Who am I?

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?" -Romans 9:19

I am an empty vessel yield to God's hand whom made me. It's striking how it says, not holding back, "who are you, a human being, to talk back to God" I am reminded im fallen into His grace and mercy everyday.

The Same

Hey guys,
So I wanted to share something that stood out to me during a message at my church this past Saturday. The guy who was speaking, Bryant Hutchinson, said that the new creation that the Bible talks about in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is the same as the pre-sin Adam.

That really stood out to me because i always thought of the "new creation" as a list of qualities we need to live up to. It is. but it's so much more. before Adam and Eve fell to sin, they had a close connection with God. not just all those qualities. They were close. They interacted constantly with God. that's what Paul was talking about to the Corinthians.

Rise Up And Walk!

Great message by Kenny Grant about the lame man at the pool! This is only part 1, but you should be able to find the rest in the related videos section.

Astrology

God condemns astrology as an abomination in both the Old Testament and New Testaments. Today millions of people from all different walks of life from the educated to ignorant practice this very ancient form of Occultism. I refuse to read or listen to horoscopes. Simply put, Christians are commanded to stay away from Astrology. In fact, the single most popular realm of the occult is astrology, which deceives countless amount of people through horoscopes that claim to interpret the affect of the stars and planets on the person life and the persons future. Astrology lead people to seek information from sources other than God himself and its dangerous and certainly not Christian.

The Bible says “The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.”
(Deuteronomy 18:14 New International Version)

CAKE

Hosea 7:8b :: Ephraim is a cake not turned.


I don't know much about baking, but I do know a cake has to be baked
even throughout.  If you leave one part too close to the fire, then that
part will be burned and the rest will just be doughy.

When God gives grace, do we feel it in our heart? Is His grace touching
only a part of us, or does it engulf us so we feel it at our core.  Is there one
part of us that feels extreme zeal, where another part is in bondage? Let's pray
that ALL of our being goes after God, and ALL of our being receives His grace
and mercy.  

Christ is Risen

I really love this song, maybe after taking a listen to it you'll understand why

The words of Jesus

Mark 5: 35-36

³⁵While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

³⁶As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, "Be not afraid, only believe."

I'm reminded of Reepicheep's words from Narnia :) "We have nothing if not belief."

Here, Jairus faced the impossible. His daughter was sick and now he had lost everything that meant anything to him. The world told him not to bother anymore. It was over. With Jesus, however, there lay hope.

When the world tells us it's over (and it often does), when life's troubles come our way, when we find ourselves losing courage, when it seems like there is no hope whatsoever, remember the words of Jesus "Be not afraid, only believe."

He always comes through for us. We are to only stand our ground.

Take a listen...

Just posted up the set from last week... click here

and Jason's teaching on Grace... just click here

Get refreshed on last week when you get a chance, I even made it easier for you by giving you the links, so no excuses :)

later

Traders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqQueZwIuzk&feature=player_embedded

watch this!!!!!!

