free"
I am sick of being only the man that society thinks that I can be. I am ready to be a man according to what the Lord wants me to be in His Word. Are you?
Society tells us that we need to be masculine, and pride ourselves in the fact that we can beat the living snot out of another guy. The media depicts men as dirty, grimy, and drunken people who only look for sex and look at women as the source of that pleasure. We as men in this society are told to be prideful, that it is okay to engorge ourselves with lust and sex, no matter how we get it. From forcing our girlfriends to meeting that addiction or from sitting in front of computer screens to get our fix. You kind of get the idea right? We are starting to desensitize ourselves from these things, and we fall into the so called "norms" of this society.
I know how hard this can be. I used to do those things, and I used to be full of lust and temptation. I am not going to sit here and tell you that I do not lustfully look at women sometimes, and that I have not struggled with temptation. I have been sucked into pornography in my past, and I work daily at not looking at it. You are not going to just poof not have anymore lust and things like that. It is a daily grind, and you need to actually work at it. Honestly, I can not tell you how many times I have given in to the temptation. It is hard, but it is worth it.
We as men of God and followers of Christ are called to be more than just the average man of society. We are called to be Christ-like, to live our lives modeled by him, but also humble ourselves to the fact that we can't live like him. That we can't be perfect without Jesus there to sacrifice himself for my sin. That if we call ourselves Christians and believe that God is out there looking down upon us, then we need to put Him first in our lives. He needs to be put before our lust, our temptations to drink, our pride, our urge to be "the man," and finally above what other men think of us.
I really believe that being a man has nothing to do with your age, how many times you have had sex, the amount of weight you can bench, the amount of beer you can drink, and finally by how "good" you look with your shirt off. A man is someone who can lead, be pure, honest, loving, respectful to women, and be humble in the sight of the Lord. I just ask all you men out there. What are we doing?
A song that really speaks to this is Temptation by 116 Clique:
"Manning up is not just managing your sexual temptations
It's not just managing your sin that's not what it means to be a man
Because you can try harder and you can do better
And you can hang on longer that's not manning up
Manning up is our ability to lay down all of our effort
And all of our trying and all of our strength and say I trust in Jesus
I trust in his perfection I trust in his power I trust in his resurrection
Because he's the only one that can get me through this
And he's the only one that can make me free"
I am sick of being only the man that society thinks that I can be. I am ready to be a man according to what the Lord wants me to be in His Word. Are you?
Sunday, November 18, 2012
My Story.
Hey all...well I just really feel called to tell you all my story, and of how I have gotten to this point in my relationship with Jesus Christ and with God. The story I am about to tell you is one of redemption heartache, and then redemption again.
My story really begins like most people's lives, with birth. HAHA Funny, right? Honestly though, to really understand and know my story I need to introduce you to my family. I have an awesome family, loving parents, and two awesome younger brothers. (Zac and Nick) Anyway, honestly though my story or walk with Jesus Christ really didn't start until I was about five years old. Back then, I really didn't grasp Jesus Christ and the term "miracle" or even God at that point in my life, but he definitely made an impact on my life. My brother, Nick was at the ripe age of 2 back then, and something unimaginable happened to him. He was diagnosed with leukemia. I mean a two year old with leukemia? Why does the Lord do that? Why do those things happen to good people? Innocent people? I didn't really understand this, but by the grace of God my brother overcame cancer and is now living today and is a freshman in high-school. (For all you TEC friends of mine out there he is going through in January so look for him.) My response to this outstanding display of love was not really a good one. I turned away from the Lord, I didn't take that miracle to heart, and didn't use that situation to glorify Him instead I took it for granted. That was the first of 3 instances in my life where the Lord had blessed me with something, and then I looked at him and literally spat in his face.
The 2nd instance in my life happened sometime later. I was in 5th grade, and during this time in my life. I was not the skinniest of kids because of my size I was made fun of. I was compared to large animals like Rhinos and Hippos. To this day, I still am insecure about my size because of what these people said to me. It is something I struggle with everyday. The name calling pushed me to the brink, and when I was in the summer of my 5th grade year I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I decided as a 5th grader to commit suicide. I was pushed deep into a depression based upon what others said to me,and I let that push to the only option I thought I had. Suicide. I am going to tell you this though, I was met by the Lord at this point. I heard his voice, kinda, he was working through my family, to show me that there are a lot of people that care about me, and love me very much. I couldn't do it, and I didn't. You would think that I would have turned my life over to God there right? Wrong I didn't...that comes later.
I was still in a depression though, and when I was depressed I just had this GOD sized hole in my heart. I spent the two years going into middle-school trying to cope with the depression. My 7th grade year though I found something that made me feel less insecure about myself. I tried filling my heart with lust and pornography. It drew me in, and never let go. It was a temporary mask of my pain, kinda like a pain killer that doesn't get rid of the cause of the pain, but it hides it and masks it. I thought I was good, going to youth group, and to church related things like confirmation, but when I got home I would sit in front of the computer screen in order to compensate for the pain in my heart. I didn't really even realize what I was doing until I was in high-school. When I started wanting a more in depth relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit showed me that this was a bad thing in my life. I was not being a real man. I was looking at women as a source of lust, and as a sex symbol. I idolized them and put the women I saw on the screen as a source of compassion, and I got some sort of pleasure out of the whole thing. It just was the seeking of happiness to fill my hole in my heart. I tried filling my heart with worldly things, when the one thing that would do that is Jesus Christ. I am not going to tell you that I don't struggle with lust now, but it is substantially better than it was before.
That was my life before I accepted Jesus into my life. After, I can say that he has transformed my mess that I described to you above into a message. Once I accepted the Lord and the Holy Spirit into my heart, I felt him slowly soften my heart, and begin to show me all my sin in my life. I am not perfect though. I can tell you that right now. I make mistakes and I sin still, but I know that with the Holy Spirit working inside me I can overcome that sin because Jesus made us perfect. He made us white as snow. I am a work in progress, and the Lord is chiseling me into an awesome man of God.
That is my story. That is how I came to Christ, and how I have been redeemed through him. Even though, I turned him away multiple times after he blessed my life. He still loves me, and accepts me for who I am. I love him, and he loves me beyond my imagination. He loves you too. Accept that gift of grace in your heart, and grow in relationship with him. It totally is amazing to see what he does in your life. Amen.
My story really begins like most people's lives, with birth. HAHA Funny, right? Honestly though, to really understand and know my story I need to introduce you to my family. I have an awesome family, loving parents, and two awesome younger brothers. (Zac and Nick) Anyway, honestly though my story or walk with Jesus Christ really didn't start until I was about five years old. Back then, I really didn't grasp Jesus Christ and the term "miracle" or even God at that point in my life, but he definitely made an impact on my life. My brother, Nick was at the ripe age of 2 back then, and something unimaginable happened to him. He was diagnosed with leukemia. I mean a two year old with leukemia? Why does the Lord do that? Why do those things happen to good people? Innocent people? I didn't really understand this, but by the grace of God my brother overcame cancer and is now living today and is a freshman in high-school. (For all you TEC friends of mine out there he is going through in January so look for him.) My response to this outstanding display of love was not really a good one. I turned away from the Lord, I didn't take that miracle to heart, and didn't use that situation to glorify Him instead I took it for granted. That was the first of 3 instances in my life where the Lord had blessed me with something, and then I looked at him and literally spat in his face.
The 2nd instance in my life happened sometime later. I was in 5th grade, and during this time in my life. I was not the skinniest of kids because of my size I was made fun of. I was compared to large animals like Rhinos and Hippos. To this day, I still am insecure about my size because of what these people said to me. It is something I struggle with everyday. The name calling pushed me to the brink, and when I was in the summer of my 5th grade year I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I decided as a 5th grader to commit suicide. I was pushed deep into a depression based upon what others said to me,and I let that push to the only option I thought I had. Suicide. I am going to tell you this though, I was met by the Lord at this point. I heard his voice, kinda, he was working through my family, to show me that there are a lot of people that care about me, and love me very much. I couldn't do it, and I didn't. You would think that I would have turned my life over to God there right? Wrong I didn't...that comes later.
I was still in a depression though, and when I was depressed I just had this GOD sized hole in my heart. I spent the two years going into middle-school trying to cope with the depression. My 7th grade year though I found something that made me feel less insecure about myself. I tried filling my heart with lust and pornography. It drew me in, and never let go. It was a temporary mask of my pain, kinda like a pain killer that doesn't get rid of the cause of the pain, but it hides it and masks it. I thought I was good, going to youth group, and to church related things like confirmation, but when I got home I would sit in front of the computer screen in order to compensate for the pain in my heart. I didn't really even realize what I was doing until I was in high-school. When I started wanting a more in depth relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit showed me that this was a bad thing in my life. I was not being a real man. I was looking at women as a source of lust, and as a sex symbol. I idolized them and put the women I saw on the screen as a source of compassion, and I got some sort of pleasure out of the whole thing. It just was the seeking of happiness to fill my hole in my heart. I tried filling my heart with worldly things, when the one thing that would do that is Jesus Christ. I am not going to tell you that I don't struggle with lust now, but it is substantially better than it was before.
That was my life before I accepted Jesus into my life. After, I can say that he has transformed my mess that I described to you above into a message. Once I accepted the Lord and the Holy Spirit into my heart, I felt him slowly soften my heart, and begin to show me all my sin in my life. I am not perfect though. I can tell you that right now. I make mistakes and I sin still, but I know that with the Holy Spirit working inside me I can overcome that sin because Jesus made us perfect. He made us white as snow. I am a work in progress, and the Lord is chiseling me into an awesome man of God.
That is my story. That is how I came to Christ, and how I have been redeemed through him. Even though, I turned him away multiple times after he blessed my life. He still loves me, and accepts me for who I am. I love him, and he loves me beyond my imagination. He loves you too. Accept that gift of grace in your heart, and grow in relationship with him. It totally is amazing to see what he does in your life. Amen.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Your Love Never Fails
Wow. I just totally realized how long it has been since I posted on here. Well, I am back and better than ever! Anywho, today I was just having a hardcore prayer session with the Lord because I was just overwhelmed by how things have been going lately. I mean, I went home for the weekend and I felt neglected, like no one cared, and that I wasn't loved at all by some of my closest friends. It's not even anything that they did, but more of what I didn't do. I kind of closed myself off from them, and kind of assumed in my mind that they didn't care about me because I am in college now, and not in high-school. Thank the Lord for my family though. I mean, I probably would be in that funk still right now if it wasn't for my family being there and lifting my spirits up. The Lord worked through my family to reenforce the love that HE has for me, and the love that people really do have for me. I just praise God for that right now. That leads me to what I want to write about today. The topic I want to touch on is that God's everlasting love is not going to fail us, but instead renew us.
Like I said earlier, I just got done with a hardcore prayer session with the Lord, and just let him speak to me. When I was doing that I just recalled all that has happened in my life, and I just got reminded by the Lord of how much he loves me, and how much he loves all of us. I mean he loves us so much that his Son died on the cross for us. Isn't that crazy to think? A parent willingly giving up their child to save the rest of us from Satan. Wow. I am at awe of that, and I really can't grasp that love he has for us.
