Let Me Ponder this for a Moment

So, hello everyone.

Yes I still exist, its amazing, isn't it?  Haha, anyway yeah, I finally got a summer job (albeit for only half the summer) lifeguarding at the Spring Valley YMCA.  I enjoy it for the most part, and I am getting pretty good hours so far (32 last week and >22 this week) which is very good.

Anyway, outside of that, I went on vacation to Disney World with my dad sister and aunt about 3 weeks ago, which was fun.  We also got to visit my Mummum and Poppop Neil which was nice.

The rest of my summer has mostly been spent just relaxing.  Next friday I'm going down to spend the day with my AWESOME girlfriend, Natalie.

That's about as caught up about my life as you need to be.  Now onto the meet of this post. I would like to focus on wisdom in this post.

Wisdom is always an interesting topic.  Its very highly valued in the bible (mentioned numerous times in both testaments) and also (most of the time) by the world.  Wisdom is also what cemented Solomon as one of the premier kings of the bible.  In fact, he is likely the second most highly regarded king, second only to his father David (his wealth and power actually exceeded that of David).  However, Solomon did not have to end up this way.  He attained his notoriety in one specific incident detailed in 1 Kings (Chapter 3).  One night Solomon went to a local place of worship (the most important one in Israel) and made a very large (1,000) burnt offering to the Lord.  That night, as he lay sleeping, the Lord appeared to Solomon and asked him "What do you want?  Ask and I will give it to you."  Solomon could have asked for many things, such as long life, a prosperous reign, power, victory over his enemies, etc but he did not.  Solomon was smart enough to know that with only one of those things he would likely not receive any of the others.  So what did he do?  He asked for wisdom.  This is how it went.

7 “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 8 And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! 9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! 14 And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

By asking for this one thing, Solomon also gained everything else he could have asked for.  It is incredible what Solomon receives in addition to his wisdom (and partially because of it).  Solomon became the premier king of Israel.  

Despite how great all of that is I want to more closely examine Solomon's speech before asking for wisdom.  More specifically what he viewed as his greatest problem.  Solomon states that he is like a small child, basically saying that he feels lost and he is worried that he is not ready for ruling over such a numerous people.  This is a legitimate concern that Solomon raises that must be addressed.  Instead of taking the easy route and simply asking God to address his concern, he asks for something that will allow him to fix the issue alongside of God.  God is extremely pleased and grants Solomon so much more than what he asked for.  

After reading this about 3 days ago I was struck by something in this.  Perhaps we should model our prayers and requests to god after Solomon's I thought to myself.  Perhaps next time I needs God's help with something instead of asking him to fix it I should instead ask for his wisdom and guidance in resolving the problem myself.  

I would like to challenge the two of you who read this to try this the next time you come before God with an issue.  Instead of asking God to fix whatever issue you may have, ask him to give you the wisdom, guidance and strength to resolve the issue with his help. I will be.

Anyway, this was a really long post for a really short challenge, but I feel like if we attempt it, we might find that we are much closer to God and our problems resolve much faster (note that I am saying that God cannot resolve our problems).

Well, I hope this makes sense.

Until next time,

Godspeed

The Stream

The gentle tinkle of water falling over moss covered rocks tickles my ear.  I glance down at the babbling brook I have stumbled upon and smile.  The beauty is brilliant.  The sun flashes off the small waves, shooting light in every which way like small shards of glass.  Patterns dance into and out of focus on the bed of the stream.  I can smell the dampness and woods all around me.  I breathe in deeply and smile to myself, it is perfect.  In that moment I decide I have to follow this busy brook as it bubbles and bounces from rock to rock.  I start off taking a leisurely stroll along the edge marveling at every sharp turn that it makes.

As I continue down the stream it gets more and more difficult to follow.  I begin to encounter prickly thorn bushes and gnarled roots reach from the ground as if to trip me.  Sometimes the path gets so difficult that I am forced to leave the streams edge.  At first I don't notice it getting farther and farther from me.  Eventually I do though and I anxiously make my way back.  I want to follow the stream for as long as possible just to be near its beauty and serenity.  

