tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22155058481697894932024-02-22T09:39:05.869-08:00Muffin-Tops and Green Teathe adventures, angst, and random moments of a random guy living a random life. Joshua 1:9 is my life verse, Dug the dog is my hero.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-14309309965531788022015-11-20T16:16:00.002-08:002015-11-20T21:40:10.090-08:00I am afraid...I know church culture.<br />
<br />
The good, the bad, and the ugly.<br />
<br />
I've been in the church all my life and honestly, I've noticed a common trend: The deeper we are in to church culture, the further we are away from the real world. And the further we are away from the real world, we begin to see all kinds of arrogance, cruelty, and selfishness fester and grow.<br />
<br />
Now make no mistake, this post isn't to trash on the church, not even close, I'm saying this because I dearly love the church and I want us to see the end of this and because I willingly am stating that I am very much part of the problem.<br />
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I've seen outstanding examples of selflessness, integrity, love and devotion within the church and I know people who I would trust with my life in an instant. <br />
<br />
However, some of the cruelest, coldest and most inward focused people I've ever known claim to be my "brothers and sisters in Christ".<br />
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It's because of this, that I am posting for the first time in years on this dusty old blog that I made so so long ago. <br />
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Because I am afraid.<br />
<br />
When unsaved people come to me and call me an arrogant, selfish, and intolerant bigot, I see how we as Christians treat the world around us, and I can't disagree. <br />
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I see how my fellow classmates here at Moody Bible Institute treat their classmates and jockey for attention and scramble for the spotlight. </div>
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And I look in the mirror and see how I treat those around me.<br /><br /> And I feel so hopeless that I want to hang my head and give up. <br />
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Because I feel like Paul when he described himself as "the chief of sinners". <br />
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We are so focused on what makes <i>us</i> happy, what <i>we</i> want, and what <i>makes us feel good</i> instead of actually seeing the world for what it is: a broken, cold, and hurting place that's screaming for a reason to keep existing.<br />
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Because of this, we only care about what keeps our happy world stable and unruffled. Our entitlement complex is only matched by our greed for attention and applause. We think we deserve the best and when we don't get it, we pout and shake our fists at God. The modern church-goer demands that God gives us stable jobs, a perfect un-damaged spouse that will fulfill all our desires and needs, and a fan-base of "friends" that will affirm our every action. <br />
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We become cruel and demanding and we forget that we are just as sinful and disgusting as anyone else on this planet. <br />
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We are now a social club where we gossip and slander with wild abandon and we complain when the coffee is too cold. We have virtually no knowledge of how to actually reach out to someone and if anyone get's too messy or uncomfortable, we ditch them because Oprah told us to only be around people who lift us higher. <br />
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In the short 25 years that I've spent here, I've been "serving" in the church for probably 11 years of them. I've noticed that we (myself included) are so much better at criticizing each other and cutting each other down than we are at encouraging each other. We love to hate, and hate it when we have to love and we've bought the lie that God favors our happiness above anything else. <br />
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Maybe I've just lost hope, maybe I've seen too many shades of gray when church culture keeps saying that everything is black and white.<br />
<br />
I've been on mission trips in the United States and all across the world. I've worshiped with people who's names I can't say because it could end up with them imprisoned or dead, I've worked in places that don't even have clean drinking water and I've seen kids both in the U.S. and abroad that have never been told they're loved and don't know when their next meal will come. <br />
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In short, I've seen the world and its ugliness. I've gotten the filth of it on my hands and under my fingernails and no amount of counseling or worship sessions will ever clean it off.<br />
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I've been in places where I reached the end of my rope and found that I was woefully inadequate and there was no "happy ending" like in the movies. I've hugged kids who smelled like garbage and pee because they don't have showers, and I've had mothers tell me that I was the only male in their kids lives to ever show them any attention and love. I have shed so many tears and had my heart broken hundreds of times by how screwed up this world truly is. And it's left me changed.<br />
<br />
I can't relate to Christians who would exclude me because I can't call myself a Calvinist or an Arminian.<br />
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I can't just look at someone who is lying to me when they say "I'm fine" when I know their lives are falling apart and smile and say "okay" and walk away.<br />
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I can't piously sit on a cushion and criticize and gossip about my fellow Christians and loftily look down on those I deem spiritually pathetic.<br />
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I can't claim to have all the answers for all the worlds problems.<br />
<br />
And I can't just cut someone down without knowing who they are just because they act in a way that shocks me. <br />
<br />
The minute that we leave the comfortable walls of our church and go into the world, we realize that this world is not black and white. We realize that we can't be an idealist anymore. We realize that we're not up to the task that God has called us to, and only He can make it happen. Suddenly, we wake up and realize that it's not just in the mission field where we are inadequate, but <i>everywhere</i>. <br />
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It hurts. It cuts our ego to shreds and leaves us feeling humiliated and exposed. But we also wake up to another reality. <br />
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We wake up to the fact that we truly are helpless. That Christ alone is the only light in this world.<br />
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I can honestly say that any insult you level against me will have some truth in it. I am truly one of the most arrogant, cold, exclusive, bullish and selfish people around and I am helpless before Satan when he accuses me of these things. It's only because of Christ that I have any hope at all. It's because of The Holy Spirit that I've had any growth in my life and only because of Him can I claim any goodness. <br />
<br />
That's why I say this: accept your inadequacy. Accept your sinfulness and offer it to God. Don't celebrate it and embrace it, but understand that you're a work in progress and that it's Gods will to grow you, not to sit there and judge you. God has done amazing things in my life and where we see a hopeless situation, He sees a miracle.<br />
<br />
But for God's sake, stop being so arrogant. Stop being a better critic than a comforter and stop acting like you know everyone's story. In my own life, I always say "walk a mile in my
shoes...or better yet, go to the people I've learned from and walk a
mile in theirs, <i>then</i> you can tell me how wrong I am". And
finally, know the dangerous road you're walking. Correction and rebuke
easily can become nagging and criticism and when you walk down that
path, you walk the the same steps as Job's friends who cut Job down
without understanding what he was going through and ended up in a
position where God wouldn't even listen to their pleas without Job
interceding for them (Job 42:7-9).<br />
<br />
None of us have anything to brag about but Christ and His sacrifice, and the best way to reach a state of humbleness is to see our own darkness and realize that it's been paid for by the blood of Jesus. <br />
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In short, assume the best of our family in Christ, if we must correct each other, do so in love and respect and look out for each others needs before our own. It's what Christ did for us and we can't claim any better. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-24886470686148060102015-10-14T22:28:00.003-07:002015-10-14T22:28:32.980-07:00On the topic of worry (notes from my most recent message)
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I used to worry about so much
though as a kid. I took life way too seriously. I was that kid that had no
chill.</div>
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One of the things that bugged me
the most was the possibility of dying in quicksand. Because you know there’s so
much quicksand in the United States especially around the Chicago area. </div>
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I never worried about actual adult
stuff you know, like how to build up a credit score or what to say when in laws
you hate ask for money, no, but I had a contingency plan for falling into a pit
of quicksand Indiana jones style alone out in the safari while being chased by
mummies or zombies. </div>
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So while worry can be funny,
thinking over my quicksand scenario really got me thinking on how stupid
worrying is.</div>
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I mean, I literally was afraid of
something that I literally never have to worry about. </div>
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Craig Groschel describes worry as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">revealing
what you fear the most and where you trust God the least.</i></b></div>
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I won’t lie, we as the millennial
generation really do have a lot of stuff trying to get into our heads and make
us worry. </div>
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Turn on the tv:</div>
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-the economy</div>
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-the presidential election</div>
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-possible wars</div>
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-diseases and cancer</div>
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Go to school</div>
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-if we should take risks in joining
a team or club</div>
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-Should I ask him or her out?</div>
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Think about the future</div>
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-How we will be able to run a
country when we’re in charge</div>
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-How will I get a job to support a
family</div>
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-can I make it through college</div>
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And just like the other issues
we’ve covered, worry is a sin and can turn into an addiction.</div>
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BUT just like all the other things
we have covered, worry is not something that we are forced to do, but a matter
of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perspective.</i></b></div>
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Continuing on Paul’s letter to the
philippians, Paul is still in house arrest and 24/7 chained to the Roman
equivalent to a Terminator and he was fundamentally waiting on the decision as
to whether or not he would live or die. </div>
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If anyone had a reason to
worry it was him. This is the same Paul that dealt with</div>
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-shipwrecks</div>
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-deadly snakebites </div>
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-public stoning</div>
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-flogging</div>
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-imprisonment on a regular
basis. </div>
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And yet he was still able to write from prison: </div>
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“<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord
is near. </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Phil. 4:4-5”</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul’s perspective is solid. NOTHING can separate him from
God. NOTHING can take away the love of God from him and so he had NOTHING to
fear. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After all this happened, instead of seeing these events as
hardship, he saw them as times when the Lord provided and protected Him from
even greater pain. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul proves to us that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WE
DON’T HAVE TO WORRY BECAUSE WE KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE.</b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A relationship with God comes with the luxury of not having
to worry about the “hows” in life but merely focusing on the “who’s” in our
lives. God can handle the craziness of our lives, and all we have to do is
trust that He is still in control. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Throughout my life I literally had no idea what I was doing
for a future, once I wanted to be a musician, then I wanted to be an Army
chaplain then I wanted to be a missionary and now here I am teaching all you
awesome people.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I’m saying is that if I would have trusted the lord
more back then through all of that, I probably would have gotten into youth
ministry sooner, yet even in my weakness, God still was directing me even when
I thought everything was falling apart. Never forget, when you think everything
is going insane, God is still completely in control. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of my favorite verses of all time is found right here
when Paul writes about anxiety and fear in our lives: “</span><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Phil 4:6-7”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">See we as humans tend to try and trust God with things in
our lives, money, relationships, our futures and whatnot, but then if things
don’t happen right away, then we try to pull it back from God and take control
again.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However God commands us to rest in His presence, understand
that He is worthy of praise and then present our needs to God. He hears you. I
promise. It might not be on the time that you want, but it’s definitely on the
time that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you need</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Think on having this perspective for the next week: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
will do what I can do and trust God with what I can’t.</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwqBW5pJOzTFkxd8HsnfKmFbxxfd6YGw6rmwjzuiQCgMowMQ4ZvOC1kXqVlRzYQ-J0NV0a2NjZe8lRDER9-rBbrAx2bASFbu3aRgs2iElL9brdg-Wd6MLiAy9LMhzTM51AEATkSNyicIX/s1600/IMG_6502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwqBW5pJOzTFkxd8HsnfKmFbxxfd6YGw6rmwjzuiQCgMowMQ4ZvOC1kXqVlRzYQ-J0NV0a2NjZe8lRDER9-rBbrAx2bASFbu3aRgs2iElL9brdg-Wd6MLiAy9LMhzTM51AEATkSNyicIX/s640/IMG_6502.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I know that life is heavy. I know that we have pain and
issues in our lives that seem to dominate all our thoughts and all our effort.