So, now that I have kind of recalled this love that God and Christ has for us, let me focus on the title of this post. Your Love Never Fails. I mean think about that. God continuously loves us, and through all we go through he remains that stronghold and steadfast love that flows into our hearts. Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we see all the worldly problems that Satan uses to leverage into our hearts, and we think that there is no one there. We cap off our hearts to his love and that love we have for ourselves and others is slowly drained out of our heart like a small hole in a water-balloon. Satan begins to squeeze out all the love we feel, and then replaces that with worldly lies and insecurities we have about ourselves. But, like I said before, HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS. Even when you have walled yourself off from that love he pours onto us, he continually pours it on you even if you don't see it. After awhile, that love starts to seep through the cracks of those walls and begins to resonate in our hearts. The walls start to crumble and the love of the Lord fills you up again, and that is my personal experience with his love this last weekend. He used my family to start to open the floodgates, and then the Lord does the rest of the work. I just wanted to share with you guys that the LORD'S LOVE NEVER QUITS. He is never giving up on us, and never stops loving us.
Hey Lord. It is me again, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to love me no matter what I have done, and no matter if I have fallen away from you or have came back to you. I just want to ask that you use me in the ways that you want and that I can be the man you have created me to be. I also ask that this post helps people to see that your love is amazing, and that all we have to do is let it in and you will do amazing things with our lives. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who hung on a tree in order to show us how much you love us and want us to prosper in this life. Amen.
Like I said earlier, I just got done with a hardcore prayer session with the Lord, and just let him speak to me. When I was doing that I just recalled all that has happened in my life, and I just got reminded by the Lord of how much he loves me, and how much he loves all of us. I mean he loves us so much that his Son died on the cross for us. Isn't that crazy to think? A parent willingly giving up their child to save the rest of us from Satan. Wow. I am at awe of that, and I really can't grasp that love he has for us.
So, now that I have kind of recalled this love that God and Christ has for us, let me focus on the title of this post. Your Love Never Fails. I mean think about that. God continuously loves us, and through all we go through he remains that stronghold and steadfast love that flows into our hearts. Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we see all the worldly problems that Satan uses to leverage into our hearts, and we think that there is no one there. We cap off our hearts to his love and that love we have for ourselves and others is slowly drained out of our heart like a small hole in a water-balloon. Satan begins to squeeze out all the love we feel, and then replaces that with worldly lies and insecurities we have about ourselves. But, like I said before, HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS. Even when you have walled yourself off from that love he pours onto us, he continually pours it on you even if you don't see it. After awhile, that love starts to seep through the cracks of those walls and begins to resonate in our hearts. The walls start to crumble and the love of the Lord fills you up again, and that is my personal experience with his love this last weekend. He used my family to start to open the floodgates, and then the Lord does the rest of the work. I just wanted to share with you guys that the LORD'S LOVE NEVER QUITS. He is never giving up on us, and never stops loving us.
Hey Lord. It is me again, and I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to love me no matter what I have done, and no matter if I have fallen away from you or have came back to you. I just want to ask that you use me in the ways that you want and that I can be the man you have created me to be. I also ask that this post helps people to see that your love is amazing, and that all we have to do is let it in and you will do amazing things with our lives. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who hung on a tree in order to show us how much you love us and want us to prosper in this life. Amen.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Dare to Be Different
Well hello all you lads and lasses. As college grows near for me, and maybe has started for most of the people reading this I just have been really starting to dig into the core things that I want to bring with me in college and to never let go of. My faith is on the top of that list. This post is going to be about never changing who you are for what others want you to be.
Lately with college lurking, I have been just getting excited and anticipating all that is going to happen as well as just worrying, which I think is normal. I am going to be living on my own in a whole new enviroment that is different than what I have been brought up. I mean its an exciting time. It's just the unknown that is totally sketching me out. Not having my friends that I have gotten so close to and my family right there to talk to in person is going to be weird for awhile. In this place, I may feel like I need to change to fit-in and stray away from myself.
It doesn't have to be that way though. I don't need to change who I am to fit in because if I have to do that, if I have to be someone that I am not just to be friends with people, then are they really my friends? If they don't like me for being me, then that is their problem. I am loved and accepted for who I am by the only person that only really matters in our lives. That person is God.
Why live for people who want you to change what you believe and go against yourself, when you can live for God who wants you to be you and loves you eternally for it. He is the only person whose opinion matters.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
- Romans 12:2
That verse from Romans pretty much sums up what I am totally talking about with this post. It tells us in the bible to not follow the crowd and change who we are for anybody. The only person who we should listen to is the Lord because humanly opinions are squashed and blown to smithereens by his mercy and love and grace. Don't fall into the pattern and sucked into all the bad things the crowd might tempt you to do because the Lord calls for us to be DIFFERENT and to be the action to his words.
I am not going to change for anybody. Can you do the same?
Lately with college lurking, I have been just getting excited and anticipating all that is going to happen as well as just worrying, which I think is normal. I am going to be living on my own in a whole new enviroment that is different than what I have been brought up. I mean its an exciting time. It's just the unknown that is totally sketching me out. Not having my friends that I have gotten so close to and my family right there to talk to in person is going to be weird for awhile. In this place, I may feel like I need to change to fit-in and stray away from myself.
It doesn't have to be that way though. I don't need to change who I am to fit in because if I have to do that, if I have to be someone that I am not just to be friends with people, then are they really my friends? If they don't like me for being me, then that is their problem. I am loved and accepted for who I am by the only person that only really matters in our lives. That person is God.
Why live for people who want you to change what you believe and go against yourself, when you can live for God who wants you to be you and loves you eternally for it. He is the only person whose opinion matters.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
- Romans 12:2
That verse from Romans pretty much sums up what I am totally talking about with this post. It tells us in the bible to not follow the crowd and change who we are for anybody. The only person who we should listen to is the Lord because humanly opinions are squashed and blown to smithereens by his mercy and love and grace. Don't fall into the pattern and sucked into all the bad things the crowd might tempt you to do because the Lord calls for us to be DIFFERENT and to be the action to his words.
I am not going to change for anybody. Can you do the same?
Saturday, August 18, 2012
God's Love > All
Hey everyone. So you all know that my last post was all about treating your body with respect and treating it like if the flesh was not your own, but that it was God's flesh you are taking care of because of him buying our salvation. Well, this morning I want to talk about how God's Love that unconditional AGAPE love conquers all.
What brings me to talk about this subject? Well, I have been struggling with the devil before and it has been a life-long battle with him so far. He has used my insecurities and all of my past crap against me and used all my brokenness to leverage me down into a huge pit. He also used all the temptations in my life to keep pushing me further and further into that rut. This rut was set off as a chain reaction. Once one thing happens then more and more things happen in succession and Satan uses that to continue to pick away at your outer shell trying to get you to break and fall into his grasp. There is HOPE though.
God's Love. That is the hope we all look to the skies to obtain. That is the unconditional and never-ending love that will continually pour down onto us even when we fall away from God and our relationship with him falters. He STILL loves us, and holds us close to him. We choose to fall away and believe all the lies and deceit Satan puts into our minds. Those thoughts hold our heart which is on fire for God hostage, and we start to believe those lies. When all of this is happening, the Father is there STILL continually loving us and reaching out with his huge hands waiting for us to break loose from the shackles has put on our hearts.
It is our choice though. We have to make the first move to intervene in our own lives. God is continually loving us, and continually has his arms outstretched waiting patiently for us to go jump back into his most heavenly of arms. I myself can finally say with all confidence that God's love has CONQUERED my temptations, and have blown away all of my insecurities from my past. I am finally ready to accept the full force of his mighty hurricane of love and grace. I am ready to bring my heart and soul to the Lord.
Are you ready? Are you ready to finally let his AGAPE love in? Are you ready to let it flow through you and into others? Are you ready to let yourself go and stop worrying about what others think? Are you ready? You better be because you have got amazing things in store for you. It doesn't matter if you accept that love fully now. As long as you try and strive for it, then you will one day finally experience the full majesty of his love and mercy. It is pretty amazing, isn't it? Amen.
What brings me to talk about this subject? Well, I have been struggling with the devil before and it has been a life-long battle with him so far. He has used my insecurities and all of my past crap against me and used all my brokenness to leverage me down into a huge pit. He also used all the temptations in my life to keep pushing me further and further into that rut. This rut was set off as a chain reaction. Once one thing happens then more and more things happen in succession and Satan uses that to continue to pick away at your outer shell trying to get you to break and fall into his grasp. There is HOPE though.
God's Love. That is the hope we all look to the skies to obtain. That is the unconditional and never-ending love that will continually pour down onto us even when we fall away from God and our relationship with him falters. He STILL loves us, and holds us close to him. We choose to fall away and believe all the lies and deceit Satan puts into our minds. Those thoughts hold our heart which is on fire for God hostage, and we start to believe those lies. When all of this is happening, the Father is there STILL continually loving us and reaching out with his huge hands waiting for us to break loose from the shackles has put on our hearts.
It is our choice though. We have to make the first move to intervene in our own lives. God is continually loving us, and continually has his arms outstretched waiting patiently for us to go jump back into his most heavenly of arms. I myself can finally say with all confidence that God's love has CONQUERED my temptations, and have blown away all of my insecurities from my past. I am finally ready to accept the full force of his mighty hurricane of love and grace. I am ready to bring my heart and soul to the Lord.
Are you ready? Are you ready to finally let his AGAPE love in? Are you ready to let it flow through you and into others? Are you ready to let yourself go and stop worrying about what others think? Are you ready? You better be because you have got amazing things in store for you. It doesn't matter if you accept that love fully now. As long as you try and strive for it, then you will one day finally experience the full majesty of his love and mercy. It is pretty amazing, isn't it? Amen.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
You Are a Temple
Well, it has been awhile since my last post. How do you start one of these things again? I guess I can just start writing down what I want. Alright so the last couple of weeks has been a rollercoaster. I have gone through my share of down moments and my share of peaks. I just want to share some insight that I have learned lately. This post tonight is going to be about treating your body like a temple.
Where to begin with this subject. Lately, I have just been going through the bible and reading verses that I have marked before in my past bible flipping sessions, and one verse really came out to me tonight because of just current temptations that I think all people of around my age tend to face. That verse was this one:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
In that verse, it really explains about some things that have been tempting me. These temptations go against everything this verse says. God wants us to treat our bodies and minds with respect as well as glorify God in everything we do with our bodies. I have fallen into the pit of not treating my body with the respect it deserves. It is hard not to fall into that pit, but you need to perservere and strive to be better. You deserve to love yourself and not destroy the temple God has created.
That means that if you think you are not honoring God with what you are doing to or with your body, then why do it? His Son died so that we would not be punished. Jesus was what bought our salvation. IT WAS HIS LIFE that relieved our sins and saved us from destruction. God gave us a second chance to live for him. Shouldn't we treat our bodies as if it were owned by God? Don't we owe that to him?
I think we owe him alot more in return that we as humans can never live up to because he forgives us over and over and loves us continuously. So I am going to ask you again. Don't we owe him to treat his child's body with respect and glorify him with it?
