Reposting this because A: there was a spelling error =O and B: I wanted to make sure everyone who wants to follow me can know that I'm still writing. I have been in Peru for almost 2 months now, training for my work in Paraguay.
Hey followers! I know you're probably busy, but for those who actually follow my blog I will be keeping a separate blog while I'm in Paraguay. I'm going to call it "de que trabaja Dios" (of what God works).
Hopefullly this will be a structured blog, unlike IWASLT... I am thinking of something like 3 points to each post, where Point 1 will be "What's new in Paraguay." Point 2, "Leon's thoughts." and Point 3 will be "God's work in E: all of the above."
I just wanted to post a link to it here, and let you guys know that I'm not quitting my already sparse blogging but am continuing it more regularly and with a purpose at http://leonparaguay.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
It's coming
I'm not the best at web design, but I made this blog have some colors I like and I tried to make my profile picture a funny one, since I love humor. If you can't read it, it's a wise seer sitting in front of a cave on a mountain. It says "Subsidiary of Google". For those of you who don't think this is funny, I'm sorry for every joke I've ever made to you. This is my humor. It's sarcastic, usually fictional but only because it's an exaggeration of the truth. Are all wise men controlled by Google? Of course not! But the majority of us are used to being able to find things with the click of a mouse. It's funny, just trust me.
"What's coming Leon? What is it? Your first paragraph doesn't make sense with the title you put up Leon!" Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm getting to it. Sorry for sharing my thoughts. Sheesh people, take it easy on me.
So... Finals week. It's crazy. I'm so busy I don't know what to do. But finals are not what's coming, at least not what I named the title for. What's coming after finals is. What's coming after finals is summer. "YAY! Summer! That's the fun time of the year when you don't have school and you can go home and see your family and friends back home! And you can work and make money too!" Hold your horses! Yes, all that is exciting, but there's also this: I will not get to see all the people I've been trying so hard to make a bigger part of my life over the last 2 years, at least not for a while. And that while could be a LONG while. I might get to go to Paraguay. There's an awesome opportunity there, and it seems to be a good fit for what God has called me to. Only thing is, it's 27 months long. (2 years and 3 months for you readers who have a little trouble with math)
Yeah, I know. There will be sacrifices made for the sake of the cross. I understand, and I'm not mad about it. But it's saddening. I trust my friends to be loyal, but that doesn't mean I won't be missing out on a lot. People get married in 2 years. People meet someone they never knew before and get married to them in 2 years. I could come back to a whole different group of people than the ones I left. That's scary to me.
♪We will abandon it all for the sake of the call... wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call!♪ That's an old song. You might know it, you might not. Avalon... yeah.
Anyway, I need to get to sleep... I have music to play, papers to write, student government meetings, cheer practice, tournaments to run and apparently they want us to read books in school too! Luckily my jobs are not too busy right now, I don't have to put much time into work. Thank God for the little blessings.
Goodnight, world. Until tomorrow!
To all my friends, I hope you realize that I truly, deeply love you!
~Leon
Less than three =D
"What's coming Leon? What is it? Your first paragraph doesn't make sense with the title you put up Leon!" Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm getting to it. Sorry for sharing my thoughts. Sheesh people, take it easy on me.
So... Finals week. It's crazy. I'm so busy I don't know what to do. But finals are not what's coming, at least not what I named the title for. What's coming after finals is. What's coming after finals is summer. "YAY! Summer! That's the fun time of the year when you don't have school and you can go home and see your family and friends back home! And you can work and make money too!" Hold your horses! Yes, all that is exciting, but there's also this: I will not get to see all the people I've been trying so hard to make a bigger part of my life over the last 2 years, at least not for a while. And that while could be a LONG while. I might get to go to Paraguay. There's an awesome opportunity there, and it seems to be a good fit for what God has called me to. Only thing is, it's 27 months long. (2 years and 3 months for you readers who have a little trouble with math)
Yeah, I know. There will be sacrifices made for the sake of the cross. I understand, and I'm not mad about it. But it's saddening. I trust my friends to be loyal, but that doesn't mean I won't be missing out on a lot. People get married in 2 years. People meet someone they never knew before and get married to them in 2 years. I could come back to a whole different group of people than the ones I left. That's scary to me.
♪We will abandon it all for the sake of the call... wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call!♪ That's an old song. You might know it, you might not. Avalon... yeah.
Anyway, I need to get to sleep... I have music to play, papers to write, student government meetings, cheer practice, tournaments to run and apparently they want us to read books in school too! Luckily my jobs are not too busy right now, I don't have to put much time into work. Thank God for the little blessings.
Goodnight, world. Until tomorrow!
To all my friends, I hope you realize that I truly, deeply love you!
~Leon
Less than three =D
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
What can we learn?
I found a little revelation from a dumb bird the other day. Kinda like that bird Christmas story, but less sappy. I mean, how stupid are we? We have such a limited perspective, can we truly KNOW anything? Anyway...
So I'm walking back to my dorm, and I see a bird on the side of my path. I'm walking by it, my path won't come within 10 feet of it, but this bird doesn't know that. As I get closer, not even walking toward it, practically parallel to it in fact, it starts hopping away. I think to myself, you silly little creature, can't you tell I'm not gonna harm you? But does it care? Does it understand? No.
Yet here am I, a pathetic little human, and what do I do when God walks in my life? I run. Does He want to hurt me? No... but of course, little old me knows best. Right? Not so much. And... yeah. That's all I got. I'm WAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY behind on homework, so probably peace for a while ma dudes!
So I'm walking back to my dorm, and I see a bird on the side of my path. I'm walking by it, my path won't come within 10 feet of it, but this bird doesn't know that. As I get closer, not even walking toward it, practically parallel to it in fact, it starts hopping away. I think to myself, you silly little creature, can't you tell I'm not gonna harm you? But does it care? Does it understand? No.
Yet here am I, a pathetic little human, and what do I do when God walks in my life? I run. Does He want to hurt me? No... but of course, little old me knows best. Right? Not so much. And... yeah. That's all I got. I'm WAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY behind on homework, so probably peace for a while ma dudes!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Can I just say?