It's only 2 min.s 24 seconds!!!

~~~~

are you a trader?

not a traitor...

a trader!

7x70

I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born
These walls have seen me happy
But most of all they’ve seen me torn
They’ve heard the screaming matches
That made a family fall apart
They’ve had a front row seat
To the breaking of my heart

7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I remember running down the hallway
Playing hide-and-seek
I didn’t know that I was searching
For someone to notice me
I felt alone and undiscovered
And old enough to understand
Just when I’m s’posed to be learning to love you
Let me doubt again

7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I lost count of the ways you let me down
But no matter how many times you weren’t around
I’m all right now

God picked up my heart and helped me through
And shined a light on the one thing left to do
And that’s forgive you
I forgive you

7 times 70 times
If that’s the cost I’ll pay the price
7 times 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way

7 times 70 times
There’s healing in this house tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around
Yeah
I’m gonna wrap it all around

I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born

Heard this at a wedding and really burn my heart, what God's love is to us.

Amazing Love

I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken 

I'm accepted, You were condemned 

I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me 

Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be? 

That You my king would die for me? 

Amazing love, I know it's true 

And It's my joy to honor You 

In all I do, I honor You

This song has really been on my heart today.

I was trying to think back to the moment when I was saved. And that thought of how unworthy I am of Christ's sacrifice struck me. How can the Father,  the creator of the universe, the one and only holy and righteous God, even think about sending His only Son to die for me?

Leave the past, Don't be last

Philippians 3:13-14 (not whole verse)

"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ"

My fortune cookie from last night :)  

Justin Thomas©

The One and Only True God Speaks To Us.

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” - Isaiah 55:11

How great it is it that God can speak to us! Through everything he continually speaks to us. He's a living God who continually cares about us. It's something iv'e been thinking about lately,how our God truly loves us.How He speaks to us through many instances in our lives to show us the right way and conforms our minds to him. Thank God he speaks to us and helps us discern right from wrong. It's something that continually humbles me, it continually reminds me how we would be nothing without him continually speaking to us throughout our lives. He's Amazing.

Make War

Be not afraid, only believe.

-        Jesus

Mark 5:36

God's Patience

In Jonah 4, Jonah was depressed to the point of wanting to be killed, when God gave Nineveh another chance.  He turned into kind of a brat, and questioned God's judgment.  Yet God was 
patient with him, and soothingly restored him.


I was thinking of how sometimes it's so easy to be impatient with God, when circumstances
around us annoy or anger us.  It causes to have sparks of ingratitude and ignorant 
questioning of God's sovereignty.  Yet God looks at us like He does Jonah, as a foolish
little child, who needs just to be comforted and restored.  You hear people, who question how God could wipe out whole nations, and send plagues  and this and that.  The truth is, God gives chances, again and again, even after people hurt him over and over.  God's patience is abundant.  It's the reason we're not consumed by our sin.  Instead of being easily driven to anger, God sees through our surface level emotions, and comforts and restores us on an intimate level.  

Life.

I know I'm sorta late with this but I'll write this anyways...
So these past couple of weeks God has really showed me how , thankful and grateful i'm supposed to be with my life. Let me give you some examples.

Recently my parents told my brothers and I that one person that we knew which was young and just settling down with his family died from a heartache...around a week ago... I was walking on the street from home and a bus was coming REALLY fast. & I didn't even see it coming...  but thank God someone yelled at me and told me and the I stopped and the bus stop too... 10 feet away............ last week at echo while we were playing sports volleyball, and basketball, i chose to play basketball with a couple of guys and i was going up for a layup and the floor was slippery cause of the rain... and I fell right on my back and i couldn't breathe right for like the next 2 minutes and i really thought i was going to step into eternity, even though my back , shoulders legs, and arms are still hurting... I THANK GOD THAT I have one more breath and heartbeat.

James 4:14-Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

But the thing I'm amazed about... is how I love my life so dearly, but i'm a sinner destined to go to hell and the wages of sin is death... yet, GOD loved me so much, to send his only begotten son to take my place and suffer and die GIVE UP his life... people didn't take his life... but he layed it down for us... i find that amazing...that he would love me that much.. come on now.. how many of you will give up your OWN LIFE FOR SOMEONE , to get beaten so harshly that your face would disfigure so no one could figure out who you are... to get humiliated in front of everyone you know... to get despised and rejected by men ? 