You are a TEMPLE. Treat yourself like one.
Where to begin with this subject. Lately, I have just been going through the bible and reading verses that I have marked before in my past bible flipping sessions, and one verse really came out to me tonight because of just current temptations that I think all people of around my age tend to face. That verse was this one:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
In that verse, it really explains about some things that have been tempting me. These temptations go against everything this verse says. God wants us to treat our bodies and minds with respect as well as glorify God in everything we do with our bodies. I have fallen into the pit of not treating my body with the respect it deserves. It is hard not to fall into that pit, but you need to perservere and strive to be better. You deserve to love yourself and not destroy the temple God has created.
That means that if you think you are not honoring God with what you are doing to or with your body, then why do it? His Son died so that we would not be punished. Jesus was what bought our salvation. IT WAS HIS LIFE that relieved our sins and saved us from destruction. God gave us a second chance to live for him. Shouldn't we treat our bodies as if it were owned by God? Don't we owe that to him?
I think we owe him alot more in return that we as humans can never live up to because he forgives us over and over and loves us continuously. So I am going to ask you again. Don't we owe him to treat his child's body with respect and glorify him with it?
You are a TEMPLE. Treat yourself like one.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Keep it Cool Positive and Keep Looking to the Now
Well hey there again. I dont really know how to start this. I have so many emotions and feelings as well as thoughts that are going through my mind right now. It is quite a thrill ride in my mind right now. Anyway, I am going to try and organize me thoughts.
It really is weird how when you totally strip yourself down to your core that you start realizing what needs to happen in life so that you will not be doing anything but glorifying God. I myself was sitting and praying earlier today. I started praying about all of my crap that I have been feeling and after I let it all go i just felt completely different. I felt as if an ape jumped off of my back and I could stand up straighter then before. I can live my true life and live out my faith. I am finally over caring about what people think because everyone thinks different things about everyone else, but if you let yourself care so much about what others think about you then who are you living for? Definitely not for yourself, or God himself.
Sorry that was a side tangent, but a good one. Back to what I wanted to talk about originally that being the two things that have kind of just came to me lately. Like I said, I was out praying earlier today, and I got told something. The voice was small and very hushed, but it said, "Be Positive, and live for the now." I know it is really cliche to say "He was spoken to by God!" But, I can say that something led me to thinking of those sayings. First of all, in life if you aren't positive about every situation and dont shine the light on the low points and on the high points, then is life going to be that enjoyable? It will probably be really hard to live to your fullest when you look at each situation you are put in and think that the worst is going to happen or regretting what you did or said. That leads me to the second part. Live in the Now. Sometimes I catch myself looking back into the past and regretting things that I have done or said, but when I catch myself doing that I look and smile up at the sky because I realize that we can't bring back the past. Why bring yesterdays crap into today? This day is a new day, a fresh start, and a new opportunity to redeem yourself. Look to the now, dont live for the future, or even the past. They both mean nothing to you unless you let life surprise you and let the Lord take the lead. Amen.
It really is weird how when you totally strip yourself down to your core that you start realizing what needs to happen in life so that you will not be doing anything but glorifying God. I myself was sitting and praying earlier today. I started praying about all of my crap that I have been feeling and after I let it all go i just felt completely different. I felt as if an ape jumped off of my back and I could stand up straighter then before. I can live my true life and live out my faith. I am finally over caring about what people think because everyone thinks different things about everyone else, but if you let yourself care so much about what others think about you then who are you living for? Definitely not for yourself, or God himself.
Sorry that was a side tangent, but a good one. Back to what I wanted to talk about originally that being the two things that have kind of just came to me lately. Like I said, I was out praying earlier today, and I got told something. The voice was small and very hushed, but it said, "Be Positive, and live for the now." I know it is really cliche to say "He was spoken to by God!" But, I can say that something led me to thinking of those sayings. First of all, in life if you aren't positive about every situation and dont shine the light on the low points and on the high points, then is life going to be that enjoyable? It will probably be really hard to live to your fullest when you look at each situation you are put in and think that the worst is going to happen or regretting what you did or said. That leads me to the second part. Live in the Now. Sometimes I catch myself looking back into the past and regretting things that I have done or said, but when I catch myself doing that I look and smile up at the sky because I realize that we can't bring back the past. Why bring yesterdays crap into today? This day is a new day, a fresh start, and a new opportunity to redeem yourself. Look to the now, dont live for the future, or even the past. They both mean nothing to you unless you let life surprise you and let the Lord take the lead. Amen.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Time for a Change
It is really awesome how God uses people in your life isn't it? I mean honestly God just took a bad situation that caused alot of heartache and increased my brokenness and taught me something. He used this person to intervene in my life, he used used them to give me a little knock on the head like a "could have had a V8 moment."
Lately, I know I have been falling away from my true self. I have been lashing out at people and saying hurtful things. It was just my way of dealing with everything. Why hurt by myself when I can make someone else hurt too? I didn't do this on purpose. It just has been a coping mechanism that I have used since I was younger. It all goes back to when I was bullied. I put all of these things in my mind that the way you make yourself feel better is either A. make people feel good about themselves and make other people happy to cope or B. make them just as miserable as I was. It was either one or the other. I would lash out and hurt the ones I love, and then turn around and try to build them up. I would destroy then try to rebuild.
I realize now that I have been doing this. It is just time for a new perspective on everything. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE. It is time to be reborn. It is time to become that wonderful man of God that I know I can be because I have been there. This is my valley. I once again am starting to climb my way out. I am starting to change my heart, and not let myself be my own worst enemy. I might fail, and I might fall back into old habits, but I am determined to make myself better. I am determined and inspired to go back to what the Lord has called me to do. That is to be the most loving, kind, light-hearted, strong, and friendly person I can be.
I also have learned that I need to stick up for myself, and not be that doormat that people trample over and think they can just say whatever they want to me and I will not care at all. I am a heartfelt and loving person yes, but there comes a point when I need to stand up and look my enemies in the eye and say "I love you, but I am not going to take this." This is the journey back to my true and happy self. I know what I need to do, and who I need in my life. That person I need is God. I know he is there and I know he is working through all of these situations to shape us into beautiful children of God.
Dear heavenly and merciful God, I just ask this afternoon that you work in my heart and begin the healing process as I have stripped myself down to the bare essentials of faith, family, and friends. It is just a wonderful thing to see you work through your children and see you work in my life. I love you and love all the people you have put in my life. No matter if they have hurt me, or loved me. I just ask today that you lift up our hearts and tear down all of these barriers we put up to keep each other out. I ask that you continue to shape me into that stable man that you call me to be. Walk in front of us, behind us, beside us, and in us. Be that rock and that fortress that we all draw strength from. In everything we do and everything we say, we glorify and serve your most precious and holy name. Amen.
Lately, I know I have been falling away from my true self. I have been lashing out at people and saying hurtful things. It was just my way of dealing with everything. Why hurt by myself when I can make someone else hurt too? I didn't do this on purpose. It just has been a coping mechanism that I have used since I was younger. It all goes back to when I was bullied. I put all of these things in my mind that the way you make yourself feel better is either A. make people feel good about themselves and make other people happy to cope or B. make them just as miserable as I was. It was either one or the other. I would lash out and hurt the ones I love, and then turn around and try to build them up. I would destroy then try to rebuild.
I realize now that I have been doing this. It is just time for a new perspective on everything. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE. It is time to be reborn. It is time to become that wonderful man of God that I know I can be because I have been there. This is my valley. I once again am starting to climb my way out. I am starting to change my heart, and not let myself be my own worst enemy. I might fail, and I might fall back into old habits, but I am determined to make myself better. I am determined and inspired to go back to what the Lord has called me to do. That is to be the most loving, kind, light-hearted, strong, and friendly person I can be.
I also have learned that I need to stick up for myself, and not be that doormat that people trample over and think they can just say whatever they want to me and I will not care at all. I am a heartfelt and loving person yes, but there comes a point when I need to stand up and look my enemies in the eye and say "I love you, but I am not going to take this." This is the journey back to my true and happy self. I know what I need to do, and who I need in my life. That person I need is God. I know he is there and I know he is working through all of these situations to shape us into beautiful children of God.
Dear heavenly and merciful God, I just ask this afternoon that you work in my heart and begin the healing process as I have stripped myself down to the bare essentials of faith, family, and friends. It is just a wonderful thing to see you work through your children and see you work in my life. I love you and love all the people you have put in my life. No matter if they have hurt me, or loved me. I just ask today that you lift up our hearts and tear down all of these barriers we put up to keep each other out. I ask that you continue to shape me into that stable man that you call me to be. Walk in front of us, behind us, beside us, and in us. Be that rock and that fortress that we all draw strength from. In everything we do and everything we say, we glorify and serve your most precious and holy name. Amen.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Background Singers
Hey there lads and lasses. I am not going to waste anytime and just jump right into it, so here we go. Lately, I have really been doing alot of self-analysis. I know that this is going to help me in my journey to find myself because it will help me mature, not put so much raw emotion into decisions, but instead think things through more logically. When I have been doing this, I have noticed a change. That change being that I see a whole new perspective. Instead of seeing things in my emotion-filled and narrow mind, I am seeing things in a more open and understanding mindset. It really frees yourself to endless possibilities. To stop over thinking every situation and applying soo much raw emotion into every decision and into relationships or whatever you might be thinking about. It brings peace to my mind. It brings me closer to God because I am really letting HIS will be done and not mine. I am not forcing things, and letting the Lord take the lead.
As one of my favorite Christian-rappers Lecrae said in one of his songs:
I could play the background
I could play the background
Cause I know sometimes I get in the way
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
And I could play the background, background
And you could take the lead
We all are just the background singers to God. We don't have to be the best of the best, or the cream of the crop of singers, but we are good enough to be in the band that God has created. WE ARE ACCEPTED. We just need to put our arrogance and thirst for the lime-light behind us and humble ourselves to what God really wants us to be.
Being a background singer does not mean we are perfect. We all are hypocrites, we sin, we make mistakes. We sometimes don't harmonize together well, but that is all put away and doesn't matter when God's voice rocks your socks off.
We are God's background singers and in the same situation, so why call out each others imperfections, when we are all in the same boat of brokenness and hypocrisy? God calls us to be better than the average teenager. He calls us to be mature in our faith, and in the way we act towards each other. That doesn't mean we always are, but if we strive towards that and actually work towards that ultimate goal then we are humbling ourselves to God's will. We are the Lord's background singers. We let him take the lead and blow away the crowd while he uses each one of our special gifts to add to the wonderful song known as the Grace of God. Amen.
As one of my favorite Christian-rappers Lecrae said in one of his songs:
I could play the background
I could play the background
Cause I know sometimes I get in the way
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
So won't You take the lead, lead, lead?
And I could play the background, background
And you could take the lead
We all are just the background singers to God. We don't have to be the best of the best, or the cream of the crop of singers, but we are good enough to be in the band that God has created. WE ARE ACCEPTED. We just need to put our arrogance and thirst for the lime-light behind us and humble ourselves to what God really wants us to be.