Can I just say I hate normal? I don't really know why, maybe it's just a reaction to that which is accepted, but I just don't like things that go- well- normally. I much prefer the abnormal, unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary thing that bring excitement to our lives. We have so much that just seems to blow by us without us taking the time to really see anything much in it.
Can I just say I don't even care? Who cares what happens to me tomorrow? If I die, people will be sad. There are people who know me, and will miss me. There will be another generation or two who might hear about me, but within 4 generations I'll be forgotten. Half the presidents of the US are not even remembered by name. Today, tomorrow, they mean nothing if I am not able to contribute to the eternal kingdom. So let me die now that I might live.
Can I just say this world really knows how to grind my gears? Everything I love in this world is pushed to the bottom on the prioritized list we've written up over generations. Jesus? Well that's for Sundays and an occasional Wednesday night. Friends, family, fun? Only after the work is done. Physical activity? Unless you're good enough to go pro, forget about it. You're wasting time when there are bills to pay. Music and creative expression, much less experimentation with the things like inventing, freewriting, etc? Haha, that's even lower than sports.
Can I just say I feel like I'm writing to nobody but everybody? Who even reads these? I probably get more out of this than anyone else, when I go back and read my own writing it can sometimes be inspirational... but mostly it's just a trip down memory lane. And sometimes I wonder if anything I have to say is worth reading to others. If everyone in the world read my work, would it contribute to a better world? Oh sure, I can be cliche and say let's all just love and forgive and not be violent, but in all honesty my advice to people is just to think things through, know why they do what they do...
Can I just say that I have probably already said too much? I'm done.
Can I just say I don't even care? Who cares what happens to me tomorrow? If I die, people will be sad. There are people who know me, and will miss me. There will be another generation or two who might hear about me, but within 4 generations I'll be forgotten. Half the presidents of the US are not even remembered by name. Today, tomorrow, they mean nothing if I am not able to contribute to the eternal kingdom. So let me die now that I might live.
Can I just say this world really knows how to grind my gears? Everything I love in this world is pushed to the bottom on the prioritized list we've written up over generations. Jesus? Well that's for Sundays and an occasional Wednesday night. Friends, family, fun? Only after the work is done. Physical activity? Unless you're good enough to go pro, forget about it. You're wasting time when there are bills to pay. Music and creative expression, much less experimentation with the things like inventing, freewriting, etc? Haha, that's even lower than sports.
Can I just say I feel like I'm writing to nobody but everybody? Who even reads these? I probably get more out of this than anyone else, when I go back and read my own writing it can sometimes be inspirational... but mostly it's just a trip down memory lane. And sometimes I wonder if anything I have to say is worth reading to others. If everyone in the world read my work, would it contribute to a better world? Oh sure, I can be cliche and say let's all just love and forgive and not be violent, but in all honesty my advice to people is just to think things through, know why they do what they do...
Can I just say that I have probably already said too much? I'm done.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Fog on the path to my bed.
The fog lit up my afternoon
as my heart ran ahead of my shoes
the fog kept my evening bright
as I had nothing to lose
the fog traveled in my mind
to the shelter I was entering
though while the fog outside was logged
my bed to me was beckoning.
as my heart ran ahead of my shoes
the fog kept my evening bright
as I had nothing to lose
the fog traveled in my mind
to the shelter I was entering
though while the fog outside was logged
my bed to me was beckoning.
Beauty
This was one of the biggest notes for me on Facebook. I wrote it a year and a half ago, but I hold a very strong conviction about it, and I took the time to tag the max tag limit on around a dozen copies of it. It took a long time, but it was worth it.
For all the women who God made beautiful, and all the men who are willing to see them as beautiful people.
So, for quite some time now I've been thinking this way, but only just now got really motivated to write it all out. It's been far too long since I last wrote out a note, so if I get really wordy, I'm sorry. I hope all of you see this as God's work in my life, all glory to him in everything.
Beauty. It's very interesting to me that we have so many words we use to describe "good-looking" in English. Pretty, handsome, attractive, sexy, hot, beautiful... society tends to use them in the same general context. I think beauty in particular is not meant to be used in this way.
Let me make a statement here which I will explain in a little bit (since I need to ask permission before I write it =P): Pretty is to describe looks, beauty is to describe appearance. Confused? Saying a person is pretty (or handsome) might mean they have a nice face, good looking eyes, complexion, figure, etc. But for someone to be beautiful, they neither have to be good or bad looking. Someone who I call beautiful is someone who APPEARS good to me. Regardless of how my sense of sight perceives their physical appearance, someone who makes an impression of happiness by smiling a lot, someone who expresses joy, someone who shows the fruits of the spirit, this is someone who I perceive to be... beautiful.
I call all my friends beautiful, guy or girl. But I think especially for the girls, it's tough to accept yourself for who and how you are when many things tell you you need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, talk and act a certain way to be beautiful. Some guys compare girls based on looks, society teaches that the super skinny supermodels are desirable and anyone else needs to change to be acceptable. T.V. shows and movies and books and magazines are full of this shallow view. Disney talks about just being yourself and listening to your heart, all the while taking the best looking actors and actresses they can find and casting them to be the heroes of most of their stories. Look at all the early cartoons, with a dashing prince charming for the beautiful princess. Only Beauty and the Beast had an ugly character, and he became handsome to complete the happy ending.
I love to look to the scripture, and just last night flipped to Isaiah 43. It's too long for me to post here, but I do want to draw out one part in particular (it's worth reading, the whole book is) "Since you were precious in my sight you have been honored and I have loved you." Isaiah 43:4a. I love the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us not to worry, for the God who created us know even when a sparrow falls to the ground, and how much more does he love us? He created us and loves us SO much more.
God does not make mistakes. He does not create anything bad. Every single person he made he made in his image. The diversity in looks across the world shows his creativity, his artistic ability. We were made to bring him glory. But our worth comes not from outward appearances, from looks, but from who we are and how we bring glory to him. I love the song More from Matthew West (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mITRKCDel44), and Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZkrn_vaqU) is a good song relative to the topic. It is SO TRUE. I love each and every one of you so much, guys and girls alike, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.