Yet what verse did I tell you guys at three weeks ago when I last spoke? </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give
to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid. John 14:27”</span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my health?
</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my
relationship?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my broken
family?<br />
What about my broken past?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my future?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my
addiction?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about my secret
sin that I can’t talk about?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about the fact
that I feel like time and time and time again I never can do anything right?
What about the fact that I feel alone? </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“My peace I give you”</span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Satan will try to
overwhelm you with fear over the unknown, yet I am here telling you this truth:
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul’s perspective
CAN be our perspective too. We can look at all of the chaos of life and all the
pain that it brings and still look at God and HONESTLY say “God this is the
scariest thing I’ve ever done, but I trust you.” </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instead of pleading
with God to meet our needs, let’s try to understand that God is all that we
need.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instead of worrying
where God is taking us in the future, what if we hid in the knowledge that He
holds our future?</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if we rejoiced
in the fact that God is on our side and found our first satisfaction in Him? </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m going to read you
one last verse to finish this up: </span><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern
for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what
it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13
I can do everything through (Christ) who gives me strength. </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Phil. 4:10-13 </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul wrote this in a situation where I personally would have
fallen apart, yet he stood strong and confident. Not because he was so strong
or so great, but because he knew that he had a GREAT GOD standing above him and
the Holy Spirit standing with him. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So maybe you’re in a situation where you can’t control
what’s happening, maybe life is so painful that you wonder if you can even make
it: Hold on. God has a plan in all of this. I promise.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-54603956228821491752014-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:002014-02-19T13:30:12.134-08:00Oversight and Obliviousness.So it's obviously been awhile since I've blogged...mostly because of spiritual struggles and my reckoning with the vastness of my own ego. But suffice to say, this isn't my "reentry" back into blogging...more like...a short interlude from my hiatus. But I'm rambling again. I'll make it short and simple: God is working on me with several key issues in my spirituality and so because of this, I'm not blogging much anymore. <br /><br />So moving on...<br /><br />Whenever I open facebook I notice a lot of my friends posting links to some of their favorite bloggers which generally open up discussion on topics of Christianity in today's society. I've taken screenshots of just a few for examples:<br />
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Discussion about tattoos...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyrPy6LFzmY5SWxnAycV_sAQ9r-AKYzzmReUgEN7rJpbEzJV1m90eeDAvktXKX4a9fLcRbxXmcW7jcRAo814NiLSY77rb03yi7ElpWtxKx_3eV5-x5Ekt-cwvzYNcsU_itB5W0h4rUCoK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.19.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyrPy6LFzmY5SWxnAycV_sAQ9r-AKYzzmReUgEN7rJpbEzJV1m90eeDAvktXKX4a9fLcRbxXmcW7jcRAo814NiLSY77rb03yi7ElpWtxKx_3eV5-x5Ekt-cwvzYNcsU_itB5W0h4rUCoK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.19.18+PM.png" height="57" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tackling the topic of alcohol...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1TIm0Ed0kIjsCvfLfzhy3K2qFOG5J0vHsur79-3vbOzUkN7qmgSpfzUvKXVHnnmEjjcZ8YLYcmLkEe-JRIm5FDcWtRpgWsqfzYnOc6BnNXtxLMnUYU3wkWZAIH11GyN35Olmd7TT5bVH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.16.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1TIm0Ed0kIjsCvfLfzhy3K2qFOG5J0vHsur79-3vbOzUkN7qmgSpfzUvKXVHnnmEjjcZ8YLYcmLkEe-JRIm5FDcWtRpgWsqfzYnOc6BnNXtxLMnUYU3wkWZAIH11GyN35Olmd7TT5bVH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.16.30+PM.png" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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About whether bikinis are appropriate wear for our sisters in Christ...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeahAietvxK9_amM8Kq-JGk9VcaxDVjFZwFpBng8op8-36T_9yl4wuZmEGl5ee5vTTANrjRhg_JKv92HpX0YvAcHk3A2KGqw4wIzaLE5WqHQXThEzbhAzTxRWjCfPre18Zt7rrmYmLIhS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.03.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeahAietvxK9_amM8Kq-JGk9VcaxDVjFZwFpBng8op8-36T_9yl4wuZmEGl5ee5vTTANrjRhg_JKv92HpX0YvAcHk3A2KGqw4wIzaLE5WqHQXThEzbhAzTxRWjCfPre18Zt7rrmYmLIhS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.03.19+PM.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the topic of Christian dating...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CpEv58pGnBg0kXz9p2Kl7y4jZSWyroyWrIiOPTrLXOFMOAAtlCt-XSZGEs9DgRZ4Xx22FqRxD41dB9PH61fGe14dQqtRfvEyYoWy7j3PhjsH0mKqkBFfooZ-39_XsMdYQVeA_GYEOPAX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.13.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CpEv58pGnBg0kXz9p2Kl7y4jZSWyroyWrIiOPTrLXOFMOAAtlCt-XSZGEs9DgRZ4Xx22FqRxD41dB9PH61fGe14dQqtRfvEyYoWy7j3PhjsH0mKqkBFfooZ-39_XsMdYQVeA_GYEOPAX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.13.33+PM.png" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Oh and also this guy...I don't know why but he is EVERYWHERE on facebook right now...relevant? No. Hilarious? Yes...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvZjd2DU6yGFdbTJvqCnCFTB_R7RtvEEC3wrB-GgZVA3hgubFSGb7g8t8IYVLwwlL2-0w5ugrXTMFLooeMQc-0F4WYMNvLNTJQ_Nod6omsCV2Le3QDvkJ6XloSpQfJVKFVE-_B6HvsuiP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.05.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvZjd2DU6yGFdbTJvqCnCFTB_R7RtvEEC3wrB-GgZVA3hgubFSGb7g8t8IYVLwwlL2-0w5ugrXTMFLooeMQc-0F4WYMNvLNTJQ_Nod6omsCV2Le3QDvkJ6XloSpQfJVKFVE-_B6HvsuiP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-19+at+12.05.30+PM.png" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />But I digress...<br /><br />The simple fact is, we are a generation of bloggers (case in point). As such, we enjoy good healthy discussion about any and all topics especially those surrounding our faith. This is good, as the bible says <span class="text Prov-27-17" id="en-NIV-17187">"As iron sharpens iron</span><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Prov-27-17">so one person sharpens another." </span></span><br /><br />But my question for all of this is "Are we forgetting the basics?" <br /><br />Now before I go on, I'd like to say I am in no way complaining about blogging and reposts. I, like many others, greatly enjoy discussing these topics so long as they don't become obnoxious or destructive. So please, continue to post away with wild abandon. <br /><br />But all I'm getting at, is that in many cases I feel my generation is struggling with oversight. <br /><br />I won't lie to you, my generation is a hot mess. The main problem being that we, like our parents were when they were our age, have no idea what it means to be an adult...however the problem is that we think we know everything. <br /><br />I'll say it again: We <i>think</i> we know everything. <br /><br />We think we've got it all together and we know about how to fix the world, the government and the economy...we're little geniuses about to bring the fires of revival and revelation to the unwashed masses.<br /><br />
But while we can write a very well thought-out blog post about Christian dating, bikinis or whether drinking alcohol is a sign of worldliness, we literally have no idea about what it means to be a man or a woman of God. <br /><br />One of the most revolutionary lessons that I ever learned about Godly manhood was from James McDonald in the Act Like Men Conference when he outlined the 4 pillars of biblical manhood:<br /><br /><u>The James McDonald outline on how to be a man</u><br /><br />1. Don't be a woman (Don't look for a "knightess in shining armor" to help support you/Don't be emotionally motivated)<br />
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2. Don't be an animal (Don't live for pleasure and thrills at the expense of Godliness)<br />
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3. Don't be a boy (Don't expect things to be done for you)<br />
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4. Don't be a follower (Lead your girlfriend/spouse to Godliness instead of making her motivate you)<br /><br />That's it. <br /><br />It was so simple yet so profound because although I've heard so much about how to biblically pursue a woman, how to perform proper exegesis on scripture, and how to glorify God with my career, <i>I was never really told how to be a man.</i><br /><br />In other words, I have lived with an oversight of the basics and an obliviousness to my spiritual growth.<br /><br />What if instead of blogging about Christian girls wearing bikinis, we put down the laptop and went out to encourage parents to raise their daughters to realize their beauty isn't found in their waistline and the curves of their bodies but in the strength of their character and the depth of their devotion? <br /><br />