The path of the stream seemingly follows no logic as it meanders along the forest floor, and yet I sense that in reality everything it does makes perfect sense.  This logic is just beyond my grasp and it frustrates me.  Eventually I give up and notice that I have strayed from the stream again because of the difficulty of the path.  There are thorn bushes everywhere and rocks are strewn along the bank of the little stream.  I fight my way back and continue to press on.  I can tell that very few people have ever walked this far before.

The growing difficulty feeds my desire to follow the stream farther and farther.  The smell of unpolluted air drags my nose onwards and the sound continues to ease my burdened ears.  The temperature is just right easing my passage slightly and what a relief it is, for the path is now nearly untraversable.  I am constantly being forced fromt he side of the stream and it worries me.  

Finally I come to a clearing and look around.  I am surrounded by the beauty of nature.  I take a moment to relax and enjoy the peaceful place I have discovered.  I marvel at the small plants growing in the shade of the huge trees.  Everywhere there is life.  Things are beginning to sprout new growth after the test of winter.  I marvel at the wonder of nature and all its beauty and smile.  Unfortunately my watch reminds me it is time to head back.  I slowly scan where I am one last time, sigh, and turn to begin the treck back.

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I had the idea to write this while I was walking down a stream (imagine that).  I just felt in awe of the beauty that God had made in nature.  It was a very relaxing experience.  I would really have liked to write this as a poem, but a poet I am not, so I chose to use very poetic prose instead (thus the large descriptions).  As with most of what I write there is a hidden meaning in this piece.  If anyone figures it out they get a cookie (if I don't eat it first)  

Until next time,

Godspeed

Written on my heart

Hey all, so its been forever since I’ve written anything on here and I felt like I should write something, but first let me give a quick update.  Just so everyone knows, I made it to Florida (for those of you who don’t know the cru band is playing at Big-Break which is a conference held in Panama city, Florida).  The view from our hotel is great and I’ll post pictures later.  We play for the first time tonight.  Anyway, that’s about all for now.  Hopefully I’ll get some recordings so you guys can hear.&  Here’s what I wanted to write about.

So today I was having my morning Jesus time when I came across the passage Psalm 40:8.  It reads, “I desire to do your will, my God; Your law is within my heart.”  This got me to wondering, what exactly does it mean to have God’s law and word written (or contained) in our hearts.&  This imagery about the law and God’s word comes up a few other times throughout the bible as well, so it must be important (I don’t have internet as I am writing this otherwise I would look the passages up).  Anyway, after thinking about it for a while (aka meditating on it) I decided that, at least to me (and God seemed perfectly fine with it as well), it means that we need to love what God love and hate what God hates.

Now that seems fairly simple but there are a few things that should be noted, mostly about the hate.  First let me say that this is an individual idea.  In that I mean that I should love what God loves (such as the poor, everyone, myself, good works, the planet, ect.) and I  should hate what God hates (i.e. sin, not helping the poor, ect.).  I feel as if I am still being slightly confusing, so let me try again.  When I am doing good or see someone else doing good, I should have joy well up inside of me.

The same goes for when I break or see the law being broken. I should feel disgust and hatred, maybe even fear. This especially holds true when we are committing the acts.  Part of the reason I think that many people have one sin they struggle with for all time is because they know that its not good, but they don’t despise it like God does.  The only reason they know that what they are doing is bad is because God’s law tells them that it is bad.  They don’t have an internal dislike of what they are doing, therefore it is extremely hard for them to stop.  This holds true for when we witness someone else breaking the law, however we need to be careful.  We should not like it when we someone committing a sin; however, we must still love that person, even more than someone who is not living in God’s law.  They need our help (either so that they can learn the law and about God, or so that if they need support [as in they already believe in God but are slipping up] we can give it to them).  Basically I am saying that we should hate the act that the person is doing, but we cannot judge them (which is part of the law).

Anyway, those were just some of my thoughts on that verse, and since I haven’t written anything in a while I thought it would be good to post on here.  One last thing, if everyone could just keep myself and the band in their prayers this week, and just ask that we could effectively lead worship for this conference that would be great.