If that is irrelevant to you, I hope you will find this true and rejoice in it. My love for you is imperfect, at my best times I am merely reflecting God's love. GOD LOVES YOU AND THINKS YOU ARE IMMEASURABLY BEAUTIFUL AND OF INFINITE WORTH. God will never have anything less than perfect and perfectly complete love for you, and the children's song holds true: they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.
One last thing, and this is mainly for the guys. As men of Christ, we need to make a stand to imitate God's love in this way. Those of you from MNU who were in Tuesday's chapel a while back, when Mike Davis stood up and asked us to join together, to be the heroes, I hope you meant it, and I hope you find this note to be an encouraging reminder of it. LOVE the women in your life, and let them know that they are beautiful. You don't have to have a romantic interest in a girl to let her know you think she's beautiful. Sometimes it can be taken that way, but don't let that discourage you. It is so important that we realize the true beauty and value in those who God put on this earth with us. It's not in sex, in looking like a model, or any other lie the Prince of this world throws at us. It's in the beauty God put in us.
One more time, and I can't say it enough, I love you all so much and constantly thank God for putting you into my life. He blesses me with new friends and continues to bless me through the influence of the old ones. Family, friends, anyone reading this: You are beautiful, worthwhile and I love you.
~Leon
For all the women who God made beautiful, and all the men who are willing to see them as beautiful people.
So, for quite some time now I've been thinking this way, but only just now got really motivated to write it all out. It's been far too long since I last wrote out a note, so if I get really wordy, I'm sorry. I hope all of you see this as God's work in my life, all glory to him in everything.
Beauty. It's very interesting to me that we have so many words we use to describe "good-looking" in English. Pretty, handsome, attractive, sexy, hot, beautiful... society tends to use them in the same general context. I think beauty in particular is not meant to be used in this way.
Let me make a statement here which I will explain in a little bit (since I need to ask permission before I write it =P): Pretty is to describe looks, beauty is to describe appearance. Confused? Saying a person is pretty (or handsome) might mean they have a nice face, good looking eyes, complexion, figure, etc. But for someone to be beautiful, they neither have to be good or bad looking. Someone who I call beautiful is someone who APPEARS good to me. Regardless of how my sense of sight perceives their physical appearance, someone who makes an impression of happiness by smiling a lot, someone who expresses joy, someone who shows the fruits of the spirit, this is someone who I perceive to be... beautiful.
I call all my friends beautiful, guy or girl. But I think especially for the girls, it's tough to accept yourself for who and how you are when many things tell you you need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, talk and act a certain way to be beautiful. Some guys compare girls based on looks, society teaches that the super skinny supermodels are desirable and anyone else needs to change to be acceptable. T.V. shows and movies and books and magazines are full of this shallow view. Disney talks about just being yourself and listening to your heart, all the while taking the best looking actors and actresses they can find and casting them to be the heroes of most of their stories. Look at all the early cartoons, with a dashing prince charming for the beautiful princess. Only Beauty and the Beast had an ugly character, and he became handsome to complete the happy ending.
I love to look to the scripture, and just last night flipped to Isaiah 43. It's too long for me to post here, but I do want to draw out one part in particular (it's worth reading, the whole book is) "Since you were precious in my sight you have been honored and I have loved you." Isaiah 43:4a. I love the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us not to worry, for the God who created us know even when a sparrow falls to the ground, and how much more does he love us? He created us and loves us SO much more.
God does not make mistakes. He does not create anything bad. Every single person he made he made in his image. The diversity in looks across the world shows his creativity, his artistic ability. We were made to bring him glory. But our worth comes not from outward appearances, from looks, but from who we are and how we bring glory to him. I love the song More from Matthew West (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mITRKCDel44), and Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZkrn_vaqU) is a good song relative to the topic. It is SO TRUE. I love each and every one of you so much, guys and girls alike, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.
If that is irrelevant to you, I hope you will find this true and rejoice in it. My love for you is imperfect, at my best times I am merely reflecting God's love. GOD LOVES YOU AND THINKS YOU ARE IMMEASURABLY BEAUTIFUL AND OF INFINITE WORTH. God will never have anything less than perfect and perfectly complete love for you, and the children's song holds true: they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.
One last thing, and this is mainly for the guys. As men of Christ, we need to make a stand to imitate God's love in this way. Those of you from MNU who were in Tuesday's chapel a while back, when Mike Davis stood up and asked us to join together, to be the heroes, I hope you meant it, and I hope you find this note to be an encouraging reminder of it. LOVE the women in your life, and let them know that they are beautiful. You don't have to have a romantic interest in a girl to let her know you think she's beautiful. Sometimes it can be taken that way, but don't let that discourage you. It is so important that we realize the true beauty and value in those who God put on this earth with us. It's not in sex, in looking like a model, or any other lie the Prince of this world throws at us. It's in the beauty God put in us.
One more time, and I can't say it enough, I love you all so much and constantly thank God for putting you into my life. He blesses me with new friends and continues to bless me through the influence of the old ones. Family, friends, anyone reading this: You are beautiful, worthwhile and I love you.
~Leon
Dating and Christianity. The absolute truth that applies to ALL relationships.
Yet another Facebook upload... it's super long so no worries if you don't wanna read it =D
Ok so there is some slight sarcasm in the title... But am I the only one who wonders about all the books, commentaries, articles, and all the people talking and giving advice on relationships? Which one is right? Are any of them? Or is it all relative, and just depends on each case? I'd say that there are some points which are absolutely true about what's good and what's not, and some things that are either too small to matter or depend on the motives and the individuals involved.
First off, I would contend that those who claim to know the 7 steps to finding out exactly what s/he likes are nutjobs or salespeople. I don't think there is any kind of perfect guide, especially since people are different all over the place. Some people who claim to be Christians (not denying the claim, just saying that it is their claim and not necessarily a fact) say that it's ok to "try out" a potential partner because God doesn't want us to be unhappy in our sex for the rest of our lives. I disagree. Others say that God will bring the right one into your life as long as you trust him.