What if we decided to challenge each other as men of God to grit our teeth and fight for our sisters purity by encouraging them to seek the approval of the Lord instead of the approval of our eyes?<br /><br />What if instead of debating whether tattoos are biblical, we discuss the growth of our spiritual lives internally and living our lives as a reflection of that inner growth?<br /><br />What if, instead of giving out advice on how to be biblically pursued by a man or how to biblically pursue a woman, or just how to biblically wait for that guy or girl, we pray for the strength to find our contentment in God first and then strive towards holiness so we can give the best version of us for our future wife/husband?<br /><br />In short, what if we got to the heart of the issue? <br /><br />What if we focused on our own internal flaws and shortcomings before we tackled the shortcomings of our neighbors?<br /><br />"Ahh but Jeremy, by blogging about this you are pointing out the flaws in others and therefore negating the very point of your posting." <br /><br />No...not really, what I'm doing is praying for the Lord to reveal my own shortcommings so that I may be able to serve Him better. <br /><br />I've discovered that others too struggle with getting bogged down in removing a speck from our brothers eye while being blinded by the plank in my own. And in my humble opinion, I feel that encouragement to live for holiness on a day-to-day basis generally reaps better results than simply telling others that what they're doing is reprehensible. <br /><br />So to bring it all full circle, what am I proposing? To continue to blog and repost like we always have been, but perhaps focusing on the roots of the problem and not the surfacing weeds. This is a world begging for validation and notoriety and so it stands to reason that we will struggle with worldly issues.<br /><br />But I just can't get it out of my head that maybe if we focused on encouraging others to holiness and focusing the core of our being on reaching out in the love of Christ, then we wouldn't even need to worry about tattoos, bikinis or whether dating him or her is the right thing to do.<br /><br />Once again, I'm not targeting anyone other than the face I see in the mirror everyday...because I've spent the better part of my walk with the Lord rambling and ranting about how the world is screwed up, how we need to live better, and all these other issues where my motivation was simply to make others live in my own little box of what I saw Christianity to be...and I've become <i>exhausted</i>...I simply can't spend another second filling the air with my ego-inflated opinions on this, that and the other while my own heart still needs growth. What I've needed is quiet communion with the Lord and an inward look at the condition of my own soul and to remove the plank from my own eye before taking up the case against my brother's speck. <br /><br />But this would be a pretty poor blog post if I didn't have some sort of point or challenge to summarize it all up...so I'll just end with this: let's pray for revelation about the heart of all these issues and how to heal the brokenness that these topics are but a symptom of. And let's take some time to pray for the Lord to step in with the Holy Spirit and guide us in our own personal climb to holiness. <br /><br />And most of all, be encouraged...know that the work in each of us is far from done, but to quote Much-Afraid in <i>Hind's Feet on High Places:</i> “You, my Lord, never
regarded me as I actually was, lame and weak and crooked and cowardly.
You saw me as I would be when you brought me to the High Places, when it
could be truly said, ‘There is none that walks with such queenly ease,
nor with such grace, as she."<br /><br />Walk with queenly (or in the case of us males, Kingly) grace. Even in our most desperate, despicable and broken moments in our lives, the Lord only ever sees us as holy, pure and unblemished.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-51972509329900318352013-07-08T18:27:00.003-07:002013-07-08T18:36:25.744-07:00Boaz: a study in epic dudelinessYou all know the story of Boaz. <br />
<br />
His story is a very small blurb in the middle of a rather tumultuous time in the Old Testament...well...<i>one </i>of the tumultuous times considering that if you were living in the Old Testament, life pretty much sucked. <br />
<br />
But I digress. <br />
<br />
We know him from the book of Ruth and in many cases, the story of Ruth and Boaz is generally focused on Ruth and her peculiar actions. Now I'm not here to distract from Ruth and her contribution to the story, she is indeed an amazing study of courageous and Godly femininity that I think every woman should read up on. <br />
<br />
However I'd just like to ponder on the dudes side of this story because in all honesty...Boaz was <i>quite</i> the man if I do say so. <br />
<br />
I mean, from his intro in chapter 2, the author is describing him as selfless, loving, respectful and caring. But the thing that really surprises me is how he treated Ruth. <br />
<br />
For brevity I'll just explain it this way: In a land where women are treated like property and foreigners are looked at with disgust, it's pretty remarkable that he even let her stay on his field to glean after the harvesters went through. <br />
<br />
However not Boaz. No, Boaz was different.<br />
<br />
Now let's be honest, what caught his attention like most guys was that she was pretty dadgum attractive however his similarities with the majority of the male gender ends there because from this point on, he becomes the utter definition of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqWHSL36YWY" target="_blank">warrior poet</a>. <br />
<br />
So what made him manly? <br />
<br />
Well for starters, after he found out who she was, he was more impressed with her strength and courage than of her beauty...something that guys almost never do. Another point is like I said earlier, she was a foreigner and by that extent, not to be trusted but to Boaz that meant jack-squat. No, Boaz saw her as what she was, and he took the high road and stood for her in a time when women were valued little more than a donkey. And finally, he showcases the most authentic and tender expression of romantic love that I have ever seen in the entire bible.<br />
<br />
Now a lot of people think that Boaz never really had feelings for her until a later time but honestly, as a guy I can tell you he was smitten by her from the moment he saw her. And I can just imagine what's going through his head as he got to know her better:<br />
<br />
<i>"Wow...what a woman, she's providing for her mother-in-law and putting herself in danger to do it. If only I were a younger man I'd perhaps consider looking deeper into a marriage but honestly...I'm too old for her, she needs to find herself a young, strong, and capable husband. But until then, I'll keep her safe and well-cared for."<br /><br /></i><br />
Now we know from the story that he did just that; he protected her, he fed her, he encouraged her and even went so far as to have her work with the rest of the women who worked for him which simultaneously protected her from would-be rapists and thieves, but also gave her a status something like that of what native-born women of Bethlehem enjoyed. (Ruth 2:8)<br />
<br />
What makes me laugh in all this is that even though Boaz is a mature, Godly and shrewd man, he's still a guy. And by that I mean, he's about as subtle as a hand grenade. <br />
<br />
He felt like he was being all secret-squirrel and whatnot with his ordering the workers to toss some sheaves of grain behind them for her to pick up but let's be honest here, she noticed. And I'm sure she picked up on all the things he was doing for her as well but here's the kicker: <i>Boaz did all these things for her and expected nothing in return.</i><br />
<br />
Now it's said that she stayed and worked in the fields through both the barley and wheat harvests which in Old Testament times, took place during April and May, so for two months he was doing this and never once expected her to reciprocate any kind of affection or attention.<br />
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You want to know how I know this? <i>Because he was surprised when he found her asleep at his feet after the harvest. </i>(Culturally this was a woman's way of saying "Hey! I'm open for marriage you dense bum!)<br />
<br />
He even told her, roughly paraphrased he basically was like: "wow...thank you for not going after a younger guy, but choosing to love me!" (Ruth 3:10)<br />
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This is almost unbelievable given the culture and the context, but there it is. In a time when Boaz could have just forced himself on Ruth and taken her land <i>and </i>her body and have perfect legal license to do so as he was a close relative, he chose instead to love her silently and let her decide on her own future. <br />
<br />
This never really happens. Ever. Even today.<br />
<br />
It seems like guys try to show affection and love to women with the intent of getting something in return. We always seem to expect some kind of reciprocation or at least some kind of affection. In short...we don't really express affection in order to build the other person up, but to build ourselves up.<br />
<br />
I watched a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley on Christian romantic love. He described today's relational issues as being plagued by desire <i>but little love</i>. <br />
<br />
Dr. Stanley described desire as simply what you admire or like about the other individual. It's all about what makes<i> us</i> happy. Desire is all about self. Desire focuses on our own wants and wishes but never focuses on the other individual. <br />
<br />
He went even further in describing how desire functions primarily on pleasing oneself and our own needs, and if we attempt to enter into a relationship or marriage hoping that the other person can fulfill our needs, then that will be a painful and most likely, short marriage. Because marriage is not about fulfilling our needs, but fulfilling the needs of our spouse. <br />
<br />
From there he went on to describe legitimate, biblical and Christ-like love. <br />
<br />
So what is love? (Don't say "baby don't hurt me")<br />
<br />
Well to be blunt, love is about giving. <br />
<br />
It's not about us, it's about the other person involved. <br />
<br />
Dr. Stanley described true love as putting the other individual and their interests and needs above your own. He described a marriage built on desire as two people leeching each other dry in an attempt to please themselves, whereas a marriage built on love is like two people holding each other up when they trip and fall. <br />
<i><br /></i>As an example, he described a conversation he had with one of the young men he was mentoring and how the young man wanted to marry his girlfriend and was about to ask her father for his blessing. <br />
<br />
After he finished speaking Dr. Stanley asked him this question: "What if he says no? What if he doesn't give you his blessing?" <br />
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To which the young man hung his head sadly and thought for a moment, and then said "Then I would let her go and move on...I love her too much to put her through a lifetime of strife with the man who loved her first." <i><br /><br />That</i> my friends is true love. <br />
<br />
<i>That</i> is what Boaz showcased.<br />
<br />
<i>That</i> is what I am praying for every single day. <br />
<br />