Being a background singer does not mean we are perfect. We all are hypocrites, we sin, we make mistakes. We sometimes don't harmonize together well, but that is all put away and doesn't matter when God's voice rocks your socks off.
We are God's background singers and in the same situation, so why call out each others imperfections, when we are all in the same boat of brokenness and hypocrisy? God calls us to be better than the average teenager. He calls us to be mature in our faith, and in the way we act towards each other. That doesn't mean we always are, but if we strive towards that and actually work towards that ultimate goal then we are humbling ourselves to God's will. We are the Lord's background singers. We let him take the lead and blow away the crowd while he uses each one of our special gifts to add to the wonderful song known as the Grace of God. Amen.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
You are the Glue
Hey there all my friends and readers. I hope you all are ready for another post here because it has been a while since my last one. Let it begin. Well, I just returned from the youth gathering in NOLA and I can tell you one thing that is for sure. I loved it. The feeling of 33,000 other of your peers worshiping God and spreading the love of Jesus Christ is undescribable. It was just unbelieveable. It left me speechless. God was present and moving in me and my group. I got to bond with some of my best of friends, people I know that I can turn to in my low points, and people that I will always love and cherish in my heart. Some of these people I have never really gotten to know outside of the "Hey how are you doing?" relationship, but I can offically say that all of these people are my brothers and sisters.
I am not going lie though, my week was not all rainbows and unicorns. I had my share of pits. The biggest of these pits came on Saturday night when during the Superdome worship I was hit by this profound combination of exhaustion and fear. The fear came from the fact that I finally realized that this trip is the last and final trip I would be taking with my youth group, and because I thought about this I began to get even more afraid of going to college and being so far away from them. I will not have that support system of friends that I have leaned on over the years. I will not be able to whenever I am down to just call up accouple of my closest of friends and ask "Do you wanna hang out?" The reason I ask them to do stuff is to take my mind off of myself, and to just let everything go. The feeling that no matter I have done or no matter what I talk about or do that these people will be there is soooo comforting to me and brings me strength. It just really frightend me. To lose what I have now. I know that it will be good and allow me to branch out and become and even better person and guy, but I am going to miss what I have right now so much. It is really hard to explain and I am sorry if you dont understand this.
I tell you what though. After that worship service, we were walking back to the hotel and everyone else in my group went to this dance. I was so glad I chose not to go to that dance. Here is why. It gave me time to myself. It gave me time to just get away from everybody and just have a straight up bro to bro talk with God. I mean, I sat in my hotel room looked up and sobbed. I sat in my room and cried like a little baby because I just didnt understand what was going on with me and why I was feeling this way. I am to emotional I guess, but it just felt good to release all the pent up stuff and I heard the voice of God that night. If you haven't heard that voice ever in your life. It is completely and utterly fantastic. He didn't actually say something to me, but he did use a random bible opening session to really open my eyes.
I just opened up my bible that night and I turned to the book of Isaiah and the first verse I read was from chapter 54 verse 11. It says, "Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli."
Wow. After I read that, dont ask me why, but I felt a complete and utter peace go flowing through my body. I began to see that eventhough we as people have been lashed and broken by the storm known as life, the Lord will rebuild us and make us even stronger and even more beautiful in the end.
We go through so much in our lives, whether it be lonliness, insecurities, bullying, brokeness, relationship problems, or any type of abuse. The world is cruel and increases the brokeness we all have, but let me tell you something. The Lord our God by the blood of his Son Jesus Christ fills in that brokeness. He uses our strengths, weakness, short-comings, failures, brokeness, and our PTL moments to glorify his name. I compare it to this. I think that we as humans are like a broken mirror. It is broken and cannot be put back together without some type of glue that is when God comes in. He is that glue that will fill in all of the brokeness of your heart and bring it all together again. He holds us together and keeps us whole. Just like the mirror needs the glue to keep it together. We need God, the Father, to hold us together with his eternal love and grace that will fill each and everyone of our hearts.
Father, I just ask this evening that you help all of the pain of this world and that instead of hate and pain that we can continue to spread the love that you have shown us that unconditional AGAPE love that is never failing. I also want to thank you for all that you do in my life and in everyone of our lives because you are perfect. You are beyond incredible to me and I love you so much. I just want you to continue to bless all of us in whatever way you feel suited because it isnt our will be done it is YOUR will be done. Use each of us to be the heartbeat and the life blood to that Agape Love. Work through us because it is most definitely your work and our hands to use. I bring all of this to you in your most holy name. Amen
I am not going lie though, my week was not all rainbows and unicorns. I had my share of pits. The biggest of these pits came on Saturday night when during the Superdome worship I was hit by this profound combination of exhaustion and fear. The fear came from the fact that I finally realized that this trip is the last and final trip I would be taking with my youth group, and because I thought about this I began to get even more afraid of going to college and being so far away from them. I will not have that support system of friends that I have leaned on over the years. I will not be able to whenever I am down to just call up accouple of my closest of friends and ask "Do you wanna hang out?" The reason I ask them to do stuff is to take my mind off of myself, and to just let everything go. The feeling that no matter I have done or no matter what I talk about or do that these people will be there is soooo comforting to me and brings me strength. It just really frightend me. To lose what I have now. I know that it will be good and allow me to branch out and become and even better person and guy, but I am going to miss what I have right now so much. It is really hard to explain and I am sorry if you dont understand this.
I tell you what though. After that worship service, we were walking back to the hotel and everyone else in my group went to this dance. I was so glad I chose not to go to that dance. Here is why. It gave me time to myself. It gave me time to just get away from everybody and just have a straight up bro to bro talk with God. I mean, I sat in my hotel room looked up and sobbed. I sat in my room and cried like a little baby because I just didnt understand what was going on with me and why I was feeling this way. I am to emotional I guess, but it just felt good to release all the pent up stuff and I heard the voice of God that night. If you haven't heard that voice ever in your life. It is completely and utterly fantastic. He didn't actually say something to me, but he did use a random bible opening session to really open my eyes.
I just opened up my bible that night and I turned to the book of Isaiah and the first verse I read was from chapter 54 verse 11. It says, "Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli."
Wow. After I read that, dont ask me why, but I felt a complete and utter peace go flowing through my body. I began to see that eventhough we as people have been lashed and broken by the storm known as life, the Lord will rebuild us and make us even stronger and even more beautiful in the end.
We go through so much in our lives, whether it be lonliness, insecurities, bullying, brokeness, relationship problems, or any type of abuse. The world is cruel and increases the brokeness we all have, but let me tell you something. The Lord our God by the blood of his Son Jesus Christ fills in that brokeness. He uses our strengths, weakness, short-comings, failures, brokeness, and our PTL moments to glorify his name. I compare it to this. I think that we as humans are like a broken mirror. It is broken and cannot be put back together without some type of glue that is when God comes in. He is that glue that will fill in all of the brokeness of your heart and bring it all together again. He holds us together and keeps us whole. Just like the mirror needs the glue to keep it together. We need God, the Father, to hold us together with his eternal love and grace that will fill each and everyone of our hearts.
Father, I just ask this evening that you help all of the pain of this world and that instead of hate and pain that we can continue to spread the love that you have shown us that unconditional AGAPE love that is never failing. I also want to thank you for all that you do in my life and in everyone of our lives because you are perfect. You are beyond incredible to me and I love you so much. I just want you to continue to bless all of us in whatever way you feel suited because it isnt our will be done it is YOUR will be done. Use each of us to be the heartbeat and the life blood to that Agape Love. Work through us because it is most definitely your work and our hands to use. I bring all of this to you in your most holy name. Amen
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Perfectly Imperfect
Hey there all mi amigos y amigas. Well here is just another one of those posts that seems to just come on to me randomly about just thoughts that go through my head. The only way for me to really get these things out of my head is to either one talk about it or two write about it on here. So, tonight or this morning whatever you prefer, I choose to write about it on here like most of the time.
So today, I have just noticed alot of heart-ache and brokenness in this world. Not only just in the world but also in my age group of high school to college age. I see all of the brokenness around us and I look at myself. I see brokenness as well. I see someone who is timid, insecure about his image, and is emotional. I continued to ponder about this today while I was in my driveway shooting baskets and I came to this determination.
WE ARE ALL BROKEN.
Each and everyone of us is broken in our own way, it doesn't matter if it is physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Each of us has our battles and our brokenness that we carry with us no matter who we are with or where we go. That isn't all that we carry with us though.
We also carry the thought of knowing that we are only human, and even though we are broken that we are PERFECT in the eyes of God. He created each and every cell in our bodies the way he wanted us. He made our personalities the way he wanted. He made our paths of life the way that he wanted. You want to know something else? GOD DOESN'T MAKE MISTAKES!
Perfectly made by an even more PERFECT CREATOR. Since we were perfectly made, then why do I have all of these imperfections? To tell you the truth, God doesn't think that you have any imperfections. We are the ones who make our selves imperfect. We put ourselves down. We bash on each other. We believe the things Satan tells us and falter.
We might not be perfect in each others eyes, but in God's eyes we are the most beautiful and perfect thing he has ever laid his all seeing eyes upon. So, the next time you feel down and broken, look yourself in the mirror and say "I am PERFECTLY IMPERFECT, and I love it that way."
Dear Father, I just ask this morning that you heal all of the brokenness in this world and that you show all of us that we were perfectly made by you. I also ask that you help all of us realize that we are all broken in our own ways, but that our brokenness is a part of us and was perfectly placed by you. I just want you to thank you tonight for showing me that I will never be perfect and that it is okay. I love you and want your almighty power and grace to endure. Amen.
So today, I have just noticed alot of heart-ache and brokenness in this world. Not only just in the world but also in my age group of high school to college age. I see all of the brokenness around us and I look at myself. I see brokenness as well. I see someone who is timid, insecure about his image, and is emotional. I continued to ponder about this today while I was in my driveway shooting baskets and I came to this determination.
WE ARE ALL BROKEN.
Each and everyone of us is broken in our own way, it doesn't matter if it is physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Each of us has our battles and our brokenness that we carry with us no matter who we are with or where we go. That isn't all that we carry with us though.
We also carry the thought of knowing that we are only human, and even though we are broken that we are PERFECT in the eyes of God. He created each and every cell in our bodies the way he wanted us. He made our personalities the way he wanted. He made our paths of life the way that he wanted. You want to know something else? GOD DOESN'T MAKE MISTAKES!
Perfectly made by an even more PERFECT CREATOR. Since we were perfectly made, then why do I have all of these imperfections? To tell you the truth, God doesn't think that you have any imperfections. We are the ones who make our selves imperfect. We put ourselves down. We bash on each other. We believe the things Satan tells us and falter.
We might not be perfect in each others eyes, but in God's eyes we are the most beautiful and perfect thing he has ever laid his all seeing eyes upon. So, the next time you feel down and broken, look yourself in the mirror and say "I am PERFECTLY IMPERFECT, and I love it that way."