Well, fair enough I guess. God certainly wants us to be happy, and while I think that He has a plan for who, if anyone, He wants to bring together, I think He can bring us joy with any spouse. There is not ONE good Christian woman in the world, and I think that if I somehow missed the opportunity to learn to love the person God meant for me that He could bring someone else in at another time and still give both of us joy in our life together. The point (which I have taken quite a while getting to, but I think it is important to note why I believe what I do) is that God is not going to make sleeping beauty fall into my arms. I don't think He will have every one of His faithful followers find their spouse by some amazing feat, I think He will work to bring it about but allow us to take steps of faith. This is to say, we don't need to ignore members of the opposite sex or our feelings toward them. But God isn't going to treat us like babies, doing everything for us. We have to take action in our lives at some point.
This is hard for me because I saw so many dating relationships go sour from an outside perspective that I grew to dislike dating. I have never dated. I hardly ever had any desire to. I thought that dating was a good way to ruin a friendship. I still do not think that dating in the way many approach it is the best route, after all most of the time the relationships do not end well. Obviously not everyone who dates gets married, and sadly many who get married get divorced. Even within those who claim Christianity there is a divorce rate over 50%. Has marriage failed us? Is there something wrong with us? In short, yes. We are imperfect. But I believe marriage CAN be something people make work "til death do us part". The problem is the MOTIVE.
In case I'm losing you by this point, remember this is my perspective. I'm no more able to give a perfect guideline book than the televangelists or Christian magazine authors/editors. But I do think I have been given some wisdom and reasoning from God, and I feel it is good to share it. I do know that some of my opinions, especially what I'm about to share, are unpopular. But I don't think popularity is truth. I simply have to say what the Lord has put on my heart.
Motive. Why do people date? Why do they get married? The t.v. answer is of course love, but how can we say it is really love when so often it ends poorly? I think too many people are confused on what love is. Not everyone says it, but most of the time I think people date because they like someone. There's nothing wrong with liking someone, as a friend or romantically. Attraction is part of how we were made. I'd be worried if someone DIDN'T experience it. But often times people confuse it with love. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a song or t.v. show or something talk about love and say something like "I just want to be with you.", I'd be richer than Bill Gates. Think about it, the subject is "I" and the verb is "want". I want. Me. Me me me.
This seems so selfish to me. I like d.c. talk, and their way of putting it. Love is a verb. Love is not about warm feelings when we hold hands, about how happy she makes him, about how he makes her laugh, about attraction. These things are not bad. Too many times people think I am attacking these things. I'm not. I'm saying that they should not be the focus. They should not be the MOTIVE. If I get married, I certainly hope I will be attracted to my wife. I hope I can bring a smile to her face, make her laugh, bring joy to her life, etc. I wouldn't be too upset if my wife could bring joy to my life too. But if we are out to find someone who makes us happy, how can we claim selflessness and love in our relationships?
I used to think that I would just make friends, and that by loving my friends in the way that I believe my Lord and savior told me to I would eventually find a woman who loved me and I loved and that from friend love we could mature to romantic love. I don't think this is necessarily wrong, but I feel that maybe there's a little bit more to it than that. I still want my wife to be more like a best friend, someone I trust and who trusts me, someone I care for and someone who I would readily give my life for. But I think there's one other thing that might be necessary. Maybe, just maybe this is one case where it's ok to play favorites.
I try to treat all my friends equally. Being that I (shocker here) am not God, I am unable to truly love all my friends equally. But I try to keep my actions from showing favoritism. I try to sit by different people at different meals. I try to spend time with all those who I love. But maybe for someone who I feel I might be interested in pursuing romance with, maybe it's ok to let them know they hold a special place in my life. It's one thing to love many friends, but if I get married I will only have one wife to love (unless I move to Utah and go the Mormon route).
I still think that marriage is not about taking her to Olive Garden and cheap movies, about holding hands and having my heart jump into my upper respiratory cavities and all the other little quirks of attraction. I think it's about making a commitment to love and care for one person, to put them above ourselves. I think the best way to approach it is not to meet a pretty girl, ask her out and try to get to know her while putting ourselves in awkward situations and making it seem like top priority that we impress one another. Or for girls, to try to dress up, look pretty and say all the right things so the guy thinks you are perfect. I think it's easier to get to know what someone is really like when we are friends, comfortable in each other's presence but not alone trying to pretend to be perfect for them.
This is possibly the most disorganized piece of work I've ever written. It's hard trying to gather ALL the thoughts I have on the issue, all the little details, and put them into reader-friendly format. It doesn't help that I was halfway through this when something caused it to freeze and I had to start over. Then the fire alarm went off... but here I want to try to summarize so that at least you have a clear idea of what my point is. I don't think we can allow the world's model of a relationship, the self pleasing idea that we all have the right to find the perfect someone who will make us happy, I don't think we can allow that to shape our view of love. ESPECIALLY for someone who we must be committed to for life.
As Paul wrote to the Romans (12:1-2) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Our lives, our bodies, none of this is about us. If we seek to please ourselves, we will end up in the miserable rut so many are already in. Divorce, painful breakups, all these things that don't have to be a part of our lives. God wants to give us joy, but I think we only truly find it when we, instead of looking for it for ourselves, try to bring it to others. I think this is CRUCIAL when it comes to our romances. If we are to have working marriages, we need to allow our motive to be to love as Christ taught us to, not to find someone who will make us happy.
Ok so there is some slight sarcasm in the title... But am I the only one who wonders about all the books, commentaries, articles, and all the people talking and giving advice on relationships? Which one is right? Are any of them? Or is it all relative, and just depends on each case? I'd say that there are some points which are absolutely true about what's good and what's not, and some things that are either too small to matter or depend on the motives and the individuals involved.
First off, I would contend that those who claim to know the 7 steps to finding out exactly what s/he likes are nutjobs or salespeople. I don't think there is any kind of perfect guide, especially since people are different all over the place. Some people who claim to be Christians (not denying the claim, just saying that it is their claim and not necessarily a fact) say that it's ok to "try out" a potential partner because God doesn't want us to be unhappy in our sex for the rest of our lives. I disagree. Others say that God will bring the right one into your life as long as you trust him.