Because I don't love like Boaz...I really don't. I love like most of the other guys in the world where I only show love to get it returned to me. <br />
<br />
But when we really think about it, this true love is exactly what Christ shows us every day. <br />
<br />
How many times has he shown us love and affection and we turn and stuff it in his face? <br />
<br />
How many times have we completely ignored His blessings and turned to cheaper thrills and pleasures?<br />
<br />
How many times has He provided for us and expected nothing in return?<br />
<br />
The simple answer to these questions is "all the time". <br />
<br />
So where do we go from here? <br />
<br />
Well, for me, I developed this prayer that I've been praying daily. I'm not saying you should say this prayer, but just that I've been praying it and it goes something like this:<br />
<br />
<i>"Lord, give me the strength to love like Boaz. Give me this irrational and absurd love that puts the other person above myself. And finally, please guide me to it, because I don't have it in me...inside I'm broken and ugly, but only through You can I have this love...start the change in me. Amen." </i><br />
<i><br /></i>Now here's the kicker: <i>unless we are fully, completely and radically in love with Christ, we can't ever love like this.</i><br />
<br />
Dr. Stanley made this final point that kind of rocked my world: We can't truly love if we don't truly love ourselves. The inability to love ourselves shows that our view of God's love for us is skewed. It shows that we don't see ourselves as Christ does, and that shows a deeper problem of not trusting that Christ truly, deeply, and intimately loves us. And as we all know, that unless we are connected to the <i>source</i> of love that is Christ, we can never truly love others. <br />
<br />
What does Christ's love do for us? <br />
-drives out fear (1 John 4:18)<br />
-gives us new hope and fills us with joy (Romans 15:13)<br />
-love heals (Psalm 147:3)<br />
-gives us peace that is beyond human understanding (John 14:27)<br />
<br />
I don't know about you guys, but I fill the description of a love-starved individual...I don't know why but in my life I've been looking for someone to love me deeply, sincerely and without restraint...and I've been looking in all the wrong places. I can't find it in people...I can't find it in things or thrills or romance or sex...I can only find it in Christ. It wasn't until I received this word from Christ in a dingy hotel room in a forgotten corner of Missouri that I realized just how much I needed Him deeply and completely and I hope it brings some hope and perhaps even some healing to you as well.<br />
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<i>"My dear son/daughter, do you not see how I want to love you? How I want to fulfill you? Do you know that I desperately want to fill that need in your heart? I want to build you, to heal you, and to never leave you. I so deeply want to fill you with My love so abundantly that you can't even hold it in. I will NEVER forget you, I will NEVER abandon you, I will NEVER not have time for you and I will NEVER use you. I LOVE YOU my dearest son/daughter. You are the joy of my life."</i><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-90180678321254838722013-05-25T20:46:00.000-07:002013-05-25T21:22:51.072-07:00For when the air gets thick...This is a post I've actually been pretty darn afraid to write up...to be honest it's something deeply personal and something that I struggle with at a level that goes straight down to the core of my being, but as it is, when inspiration strikes, I know it's time to blog. So here goes...<br />
<br />
<i>"I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down in to Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look...that is why it is so important that you know them by heart and <b>pay no attention to appearances</b>....nothing else matters. And now, daughter of Eve, farewell..."<br /></i><br />
Aslan gave this warning to Jill in <i>The Silver Chair</i> just before she embarked on a journey that would reshape her very being. It was part instructional and part warning and in essence, He was telling her that unless she stayed true to His path, she would falter and the "thicker air" of Narnia would confuse her mind and cause her to make bad decisions. <br />
<br />
In my mind, there is nothing more appropriate and applicable to the Christian walk than this. <br />
<br />
This rings so true in my life because I <i>know</i> what I'm supposed to do. I <i>know</i> the right thing to do and my "instructions" are clear: "love others...love them deeply and love them desperately, let them know that they matter. Stand for those who cannot stand for themselves and above all, be courageous in the power of the Holy Spirit." This, I firmly believe is one of the most important instructions God has given me. <br />
<br />
However, so many times in my life, things just...<i>get in the way</i>...I begin to focus so much on other things going around in my life. It could be a new attachment for my AR-15, some new movie is out in theaters, or even just that I'm more tired than normal. But whatever the case is, this is something that distracts me from my Lord's calling and so the air thickens.<br />
<br />
As the air thickens, suddenly my focus shifts. My mind suddenly wanders while I'm doing my devotions, my excitement is no longer on Christ but on things that don't matter. My spirit suddenly begins to have an all-too familiar fleshly nature take control...suddenly I start <i>focusing on <b>appearances</b> and forget the signs.</i><br />
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<br />
As this takes over, my old sins come back. My old habits come back. My old <i>self</i> comes back. Mostly in the form of two things: Lust and insecurity.<br />
<br />
I'll talk about the latter...because lust is pretty simple to be honest. It's bad. Don't do it. <br />
<br />
But as for insecurity, it's something that has plagued me for almost my entire life. As you probably know from an earlier post, my childhood wasn't easy friend-wise. Not to over-dramatize it but basically I was bullied and excluded quite a bit. In fact, in middle school I had three friends who I considered to be my best friends. I would do anything for them, I spent my entire summers with them and I always felt like I could be myself around them. When everyone else mocked me for my ethnicity or social awkwardness, they didn't care, I felt safe around them. <br />
<br />
But it wasn't to last. <br />
<br />
Around 8th grade, for reasons unknown to me, they decided to move on. They stopped talking to me, they all began mocking me and calling me a freak as well...it tore me to pieces. But life went on and I luckily had some other friends that I knew who accepted me into their fold.<br />
<br />
But there was another hitch...they were cool. And I was not. <br />
<br />
These guys and girls who were to be my new circle of friends were smart, wealthy, athletic, and popular. <br />
<br />
In their defense, they tried to accept me but they were in all honesty...<i>normal</i>.<br />
<br />
They talked like normal kids, they acted normal, and they lived normal. <br />
<br />
Never did they have an awkward moment where their voices cracked, never did they not know what to say in a large group of people, and they never said a random joke...everything was cool, collected, and well...normal. And so when a guy like me acted random or strange or awkward...they either geve me weird looks or refused to talk to me completely.<br />
<br />
This taught me a very hard lesson: <i>unless you act cool, no one will like you</i>.<br />
<br />
This taught me that affection, friendship and even romance was utterly conditional and there was no such thing as a lasting and real relationship. It was all about how you acted. If you acted good enough, you got accepted, but if you acted weird, then it was all over and you were back to being a freak. <br />
<br />
This helped develop a paranoia deep within me that literally made me desperate to please my peers. I felt that as long as I was utterly cool and popular, then I was worth something, but if I wasn't the coolest, or the best, or the most spiritual, or the funniest then I was worth nothing. <br />
<br />
So now that we're caught up, I hope you can understand how deep of a struggle this is for me to overcome. I <i>desperately</i> fight it every day but like I said...when the air thickens, my sins come back. <br />
<br />
I stop looking at my life through God's eyes. I forget Galatians 2:20 when God reminds me that my old self; the insecure, angry, depressed, addictive, and selfish Jeremy has died and God has put in me a Jeremy that is secure in Christ, loving, joyful, self-controlled, and selfless. </div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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I forget 1 John 3:1 when God calls me His son and how deeply intimate that title is. <br />
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And I forget God's challenge in Colossians 2:6-7 when Christ calls me to walk firmly confident in Him.<br />
<br />
The air thickens. I forget. Insecurity strikes again. <br />
<br />
As that happens, the old lies that haunted me for so long begin to whisper in my ears.<br />
<br />
<i>"You're a freak"</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>"No one really likes you...they hate having you around but they're kind enough to tolerate you."<br /><br />"Unless you do the dance and act the act, no one can possibly like being around you."<br /><br />"You are quite possibly</i> <i>worst Christian alive...you are the most messed up human on the planet." </i></div>
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<i><br /></i>And finally...<br />
<br />
<i>"You are alone." </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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With these lies taunting me, suddenly I begin to over-analyze EVERYTHING. My "feelers" are always feeling around trying to get the "real meaning" of what people say. I refuse to trust that people actually enjoy my company...I refuse to trust that I'm likable. <br />
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Then it spirals even further downward where this paranoia forces me to try to "understand" what people "really" say and do. <br />
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I then try to "stay a step ahead of them" and anticipate when they will abandon me or hurt me because I so deeply don't want to be surprised again by another betrayal or exclusion.<br />
<br />
Do you see why this is hard to write about? This is something that is so deeply personal, I almost don't even believe it myself when I see it in writing. <br />
<br />