i know you won't... but GOD will.. he did for you and me.  

Fearless

These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing

2 Corinthians 4:17 CEV

What about the tragic changes God permits? When children are sexually abused or the sick lose their dignity...do such moments serve a purpose? What makes no sense in this life will make perfect sense in the next. I have proof: you in the womb.

Some prenatal features went unused before birth. You grew a nose but didn't breathe. Eyes developed, but could you see? Your tongue, toenails, and crop of hair served no function in your mother's belly. But aren't you glad you have them now?

Certain chapters in this life seem so unnecessary. Holocausts. Martyrdom. Monsoons. If we assume this world exists just for pregrave happiness, these atrocities disqualify it from doing so. But what if this earth is the womb? Might these challenges, severe as they may be, serve to prepare us, equip us for the world to come?

-Max Lucado

Mark 4: 36-41

Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They became much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

When Jesus was on the water with His disciples, keep in mind that other boats were with Him on the water. Who knows who the people were on these other boats. Some were probably those who believed in Him and some just along for the ride for whatever reason. When this storm arose they were all at Jesus' mercy. But what was Jesus doing? He was sleeping peacefully. Yes Jesus needed sleep. So many came to Him with all kinds of need and Jesus always gave of Himself. He needed to rest too. But was He sleeping because He didn't care about the storm or the people? Of course not. It is because He knows. His knowledge and power made Him aware that they would all be more than fine and sadly even though these men had been with Him all this time, they still lacked faith. Aren't we often like this?

Despite God's sovereign hand in our lives, aren't we quick to doubt at the first sign of trouble? Do we really think that the very God who created the universe and everything within it cannot handle the details our lives? After all this time of walking with Him (I've been walking with the Lord for 13 yrs now) do we still find ourselves asking "Who is this that even the wind and waves obey Him?" Hasn't He proven Himself to us enough times. Don't we know that He will never fail us? His track record is unmatched and perfect. He is able to quiet the storms and bring "a great calm." He is able to bring us to it and carry us through it. He fights for us and when He is with us, there is no doubt that you will come through victorious. It is a matter of how we perceive things and our level of faith. The disciples had much to learn. Often, so do we. But He is loving and more than patient with us. Thank God for that :)

Another Jesus, Another Spirit, Another Gospel

Jesus asked Peter the most important question that ever been asked in the universe. He asked, "Who do you say I am?" Many religions and groups claim they know and believe In Jesus but that doesn't mean they are referring to the same Jesus of the bible. For Example:

• Mormons believe Jesus was the spirit brother of Lucifer. That is not the Jesus of the Bible.
• Jehovah Witnesses believe Jesus was Michael the Archangel. That is not in the Bible!
• Muslims believe Jesus was just a prophet. That is definitely not what the Bible teaches.
• Bahai teaches Jesus was simply a messenger.

Notice how none of these Cults and Religions teach what the Bible says, that Jesus is God in human flesh. The devil always attacks the Person and Work of Christ so their are a lot of counterfeits out their. One way to have discernment and to know the real from the counterfeit is simply to know the real very well. This is how you discern between a fake dollar bill and a real one, by knowing how the real dollar bill is you can easily detect the counterfeit. That is why I believe every Christian should be an expert in Christology. We are not only commanded by God to Share our Faith but also to Defend it and it's because we the Church haven't done our Job in defending the faith that now we see great uprising in the Cults. WHERE ARE THE APOLOGISTS!?!?

2 Corinthians 11:4-"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him]."

Abundance

Psalm 36:8 : They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

God never gives us the bare minimum when we trust in Him does He? Whatever we need,
he gives us what we need and more.  His grace is abundant, his mercy is abundant, whatever
we ask.  Listening to Dwight Knight talk yesterday, about all the things that went on at Calvary, it reminded me, there was so much more that went on than just meets the eye.  Not only were our sins taken away, but we were then given privilege to so many things, in abundance.

Bad Language

I know that many of us might have used an ounce of bad language in our lives. I know I have and that's why I wanted to clear up on why I was wrong when I or anyone has said bad things in their lives.

Ephesians 5:4

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:8

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Proverbs 13:3

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

These are just some verses to think about if you have a problem with bad language use.