Well, fair enough I guess. God certainly wants us to be happy, and while I think that He has a plan for who, if anyone, He wants to bring together, I think He can bring us joy with any spouse. There is not ONE good Christian woman in the world, and I think that if I somehow missed the opportunity to learn to love the person God meant for me that He could bring someone else in at another time and still give both of us joy in our life together. The point (which I have taken quite a while getting to, but I think it is important to note why I believe what I do) is that God is not going to make sleeping beauty fall into my arms. I don't think He will have every one of His faithful followers find their spouse by some amazing feat, I think He will work to bring it about but allow us to take steps of faith. This is to say, we don't need to ignore members of the opposite sex or our feelings toward them. But God isn't going to treat us like babies, doing everything for us. We have to take action in our lives at some point.
This is hard for me because I saw so many dating relationships go sour from an outside perspective that I grew to dislike dating. I have never dated. I hardly ever had any desire to. I thought that dating was a good way to ruin a friendship. I still do not think that dating in the way many approach it is the best route, after all most of the time the relationships do not end well. Obviously not everyone who dates gets married, and sadly many who get married get divorced. Even within those who claim Christianity there is a divorce rate over 50%. Has marriage failed us? Is there something wrong with us? In short, yes. We are imperfect. But I believe marriage CAN be something people make work "til death do us part". The problem is the MOTIVE.
In case I'm losing you by this point, remember this is my perspective. I'm no more able to give a perfect guideline book than the televangelists or Christian magazine authors/editors. But I do think I have been given some wisdom and reasoning from God, and I feel it is good to share it. I do know that some of my opinions, especially what I'm about to share, are unpopular. But I don't think popularity is truth. I simply have to say what the Lord has put on my heart.
Motive. Why do people date? Why do they get married? The t.v. answer is of course love, but how can we say it is really love when so often it ends poorly? I think too many people are confused on what love is. Not everyone says it, but most of the time I think people date because they like someone. There's nothing wrong with liking someone, as a friend or romantically. Attraction is part of how we were made. I'd be worried if someone DIDN'T experience it. But often times people confuse it with love. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a song or t.v. show or something talk about love and say something like "I just want to be with you.", I'd be richer than Bill Gates. Think about it, the subject is "I" and the verb is "want". I want. Me. Me me me.
This seems so selfish to me. I like d.c. talk, and their way of putting it. Love is a verb. Love is not about warm feelings when we hold hands, about how happy she makes him, about how he makes her laugh, about attraction. These things are not bad. Too many times people think I am attacking these things. I'm not. I'm saying that they should not be the focus. They should not be the MOTIVE. If I get married, I certainly hope I will be attracted to my wife. I hope I can bring a smile to her face, make her laugh, bring joy to her life, etc. I wouldn't be too upset if my wife could bring joy to my life too. But if we are out to find someone who makes us happy, how can we claim selflessness and love in our relationships?
I used to think that I would just make friends, and that by loving my friends in the way that I believe my Lord and savior told me to I would eventually find a woman who loved me and I loved and that from friend love we could mature to romantic love. I don't think this is necessarily wrong, but I feel that maybe there's a little bit more to it than that. I still want my wife to be more like a best friend, someone I trust and who trusts me, someone I care for and someone who I would readily give my life for. But I think there's one other thing that might be necessary. Maybe, just maybe this is one case where it's ok to play favorites.
I try to treat all my friends equally. Being that I (shocker here) am not God, I am unable to truly love all my friends equally. But I try to keep my actions from showing favoritism. I try to sit by different people at different meals. I try to spend time with all those who I love. But maybe for someone who I feel I might be interested in pursuing romance with, maybe it's ok to let them know they hold a special place in my life. It's one thing to love many friends, but if I get married I will only have one wife to love (unless I move to Utah and go the Mormon route).
I still think that marriage is not about taking her to Olive Garden and cheap movies, about holding hands and having my heart jump into my upper respiratory cavities and all the other little quirks of attraction. I think it's about making a commitment to love and care for one person, to put them above ourselves. I think the best way to approach it is not to meet a pretty girl, ask her out and try to get to know her while putting ourselves in awkward situations and making it seem like top priority that we impress one another. Or for girls, to try to dress up, look pretty and say all the right things so the guy thinks you are perfect. I think it's easier to get to know what someone is really like when we are friends, comfortable in each other's presence but not alone trying to pretend to be perfect for them.
This is possibly the most disorganized piece of work I've ever written. It's hard trying to gather ALL the thoughts I have on the issue, all the little details, and put them into reader-friendly format. It doesn't help that I was halfway through this when something caused it to freeze and I had to start over. Then the fire alarm went off... but here I want to try to summarize so that at least you have a clear idea of what my point is. I don't think we can allow the world's model of a relationship, the self pleasing idea that we all have the right to find the perfect someone who will make us happy, I don't think we can allow that to shape our view of love. ESPECIALLY for someone who we must be committed to for life.
As Paul wrote to the Romans (12:1-2) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Our lives, our bodies, none of this is about us. If we seek to please ourselves, we will end up in the miserable rut so many are already in. Divorce, painful breakups, all these things that don't have to be a part of our lives. God wants to give us joy, but I think we only truly find it when we, instead of looking for it for ourselves, try to bring it to others. I think this is CRUCIAL when it comes to our romances. If we are to have working marriages, we need to allow our motive to be to love as Christ taught us to, not to find someone who will make us happy.
The Nature of the Beast- another Facebook upload
So here I am, thinking thoughts again (crazy isn't it?) and someone told me I needed to write another note. I hate writing. Papers are my least favorite thing in all things scholastic. So why do I all the sudden want to write? Oh well. But I do, so don't feel bad oh ye who told me to write another one. I inexplicably want to anyway.
I've been kind of up and down lately, wondering about girls, women (like girls only with more candles on their cakes), life, where I'm gonna go. I feel like this is cheating a little in writing, but since this is how my mind works I'm gonna go with it. I don't live from day to day, moment to moment, etc. I live from song to song. I have so many bouncing around in here right now it's insane. Right now the main one I wanna pull out is Place in This World by Michael W. Smith. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QldN5wvkOro&feature=related if you haven't heard it, or just need a reminder. I grew up on cassettes of him, Petra and Geoff Moore. Some other stuff too, but mostly those.