So if you've been around me lately, you've probably noticed a lot of this coming out...I don't know why and I'd like to tell all of you one thing: <i>I'm sorry.</i> <br />
<br />
I'm sorry for not trusting you, I'm sorry for being paranoid about you. I'm sorry for the stress it's caused you. <br />
<br />
Whoever is reading this...I hope at least one of you out there is struggling with the same thing I am because I want to tell you the thing that I always long to hear in times of insecurity and that my Father whispers in my ear every day:<br />
<br />
<i>"It's going to be okay...because you're pretty okay yourself. Not because of how you act, not because of how you look, and not because of how you dress, but because you are you. And you are pretty spectacular."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i>Do you hear that? YOU are spectacular. God thinks you're worth dying for, and I think you're worth fighting for. <br />
<br />
If there's any point in this post, it's this: Don't let the air "thicken" around you. Pursue God headlong as fast and as fiercely as you can because fighting for that clear Narnian air is worth more than anything else on this planet. The clarity and peace that God gives us when we focus on Him and our identity <i>in</i> Him is beyond words. <br />
<br />
So if you feel confused, and the signs are lost, and you may even end up in a giant castle about to be cooked into pies, remember that God is just waiting for you to clear out of that slump and run back to His adventure. <br />
<br />
Instead of my usual farewell in which I say "watch some Victorious and sip some green tea" I would like for you to watch this video below and drink in the peace and clarity that Christ desperately longs to bring you. <br />
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Until inspiration strikes again,<br />
<br />
-Jeremy</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-58799375537512813152013-05-21T18:45:00.000-07:002013-05-21T18:45:02.297-07:00Things I Hate About FacebookSo I've noticed the last few posts of mine have been rather heavy handed and dealing with pretty deep stuff. Upon thinking of my next post, the first things that came to mind were again, heavy and deep stuff. <br /><br />SO I figure I'll sprinkle in a few funnehs around my more serious posts for variety, after all, random is my middle name. <br /><br />Actually it's not. But I don't care. <br /><br />But I digress. This is just a list of things that my fellow Facebookers do that annoys the <b>CHIZ</b> out of me and makes me want to rip my voluminous Asian hair right out of my head. Now I know a lot of you may just do these exact things <i>all the time</i> and if that's the case...well...now we know each other a bit better don't we? <br /><br />But anyways here it is: <br /><br /><u>Things Jeremy Hates On FaceBook (or any other social networking website)</u><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>1. Badly edited mirror selfies</b><br />
-I've never understood how changing the color of a picture, saturating the pixels and then scribbling all over it with PaintBrush somehow makes the picture look more appealing. <br />
-this is the opposite of attractive, I look at these and think of little girls on MySpace back when MySpace was cool. <br /><br />
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<br /><b>2."Truth Is" statuses </b><br />-Truth is...these make you look desperate for attention at any cost whatsoever.<br />
-I'll give you a protip here: Facebook is not a good place for cultivating one's personality and social circles. It's like going into Hooters for female attention, yes you'll get it but no, it's in no way sincere or realistic.<br /><br />
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<b>3. "Share/like" posts</b><br />
-Want something to trend? Exploit a well known disaster, death or tragedy and attempt to curry sympathy by saying that liking or sharing the picture somehow means something.<br />
-Let me make it simple: re-posting or liking doesn't mean you care or are praying.<br /><br />
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<b>4. Christian "share/like" posts</b></div>
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-if re-posting a guilt-ridden "If youz deny me before teh menzez ah willz deny youz before teh Fatherz heeeeeerrrrrrpppppp uh ddeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrppppp" post means you're going to heaven and not posting it means you somehow hate Jesus...well...I guess I'm going to hell because I refuse to re-post ANY of these and I will continue to do so to the day I die. </div>
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-It's the Facebook version of leaving tracts on restaurant tables after you eat. It's what I like to call a "Jesus hit-and-run". <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4W7MaEyz83qySNq6yMGajgFlQo_FamapowqlQonzKEFWvjTG2MSl4fAhvrn5p-sZmjJyK0yHiwuxRu9ih4hUx4ZexXMOygv6Hfhdmk-KJWgudugTuFnWvJKrUFg9zOZb0_B021JGgVdJ/s1600/love-God-on-Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4W7MaEyz83qySNq6yMGajgFlQo_FamapowqlQonzKEFWvjTG2MSl4fAhvrn5p-sZmjJyK0yHiwuxRu9ih4hUx4ZexXMOygv6Hfhdmk-KJWgudugTuFnWvJKrUFg9zOZb0_B021JGgVdJ/s1600/love-God-on-Facebook.jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>5. Re-posting stupid quotes made by hair-brained celebrities</b></div>
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-Whenever I see THIS start going around...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeoj3h9AwKsusJYd3XCDOabHTTN7P7c3-p-_bb9smeCId_Zi3hfptuZE9PEJ8tJwrPyt99btB3C4E5CJ3BRSAMRuRFJ5QdbV8uhJkgGX-66505GpNsPLQl8gWZvD_48WcSOixrCZQBEl4/s1600/Rakyat-Biasa-standing-alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeoj3h9AwKsusJYd3XCDOabHTTN7P7c3-p-_bb9smeCId_Zi3hfptuZE9PEJ8tJwrPyt99btB3C4E5CJ3BRSAMRuRFJ5QdbV8uhJkgGX-66505GpNsPLQl8gWZvD_48WcSOixrCZQBEl4/s1600/Rakyat-Biasa-standing-alone.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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...I immediately think of THESE creatures...</div>
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<br /><br /><b>6. People who complain about hashtags on Facebook</b></div>
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-Seriously, if this bugs you, then what happens when something REALLY bad happens to you?</div>
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-Of all the things to complain about on Facebook this is pretty pathetic.</div>
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-You are accusing people of being "so mainstream" when they use hashtags on facebook...think about that for a minute. Facebook is the most mainstream thing on earth next to oxygen and water. </div>
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-You look like a whiny hipster</div>
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<br /><b>7. Posting vaugue passive/aggressive statuses about people you know</b></div>
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-Pretty simple concept here, if you have a problem with someone, <i>go confront them and solve it</i> instead of complaining about it on Facebook.</div>
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-No one else cares that "that slut" is flirting with your boyfriend or that you are your own free spirit and "don't need anyone's affirmation"...because if you didn't, you wouldn't be on FaceBook complaining about it.</div>
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So yeah...that's about it, I'm sure I'll think of a few later and when I do maybe I'll post a Vol. 2 or something. Until then, sip some green tea and watch some Victorious. I hope you got some lulz from this and if I offended you in any way then fill out <a href="http://www.lolbrary.com/fullsize/268/fullsize-hurt-feelings-report-38268.jpg" target="_blank">this form</a> and I'll get back to you okay? </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-64300629702986718062013-05-06T22:17:00.005-07:002013-05-06T22:17:54.565-07:00Gentlemen, start your engines! (A plea to my generation's males)"What does it mean...to be a woman?" <br /><br />This question was asked in one of the final episodes of Victorious and it never was answered however I'd like to ask that same question but for us Y-Chromosomers out there. <br /><br />"What does it mean...to be a man?"<br /><br />What comes to mind? Probably some lumberjack-like dude with a barrel chest and a huge beard. Or if you're in the younger generations, a sparkly vegan vampire that drives eco-friendly cars *shudders in disgust*. <br /><br />But seriously, who are we as guys? <br /><br />I don't think my generation or even the subsequent generations after me can honestly answer that completely. Why? Because we were never forced to be one. <br /><br />For some reason we just haven't gotten' this "male" thing down on lock. <br /><br />Now who can really blame us, I mean, the media tells us that we are dumb, horny and childish. Our female counterparts say we are dumb, horny and childish. And our culture tells us...well...that we are dumb, horny and childish.<br /><br />And for the most part, all three parties agree that this is <i>exactly</i> how we are supposed to be. <br /><br />We're told that to be a man is to be as irresponsible as possible. We're to "take all we can and give nothing back". We're supposed to live the YOLO lifestyle.<br /><br />And so as good little boys, we do exactly as we're told<br /><br />Just look around a bit and look at ourselves men, why are so many of us still obsessed with video games, sports and action movies but care very little for things that <i>truly matter</i>?<br /><br />Because we still are boys. <br /><br />We haven't grown up because we're told not to. Think about it, in every TV show and sitcom, where is the humor found? In us as guys acting like idiots. We bumble around looking for food, sex, and beer. And yet who is responsible? Who are the ones making decisions? Who are the ones <i>leading</i>? <br /><br />The women. <br /><br />Why is this? Well, a good boy would say that it's because of feminists and their efforts to dominate the culture with their views. <br /><br />And in this I suppose is some truth. <br /><br />But to be honest, I think that's making excuses.<br /><br />We are the problem. <br /><br />We never decided to truly grow up and step out of our childhood. We just are existing in this perpetual boyhood filled with football, Skyrim and our favorite burger joints. <br /><br />And in my opinion, we're about as useless as a three-legged dog. <br /><br />Seriously, guys, we aren't made to be <i>this</i>. We aren't made to live like <i>this.