In the Light

I heard this song today, a song that I have not listened to in a while, but sums up my feelings now.

Hey guys

So I started reading The Book of Revelation and it's pretty intense. I read some footnotes on it too and its really interesting. I hope i can come soon.

He holds everything together

My friend Mithun posted this and I thought it was so cool, I wanted to share it.


"For all you guys who are pre-meds, medical students and into the sciences like myself this is a very interesting discovery
Protein Laminin (above)
-A glycoprotein found in connective tissue that is responsible for holding together all humans and animals.

Is it surprising that such a significant protein would look like the cross of Jesus Christ. Pretty amazing and i just wanted to share it with all you guys though you probably already even know. Goes to show the sanctity of life and how elaborately we are all made with a distinct and intentional design by one all powerful creator.

Colossians 1: 16-17
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER"

Something tells me Paul wasn't just being metaphorical when he was inspired to write that"

Patience

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24

Have you ever had this feeling or wonder if God will show up during sunday worship? Have you ever hope He will show up?
I sometimes wonder if God will reveal himself during communion. It's so overwhelming, exciting. But I'm afraid to hope, afraid it's not what i expected and all these question of doubt starts to piled up in my mind. I rather see him first than hope. How tragic yet these verse remind me we wait with patience.
God is untamed and glorious. We will never know how He reveal himself but we hope! and we will wait for it with patience :-).

Only God

Someone once said "Everyone has a God-size void that only God can fill."

We were created to glorify only God, to be satisfied by only God, to be fulfilled in only God. Let me go further as to say we were created to be loved and have a relationship with Jesus. These days people throw "God" around as a generic term and "God" can be anything from Krishna to Sai Baba so let me say Jesus Christ aka God.

When we find ourselves away from Jesus and the things that burden His heart we realize the other things we find ourselves invested in somehow still leave us feeling empty or dissatisfied. Why? Because only Jesus can help us find that contentment we so desperately wish we had, that peace we so longingly desire, that love we so genuinely were created for.

Allow Jesus to be your everything. Give Him your time and your effort. We can't afford otherwise. Without Him, we don't have anything. He thinks you're worth it and you know He is definitely worth it.

Jeremiah 31:3 Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee

Broken Pride

Pride - the subtle yet deadly killer as I would like to call it . . .

I'm not prideful! (Me standing before God, in an utterly gruesome conversation)

I stood before God, determined that I was right for the past couple of months. I stood before God with the mentality that what I had implanted in my head was the right way, and that nothing else would do. Some call it a weird sense of conviction, but quite honestly, this wasn't conviction. When strongly convicted of something, you hold on to it right, but you have a defense for it. But even in your defense, you still opt to hear others out, even though you strongly believe what you may. That's the part that strictly differentiates conviction from pride. Conviction allows for the bearing of others in love, the hearing out others in love, and even the care for others in love. Pride offers the exact opposite. Pride stands on the defense always.Pride constantly has a defensive heart. Pride defends itself on why it is right constantly, but doesn't quite care to hear what others have to say about it, because it must prove it's right in order to constantly prove others wrong.

There are many facets to pride, but I am not narrowing in on the kind of pride that says I am better looking then you, or I can do this better then you, rather I am talking about the other face of pride that most don't see at first glance. The pride that creeps into your heart when you don't agree with something, which then grows stronger when others agree with you on your disagreement. The pride that seeps in when you feel wronged and won't stand until the other person is well aware and wallows in that understanding. The pride that slickly dives into your heart through smart comments of being hurt or past experiences. Pride slowly creeps in and takes root in a small corner of the heart and festers there, waiting to be fed, waiting to be called upon. Once it plants itself, the moment another brings up the idea of being wronged, or the disagreement ahead of you you quickly take the defensive approach. You become the victim. You allow yourself to sit through the constant words, the constant thoughts, the constant ideas of being right, and of nothing else but you being right. Pride grows thicker and so does that defensive heart. The defensive heart grows to compromise caring for another, grows to neglect the love that might be there, and strictly focuses on that idea of being right. Pride.

Due to the fact that the defensive heart is now defending, and neglecting aspects of care, love, and joy, it starts to grow cold. It becomes bitter because it is wronged, and as the victim you must obviously be right. The heart which is now bitter, and not properly being tended too, now becomes numb leaving conversations with God to look more like this:

"I don't care God. This person should understand. I am right here, and this situation needs to be fixed but I'm not fixing it."
"God, my family should understand my heart, I don't care if they don't, I am right here and you need to provide the way."
"God, I don't care if no one understands me, it's not like they truly care anyway, You know that I am right and that this is how it has to be."

Bitter. Angry. Cold. Apathetic. Pride.

Slowly but surely, after months of fighting this battle, the sweet whisper in the wind speaks so softly over this heart. Days of apathy grew into days of feeling and knowing this wasn't right. Days of anger and bitterness turned into days of yearning for the sweet presence of joy. Days of pride turned into days of brokenness.

"God, I can't do this anymore, please help me!"

The last cry I cried, while sitting in my bed reflecting on the months behind me. I picked up the word right next to me, and felt led to turn to 2 Corinthians 3.

I read, and read, and read .... my eyes scrolling through each word even more intently then the last.....

"You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men."

..... my heart, can I say that right now? ......

"clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."

...... can I really say I am an epistle of Christ at this moment? ......

"we have such trust through Christ toward God"

..... t r u s t ?.......

"not that we are sufficient of ourselves ...... who has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit."

..... I am not sufficient in helping myself ......

"......the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ....... because of the glory that excels ...... for if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious ..... "

...... glory, glory, glory, - the displayed excellence of God ......

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

....... a mirror, what is my reflection right now? ..... I am to be transformed from glory to glory .... I am to be transformed into the excellence of God .... but what is my reflection right now? ......

The mirror shattered right in front of me. The reflection I was bearing was one I could not bear to see. The moment that mirror shattered, the walls around my heart started breaking down. Tears began falling down my face in humility before an excellent God, whose desire is for me to be transformed into His excellence. Sitting on that bed, surrounded by tears, humbled by His desire in me and His promise through His word, I could no longer hold on to what I thought was right and no longer cared about the ability of me being justified for being wronged, my desire - to look in that mirror and see the glory of God reflected.

Pride, it takes time and effort to build up, but the power of God and His word, breaks it down instantaneously.

Now that is a little piece of my story .....

Questions

Jeremiah 29:13

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart

Life has a lot of questions doesn't it? When you seem to find the answer to one, lo and behold another arises. As if our own personal questions wasn't enough to overrun our minds, we bear the questions of others as well. Questions that put us in a corner, make us frustrated, poke and prod us in every which way...

I'm sure this week has brought a question to your table that you can't conjure up an answer to. A question that may be slowing you down, a question that has pushed you to give up, a question that has made you numb.

Bring it to him, call him out on his promise, he already has your heart, start searching for his...

and see his glory here

Heat Wave

So this whole week has been kind of stressful especially because of all the school work that our teachers are giving us right before we leave for finals and then summer vacation. But it seems that ever day when I came home, God showed me something new. Today, He taught me something using the words of another kid in school who was not even talking about God or "Christianity" or anything of the sort.

So this morning at around 3rd period (around 9:00-10:00 AM), I'm sitting in my Chem. class and the girl sitting behind me starts complaining about how it was "hot as hell" and how she wanted a half-day like the New Jersey kids. Meanwhile I'm sitting there thinking, "Wow she has no idea what she's talking about." It wasn't even the hottest part of the day yet, the morning just started. So I'm thinking about how hot it's gonna be and it somehow reminded me of Peter when he said,

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (1 Peter 2:21)

The author of Acts also wrote,

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (5:41)

We are to count it all as joy when we suffer things for Christ's name sake.

So after this thought came to mind I thought about the missionaries and all of those people out there that are being persecuted. Could I go through all of that? Would I have enough faith and trust in God. Do I have enough faith in Him now?

Now when you come back to heat, pshh that's nothing. I have to be ready to suffer for my King.

Always be ready.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

You Got A Friend In Me

I was really challenged by the message that our sisters shared yesterday. I was telling Bets and Lees after, that the hardest part now is taking it home and applying it in our everyday situations. 