The long and short of it is, I've felt like God wanted to teach me to love Him by loving others. So I have been. Not perfectly, but I have been getting better at looking for ways to love others. At focusing on how I can further His kingdom and not just trying to please myself. How I can enrich others' lives. All that and more. It's been great. But something's missing. I'm not going to be in college my whole life, I'm going to need to pursue my calling. If I am to have a family, if I am to work a job and minister there, or if I am to go to some far corner of the Earth to work as a missionary. How can I live for love and still allow my life to progress? I've been finding that people need a listening ear, and over and over I'm hearing (and sometimes sharing my own) sorrows and grief.
Which brings me to this one. I can't find the original author on YT, but this is a good version.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sq1pOK_NsY Everyone should listen to this. It's easy to say "I'm trading my sorrows for the joy of the Lord", but it's not always easy to really, truly, drop everything and just be content with the life he gives us (another good song, by SCC but I like Avalon's versionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmhfoDbR9Q ). It's not easy to forget the pains we've had, the things we want to see happen, the guilt we carry... but here, at 2:30 am on a school night, I'm thinking this: "You never said it would be easy, but you said you'd see me through the storm"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXs6f2LMvk&feature=related
God help me, and anyone reading, during the times when "Even though I feel so lonely, like I have never been before", and when I'm "Roaming through the night to find my place in this world"... to be able to be carried through the storm. Sorry if this is kinda sad, but life is hard. The world is cold. As hard as it may be, we must put our trust in that God is good. I'm fairly emotional, so of course I'm practically in tears because I know that the semester is almost over, and I won't get to see my friends for a long time. I struggle to move on when I'm loving where things are. But tomorrow is a new day, and the old has gone and the new has come. All the joys of this life, friends, family, all the good times... they are nothing compared to heaven. I still have a little piece of me wanting to hold on to them though.
Whether this is just venting or is actually insightful and potentially helpful to others, I can't be sure. "But the one thing I don't question is you, you really love me like you say you do."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgrigf-Ca48
I love this song =D
Thanks for reading, may God bless you greatly!
I've been kind of up and down lately, wondering about girls, women (like girls only with more candles on their cakes), life, where I'm gonna go. I feel like this is cheating a little in writing, but since this is how my mind works I'm gonna go with it. I don't live from day to day, moment to moment, etc. I live from song to song. I have so many bouncing around in here right now it's insane. Right now the main one I wanna pull out is Place in This World by Michael W. Smith. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QldN5wvkOro&feature=related if you haven't heard it, or just need a reminder. I grew up on cassettes of him, Petra and Geoff Moore. Some other stuff too, but mostly those.
The long and short of it is, I've felt like God wanted to teach me to love Him by loving others. So I have been. Not perfectly, but I have been getting better at looking for ways to love others. At focusing on how I can further His kingdom and not just trying to please myself. How I can enrich others' lives. All that and more. It's been great. But something's missing. I'm not going to be in college my whole life, I'm going to need to pursue my calling. If I am to have a family, if I am to work a job and minister there, or if I am to go to some far corner of the Earth to work as a missionary. How can I live for love and still allow my life to progress? I've been finding that people need a listening ear, and over and over I'm hearing (and sometimes sharing my own) sorrows and grief.
Which brings me to this one. I can't find the original author on YT, but this is a good version.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sq1pOK_NsY Everyone should listen to this. It's easy to say "I'm trading my sorrows for the joy of the Lord", but it's not always easy to really, truly, drop everything and just be content with the life he gives us (another good song, by SCC but I like Avalon's versionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmhfoDbR9Q ). It's not easy to forget the pains we've had, the things we want to see happen, the guilt we carry... but here, at 2:30 am on a school night, I'm thinking this: "You never said it would be easy, but you said you'd see me through the storm"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXs6f2LMvk&feature=related
God help me, and anyone reading, during the times when "Even though I feel so lonely, like I have never been before", and when I'm "Roaming through the night to find my place in this world"... to be able to be carried through the storm. Sorry if this is kinda sad, but life is hard. The world is cold. As hard as it may be, we must put our trust in that God is good. I'm fairly emotional, so of course I'm practically in tears because I know that the semester is almost over, and I won't get to see my friends for a long time. I struggle to move on when I'm loving where things are. But tomorrow is a new day, and the old has gone and the new has come. All the joys of this life, friends, family, all the good times... they are nothing compared to heaven. I still have a little piece of me wanting to hold on to them though.
Whether this is just venting or is actually insightful and potentially helpful to others, I can't be sure. "But the one thing I don't question is you, you really love me like you say you do."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgrigf-Ca48
I love this song =D
Thanks for reading, may God bless you greatly!
Looking
Looking for love, I found wisdom;
I found joy, I found peace.
Looking for love, I found hope
That I could find it and my searching cease.
Looking for love I found my strength,
in the God whose mercies are new each day.
I found my place to be with the Lord,
and found that He is with me more and more.
Yes looking for love I found God,
but looking back I'm not dissapointed;
God is love and He made me His,
forgave me and made me His annointed.
All that I found when looking for love
is that love is not something you find all alone.
Love is of God and has many components,
so looking for love may you make it your own.
I found joy, I found peace.
Looking for love, I found hope
That I could find it and my searching cease.
Looking for love I found my strength,
in the God whose mercies are new each day.
I found my place to be with the Lord,
and found that He is with me more and more.
Yes looking for love I found God,
but looking back I'm not dissapointed;
God is love and He made me His,
forgave me and made me His annointed.
All that I found when looking for love
is that love is not something you find all alone.
Love is of God and has many components,
so looking for love may you make it your own.
The Rope of a Godly marriage- another Facebook upload
This note might sound like something you've heard before, or it might be completely new. A friend and I were talking and this analogy sprung to our minds together, and while it sounds like I might have heard something like this before, I have no source to pinpoint it to. I even tried to do a search online for the exact ratio (10 to 1, 5 to 1, etc.) but couldn't find it.
