something i'm guilty of...
...everything is permissible....
we're growing up in a time where everything is permissible. and our generation is stuck in between being moral and being prude. do we obey all of the rules? or do we bend them? but why are there rules?
older Christians have built a Church of rules.
no smoking. no drinking. no sex. no cussing. nor shorts. no make-up. no piercings. no tattoos.
but some rules are ridiculous. others make sense. waiting to have is a great thing. following the ten commandments is a great guide line.
it's all gray area. it's all really confusing.
but i do know that if i seek God, i'll know right from wrong.
Friday, June 11, 2010
falling. [155]
contrary to what you thought as a kid, life is full of disappointments and those disappointments can leave you wondering if God is still involved in your life. and if He is involved, what is He doing?
i feel as though many of us base our plans, dreams and desires on our concept of God's presence. then, when things don't turn out how we planned, we question is God's there with us anymore. but the truth of it that God is most powerfully present even when He seems most apparently absent. He's always working. even when we can't see God, or feel Him, all the evidence of our lives will testify to His presence. it's normal to doubt His presence. but we need to remember that God will never change. this is why our faith must rest on His identity not necessarily His activity.
sometimes, our lack of hope we're experiencing is more about our perspectives than the circumstances we're encountering. i've come to believe meaning and hope are more often found in embracing the difficulties. i find that God is more interested in our change when we go through difficulties or things don't go our way.
God isn't asking us to understand. He's asking us to trust Him and the fact that He loves us. He's the God who has promised to be with you. God is right now engaged in the mysterious process of reshaping you into who you need to be. He can bring you joy, peace and hope.
faith will win over doubt.
may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. romans 15:14.
i feel as though many of us base our plans, dreams and desires on our concept of God's presence. then, when things don't turn out how we planned, we question is God's there with us anymore. but the truth of it that God is most powerfully present even when He seems most apparently absent. He's always working. even when we can't see God, or feel Him, all the evidence of our lives will testify to His presence. it's normal to doubt His presence. but we need to remember that God will never change. this is why our faith must rest on His identity not necessarily His activity.
sometimes, our lack of hope we're experiencing is more about our perspectives than the circumstances we're encountering. i've come to believe meaning and hope are more often found in embracing the difficulties. i find that God is more interested in our change when we go through difficulties or things don't go our way.
God isn't asking us to understand. He's asking us to trust Him and the fact that He loves us. He's the God who has promised to be with you. God is right now engaged in the mysterious process of reshaping you into who you need to be. He can bring you joy, peace and hope.
faith will win over doubt.
may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. romans 15:14.
torches together. [154]
it takes a village to raise a child.
i've seen this to be true within the Christian community. churches are incredibly important to the growth of children and Christians. community is tough to find in our mobile, throwaway society. community means having a lot of friends on facebook or followers on twitter. (i don't have a twitter). before community was just about emotional or spiritual needs, it was about survival. neighbors were the first and last line of defense against life's problems. community was unavoidable.
in our convenient society, have we lost community?
but what is community? people who are collectively experiencing life together.
why is it so hard for us to live in community? being independent of everyone is what's normal. community is so foreign to us, to everything we know. we want all of the advantages of community and none of the obligations and have a tendency to compartmentalize our lives. every aspect of our lives is separate from each other. but, in reality, they are completely connected.
relationships and community take time and connectedness. without it, our souls are longing for it.
so maybe it does take a village.
i've seen this to be true within the Christian community. churches are incredibly important to the growth of children and Christians. community is tough to find in our mobile, throwaway society. community means having a lot of friends on facebook or followers on twitter. (i don't have a twitter). before community was just about emotional or spiritual needs, it was about survival. neighbors were the first and last line of defense against life's problems. community was unavoidable.
in our convenient society, have we lost community?
but what is community? people who are collectively experiencing life together.
why is it so hard for us to live in community? being independent of everyone is what's normal. community is so foreign to us, to everything we know. we want all of the advantages of community and none of the obligations and have a tendency to compartmentalize our lives. every aspect of our lives is separate from each other. but, in reality, they are completely connected.
relationships and community take time and connectedness. without it, our souls are longing for it.
so maybe it does take a village.
living is simple. [153]
humanity is hard to satisfy. let me rephrase that, the well off of humanity is hard to satisfy. we're always chasing fulfillment but we never seem to reach it. we work more hours to make more money. we make more money to buy more stuff. we buy more stuff to make our leisure time more enjoyable. then we sacrifice that free time to work more. people's most stressful area of their lives is work but what if we found a way to get paid and to do something we loved?
a simplified life is a more satisfied life.
there can no joy in life without joy of work.
unfortunately, we get to an unfulfilling job because of the economic stability it gives us. we need our jobs because they support our spending habits. but what if our spending habits fit our jobs? i personally have to do this and it's a lot less stressful than trying to find a job that supports extravagant spending. i'm definitely a thrifter and i love it. a lot of times, we're living in a whole we've dug ourselves. honestly, if you don't to want too much, don't spend the money.
Jesus talked about money and economics more than any other social concern. He told the rich, young ruler that getting rid of things was the first step in a life of obedience (matthew 19). He spoke blessings to the poor and woes to the rich. He even said that it would be difficult of a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
but you can't simplify the outside of your life without simplifying the inside of it. your heart. your mind. your soul.
simplicity is about living intelligently, deliberately and doing on your and God's terms, not society's.
a simplified life is a more satisfied life.
there can no joy in life without joy of work.
unfortunately, we get to an unfulfilling job because of the economic stability it gives us. we need our jobs because they support our spending habits. but what if our spending habits fit our jobs? i personally have to do this and it's a lot less stressful than trying to find a job that supports extravagant spending. i'm definitely a thrifter and i love it. a lot of times, we're living in a whole we've dug ourselves. honestly, if you don't to want too much, don't spend the money.
Jesus talked about money and economics more than any other social concern. He told the rich, young ruler that getting rid of things was the first step in a life of obedience (matthew 19). He spoke blessings to the poor and woes to the rich. He even said that it would be difficult of a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
but you can't simplify the outside of your life without simplifying the inside of it. your heart. your mind. your soul.
simplicity is about living intelligently, deliberately and doing on your and God's terms, not society's.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
because. [151]
so i've been on a cleaning spree. i cleaned as much as my basement family room as i could. while doing so, i found my dad's hand-written vinyl archive. i saw he had abbey road by the beatles [and a ton more. yes, we have a record player as well]. i got really excited. i grew up listening to my dad's music and the beatles was one of my favorite bands. [still is]. more importantly, it was my dad's. and he kept track of all his vinyl records. and it was hand-writing. chicken scratch like mine. my dad inspired my love for music. so all of this is important. and finally going through his basement after three years is important. this is a big step in my family's life. and mine. when i listen to my dad's music, i miss him more. but i love his music so there's no way i'll stop. i've been slowly putting his music on my macbook. i finally put joshua tree by u2 on my computer. what the heck was i waiting for? all in all, i know going through my dad's stuff is going to be hard but fruitful. it's going to be a fresh, clean start. a cleansing for my broken soul, perhaps. who knows?
modern morbid prophecies. [150]
sometimes, i hate the modern church and her politics but i am completely in love with Jesus Christ.
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