Here are the two initial points that they had mentioned about friendship:

. A friendship is as a precious stone. It must be guarded, and protected. Proverbs 17:17 says a friend loveth at all times.

. In order for us to cherish our friendships we have to understand the value of it. 

I encourage that we all spend some time if we have it tonight, or sometime this week to just reflect on what God spoke to us this week. Flip through your notes, think about your current friendships.

Reflect on your friendship with God. 

Why do you need Him?

What are some ways you can improve in talking to Him?

Reflect on your other friendships.

Why do you need them? 

Why do they need you?

Are there areas for improvement? What can you do about it?

Remember, change is a conscious effort put into action. And actions are what support the words behind them.  

Lets do this! 

The Value or Worth of a Woman

The way our Lord Jesus treated woman was revolutionary taking into consideration the customs, time, and culture of his day. As evident throughout the Gospel's, Jesus treated his mother and all woman with the deepest respect and honor. And also, while most of the great world Religions like Hinduism and especially Islam treat woman as inferior to men, the Bible gives them a place of dignity, honor, and unspeakable worth and this is so evident in Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:10-"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies."

The Real World

So I just got home from putting up this hedge fence (plants as a fence instead of an actual fence). The entire process really allowed me to put some things into perspective, let me explain:

So last night I knew that today I would be undertaking this project. So I planned out how everything would be. I figured what I had to bring to get the project done, I set an estimated amount of time it would take to complete the project, I even went as far as figuring out the steps that I would take to undertake this project successfully. So I woke up this morning, got the materials together, got into the car, and got to the place where this fence was going to be planted, brought out all the materials, and got to work.

The thing is, in theory the entire project seemed quite simple, in theory it didn't seem to hard, But as I tried to dig into the dry hard soil, I found myself having trouble. I began to exert so much effort and not get too far in the goal of digging a line for the fence.

So the first thing that I was able to put into perspective:

Things may seem simple and applicable in theory, but the actual carrying out of that theory may be a whole other endeavor.

I started getting really tired, I was already mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted from this week, this lack of progress wasn't helping. So I took a trip back home, changed my clothes, got hydrated, ate some food, and packed up some water to take with me.

The second thing I was able to put into perspective:

If I don't go into a situation properly equipped or prepared, I will be less effective, in turn wasting effort, time, and energy that could be used elsewhere

I didn't go into the situation properly prepared. I wore jeans and work boots, I had a light breakfast and a small glass of water. Yet the 90 degree weather completely shut down my body from the heat and lack of energy. My efforts were pointless. Yet after I came home, better equipped myself for the situation, and thought ahead of what my body would need in the situation, I went in with a whole new determination and refreshed.

So I get back to work, but this time, I take a water hose and completely soak up the dry soil in the line that I am trying to form. It was tedious, it was time consuming, but it was well worth it, because this time that I went to shovel out the line where I would be planting the hedges, the soil came out much easier and I was able to move faster. Third thing that I was able to put into perspective

Never make a situation harder than it has to be, especially if you have the resources around you to aid you.

You see, the hose was sitting there the whole time, I just didn't think to pick it up and moisten up the soil before trying to dig it out.

So the planting process begins, and I dig a hole along the dug out line to put these plants into. I don't know if you guys have dug a deep hole before but it isn't the most easiest of tasks. Especially if you have a big shovel and the hole you are trying to dig should be about the size of your hand. But after a lot of work the holes are dug, and the plants are put in, I reinforce the plant with a bunch of soil so it doesn't topple over. I get the hose and water the plants. Fourth thing I was able to put into perspective:

So much time, effort, and energy has been put into digging out this line, making the holes, and putting in the plants. But no matter how hard someone tries, they will never realize how much work was put into this project.

You know what's cool?

See in the real world, these four perspectives could get very frustrating.

In the real world carrying out a situation is already difficult in itself. See the concept of school is very idealistic and simple, but the actual carrying out of studying and taking tests and trying to balance it with life is very overwhelming. Going to work to make some money is a very easy concept in itself - but the idea of making money to end up spending it all on basic living expenses (mortgage, insurance, bills) is overwhelming. Spending time with your family and friends is an ideal and realistic situation in your mind, but when it comes to carrying that out - and balancing that time with your school/work/personal time - it could potentially become an overwhelming task.