So my friend and I were talking about how relationships tend to have too much focus on self or on the other person: on the one hand you have a user, someone who just tries to grab all they can, doesn't care about the other and really is just in it for their own benefit... and on the other hand you have an idolizer, someone who practically worships their significant other. Either of these two scenarios leave an unbalanced relationship, and it tends to be weak and easily broken apart.
I tried to come up with the analogy of a Godly relationship being, rather than two fingers pointing at each other, two fingers side by side pointing to God. My friend improved on it and said it was not just pointing to God, but also intertwined with Him, like a three strand rope. If anyone has any luck finding the actual ratio of strength difference between one strand and three braided or just "rope-wrapped" (best I can come up with for three strands spiraling one another) strands, let me know I'll throw it in here. All I know is that I heard once that it is MORE than just three times as strong, and can hold MORE than just three times the weight.
The point is (and this is turning out to be one of my shorter notes... yay =P), a relationship with God as the focus is MUCH stronger, like a spiraling rope twine. The tension that pulls people apart in unbalanced relationships can hold them together stronger if the whole point in their lives is "not to us, but to your name be the glory". I hope that what He has in store for you is a very strong twine =D
God bless!
So my friend and I were talking about how relationships tend to have too much focus on self or on the other person: on the one hand you have a user, someone who just tries to grab all they can, doesn't care about the other and really is just in it for their own benefit... and on the other hand you have an idolizer, someone who practically worships their significant other. Either of these two scenarios leave an unbalanced relationship, and it tends to be weak and easily broken apart.
I tried to come up with the analogy of a Godly relationship being, rather than two fingers pointing at each other, two fingers side by side pointing to God. My friend improved on it and said it was not just pointing to God, but also intertwined with Him, like a three strand rope. If anyone has any luck finding the actual ratio of strength difference between one strand and three braided or just "rope-wrapped" (best I can come up with for three strands spiraling one another) strands, let me know I'll throw it in here. All I know is that I heard once that it is MORE than just three times as strong, and can hold MORE than just three times the weight.
The point is (and this is turning out to be one of my shorter notes... yay =P), a relationship with God as the focus is MUCH stronger, like a spiraling rope twine. The tension that pulls people apart in unbalanced relationships can hold them together stronger if the whole point in their lives is "not to us, but to your name be the glory". I hope that what He has in store for you is a very strong twine =D
God bless!
Love is blind?
Another Facebook Note. Written one year and two days ago precisely =D
I have been away for a while now (but don't tuck me in just like a child now), but that's not why I'm writing this. I have a legitimate pull to write down this thing which the Lord has put on my heart and mind.
It's often said that love is blind, and I used to believe it. I think now though, that love is not blind but rather love "endures all things". Radical thought I know, but it seems to me that LIKE is blind. When we meet someone new, we get a first impression of them. No matter what their circumstances, what we perceive them as is VERY HARD TO CHANGE. That first impression sticks with us long past our ability to even remember where, when, why, how, etc. we first met.
***The impression itself makes us biased in our view toward that person***
Quote me on that if you wish, I believe it to be true. If you get a good first impression, you tend to rationalize the things that don't meet the standard you expect from that person. ESPECIALLY if they barely miss the mark. Just as it is hard to like someone after they have seriously wronged you, hard to trust and befriend them, I believe it works the opposite way equally. If you really like someone, for whatever reason, it's hard to begin to dislike them.
That's only the first part of it though, I really want to focus on the GOOD part of this, not just the misdirected issue. So if love is not blind, what is it? I believe love is that vulnerability of trust where you open your arms and heart and soul and self to someone, EVEN IF YOU KNOW THEY HAVE WRONGED YOU. This does not just go for romantic love, but I believe it applies in marriage strongly.
This passage is one of those which is preached to death on and people begin to forget the importance of its message.
1 Corinthians 13 (New King James Version)
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 {*Love suffers long and is kind*}; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 {*bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.*}
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
the {* to *} parts are my added emphasis. Notice how it says that love SUFFERS and is still kind, that it BEARS ALL THINGS and ENDURES ALL THINGS. Love is unwavering. Before I get a heap of comments about abuse and such, I am NOT promoting ignorance of evil because of love. I AM saying that we do not hate, we do NOT hate, WE DO NOT- HATE- those who have wronged us. We love and forgive them and allow God to worry about justice and the like. I have heard BOTH love AND hate thrown around far too casually for my taste, and think we need to be very careful with our mouths (myself especially). We do not hate others, we endure suffering and love on. While we are imperfect, God, being love's best definition, is perfect. This is why God IS love, and why we must try to be more like Him.
Thanks for reading, love and God's blessing to all =D
I have been away for a while now (but don't tuck me in just like a child now), but that's not why I'm writing this. I have a legitimate pull to write down this thing which the Lord has put on my heart and mind.
It's often said that love is blind, and I used to believe it. I think now though, that love is not blind but rather love "endures all things". Radical thought I know, but it seems to me that LIKE is blind. When we meet someone new, we get a first impression of them. No matter what their circumstances, what we perceive them as is VERY HARD TO CHANGE. That first impression sticks with us long past our ability to even remember where, when, why, how, etc. we first met.
***The impression itself makes us biased in our view toward that person***
Quote me on that if you wish, I believe it to be true. If you get a good first impression, you tend to rationalize the things that don't meet the standard you expect from that person. ESPECIALLY if they barely miss the mark. Just as it is hard to like someone after they have seriously wronged you, hard to trust and befriend them, I believe it works the opposite way equally. If you really like someone, for whatever reason, it's hard to begin to dislike them.
That's only the first part of it though, I really want to focus on the GOOD part of this, not just the misdirected issue. So if love is not blind, what is it? I believe love is that vulnerability of trust where you open your arms and heart and soul and self to someone, EVEN IF YOU KNOW THEY HAVE WRONGED YOU. This does not just go for romantic love, but I believe it applies in marriage strongly.
This passage is one of those which is preached to death on and people begin to forget the importance of its message.