Dear Father, I just ask this morning that you heal all of the brokenness in this world and that you show all of us that we were perfectly made by you. I also ask that you help all of us realize that we are all broken in our own ways, but that our brokenness is a part of us and was perfectly placed by you. I just want you to thank you tonight for showing me that I will never be perfect and that it is okay. I love you and want your almighty power and grace to endure. Amen.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Keep On Punching
Well hello there, and welcome to the next edition of Tyler's Brain. Narrated and written and thought up by yours truly. Anyway, past the corny introductions. OK so I am going to start out this post with how I am doing since my last post. Well, I am glad to share that I am back on track with myself. I have accepted that I don't really know all there is to know about myself yet, and that it is OK. I have been praying really hard lately about all the things that we as followers of Christ are put through and the Lord for some reason put the image of a boxing match into my mind. I continued praying and trying to interpret all the things I was seeing. This post is about what I saw and interpreting it.
So, I was praying out on the front stoop of my house and I have been consistently asking God about all the trials and tribulations we as followers are put through. I didn't get an answer for the first couple of weeks and finally yesterday an image came into my mind. This image was of a boxing ring and one corner of the ring was glowing with a bright white light and the other corner was dark and smoldering. I figured right away that it was the usual "God vs. Satan" type deal, but as I continued examining the image in my mind I saw what it really was. It wasn't God against Satan it was ME.
Holy Poop! I am in a boxing ring with Satan and am about to let loose with a wicked right-cross upon his smug little mug? I didn't really understand it, but I pondered on it and let it percolate in my mind.
This is what was percolated.
I wasn't alone. I remember seeing my side of the ring being of light, and Satan's being dark and gloomy. There was only one explanation for that. God was in my corner, and was pulling for me. He was and always is supporting me. God isn't the only one supporting us and loving on us. Jesus is also in our corner. He is our trainer, he was the one who showed us what love is and how to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He has beaten Satan before and has been preparing/training us to fight our battle. If we follow by his example that he set before us then we to will beat Satan.
Think about your own battles with all of your demons. Each and every single one of them is a round of that boxing match with Satan. You just got to keep rolling with the punches and go by the example Jesus has set before us. If you keep on keeping on your hand will be raised in victory and you will be capable of anything.
Dear God, I just want to lift up your name here tonight for showing me that every single one of these battles we face is for a reason. It is a trial and temptation that Satan puts in our lives to pull us away from you. I just want to thank you for all your love and support through my battle. You are truly loved by me. Show us that your mercy and your support and your LOVE will always endure and bring us to victory over Satan as it did for your son, Jesus. Amen
So, I was praying out on the front stoop of my house and I have been consistently asking God about all the trials and tribulations we as followers are put through. I didn't get an answer for the first couple of weeks and finally yesterday an image came into my mind. This image was of a boxing ring and one corner of the ring was glowing with a bright white light and the other corner was dark and smoldering. I figured right away that it was the usual "God vs. Satan" type deal, but as I continued examining the image in my mind I saw what it really was. It wasn't God against Satan it was ME.
Holy Poop! I am in a boxing ring with Satan and am about to let loose with a wicked right-cross upon his smug little mug? I didn't really understand it, but I pondered on it and let it percolate in my mind.
This is what was percolated.
I wasn't alone. I remember seeing my side of the ring being of light, and Satan's being dark and gloomy. There was only one explanation for that. God was in my corner, and was pulling for me. He was and always is supporting me. God isn't the only one supporting us and loving on us. Jesus is also in our corner. He is our trainer, he was the one who showed us what love is and how to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He has beaten Satan before and has been preparing/training us to fight our battle. If we follow by his example that he set before us then we to will beat Satan.
Think about your own battles with all of your demons. Each and every single one of them is a round of that boxing match with Satan. You just got to keep rolling with the punches and go by the example Jesus has set before us. If you keep on keeping on your hand will be raised in victory and you will be capable of anything.
Dear God, I just want to lift up your name here tonight for showing me that every single one of these battles we face is for a reason. It is a trial and temptation that Satan puts in our lives to pull us away from you. I just want to thank you for all your love and support through my battle. You are truly loved by me. Show us that your mercy and your support and your LOVE will always endure and bring us to victory over Satan as it did for your son, Jesus. Amen
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Insecurities
How things can change in a matter of 2 days. I was on top of the world. Loving my life and loving everything that God has done for me. Now tonight I sit back and am hit with the full force of all my past insecurities. This little voice from my past is whispering. "You aren't good enough. You shouldn't even be here with them. They are better then you. You are fat. You aren't as cool as they are. Look at yourself. You aren't handsome or good looking. You aren't funny. You aren't a leader. Why even try? Why are you even here?" Those are some of those things that keep reoccurring in my mind. Its not that people are even saying this to me. It is just what I put on myself because of things people have said about me in the past. It sticks with me. I am not fully away from these things, and they are a reoccurring feeling I get every once in awhile.
Right now, I feel like I am not wanted and not loved. I need an intervention by God and I have been praying and asking for the past weeks for him to show his face to me and to intervene in my turmoil, but as of right now, I have got nothing. It is sooooo hard to be that solid leader of faith when you yourself are in a bad place. It just feels like to me right now that I am hurting and am full of pent up rage at myself. I am mad at the fact that I am not myself. When I become this insecure person, I build up walls, I lash out, and say hurtful or rude things. I make fun of people and say things that I would normally not say. In other words, I don't show the love and respect that every single person deserves.
I don't know how else to explain myself, but I am just not me. I have changed and it makes me angry because I don't want to be this guy that is quiet, shy, guarded, and insecure. It just sucks. I have been here before and I know this will not last long, but I neeed God right now. I just need that beacon of hope like a star in the dark sky to shine down upon me and lift me up upon eagles wings. I will get there, I know that because like I said I have been here before. I just need love and I need support.
I am more than these insecurities. As my friends of Tenth Avenue North would say, I am more than all of these problems. I just need to find myself again, which I know I will.
Hey God. I have some things I need you to wash away for me. I need you this morning to let your forgiveness and your love wash over me like a river and take away all of these insecurities that are weighing me down. I just need you God, and I need your love to fill up my heart because I am out of love to give. I don't feel the love of anyone and I am starting to wall myself off because of it. I want your love to break these walls down and your love to rush into my heart. I also want to thank you for everything because I know that what I am going through will strengthen me and prepare me for what is to come. We claim all of this as a victory in your name. Amen
Right now, I feel like I am not wanted and not loved. I need an intervention by God and I have been praying and asking for the past weeks for him to show his face to me and to intervene in my turmoil, but as of right now, I have got nothing. It is sooooo hard to be that solid leader of faith when you yourself are in a bad place. It just feels like to me right now that I am hurting and am full of pent up rage at myself. I am mad at the fact that I am not myself. When I become this insecure person, I build up walls, I lash out, and say hurtful or rude things. I make fun of people and say things that I would normally not say. In other words, I don't show the love and respect that every single person deserves.
I don't know how else to explain myself, but I am just not me. I have changed and it makes me angry because I don't want to be this guy that is quiet, shy, guarded, and insecure. It just sucks. I have been here before and I know this will not last long, but I neeed God right now. I just need that beacon of hope like a star in the dark sky to shine down upon me and lift me up upon eagles wings. I will get there, I know that because like I said I have been here before. I just need love and I need support.
I am more than these insecurities. As my friends of Tenth Avenue North would say, I am more than all of these problems. I just need to find myself again, which I know I will.
Hey God. I have some things I need you to wash away for me. I need you this morning to let your forgiveness and your love wash over me like a river and take away all of these insecurities that are weighing me down. I just need you God, and I need your love to fill up my heart because I am out of love to give. I don't feel the love of anyone and I am starting to wall myself off because of it. I want your love to break these walls down and your love to rush into my heart. I also want to thank you for everything because I know that what I am going through will strengthen me and prepare me for what is to come. We claim all of this as a victory in your name. Amen
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Who Am I?
Well, hello all my brothers and sisters. I just wanted to write a little something that has been heavy on my heart over the past couple weeks and over the past month really. I think that some things lately have happend to self-examine myself and to find out my true self. So, in doing that I had to bring the question up to myself, "WHO AM I?" If you would have asked me that question acouple weeks ago this is the answer I would have given you. I am Tyler Lee Schonrock. I just graduated from Blue Earth Area High School and throughly enjoy fishing, frisbee golf, football, and basically anything that involves sports. I also would have added that I am a Christian who loves his God and understands that he loves me.
Who Am I? Wow. I question that definitely has never crossed my mind before these last couple of days. Forgive me, but this post is going to be me trying to figure out myself and to find who I am. So a disclaimer there.
Anyway, I am a firm believer that the things we go through in our lives strengthens us and helps us be prepared for future endeavors. It says this in Isaiah 64:8:
"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
In that verse, he compares the Lord to the potter and us as his children as the clay. Just like a hunk of clay on a pottery wheel, we need to be molded and shaped by a potter with loving and steady hands that will continually take the time to make us beautiful.
So who am I? Right now. I can tell you that I have no idea who I am. It's going to take time for the Lord to mold me into who I really am. He knows the kind of person I am now and the kind of person he wants me to be. I know somethings about who I am though.
I know that I am an honest, compassionate, heartfelt, open, trustworthy, and a sense of humor like no other. But, I do know this....
I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS.
I am a hunk of clay that has not been fully made into that beautiful piece of pottery. God is going to take his time until each one of us is perfect to his standards. HE ISNT FINISHED WITH US YET.
Dear Father, I reach out to you this morning to ask for peace of mind as I realize that it is ok not to fully know who I am because I know that you are still molding me into the person you know that I can be and I thank you for being that continuous and steady hand in my life that cares soooo much about me that you will not stop molding me until I am completely perfect in your eyes. I love you for that, and I ask that you help us all to realize that we are all work in progress because you are preparing us to be with you. Your love and care conquers all. Amen
Who Am I? Wow. I question that definitely has never crossed my mind before these last couple of days. Forgive me, but this post is going to be me trying to figure out myself and to find who I am. So a disclaimer there.
Anyway, I am a firm believer that the things we go through in our lives strengthens us and helps us be prepared for future endeavors. It says this in Isaiah 64:8:
"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
In that verse, he compares the Lord to the potter and us as his children as the clay. Just like a hunk of clay on a pottery wheel, we need to be molded and shaped by a potter with loving and steady hands that will continually take the time to make us beautiful.
So who am I? Right now. I can tell you that I have no idea who I am. It's going to take time for the Lord to mold me into who I really am. He knows the kind of person I am now and the kind of person he wants me to be. I know somethings about who I am though.
I know that I am an honest, compassionate, heartfelt, open, trustworthy, and a sense of humor like no other. But, I do know this....
I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS.
I am a hunk of clay that has not been fully made into that beautiful piece of pottery. God is going to take his time until each one of us is perfect to his standards. HE ISNT FINISHED WITH US YET.
Dear Father, I reach out to you this morning to ask for peace of mind as I realize that it is ok not to fully know who I am because I know that you are still molding me into the person you know that I can be and I thank you for being that continuous and steady hand in my life that cares soooo much about me that you will not stop molding me until I am completely perfect in your eyes. I love you for that, and I ask that you help us all to realize that we are all work in progress because you are preparing us to be with you. Your love and care conquers all. Amen
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Open Your Heart
Well hello all my friends. Just another post that will hopefully speak to you in anyway. Lets start with me giving you a little back story about why I am writing this post. First off, I was at work again tonight and when I am working, I tend to go into my own little bubble and do some deep thinking. Dont't ask me why I do this, but I do it and it really helps me understand myself as well as just cope with whatever is going on that day. Well today I was diligantly working and this rush of thoughts, ideas, and words came into my mind. Hang with me here. I am not crazy (most of the time), but I just felt like I needed to tell you all these thoughts.