Until next time,
Godspeed.

An update

I figured I should probably write an update for this since I haven't in absolutely forever so here goes.

First I just want to point out that I have the most awesome girlfriend this world has ever known.

Second I want to say that school is going pretty well.  Most of my classes are much easier than I once thought.

Third we've created a myspace page with live recordings from Thursday nights at Cru (I play the drums) you can find it a www.myspace.com/wvucruband .

Fourth, I'm kinda hyper right now, yay for going to the gym.

Fifth, I've been going to the gym regularly now (with the exception of last week).

Sixth, for those of you who haven't seen me since last summer, I lost weight so i'm skinnier than I was.

Seventh, umm my grandma and mom and dad are all awesome people.

Eighth I love my brother and sister.

Tenth, wait, were did nine go.......

Nine, God is an Awesome God  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLHNNyWlTio

Eleventh, I'm gonna stop now

So until next time, which will hopefully be a lot sooner than last time,
Godspeed

Night

What is it about the night that causes us to lower our guards?
Why is it that we feel so vulnerable it the darkness?
Is it because we lose other senses?
Perhaps its because we are often left to our own thought.
Often I feel it is because we are creatures who need the light and therefore want companionship to make it through the dark.
Maybe its because we lower our guards because there is only us and those we invite to share in the night with us.
Maybe its because thats when the devil attacks us the most.

I don't know which of these answers or questions is true, all that I know is that the soul is vulnerable at night and desires company.

It leads us to talk about things we would never talk about in the light of day.

Hey, maybe its because we want to hide what might come out, and what better place to do it than in the darkness.

So nope, this is nothing like i normally write but then again what i normally write is written during the day. I don't really mean anything to come of this post, its just really my thoughts as they flowed out of my head.  And if anyone is worried about me for something (i don't know why this post would make you worry but just in case) don't, there's no reason to worry.  Heck, i'm not even worried about anything myself right now.

Anyway,
Until Next Time,
Godspeed

Christmas story (according to matthew)

^{Matthew 1:8-2:12
8} This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
 ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
 ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
 ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
 ⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
   who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
 ⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
 ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Them

Have you heard of them?

No? Well thats surprising.  You should have.

Are you sure you haven't heard of them?

I'm quite certain you know who they are, you just don't realize it.

Maybe if I tell you a story you'll remember.

You say you don't have time for a story?

Nonsense, it won't take but a minute.

Alright, I won't keep you long I promise.

Just for ease of telling this tale I'll refer to them as a male and a female but the gender has nothing to do with it o.k.?

Good, here we go.



He was walking down Luke street on April 15, troubling himself with the path the world was choosing.  He passed many people and knew all of them by name.  Many smiled and waved at him, calling out hello.  Many more shouted insults at him and made obscene gestures.  The largest group of all however was those who ignored them.

As he continued down the street suddenly he noticed her sitting at a coffee shop.  She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.  She walked with the grace of a queen and acted in a like-wise fashion.  She was perfect in his eyes and he immediately knew he had to have her.  Unfortunately she was one of the ones who was ignoring him.  He bided his time and decided to wait.

The next day he noticed her again, this time as she walked by him.  He smiled and said hello but she just brushed on by.  Again he let her go, knowing his time would come.

They passed on the next day as well, but this time he bumped into her causing her to drop the stack of papers she was carrying.  Sheepishly he helped her to pick them up while apologizing profusely.  She told him to pay better attention next time, turned and walked off.

They continued to pass each other day after day and she continued to ignore him as best as she could.  Never once did he grow disheartened though.  He even began writing a book just for her so that he could give it to her.  He knew that his time would come.

One day while passing her, he noticed she was crying.  He stopped and asked her why.  She shouted at him to leave her alone.  Her grandfather had just died and she wanted nothing to do with him.  He responded that he could help her.  She got up, slapped him and left.