How fortunate we are to have a God who is with us every step of the way - from the formulation of the concept, to the actual carrying out of the concept. The Lord tells us to "lean not on our own understanding"

In the real world going through a day could be a very strenuous and draining process. Getting up, going to school/work, coming home, getting things done for school/work/yourself, going to sleep - only to start it all back up again in the morning

How fortunate we are to have a God who prepares and equips us by simply interacting with him. He tells us to draw close, he gives us armor to handle any situation thrown at us, He provides for our needs at the perfect time.

In the real world true friends or people who care about you could seem so far away even when you are surrounded by them. You feel alone, you feel as if you are the only one dealing with the things that you are. You feel as if no one understands

How fortunate we are to have a God who sympathizes with us and with his blood has provided us with brothers and sisters who we can fellowship with and sharpen each other with. Because of this we never have to make a situation harder than it has to be, because we can take it to the Lord in prayer and have brothers and sisters who help hold us up.

In the real world, glory and fame are top priorities, pride runs sky high in your mind, you seek to elevate to the top for what is defined as "success". At times even things such as community service or selfless acts are really for our own personal satisfaction.

How fortunate we are to have a God who reserves all of the glory for himself, how fortunate is the fact that we can bring him glory through our feeble actions, thoughts, or heart.

How did I get from making a hedge fence to God's provision for us in the real world? I don't know. I guess that's just how God works . I guess if you think about it, you can see God in every situation you find yourself in.

Try it.

later :)

A Little Sleep

Proverbs 6 verse 9 and 10 reads like this: Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. So yesterday I randomly woke up at 6:30, and I ended getting a lot of things done. Today I set my alarm for 7 but I ended up waking at around 9:30, (because I pressed the dreaded snooze button, why do they have that button anyway?). I planned on finishing the task of cleaning up my room (yeah I know I have been back for like 3 weeks, but I had to find a way to get all the stuff that I bought for school into my room). Anyways because I did not wake up, and thought the few extra minutes of sleep would be beneficial, I am now "behind schedule." My personal goal is to wake up by 7, at the latest, everyday, so that the time I have will not be wasted, and can be used ultimately to glorify God.

Boasting in the lord

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

1 Corinthians 1:31

" That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the lord."

Yo guys we ain't nothing about us that we can seriously be proud. I mean the only one who we have joy in is Jesus Christ. I was thinking that as I was reading this verse, and I'm challenging myself to pay attention to the things God has truly blessed me with, so I don't overlook what's God's and claim it as my own. I challenge you to do the same.

Hate Evil

Hate is a strong word. It brings up thoughts of intolerance and ignorance. But can hate be a good thing?

Psalm 97:10 : Ye that love the Lord hate evil.

If we truly love Jesus, we can't be at peace with sin. It's that simple. Doesn't mean we won't sin,

but we hopefully won't be at peace with the sin in our lives. It's only by God's grace and mercy

we can have our conscience clear. But conforming your mind to hating evil, is a step towards sinning less.

Gift of The Holy Spirit

"You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans..." John 14:17-18

There are times in our life we feel as if we are walking on this earth alone. But Jesus said I will not leave you as oprhans, reassuring us to trust in Him, to walk with Him to receive the promises He gives us and to love Him as He loved us first.

Refuge

I already posted this on my blog, but it's something i really wanted to share...
http://reddodger123.blogspot.com/

Psalm 18:2- The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.


     Lately I've been feeling like it's just me against the world. Just me, and no one else. No one else who would be there with me, no one who had my back,  and no one who knew what I was going through. But I know that there is someone who is here for me and who will always be there for me. His name is Jesus Christ and He is my Refuge. He knows exactly everything that I go through, everything that I feel, and everything that has been on my mind. He knows everything and let me tell you, He really cares about you. No matter how much you run from Him, you'll just run towards Him. My past life experience had me realizing that there is a God who loves me, who cares for me, who wants me. He has never turned His back to me, and I know as many times as I turn mine to His, He will always be with me. Just trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart to Him, because He is a God of Refuge. You're probably wondering why I am posting these things, but these are things that have been on my mind for a while now and something that God wants me to remind myself.