This was my thinking. I started thinking about the walls that I have started putting up around myself after my last rock bottom and was trying to pinpoint them when I sat and looked up. When I did this I felt my whole body relax and I smiled because I knew and just realized the next couple of things I'm going to tell you all.
GOD CAN ONLY FILL YOUR HEART UP WITH LOVE IF YOU ALLOW HIM.
Wow. Mind-Blowing moment right there. I mean, when I realized this in full magnitude I just looked up and smiled because I felt like that the walls that I have put up have concealed myself from God's Love completely. Then I had this revelation.
God's Love is like an always flowing stream of water that is filling up our hearts with Love and Compassion, but if we do not open our hearts up to it then it is like we have screwed a cap on our hearts and the love that is continuously poured onto us is put to waste.
In my case, I have built up these walls around my heart that when the Love of God was being shown and poured into my heart that my walls worked like that cap on my heart. Like I said though, God's love is everlasting and does not falter, so the love like water against a wall, has worn me down and finally broken these walls down around my heart. The cap has been removed and my heart is overflowing with that love. It is so amazing to experience this, to feel like I can be finally open and completely outspread with the love of God raining down on me. It is truly and utterly amazing to know that no matter if I close myself off from God that he will continue to love and support me. Man! I love that guy!
I know right now some of you are going read this and be like "He doesn't know me. He doesn't know what I go through," and I tell you that I don't know what each of you deal with, but we all here have the same God that continuously pours his love into our hearts. I challenge you today. I challenge you to let everything go, let every wall come crashing down, and let the Love that God has always shown you enter your heart. It will not be easy, but as I have said in my previous post. "If something in life is really worth having, then you need to work at it."
Dear Heavenly Father, this morning I just ask you bless all of those people in this world that have closed themselves off from you as I have and that your everlasting and always flowing stream of love penetrate their barriers around their hearts and fill up their hearts with your renewing love. I want to thank you for continually showing me your love and no matter the circumstances never giving up on me. I want you to know that I will never give up on you as people have done in the past. You are so amazing and loving. I love you and cannot even comprehend the love you have for me. Thanks again for all you do. Amen
This was my thinking. I started thinking about the walls that I have started putting up around myself after my last rock bottom and was trying to pinpoint them when I sat and looked up. When I did this I felt my whole body relax and I smiled because I knew and just realized the next couple of things I'm going to tell you all.
GOD CAN ONLY FILL YOUR HEART UP WITH LOVE IF YOU ALLOW HIM.
Wow. Mind-Blowing moment right there. I mean, when I realized this in full magnitude I just looked up and smiled because I felt like that the walls that I have put up have concealed myself from God's Love completely. Then I had this revelation.
God's Love is like an always flowing stream of water that is filling up our hearts with Love and Compassion, but if we do not open our hearts up to it then it is like we have screwed a cap on our hearts and the love that is continuously poured onto us is put to waste.
In my case, I have built up these walls around my heart that when the Love of God was being shown and poured into my heart that my walls worked like that cap on my heart. Like I said though, God's love is everlasting and does not falter, so the love like water against a wall, has worn me down and finally broken these walls down around my heart. The cap has been removed and my heart is overflowing with that love. It is so amazing to experience this, to feel like I can be finally open and completely outspread with the love of God raining down on me. It is truly and utterly amazing to know that no matter if I close myself off from God that he will continue to love and support me. Man! I love that guy!
I know right now some of you are going read this and be like "He doesn't know me. He doesn't know what I go through," and I tell you that I don't know what each of you deal with, but we all here have the same God that continuously pours his love into our hearts. I challenge you today. I challenge you to let everything go, let every wall come crashing down, and let the Love that God has always shown you enter your heart. It will not be easy, but as I have said in my previous post. "If something in life is really worth having, then you need to work at it."
Dear Heavenly Father, this morning I just ask you bless all of those people in this world that have closed themselves off from you as I have and that your everlasting and always flowing stream of love penetrate their barriers around their hearts and fill up their hearts with your renewing love. I want to thank you for continually showing me your love and no matter the circumstances never giving up on me. I want you to know that I will never give up on you as people have done in the past. You are so amazing and loving. I love you and cannot even comprehend the love you have for me. Thanks again for all you do. Amen
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Perservere
It has been a week since my last post and things have been going great. Everyday comes with their own challenges, but I overcome each and every obstacle by just being true to me. Anyway, I feel like tonight I need to write about something that has came across my mind lately. I don't really know what made me think of this, but I just thought of this.
You really figure out what kind of person you are when things start going in the wrong direction, and you are at the brink of rock bottom or even there. That is when you figure out who you are. Are you the kind of person that gives up when things are going wrong? or do you perservere?
Those were some questions and thoughts that came to my mind over the last couple of days. When I thought about those questions, I really dug down and figured out what can of person I want to be. Am I going to give up when things get tough in my relationships with others or when I feel like I can't do anything right or whatever situation? The answer I came up with was......NO. I will not give up! Why give up on myself? The word that describes this whole post is PERSERVERANCE.
That word sums up almost everything that happens in our lives. When things are going against you and you start getting caught in the "quick sand" of life. Are you going to quit on yourself and on others? or are you going to try and perservere? Are you going to fight?
I'm going to use a quote from my high-school football coach.
"Anything that is worth having in our lives, we need to fight and work at acheiveing. Nothing will come easy."
I feel like this is totally the truth. If you feel like something is worth alot to your life, then you need to work for it and need to work at keeping it. Do not quit! Do not give up on yourself and on others in your life!
It is hard. I know this, but you think about the people in your life that when they have things start going against them and they thrive in that moment, they bring themselves up because they are not going to give up on themselves. Now think about that again, but say those people don't thrive and they give up, they give in, and don't trust in God or in themselves. What happens? They don't experience all of the possibilities that the Lord and that life have in store for them. They live life with blinders and don't experience all that they could!
Life is rough and sometimes things don't go your way, but what really shows what kind of person you are is how you rebound. How you respond to those things that seem to be against you. Do you give up and bail out? or do you fight for what you think is worth having? The choice is, as always, yours.
Heavenly Father, I just ask this evening that you help all of us to see that giving up on ourselves and on people we think are worth having relationships with is not what needs to happen. Help us and guide us through those situations when we feel like giving up, and giving up on you. Strengthen us and keep us as we move forward in each of our hard and complicated lives. I ask that you bless every single person in this world and will continue to show your love to them even on the brink. Thank you for all that you do and all the people you have put into our lives. Amen
You really figure out what kind of person you are when things start going in the wrong direction, and you are at the brink of rock bottom or even there. That is when you figure out who you are. Are you the kind of person that gives up when things are going wrong? or do you perservere?
Those were some questions and thoughts that came to my mind over the last couple of days. When I thought about those questions, I really dug down and figured out what can of person I want to be. Am I going to give up when things get tough in my relationships with others or when I feel like I can't do anything right or whatever situation? The answer I came up with was......NO. I will not give up! Why give up on myself? The word that describes this whole post is PERSERVERANCE.
That word sums up almost everything that happens in our lives. When things are going against you and you start getting caught in the "quick sand" of life. Are you going to quit on yourself and on others? or are you going to try and perservere? Are you going to fight?
I'm going to use a quote from my high-school football coach.
"Anything that is worth having in our lives, we need to fight and work at acheiveing. Nothing will come easy."
I feel like this is totally the truth. If you feel like something is worth alot to your life, then you need to work for it and need to work at keeping it. Do not quit! Do not give up on yourself and on others in your life!
It is hard. I know this, but you think about the people in your life that when they have things start going against them and they thrive in that moment, they bring themselves up because they are not going to give up on themselves. Now think about that again, but say those people don't thrive and they give up, they give in, and don't trust in God or in themselves. What happens? They don't experience all of the possibilities that the Lord and that life have in store for them. They live life with blinders and don't experience all that they could!
Life is rough and sometimes things don't go your way, but what really shows what kind of person you are is how you rebound. How you respond to those things that seem to be against you. Do you give up and bail out? or do you fight for what you think is worth having? The choice is, as always, yours.
Heavenly Father, I just ask this evening that you help all of us to see that giving up on ourselves and on people we think are worth having relationships with is not what needs to happen. Help us and guide us through those situations when we feel like giving up, and giving up on you. Strengthen us and keep us as we move forward in each of our hard and complicated lives. I ask that you bless every single person in this world and will continue to show your love to them even on the brink. Thank you for all that you do and all the people you have put into our lives. Amen
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Fear
Fear. The one thing in my life that seems to keep me down and prevent my growth as a person. Lately, I feel like I have been letting fear crawl into my heart and influence everything I have been doing and saying. It really sucks letting fear consume you. It eats your happiness and joy you feel, and replaces it with worry and pain. But! (there always is a "but" isn't there) The love of the Lord fights against fear and shuns out fear from our hearts. He washes away your fears with all that he does in our lives that bring us up and closer to him. His love showers over every single inch of our bodies and cleanses us of what we have done and of the causes of our fears. That is what I am writing about tonight....Fear and overcoming it.
If you look at every single thing we do and every decision we make, there is fear. The fear of the unknown, change, spiders, rejection, commitment, snakes, heights, roller coasters, close quarters, bugs, big words, and the list goes on and on. They are all fears we as people have of each other or of things in our lives. We recognize these fears and let them control our decisions. For example, if you are scared of heights, you are probably not going to be seen on the top of the Power Tower at Valleyfair just dangling there. Correct? That situation can be put for every single one of those fears I listed before. We as humans tend to avoid things that we fear. It is just nature. If you don't like something don't do it. Simple as that. Right?
See, I feel like for some of those harmless fears like snakes, spiders, dogs, heights, roller coasters, and stuff like that this really doesn't apply. For those fears that are deep and genuine like the fear of the unknown, commitment, rejection, failure, and maybe even fear of truly being happy. You think of it there is a fear of it, but I can honestly say that if all we do is avoid the situations that scare us then are we really living? Or are we avoiding?
One of my favorite Christian speakers, Graham Cooke, in his Inheritance message says this:
"Because when I look at you says the Lord, I see something that I love, and I see someone that I can love outrageously. And I have so much to bestow upon you, so much to give you, so many places to take you in My heart, but you can’t go there unless you allow Me to love you. And my love for you, will break every barrier, bring every wall crashing down, and know this says the Lord, My love damages fear, My love hates fear My love will fight fear it will fight fear in you it will fight fear around you, and if you have fear this evening says the Lord, then know that you have a treat in store, because My perfect love casts out fear, there is no fear where I am present, because My love casts out fear. Beloved, you are My beloved, you are My beloved, and in My love I want you to feel good about yourself.”
Wow.