For a long time he let her be.  Allowed her to calm herself and deal with her grief however she felt was best.  Then he decided the time had come to make another attempt.  This time things went differently.  He found her sitting on a bench sniffling again, on the brink of tears.  He asked what was wrong and she said she was lonely and that she was glad he had come.  She began to pour out how she had been thinking about him and how she had talked to her friends who knew him and how everyone had said that they should get to know each other. He just sat there smiling knowing he had finally won.

They talked for a long time and she apologized for all that she had done to him.  She admitted that she was originally scared of him and what he might think of her.  He said it was ok, most people were.  She admitted how much she disliked herself.  He assured her she was perfect.  She said he was to good for her.  He said that was nonsense.  At the end of their talk he asked her if she would marry him.  She was surprised at how sudden it was but she agreed.

Shortly after this conversation the couple got married.  Her closest friends were there and cheered wildly for her.  The ceremony was short and simple but forever locked them together.  At the wedding he gave her the book and told that if she ever felt he was not with her she could go to the book to find him.  She placed the book in her bag promising to remember it.

After the wedding they went on a very long honey moon.  They were madly in love with each other.  Never once did they fight.  It was the most romantic of times.  They wondered how they had ever existed without each other.  As the romance continued she began to rely more and more on him filling her heart with everything that he was.  She even began to read the book he had written for her, at times pouring herself into with a vigor she didn't even replicate in her studies.  They also talked almost constantly during this honeymoon and the talks were always good.

Unfortunately this unbelievable love was not to last forever.  Shortly after their honeymoon her mother died of cancer.  She took it very hard.  He tried to comfort her but she wanted nothing to do with him.  She even stopped reading the book he had written for her, even though she loved it so much.  She began to ignore him again and he just gave her time and space.  Eventually as her wounds healed she returned to him apologizing again.

She decided to invite him to move into her house so that they could live together forever.  She lived on a unique road.  It was the first one to ever be named John street.  Their house was the fourth one down the street but was number 8 for some reason.

After buying the house they again experienced a time of great joy where they couldn't get enough of each other.  They would talk day and night and never got angry with each other.  She also resumed reading the book he had given her, digging deeper and deeper into the layers it offered.

Again this was not to last.  One day she lost her job and blamed it on him.  She shouted horrible things at him and forced him out of the house.  He was very sad and hoped dreadfully that she would allow him to return.

Three days later he returned to the house and knocked quietly.  She threw the door wide open begging him to come back and live with her again.  He smiled and stepped inside.  She said that she was horribly sorry and begged for his forgiveness.  He forgave her immediately.  She said she was worried he would never return.  He reminded her that as long as she had his book he would always be with her.


For a long time they continued to experience their ups and downs.  Whenever something happened to her she would blame it on him and kick him out for a few days but when he would come back she would allow him home.  One day he found the door locked.  He looked in the window and saw her with another man.  He banged on the door but she ignored him.  He sat on the steps and cried for a long time. Eventually the man she was with ran from the home and she stepped out and immediately began begging for forgiveness.  He forgave her immediately.

Their relationship was horribly strained.  He would catch her cheating on him many more times.  She would blame him for things many more times.  However, he always loved her and that never changed.  Whenever she allowed him to come back he was very excited.

Eventually the relationship began to even out.  When something bad happened to her she would go to him for support instead of blaming him.  He found her cheating on him less and less.  There love also became less passionate but much more mature.  In fact they loved each other more at this point than they had ever loved each other.  Durring this time she began to uncover the secrets hidden in his book both by asking him and through discovering them for herself.  This brought endless joy to the couple.

They grew old together that odd couple.  Never once did his love for her falter.  And never once did she fully kick him out of the house.  A greater love was never to be found.



So, that about wraps up my story.

Haha, thanks, I like it too.  Do you know who they are?

See I told you that you would know.

Alright, you can get going now, I hope you enjoyed my tale.

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Hey everyone.  Thanks for reading this.  I know the style isn't the greatest but I really think that this does a great job of fulfilling its purpose.  Its a love story.  The greatest love story ever told.  If anyone can't figure out what this is about go ahead and send me a message on facebook.  There are quite a few hidden things throughout the story, so keep your eye open for them.

Until next time,
Godspeed.