</i><br />God didn't create us to live like boys. He created us to live like men. <br /><br />Unfortunately, thanks to our original ancestor Adam, we have it hard-wired into our system to be wimps. As Adam shrank back and refused to be strong and stand for his wife Eve, so are we shrinking back in our culture and letting our "Eves" do the leading. And so, everything falls apart. <br /><br />Now before I go on I'm sure there's a few of my female counterparts out there flipping their lid thinking that I'm saying that without the uber-man's leadership, the women will inevitably screw everything up. <br /><br />I'm not saying that in the slightest. <br /><br />I'm saying this is a team effort. <br /><br />We as men are responsible for our own actions just as women are for theirs, however for some reason we seem to be okay with letting women shoulder all the responsibility and burdens of this world while we lose ourselves in sex and television. <br /><br />Now before I continue, let me be clear on another thing: I am <i>NOT</i> in any way condemning my fellow males here, I'm part of the problem. I am the problem. I see it in my lifestyle, I see it in my habits, and I see it in my soul. That's why I'm blogging about it, because I'm not okay with it. <br /><br />Guys let's be honest here, instead of pursuing Christ with every ounce of our being, we just throw him off to the side. To us, he's another bro to be used when it's convenient. <br /><br />Instead we turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, porn and money to keep ourselves fulfilled. <br /><br />Now I'm not going to give that Christianese statement of saying "but none of those will fill us like Jesus! *fist pump*" <br /><br />Because although true, it doesn't really do anything to make it relevant to us. <br /><br />Seriously, in all honesty, in our own minds, we see money, sex and an emotional high as more intense than spending time with Christ. <br /><br />I know because I make this mistake every day. My devotion time generally hovers around 10 minutes to an hour, and yet the rest of my day is spent making myself feel good. I do the bare minimum to keep Christ in my life and somehow I am under the delusion that I am a "good Christian man" when in fact, I'm failing miserably. <br /><br />When we don't spend intimate and deep time with the Lord, naturally we will find other things that keep our attention and we eventually believe the lie that God cannot fulfill us in the way that our addictions can.<br /><br />So instead of giving you the good happy reason why we should be serious about Christ. I'm going to discuss the consequences of our failure. <br /><br />See, we've failed our sisters in Christ. We've failed the women in our lives. <br /><br />By neglecting our God-given duty to live righteously and lead by <i>Godly example</i>, we have forced the women in our lives to not only strive for their own righteousness, but also ours. <br /><br />Think it over, <br /><br />How many times do the <i>girls</i> have to keep a relationship pure? <br /><br />How many times do <i>girls</i> have to make the decisions? <br /><br />How many times do <i>girls</i> have to be strong for us?<br /><br />I'd say about 98% of the time honestly. <br /><br />How are we okay with this guys? As our sisters stagger under the weight of their own hurt, confusion, and growth, suddenly they have to deal with ours as well. <br /><br />There is no better example of this than in my own life. <br /><br />See there once was a girl that I liked...a lot...honestly I thought I loved her. She was "the one" and I knew from the moment I got to know her that we would some day be married. <br /><br />But there was this <i>slight</i> problem. <br /><br />She didn't dig my chili. <br /><br />Upon talking to her about it, she very patiently and lovingly told me that she truly and deeply cared about me as a friend but that she wasn't interested in a relationship. <br /><br />And what was my reaction? <br /><br />I denied it. I literally couldn't accept it so I lingered on in her life desperately trying to win her attention by bringing her all my problems and drama in the hope that she would show me compassion and by that extent, attention and affection. <br /><br />The worst problem is it worked for awhile. And so for about a year I lingered on in her life, dumping all my problems on her and forcing her to bear not only her problems and burdens, but mine as well. <br /><br />She eventually had enough and sent me on my way, I then healed and got over it. <br /><br />But all this to say: Guys, we may not be doing this exactly, but we are forcing the women in our lives to be both women <i>and men</i>. <br /><br />Because we refuse to grow up, they have to do the work of two people: theirs and ours<br /><br />Are we okay with this? Can we truly as men look at how much damage our inaction has caused and still pick up the Xbox controller? <br /><br />Because guys, my heart is broken for us, my heart is broken for my sisters in Christ who feel like the men in their lives are out to manipulate and hurt them. <br /><br />We can't keep doing this brothers. <br /><br />We have to step up to our God-given mandate.<br /><br /><i>We</i> have to start looking at others with the intent of winning their soul to Christ.<br /><br /><i>We </i>have to be the ones who initiate integrity in our fellow men.<br /><br /><i>We</i> have to be the ones who say "no" to the world and it's addictions.<br />
<i></i><br /><i>We</i> have to step up in defending our sisters honor by refusing to use them as an addiction. <br /><br />That's why I say "gentlemen, start your engines". Because we've idled enough at the starting line doing nothing but revving our engines to get attention. We've wasted enough time talking the talk, now it's time to walk it. <br /><br />The world tells us to sit back and relax, but we've spent enough time relaxing. <br /><br />The world tells us that to be a man is to be physically strong and emotionless, but our King was a carpenter who wept.<br /><br />The world tells us that women are objects to be used and tossed aside when we are done with them, but we know deep down that they are our sisters with their own hopes, dreams, hurts, and pasts.<br /><br />I'll say it again: Look at the girls in our lives, are they stressed? Tired? Frustrated with us as guys? Well...maybe we deserve it. We can't go along anymore gorging ourselves on what makes us feel good, we can't keep serving only ourselves, and we can't keep using our sisters to make definition of our lives when God is calling for us to live His adventure. <br /><br />Guys...<i>brothers</i>...Start your engines. It's time to race. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-13765153480721941932013-05-02T16:40:00.004-07:002013-05-02T21:00:59.303-07:00"Christian(ism)" That Nasty Predestination Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christian(ism)s are a series that I will be walking through...not like...one after another but sporadically sprinkled amongst my other posts to spice stuff up.<br />
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These posts cover things good, bad, and stupid about my faith. <br />
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Today's topic: Predestination, or as the high school youth group calls it: "shut up Kevin!! we're not talking about this!!" (inside joke)<br />
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Needless to say, predestination is a dilly of a pickle for most Christians and it hits home rather obnoxiously at the church I attend. <br />
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So what is predestination? Predestination is defined as God "freely and unchangeably ordaining whatsoever comes to pass and the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin." (Calvinistcorner.com)<br />
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In other words, God is in control of everything, and as such, He chose some people to come to salvation and others He did not. If you're not of the "elect" (God's chosen people) then you're a member of the "reprobate" and basically just crap outta' luck. <br />
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Sound unfair? Yeah, we'll get to that too. <br />
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Needless to say a TON of people really don't agree with this notion.<br />
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At all. <br />
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Now when I first heard about it, I flipped out. Seriously I hated the thought of it and I rejected it outright. However it took the patience and reasoning of a youth pastor with a fine head of hair to help me legitimately understand this strange paradox in my faith. <br />
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But I'm getting ahead of myself I'll explain my stance on this later.<br />
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There are many different schools of thought in modern Christianity, but there are two very prevalent parties responsible for my headaches and they call themselves "Calvinists" and Wesleyans". <br />
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Calvinists follow the doctrines of a man named John Calvin.<br />
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John Calvin<br />
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I won't get into his life much beyond the fact that he basically developed an entire doctrine centered on the predestination of the elect. <br />
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He (or his followers I don't remember which) created a nifty 5-point list of what was believed true Christianity should be in the form of a nifty little acronym called TULIP and it goes as follows: <br />
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<b>T</b>otal Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)<br />
<b>U</b>nconditional Election<br />
<b>L</b>imited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)<br />
<b>I</b>rresistible Grace<br />
<b>P</b>erseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)<br />
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Now one of his contemporaries later on was a man named John Wesley...for some reason people back then loved naming their kids John I guess.<br /><br /><br />
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John Wesley<br />
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John Wesley was born well after Calvin had died but he studied Calvin's work and like many others, really disagreed with his views.<br />
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Now Wesley was not one for acronyms and apparently his followers weren't either because there are no lists of doctrines to be found from them. So in order to solidify their beliefs I'll just explain it simply:<br />
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Everything that Calvin and TULIP preached, Wesleyans believe the opposite. <br />