1 Corinthians 13 (New King James Version)
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 {*Love suffers long and is kind*}; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 {*bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.*}
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
the {* to *} parts are my added emphasis. Notice how it says that love SUFFERS and is still kind, that it BEARS ALL THINGS and ENDURES ALL THINGS. Love is unwavering. Before I get a heap of comments about abuse and such, I am NOT promoting ignorance of evil because of love. I AM saying that we do not hate, we do NOT hate, WE DO NOT- HATE- those who have wronged us. We love and forgive them and allow God to worry about justice and the like. I have heard BOTH love AND hate thrown around far too casually for my taste, and think we need to be very careful with our mouths (myself especially). We do not hate others, we endure suffering and love on. While we are imperfect, God, being love's best definition, is perfect. This is why God IS love, and why we must try to be more like Him.
Thanks for reading, love and God's blessing to all =D
A rose's kiss
Another post from Facebook, I am considering deleting my account so I wanted to have this saved just in case. Still never wrote the chords to this... but I remember the melody that was in my head way back then and still have it! I love my memory sometimes =D
Like the head of your toes
at the foot of a rose
that tells you you don't really know.
It says that what your eyes see 'is
covered by what's underneath
and there's some pain that is bound to follow.
Why is this?
We were cursed by a kiss...
Like the disciple who dipped
his bread and shortly he skipped
we come broken and deceived.
He gave up God with a kiss
but soon he saw what he missed
took his life when he could have received.
Why is this?
We were cursed by a kiss...
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
As we begin to grow old
we let our hearts become cold.
We forget what it was that we sought.
If we would open our eyes
the love of eternal life
has already been paid for and bought.
Does this need to be?
From this curse can we be free?
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
(Repeat)
Our stomachs wrench
We slip and fall
What is the stench?
Break down the wall!
We can be free
from the curse we're in
all we must do
is receive Him...
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
Jesus brings truth
He sets us free
He is the love that we're dying for.
He is the love that we're dying for.
Come get the love that you're dying for.
Like the head of your toes
at the foot of a rose
that tells you you don't really know.
It says that what your eyes see 'is
covered by what's underneath
and there's some pain that is bound to follow.
Why is this?
We were cursed by a kiss...
Like the disciple who dipped
his bread and shortly he skipped
we come broken and deceived.
He gave up God with a kiss
but soon he saw what he missed
took his life when he could have received.
Why is this?
We were cursed by a kiss...
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
As we begin to grow old
we let our hearts become cold.
We forget what it was that we sought.
If we would open our eyes
the love of eternal life
has already been paid for and bought.
Does this need to be?
From this curse can we be free?
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
(Repeat)
Our stomachs wrench
We slip and fall
What is the stench?
Break down the wall!
We can be free
from the curse we're in
all we must do
is receive Him...
Pain comes with these things.
No diamond rings
can ever give you what you're lookin for
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
Beauty is skin deep.
What's underneath
isn't the love that you're dying for.
Jesus brings truth
He sets us free
He is the love that we're dying for.
He is the love that we're dying for.
Come get the love that you're dying for.
Kingdom Qualities- copy/pasted from Facebook notes.
Kingdom Qualities. Author Unknown, Curtesy of Professor Mike Gough (MNU):
"Edward Kimball was a Sunday School teacher in a Congregationalist church in Boston where he taught a class for teenage boys. Convicted by the Holy Spirit that he did not know the spiritual condition of each of his students, he began to visit them individually to find out if they were Christians. Kimball visited the shoe store where one of his class members, an 18-year old named Dwight, worked. In the room where he stocked shelves, Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899) gave his life to Christ. He went on to become an international evangelist, preaching to over 130,000 people in one day! He founded three schools and two publishing houses all of which are still in operation. It is estimated that in his lifetime, Moody traveled over one-million miles and preached the gospel to one hundred million people.
One of those converted under Moody's ministry was John Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918); he too became a full time evangelist. In addition, he wrote or edited 30 books and numerous pamphlets on the Christian life. William Ashley Sunday (1862-1935), a professional baseball player, was converted as a result of Chapman's ministry and also became a full-time evangelist. It is estimated that 300,000 people gave their lives to Christ during his evangelistic meetings. One of the converts in Sunday's ministry was Mordecai Fowler Ham (1877-1961). Ham devoted his life to preaching the gospel and saw hundreds of thousands of conversions. During a revival meeting held in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934, William Frank Graham (1918-Present) was converted. Billy Graham was a shy sixteen year old- an unlikely candidate for international ministry. However, as a teenager, he committed his life entirely to God's service and prayed that God might use him in His kingdom work. During Billy Graham's ministry, hundreds of millions of people have heard the gospel and millions have responded in faith. On April 14, 1996 an estimated 2.5 BILLION people in 160 countries heard him present the gospel which was translated into 42 languages.
Did Edward Kimball know what would come of his obedience in 1855? Of course not. Did God? Certainly! Kimball was obedient to what God invited him to do and God used his obedience to bring millions to His kingdom. Every act of obedience carries with it the potential to mightily impact the kingdom of God. God invites YOU to obey His instructions for your life and to experience Him working in you to bring a world to Christ."
Thursday, February 17, 2011
You feel me?
Well, I had a little silence there... didn't write for a while. I still try to follow my friend's blogs sometimes, because people tend to be more honest when they don't have to look in someone's eyes. Isn't that sad? We've become more comfortable with a screen than with a person, with another human being. We'll write down our deepest, darkest secrets for whoever to read online, but we see that same person IN person and the most we can muster up is:
"Hey how are you?"
"Tired, but not too bad. You?"
"I'm doing ok."
"See ya!"
It sucks. What happened to people being able to run up to a friend, give them a hug, tell them they love them and have a real conversation? Yeah, sometimes we see the same person day after day and the same things get a little mundane, but the beauty of our relationships is that we can find new joys with the same people if we are patient with each other.
So, next time you see me, feel free to give me a hug! Trust me as much as you feel comfortable with, but just be real with me. You feel me?
"Hey how are you?"
"Tired, but not too bad. You?"
"I'm doing ok."
"See ya!"
It sucks. What happened to people being able to run up to a friend, give them a hug, tell them they love them and have a real conversation? Yeah, sometimes we see the same person day after day and the same things get a little mundane, but the beauty of our relationships is that we can find new joys with the same people if we are patient with each other.
So, next time you see me, feel free to give me a hug! Trust me as much as you feel comfortable with, but just be real with me. You feel me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)