THAT my friends is how you fight the fears we feel. You accept the Lord's love and open your heart up to him, and you will then be cleansed of all of your fears because the Lord loves you sooooooooooo much that his love will cast out every single fear, insecurity, and smallness you feel. His love WILL endure. Pretty amazing, wouldn't you say?
If you look at every single thing we do and every decision we make, there is fear. The fear of the unknown, change, spiders, rejection, commitment, snakes, heights, roller coasters, close quarters, bugs, big words, and the list goes on and on. They are all fears we as people have of each other or of things in our lives. We recognize these fears and let them control our decisions. For example, if you are scared of heights, you are probably not going to be seen on the top of the Power Tower at Valleyfair just dangling there. Correct? That situation can be put for every single one of those fears I listed before. We as humans tend to avoid things that we fear. It is just nature. If you don't like something don't do it. Simple as that. Right?
See, I feel like for some of those harmless fears like snakes, spiders, dogs, heights, roller coasters, and stuff like that this really doesn't apply. For those fears that are deep and genuine like the fear of the unknown, commitment, rejection, failure, and maybe even fear of truly being happy. You think of it there is a fear of it, but I can honestly say that if all we do is avoid the situations that scare us then are we really living? Or are we avoiding?
One of my favorite Christian speakers, Graham Cooke, in his Inheritance message says this:
"Because when I look at you says the Lord, I see something that I love, and I see someone that I can love outrageously. And I have so much to bestow upon you, so much to give you, so many places to take you in My heart, but you can’t go there unless you allow Me to love you. And my love for you, will break every barrier, bring every wall crashing down, and know this says the Lord, My love damages fear, My love hates fear My love will fight fear it will fight fear in you it will fight fear around you, and if you have fear this evening says the Lord, then know that you have a treat in store, because My perfect love casts out fear, there is no fear where I am present, because My love casts out fear. Beloved, you are My beloved, you are My beloved, and in My love I want you to feel good about yourself.”
Wow.
THAT my friends is how you fight the fears we feel. You accept the Lord's love and open your heart up to him, and you will then be cleansed of all of your fears because the Lord loves you sooooooooooo much that his love will cast out every single fear, insecurity, and smallness you feel. His love WILL endure. Pretty amazing, wouldn't you say?
Monday, June 18, 2012
Immmmmmmm BAAAAAACK
I don't even know how to start this post out. Honestly the past couple of days and weeks I have felt called and urged from something to keep writing these posts. First of all, little things these days just seem to inspire me and give me hope, no matter the situation. It is like I have had the blinders removed from my eyes and it feels so amazing. You have no idea how great this feeling is because I feel as though before the past couple of weeks I was just going through the motions taking granted the time and of the little things God put in my life. Now that things are changing and some things have been removed from my life that were holding me back I feel as though I can live each day looking for those little things God says or shows us.
I feel that before I was so worked up and worried about graduation as well as other things that I didn't pick up all the little things that the Lord was showing me and trying to tell me. I was lost and was caught up so much in those worries and those people that I wasn't focusing on me and I was shutting out my God because my life was fine and good so why should I need the Lord? Well guess what! Uhhhhh you kind of need him all the times of your life. I learned that the hard way. Things started happening and changing so fast that I didn't know what to do, and I spun out of control into a pit of my own destruction. God has used this to show me though that I need him. We all are going to have those times when we feel alone, and like no one is there. The thing about those times is that is when our faith grows stronger and we become shaped into the person we really want to be. Some people handle change greatly and others handle it completely in the opposite of what the Lord wants, but there is going to be plenty of instances in our lives where change is going to happen. It is just our job to listen to the Lord and use him as your guide.
We all are going to have this point in our lives where a sudden change happens like graduation or a death in the family or a blind-sided breakup or sickness in the family. No matter what that change is, the only way to get to the Lord is to listen to him and slow down. Stop thinking and worrying so much about other people because you can't change them, but instead focus on the Lord and your relationship with him. That is truly what matters to be at peace.
Dear Father, I want to pray tonight for all the people who are lost as I was and see all the worries in this world instead of noticing all the little things you do for us. I also want to pray for myself as I continue to scale the mountain and move forward in my life. As I leave those worries and those people that have held me down behind me. I also want to thank you for those people that have caused pain in my life because they have helped me strengthen my relationship with you as well as myself. I want you to know God that I love you completely and thank you for all the people you have put in my life, no matter if they are there to bring me down or raise me up. You are truly an awesome God and I know you will always be victorious in every valley I go through. Thanks for all the amazing things you have done in my life and for the people who have pushed me closer to you. In your most merciful and glorious of names. Amen
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Things Change
Hey there all. I have a really strong calling and feeling to write about something that affects every single one of us who are living and breathing human beings. That thing being CHANGE. Everything in this world changes, whether it be people or situations or nature in general. The thing that we as humans need to do is accept that these things do happen and that we just need to figure out what the heck this change is going to do for me, how is this going to affect me in a good way? What can I learn from this sudden change? I'm sorry it is so late, but tonight/this morning I just feel like I should get this off my mind and chest.
I am going through what I like to call a "Changing Period," where I am trying to figure out myself as well as the kind of people I want to surround myself with in the future. Tonight, I went to a friends house for a bonfire and that just really helped remind me of the people that truly care and truly are the people I can turn to when I am down and need a lift. In this time of change, one thing I was reminded of is that the Lord NEVER changes. The love the Lord gives us NEVER fails and NEVER diminishes. When you go through these change filled times, where you sit and wonder, "WOW where did the time go and why are things changing so much?" The Lord is there working through every change that happens in your life to shape and mold you like clay under his hands, we cannot become that beautiful piece of pottery unless we have those times of change to shape us into it.
In this time in my life, I feel like as though the Lord has intervened and shown me the positive in this change filled period. The Lord has shown me that even though that people and other things are changing in my life that he is still there and he will ALWAYS be there. Because I know he LOVES me for who I am and has put the people who are in my life right now in there for a reason, and have put these hard changes in my life to strengthen me for the future. He is preparing me for bigger and better things and people to associate myself with.
Change is never easy to accept, but with a heavenly Father who will NEVER change by your side, you are capable of overcoming these changes.
Dear Heavenly Father. I just ask tonight that you help all of those people who are in my current situation of accepting and seeing you in all of the changes we come in contact in our lives. I ask that you pour your love and shine your beacon into my life as well as all of our lives. You are truly amazing Lord, and I love you so much and I know you love me too. Thanks for being you and being there no matter of all the changes that happen around us. Shine your light into our lives and help us understand that your love endures. Amen
I am going through what I like to call a "Changing Period," where I am trying to figure out myself as well as the kind of people I want to surround myself with in the future. Tonight, I went to a friends house for a bonfire and that just really helped remind me of the people that truly care and truly are the people I can turn to when I am down and need a lift. In this time of change, one thing I was reminded of is that the Lord NEVER changes. The love the Lord gives us NEVER fails and NEVER diminishes. When you go through these change filled times, where you sit and wonder, "WOW where did the time go and why are things changing so much?" The Lord is there working through every change that happens in your life to shape and mold you like clay under his hands, we cannot become that beautiful piece of pottery unless we have those times of change to shape us into it.
In this time in my life, I feel like as though the Lord has intervened and shown me the positive in this change filled period. The Lord has shown me that even though that people and other things are changing in my life that he is still there and he will ALWAYS be there. Because I know he LOVES me for who I am and has put the people who are in my life right now in there for a reason, and have put these hard changes in my life to strengthen me for the future. He is preparing me for bigger and better things and people to associate myself with.
Change is never easy to accept, but with a heavenly Father who will NEVER change by your side, you are capable of overcoming these changes.
Dear Heavenly Father. I just ask tonight that you help all of those people who are in my current situation of accepting and seeing you in all of the changes we come in contact in our lives. I ask that you pour your love and shine your beacon into my life as well as all of our lives. You are truly amazing Lord, and I love you so much and I know you love me too. Thanks for being you and being there no matter of all the changes that happen around us. Shine your light into our lives and help us understand that your love endures. Amen
Friday, June 15, 2012
Lay 'Em Down
Well hello hello all you beautiful people! I'm not going to diddly doddle very long, so here we go. I think that these past couple of weeks have been a struggle, they also have been uplifting in more ways then one. Kind of an up and down roller coaster that has been exhilarating, but also heartbreaking. I am not going to go into details about certain things that have been going on because they aren't worth bringing up to you all who are reading this because they just aren't worth the pain and the misery that I know those things will bring to myself because I have forgiven and I am now starting to forget. Anyway, this past week I went with my church to Whitewater State Park and we camped from Monday through Friday. How was camping? I would have to say that camping was.......flipping fantabulous! I experienced God the most this week then I have ever in the previous 5 years I went on this trip. It was uplifting, extravagant, inspiring, and an all around God-filled week. This post is not going to be about hope, the valley, rock bottom, even though, those things have alot to do with it. I am going to talk about laying all of your troubles down to God because when you surrender yourself to God's will and go with the flow great things will happen.
Come down to the river
Come and let yourself in
Make good on a promise
To never hurt again
If you're lost and lonely
You're Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down
Lay 'Em Down by NeedtoBreathe
Those lyrics have never spoken to my heart more then this last week. I have reached a point where I feel as though all these things being thrown at me are too much to bear and that I am completely worn down to nothing. But, as I have said in my previous posts....there is hope. Okay, so there is hope, I understand that, but what about all those worries, feelings, heartbreak, and turmoil. What do I do about those things? As that song says, YOU LAY THEM DOWN!
You lay them down.
You see, all those things you feel that are there bringing you down. Maybe its your self-worth, self-image, trust issues, family issues, relationship problems, getting over a break-up, school worries, and friend problems. Whatever in this world you feel those things are, are completely washed away by a rushing river of love and forgiveness by our Lord. If you lay your problems and worries and other things that are keeling you from your full potential down, then you are cleansed by those waters of forgiveness and redemption.
Lord, I ask of you today that you help us all to see that if we surrender, and lay all of your crap down for you to see, then we will be cleansed by your river of grace and love. I also want to thank you for all the things you have done in my life to keep me going, and to keep me in the righteous even though sometime we go down the wrong path. Your love and your mercy lives in each and everyone of us. Use us to be beacons of hope in other peoples lives and show the example of laying down and surrendering to you. Amen.
Come down to the river
Come and let yourself in
Make good on a promise
To never hurt again
If you're lost and lonely
You're Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down
Lay 'Em Down by NeedtoBreathe
Those lyrics have never spoken to my heart more then this last week. I have reached a point where I feel as though all these things being thrown at me are too much to bear and that I am completely worn down to nothing. But, as I have said in my previous posts....there is hope. Okay, so there is hope, I understand that, but what about all those worries, feelings, heartbreak, and turmoil. What do I do about those things? As that song says, YOU LAY THEM DOWN!
You lay them down.
You see, all those things you feel that are there bringing you down. Maybe its your self-worth, self-image, trust issues, family issues, relationship problems, getting over a break-up, school worries, and friend problems. Whatever in this world you feel those things are, are completely washed away by a rushing river of love and forgiveness by our Lord. If you lay your problems and worries and other things that are keeling you from your full potential down, then you are cleansed by those waters of forgiveness and redemption.