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Fundamentally they believe that humanity is depraved as Calvinists do, but that God calls all humanity to Him and that it is our job to accept His gift of salvation. <br />
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So basically they really harp on the free will of man as opposed to the complete control that is advocated by Calvinists. <br />
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However this argument branches far far back before these two began squabbling vicariously through their followers. </div>
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Let's go way back in time to understand where this entire argument came from. <br />
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In the Old Testament of the bible, there were two different schools of thought. These two schools over time took on the names "Pharisees" and "Sadducees". <br />
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They agreed on virtually nothing. <br />
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However one of the largest disagreements they had was over the topic of specific election of God's people. I.E. they fought over Predestination. <br />
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Sound familiar?<br />
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Needless to say this has lingered on and somehow managed to split the church in two all the way up to modern Christianity.<br />
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So now that I've brought you up to speed I'll lend a machete to this theological thicket. <br />
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The reason why both of these arguments have lasted for thousands of years is because both are grounded firmly in different parts of scripture. <br />
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Calvinism at its essence is founded on Romans 9:14 when it is stated "<span class="text Rom-9-15">“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,</span><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Rom-9-15">and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” <br /><br />There's way more to it than that but for brevity I'll just use that to start. <br /><br />Other verses in the bible more than support the doctrine of the elect and big favorites to throw out in fights are:<br /><br />John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day...Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." <br /><br />Romans 9:18 "</span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Rom-9-15"><span class="text Rom-9-18" id="en-NIV-28174">Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden." <br /> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Rom-9-15"><span class="text Rom-9-18" id="en-NIV-28174">Romans 8:21-30 "</span></span></span><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Rom-9-15"><span class="text Rom-9-18" id="en-NIV-28174"> For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called,
these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified."<br /><br />So basically by scripture alone it would seem that Calvin was right. I mean, we can't fight with scripture right? <br /><br />Well...here's where it gets crazy: The bible supports Welsey's claims as well.<br /><br />Wesley's main argument is based in </span></span></span>1 John 5:1 when John writes:<br />
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"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."<br />
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Others that Wesleyans enjoy using are:<br />
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<span class="text 1Tim-2-3" id="en-NIV-29720">1 Timothy 2:3-6 "This is good, and pleases God our Savior,</span> <span class="text 1Tim-2-4" id="en-NIV-29721"><sup></sup>who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.</span> <span class="text 1Tim-2-5" id="en-NIV-29722"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,</span> <span class="text 1Tim-2-6" id="en-NIV-29723">who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.</span> "<br />
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Matthew 11:28 <span class="woj">“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."</span><br />
<span class="woj"><br />2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.<br /><br />And of course the token verse John 3:16 </span>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."<br />
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So I'm betting you're pretty confused about now huh? Yeah I was too. But I'm sure you see now why both schools of thought have persisted through the years. <br />
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But now for my stance. <br />
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Whenever anyone asks me "So Jeremy, do you believe in free will or the predestination of the elect?" <br />
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My answer: <br />
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"Yes"<br />
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Yep. That's it! I believe in both. <br />
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Now before you flip out and accuse me of copping out, let me explain myself. <br />
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The reason why I believe both points is because the <i>Bible says both</i>. <br />
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The simple truth of the matter is that both Wesley and Calvin were sinful fallen men. Their doctrines were based on human deductions, human logic, and human reasoning. Therefore it is at its very core: flawed. <br />
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Now a good Calvinist will go out of his way to explain that all of the verses used to support free will are to be taken in context to predestination. And a good Wesleyan will go out of his way to explain that all the verses used to support predestination are either mistranslated or to be used in context to God's foreknowledge. <br />
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But as I see it...I'm really tired of making excuses for the bible. <br />
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Seriously, come on people, why are we so desperate to support a stance built on human reasoning that we are willing to negate the very Word of God that is supposed to transcend human claims? <br />
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I'll offer up a reason: pride.<br />
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We as humans being the annoying squishy meatbags that we are always strive to be God. We hate the thought of not being in control or perhaps not completely understanding something written in the bible. <br />
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For us it's not so much academic as it is us refusing to admit that God is unknowable because He is God and we are human. He is infinite, we are finite. It's really not a stretch to assume that there are things in God's word that we won't understand on this side of eternity. <br />
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For example: How is Jesus fully man and fully God? If God made man in His image, how could Adam sin? Did evil create Satan or did Lucifer create it when he rebelled? <br />
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All these questions, completely unknowable to our minds.<br />
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When I see Calvinists and Wesleyans fighting over this matter, I literally see children fighting over matters far beyond their reasoning. The simple truth that I've come to peace with, is that the bible says both. So I believe both. <br />
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As I said a youth pastor with a fine head of hair helped me to come to terms with this by saying a simple phrase: <br />
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"Jeremy, this is biblical fact, God predestined the elect and yet we have 100% free will. Does it make sense? No, but that's okay. <i>God doesn't have to make sense to us</i>." <br />
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ouch. <br />
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Kinda stings the pride doesn't it? <br />
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And finally: My opinion on Wesleyans and Calvinists. <br />
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This is where it could get ugly because to be honest, I respect neither. I see the damage that both have caused and how these two stances have literally brought entire ministries to a standstill and I find that I have very little patience for those who try to force their stance on others when to be honest, predestination is a very small issue. <br />
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For instance, the bible says we will know men by their fruit, so what about their ministries? Shouldn't we hold a ministry to the results of its existence as well? <br />
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So let's examine Wesleyanism:<br />
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Ultimately Wesleyans try to put the focus on man's free will. However in doing so they refute other parts of scripture and basically undermining the entire bible by focusing more on man than on God. <br />
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By removing God's sovereignty, we then remove the legitimacy of His word. <br />
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Nowhere was this more apparent than at my previous college where I literally was told by a professor this:<br />
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"If there is a Buddhist who devotes his life to living in the mountains, meditating and eating tofu and never hears about the Lord, I believe he is going to heaven." <br />
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I.E. There is more than one way to heaven than just Christ.<br />
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I'm sorry but to be perfectly honest...that's <i>heresy</i>.<br />
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And yet when we examine our Calvinist counterparts, I see blood on their hands as well. <br />
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Later on in John Calvin's life, he ended up being in a leadership position of the church in Geneva. He was so utterly obsessed with predestination at this point, that he literally believed that since God preordained certain people to come to Christ, then we as Christians have the right and the obligation to hate those who are not chosen.<br />