Determined

Saturday was awesome,
But my back is kinda soar from all of the work.
loll don't worry I'm not complaining haha.
I'm saying it was worth it.
Well worth it. (It was fun too)
One thing that God showed me that day is that we have to experience pain in order to see the benefits. We have to be willing and we have to endure through those times of pain.

Hebrews 12:1~

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

2 Timothy 1:12~

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day

As long as we stay committed to our cause, have faith in Him, and stay persistent, God will be glorified. Amen?

word

http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersonicphotos/sets/72157624630470090/

this is cool

Try ME

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James 1:2-8

--Alex

Bittersweet

Psalm 13

1. How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever

How long will you hide your face from me

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

In the beginning of this psalm, David is questioning God's presence in his life during a hard time. David started out complaining, BUT when he remembered how good God was to him in the past, it made him REJOICE. His attitude completely changed when he remembered God's blessings in his life. Because of that, he put his complete trust in God to pull him through his hard time and SANG praises to Him.

At some point in life, we all go through that time of despair and trial. We, as Christians, are taught to believe that God is always there yet we still question his presence during our difficult circumstances. Don't question, just TRUST. We all know that we are not worthy in the presence of God, but when we put our complete trust in Jesus, we are made worthy through Him.

In these hard times, also remember that God's word is our key of promise. He will not bring any burden that will overcome you. God has everything under control.

The SILENCE of God IS NOT the ABSENCE of God. Keep trusting in Him.

Touch

Mark 1:40-41
And there came a leper to Him beseeching Him and kneeling down unto Him and saying unto Him, 'If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.' And Jesus moved with compassion put forth His hand, and touched Him, and saith unto Him, 'I will: Be Thou clean.'

Can you imagine not being touched or being able to touch? Touch, one of the five basic senses. We don't think about it but it is so vital to feeling loved, to feeling secure. It's like having a human being live in darkness. Can you imagine living without light? Touch is important. A newborn baby needs to be held, needs to be touched. It helps the baby feel secure, feel safe. This man: no one wanted to touch him. No one wanted to be near him. JESUS. He heard of this Jesus and wanted to meet Him. Jesus was not like the others. When society abandoned him, Jesus accepted him. He reached out and touched him and this man was never the same.

check it

i love the fact that ihave you guys to fall back on nah mean
word
that is all

Live and Die for Something that Matters

Five Hundred years from now, what will be the only thing that matters? Will it matter that you lived in a nice large house? Will it matter that you had a nice car? Will it even matter who won the NBA finals? Five Hundred millions years from now, the only thing that will matter is who is in hell and how is in heaven.
Jesus tells us in Gospel of Mathew 18:11-"The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."
If it was the highest priority for Jesus to reach the lost, shouldn't it also be our highest priority and concern ?

Have you ever took the time to think what is the one thing you cant do in heaven? If you like to sing, you can do that in heaven. You can praise God in heaven. You can worship God in heaven. You can learn Gods Word in heaven. If you like Jewelry, you gonna be walking on streets paved with Gold! :), but what the one thing you cant do in heaven? Share you faith with an unbeleiver because their is no unbelievers in heaven!

Life on this planet is soo short that James says that life is like a vapor. So James says our life is like a the steam that comes and goes from fresh brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Think about it, after you die, you will never talk to a lost person for all of eternity because their is Only Believers in Heaven.

True. Love.

Deluge - Open Up the Sky
Our beloved Father, please come down and meet us
We are waiting on Your touch
Open up the heavens shower down your presence
We respond to Your great love

We won't be satisfied with anything ordinary
We won't be satisfied at all

Open up the sky fall down like rain
We don't want blessings we want You
Open up the sky fall down like fire
We don't want anything but You

Our beloved Jesus we just want to see You
In the glory of Your light
Earthly things don't matter they just fade and shatter
When we're touched by love divine

Here we go let's go to the throne
The place that we belong
Right into His arms

We love Him because He first loved us. ~ I John 4:19
But the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. ~ Deut 23:5 b

When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord God. ~ Ezekiel 16:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:8

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20

THAT is love. THAT is why we worship our God.