Lord, I ask of you today that you help us all to see that if we surrender, and lay all of your crap down for you to see, then we will be cleansed by your river of grace and love. I also want to thank you for all the things you have done in my life to keep me going, and to keep me in the righteous even though sometime we go down the wrong path. Your love and your mercy lives in each and everyone of us. Use us to be beacons of hope in other peoples lives and show the example of laying down and surrendering to you. Amen.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
From Rock Bottom to Scaling the Mountain
These past couple of weeks have had their ups and downs. As my last post stated, I hit rock bottom but I realized that I needed to build my relationship with God because a relationship with the Lord, like any relationship or friendship, is a two-way street. Anyway fast forward to now and I can tell you that I am on the rebound. I have been diving into the word and doing alot of self-realization about myself and the kind of person that I can and strive to become. To be honest with you, I feel like now I am set free from the burdens and chains that were holding me down in that pit I was in, and as the title of this post says, I am "Scaling the Mountain." What exactly does that mean? Well, to me that means the worst is behind me. That "Rock Bottom" is just that, AT THE BOTTOM. You are now slowly scaling that mountain because you know that what is on top of this mountain is SOOOO worth having and worth striving to have. That journey back to the mountaintop may take a long time. It may take no time at all, or it may not be clear to when you have reached it. Each persons' walk and journey up the mountain is different, but the Lord is always going to guide you and strengthen you.
For me, the journey from the bottom has just begun but I see the light and am basking in it for everyone else to see. I know what the mountain top feels like, how it fills my heart with love, and how it shuns out every insecurity and lonely feelings I have experienced at the bottom. The journey will be tough, it will not be easy, but if I keep trying, keep striving, and never give up on myself then I will get to that mountaintop. If I put my faith in the Lord and persevere with him as my right hand man, then I am unstoppable. I am going to close with a quote from one of my favorite Christian speakers.
“Along the way you might fall down, . .. sometimes in life, you might fall down and can’t find the strength to get back up… do you think you have hope? Because I tell you, I’m down here and I have no arms and no legs, … It should be impossible for me to get up, but it’s not”
- Nick Vujicic
That man has no arms and legs, and eventhough he has no limbs he sees the HOPE that some of us do not see when we are at rock bottom. He goes on to say in another quote that I am going to end with that if you do not try and strive to get back on the mountain top that you will fail that the only time that you will fail is when you have given up. If that kind of man, one without arms and legs, has not given up on himself and on his LORD then what does that say about us who do? I challenge myself to continue to scale the mountain, no matter how many times I fail to make progress and fall back into rock bottom. I will continue to try and try and try and strive to be back on the mountain top and not give up on myself and on the LORD.
"I will try one hundred times to get up, and if I fail one hundred times. If I fail and I give up, will I ever get up? No! If I fail I’ll try again, and again and again. But I want to tell you it’s not the end.”
Lord help us all to understand that even down in rock bottom that when we try and strive to be back on the mountain that you will be there to guide us and comfort us as well as being our strength when we have got no more to give. I ask that you help me in my journey back to the mountaintop and that you bless each and every person in my life no matter if they have hurt me or encouraged me. In your name. Amen
For me, the journey from the bottom has just begun but I see the light and am basking in it for everyone else to see. I know what the mountain top feels like, how it fills my heart with love, and how it shuns out every insecurity and lonely feelings I have experienced at the bottom. The journey will be tough, it will not be easy, but if I keep trying, keep striving, and never give up on myself then I will get to that mountaintop. If I put my faith in the Lord and persevere with him as my right hand man, then I am unstoppable. I am going to close with a quote from one of my favorite Christian speakers.
“Along the way you might fall down, . .. sometimes in life, you might fall down and can’t find the strength to get back up… do you think you have hope? Because I tell you, I’m down here and I have no arms and no legs, … It should be impossible for me to get up, but it’s not”
- Nick Vujicic
That man has no arms and legs, and eventhough he has no limbs he sees the HOPE that some of us do not see when we are at rock bottom. He goes on to say in another quote that I am going to end with that if you do not try and strive to get back on the mountain top that you will fail that the only time that you will fail is when you have given up. If that kind of man, one without arms and legs, has not given up on himself and on his LORD then what does that say about us who do? I challenge myself to continue to scale the mountain, no matter how many times I fail to make progress and fall back into rock bottom. I will continue to try and try and try and strive to be back on the mountain top and not give up on myself and on the LORD.
"I will try one hundred times to get up, and if I fail one hundred times. If I fail and I give up, will I ever get up? No! If I fail I’ll try again, and again and again. But I want to tell you it’s not the end.”
Lord help us all to understand that even down in rock bottom that when we try and strive to be back on the mountain that you will be there to guide us and comfort us as well as being our strength when we have got no more to give. I ask that you help me in my journey back to the mountaintop and that you bless each and every person in my life no matter if they have hurt me or encouraged me. In your name. Amen
Monday, May 28, 2012
Somewhere in between..
I'll keep this short, as typing on a iPod is not my forte. Also, not exactly sure where I'm going with this. I guess this will be more of an update than anything, so here goes:
After that whole initial phase of going to college and having no idea what direction I was going to take with my life, I'm finding myself back at square one. Not really sure about my major anymore, but honestly, I can't really find any major that interests me. I just can't commit to doing one thing for the rest of my life. Not really my style. ;)
On the topic of commitment, (What a segway!) I'm seriously driving my whole relationship-figuring-out-scenario-thing farther into the "Uncertain zone." Long, (extremely) complicated, and much too far from it's conclusion for me to blog about.
Before I wrap this up, I'd just like to say that I feel incredibly old. I fell a couple months ago, screwed up my knee, and it still hasn't fully recovered. Coupled with my pre-existing foot injury, my right lower body mows has two joints that don't work like they should.
On a good note, I've gotten past the point in my life where that would make me cynical and angry. Still not thrilled that I haven't been able to feel good sprinting in months, but if that is one of my more noticeable problems, I'm in pretty good shape. :) Like I told a friend of mine, if I focused on all the negatives, I wouldn't have time to enjoy the positives.
Peace out everybody.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Rock Bottom
Well all who care to read this. I just want to thank you for taking time out of your busy nights or days to read this post. Anyway, Im going to talk about some pretty tough stuff in here so a little disclaimer about that. And as Timon would say off of Lion King, "And it starts...."
Well the past couple of days have been as close to rock bottom as I have been in a long time. The last time I was down this low was when I first realized and was starting to deal with my pornography addiction. (Which if you were wondering has been going really really great lately, im clensed in that regard) Another time I was that close to rock bottom was when I had decided I was going to commit suicide, which was as a 5th grader, obviously I didn't go through with it because I am here writing this now, but I bring those times up because I am at the bottom right now. I have just been going through some hurtful and pain filled times right now, and I feel as though God isn't even here and why would he have let these things happen to me if he knows that all they do is cause pain. Well, tonight I sat out on the front stoop of my house and cried and cried and cried. During this time, I just sat and looked up as the lightning lit up the sky and thought to myself about my relationship with God. I came to the conclusion that I need to find him once again. I need to search for him, trust him, and put all my transgressions out there for him to see. I may be down here in rock bottom, but that does not mean at all that my God is not there. That beacon of HOPE I talked about in my last post is still there. I see it and I want to bask in its glory, so I am going to bounce back from this pit I am in and once again be in the light. I will break away from the dark. I will become a better man. I will be a better friend. I will become a more loving person. And finally, I will become a better me. With my God by my side always, anything is possible. I will strive to be better, and to live my life with the purpose of living for God and myself. God is great and can conquer all, and that is why I am going to give it all to him.
Im going to close with something that will hopefully lift up your spirits as well as mine. God puts these "Rock Bottom" moments so that we can more deeply understand and learn to love as well as trust him more deeply. The next time you are in the same place I am now just remember that these times are there to strengthen you and let you know that God is still there because the only time God can show is light to you is when you yourself are in the dark.
Well the past couple of days have been as close to rock bottom as I have been in a long time. The last time I was down this low was when I first realized and was starting to deal with my pornography addiction. (Which if you were wondering has been going really really great lately, im clensed in that regard) Another time I was that close to rock bottom was when I had decided I was going to commit suicide, which was as a 5th grader, obviously I didn't go through with it because I am here writing this now, but I bring those times up because I am at the bottom right now. I have just been going through some hurtful and pain filled times right now, and I feel as though God isn't even here and why would he have let these things happen to me if he knows that all they do is cause pain. Well, tonight I sat out on the front stoop of my house and cried and cried and cried. During this time, I just sat and looked up as the lightning lit up the sky and thought to myself about my relationship with God. I came to the conclusion that I need to find him once again. I need to search for him, trust him, and put all my transgressions out there for him to see. I may be down here in rock bottom, but that does not mean at all that my God is not there. That beacon of HOPE I talked about in my last post is still there. I see it and I want to bask in its glory, so I am going to bounce back from this pit I am in and once again be in the light. I will break away from the dark. I will become a better man. I will be a better friend. I will become a more loving person. And finally, I will become a better me. With my God by my side always, anything is possible. I will strive to be better, and to live my life with the purpose of living for God and myself. God is great and can conquer all, and that is why I am going to give it all to him.
Im going to close with something that will hopefully lift up your spirits as well as mine. God puts these "Rock Bottom" moments so that we can more deeply understand and learn to love as well as trust him more deeply. The next time you are in the same place I am now just remember that these times are there to strengthen you and let you know that God is still there because the only time God can show is light to you is when you yourself are in the dark.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Be Grateful!
Hey there my fellow brothers and sisters! I just wanted to touch base with you guys and talk about something that really has struck a cord in me tonight. Just to be grateful for all of the things and people we have in our lives right now. I have just been struggling lately with some of these things because I have been going through a tough time lately. Just I feel like I'm not connected with some people that I should be because of walls put up and its frustrating because I need support and love and people I can trust right now. The temptations of my life, with the fear of the unknown, and the stress of graduation added all together with the connections not being made just have been bringing me down into a pit which has brought me to where I am right now. When being down here at the bottom I look up and see a light, that beacon of hope that we all see but just ignore sometimes. In that beacon of hope I see the things that I can be grateful for and only now in my time of darkness have I ever noticed such a light. I can be grateful for my family, my girlfriend, my friends, my community of fellow believers in Christ behind me, and the love of God to back me up no matter the circumstances! Eventhough these relationships we have with others may not be always perfect and may not always be easy, it is worth it in the end to go through the things we go through. Everything in our lives is worth our time, love and affection, it is just our job to be grateful for all the abilities, the turmoil, the excitement, the joy, the love, and the relationships we have with any and every single person we meet or become close to because we are not guarnteed anything in our lives. Be grateful and love on everything and everyone because that unknown and mysterious thing which is the end of our lives may be closer than most of us think. Let me close with this. Life is a precious and delicate, but it can also be cruel and heartless. It's our job to no matter the situation to recognize that beacon of HOPE, and to support as well as love our fellow people to be that kind hand that God has created each and everyone of us to be. Today I challenge you all to love on someone, support them, and be grateful for those in your life that you can support as well as be supported by. Amen
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