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So then he started the Geneva Society where a council would meet and decide if members of their city were of the elect or the reprobate. If you were deemed to be of the reprobate, then you were immediately banished from the city. <br />
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Men, women, children, infants. It didn't matter, if they decided you weren't "of the elect" you were banished. <br />
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Ultimately this lead to something called "double predestination" where you would be chosen by God to know who was chosen and who was not, and by that extent, God has predetermined your entire destiny and so you have<i> no choice</i> in any matter of your life. <br />
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In my opinion, this utterly blasphemes the character of God to say that he preordains the evil we perform on our own free will. <br />
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So in summary, the scripture is very clear: We are chosen by God and by that extent, predestined to accept Him. <br />
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Yet we also know we have complete free will. Seeing this world in the screwed up state that it's in shows our free will everywhere you look. <br />
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What matters most is soul winning and showing the love of Christ. Whether you believe that God chose us, we choose God, or both our mandate stays the same:<br />
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<u><b>We are to minister to the lost and be Christ to the world</b></u><br />
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That's it. Unless our arguments are about Christ, the Trinity, and God being the King of the universe, then it really isn't very important. <br />
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Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I look at the church and in my opinion, one of the most destructive and divisive arguments out there today, is about predestination. <br />
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So in short, I disagree with both parties, but I also agree with both. They both have biblical merit, and yet they both have human flaws. <br />
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So if you're struggling with this, look into it for yourself! Do the research and come to your own conclusion! Like I said, none of us will go to hell for following Calvinism or Wesleyanism. <br />
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And finally, if you're a Wesleyan or Calvinist, I hope you realize I'm not here to change you. I'm fine with your views and as long as you're not militantly trying to force others to believe in your doctrine, then I am totally fine with you. <br />
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So this has indeed been quite a long comic hasn't it? lol In case you didn't notice, I had a lot to say about it and I've been tossing this around in my head for quite some time. <br />
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So in my traditional ending I'll say this: go do your own research, make your own opinions, sip some green tea and watch some Victorious! :) <br />
<br />
Jeremy</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-22420631302276364822013-04-06T18:43:00.001-07:002013-04-06T18:43:04.149-07:00Dear Spotify: Your advertisements SUCKSeriously, I understand the need for ads in your music but come on! At least tailor them to the listener. <br /><br />*No joke, this literally happened to me just a week ago*<br /><br />
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<br /><br />Thanks Spotify<br /><br />You seriously suck</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215505848169789493.post-36520684555329020412013-04-05T15:00:00.000-07:002013-04-06T16:53:13.571-07:00The "First Post" an explosive explaination of myself and my blog's name.So here is my first post...and I suppose with it I need to introduce myself. <br />
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I'm a guy named Jeremy, I'm adopted, Asian, and mottephobic, if you don't know what that means go look it up. So before we begin, let's have a few interesting things about meh.<br />
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Things about Jeremy:<br />
-I have severe ADHD (which is mainly why this blog has taken so darn long to get off the ground)<br />
-I'm studying to be a youth pastor<br />
-my favorite movie is Battle: Los Angeles<br />
-my favorite television show is Victorious (more on that later)<br />
-I really wanted to be a chaplain in the U.S. Army but because I'm medicated it's kind of not possible<br />
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Things Jeremy hates: <br />
-overcooked macaroni and cheese<br />
-clowns that ambush you at gas stations asking for rides to San-Die-Eggo<br />
-hammer pants<br />
-the fact that Claire Danes is happily married and not to me<br />
-<span style="color: red;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyJjXmoTWye2ExYGGNEPKnuMlsyJ5gz3ntLE3yo8GOTcqctzvtGUfYzi8cvAoQAQAvhYgaIRn6vKWqBgS5rNKe_4BiPSzRzGD5z51pGhGpi-OIN0GBwRNr0j-OMmb2cz6oPteNQCROq8s/s400/111+gangsta+pants.jpg" target="_blank">THIS</a></span><br />
-the fact that I'll never be as cool of an asian as George Takei <br />
-that bacon will never be considered a vegetable<br />
And finally:<br />
-man boobs. Seriously, humanity would profit if those suckers just ceased to exist. <br />
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SO yeah, that's me. <br />
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So at this point you're probably wondering "geez, what's this blog and what's with the funny name?" <br />
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And to answer this I'll have to go back a little ways to two separate events. <br />
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I have a little sister and she basically is the coolest thing since <a href="http://www.theslap.com/clips/pajelehoocho-commercial" target="_blank">pajelehoochos</a>. As such I make it a point to meet up with her occasionally for coffee and catch up time. <br />
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At one of our favorite coffee shops I noticed something in the pastry display that looked REALLY WEIRD. And upon closer inspection my curiosity was piqued, I had no idea what they were but they look a lot like this:<br />
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So upon looking at them I pointed them out and said: "What are those things? They look like the top of a muffin..." My sisters reply? "That's what they are silly, see? Muffin tops." <br />
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And sure enough, on the menu they had "Muffin Tops" for 3 dollars. Naturally I was weirded out because I have never discriminated the top of a muffin from the stub...I've only ever enjoyed the whole thing completely. <br />
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Not so with my sister. <br />
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She immediately laughed at me and called me a "minority" because of my unbiased enjoyment of muffinage. Apparently it's common knowledge to all of humanity that the top is the best part. I still don't see or taste any difference but I've come to peace with my ignorance. <br />
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So in summary of the first part of my blog's name, I mean this: <br />
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NOT THIS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gDt97Hn2_tUldwKGDvt7-iJkJbI13E7HFNMt_CZMSn8E6yF8kcO6loxbG5-IQNq93nvCZZqLtSCwF0wzZjqyOGN0WSFO_v85fpn8HOU1CtWb5BTQjZ79wCBD7-OD2oPRW2fLUhSAAsXv/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gDt97Hn2_tUldwKGDvt7-iJkJbI13E7HFNMt_CZMSn8E6yF8kcO6loxbG5-IQNq93nvCZZqLtSCwF0wzZjqyOGN0WSFO_v85fpn8HOU1CtWb5BTQjZ79wCBD7-OD2oPRW2fLUhSAAsXv/s640/IMG_0010.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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And moving on...<br />
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The second part of my blog's name came from an experience I had where one morning I woke up with a very profound epiphany:<br />
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I to this day do not know why. But for some reason I woke up with a mad desire to drink green tea, nothing else would do, nothing else mattered. So off I drove to the store where I immediately went to the tea aisle and and began grabbing random bottles of green tea willy-nilly until I turned around and saw three very forlorn faces looking up at me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo3ookeVldAlnSFHbL0UrLEP-AS5DLl7IQHNSI954knC9Vq_wHqG_9Y9xmcKb1mQB5A8xkhBVLrMMTgmBxWGEUlZXJAiA9mjWWOQxhu5OejFrdq5YqZnjxUG3ZOBGSK942pfDNWFA2ns3/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvo3ookeVldAlnSFHbL0UrLEP-AS5DLl7IQHNSI954knC9Vq_wHqG_9Y9xmcKb1mQB5A8xkhBVLrMMTgmBxWGEUlZXJAiA9mjWWOQxhu5OejFrdq5YqZnjxUG3ZOBGSK942pfDNWFA2ns3/s640/IMG_0019.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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They looked like middle school girls who were either lost or on their way to being lost. For some strange reason they continued to stare at me as if I was their only chance to make sense of their situation. They had a small wad of money in their hands and were clutching a cake mix and whispering things amongst each other like "do you think mom gave us enough money?", "where do we go?", and "what's up with that guy and why does he have so much tea?" </div>
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Upon which I replied with:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPdEgrsbfdm85pWofk72KIB_SEnRJSLKY_Qmgdn6Q2nAwcxRWMS4yWrE7Z6w4GJV29mT5ueMHIagkDAZupR2UJYQ3YqqaIP0tLNKU9mSew-hayojRd6BE1_7xSIUYzHAB-mctY1iWE2ay/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPdEgrsbfdm85pWofk72KIB_SEnRJSLKY_Qmgdn6Q2nAwcxRWMS4yWrE7Z6w4GJV29mT5ueMHIagkDAZupR2UJYQ3YqqaIP0tLNKU9mSew-hayojRd6BE1_7xSIUYzHAB-mctY1iWE2ay/s640/IMG_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was not a proud moment in my life.</div>
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However I went home and drank ALL the tea over the course of the next few days...to this day I still enjoy green tea more than any other beverage so I'm thinking maybe my brain flipped out or something and now I'm addicted to it. <br />
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So now you know. This is my blog. It may or may not go on rants about my faith, life, day, etc, but most of all it will be random. Of that I can promise you. So sit back, watch some Victorious and enjoy the ride. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152687570529715669noreply@blogger.com2