Did you know that 3+4=5? It's true, at least when using vectors in physics. How bout this, did you know that leadership=service? Well it does, actually, depending on what perspective you take.
First lets look at the world's philosophy. According to my good friends at over at Merriam-Webster the definition of leadership is "1. the office or position of a person who has commanding authority or influence." The same people define service as "contribution to the welfare of others." So how the heck are these two even related? Well in our world today, they aren't, but according to the bible they are.
Before the Last Supper Jesus does something no one ever expected. He bent over, got on his hands and knees, and started washing his disciple's feet. This was a job that was only ever done when a student, or disciple, wanted to show that they were fully devoted to their teacher, or master (normally it was done by the person themselves, or by a servant). The fact that Jesus washed his disciple's feet would have been as unbelievable as if George Bush were to walk up and start washing your feet. This was unheard of. It was an unspeakable act of love, and humbleness.
After washing His disciples feet Jesus said to them, "13 You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you." (John 13.13-15). He is setting the example of what true Leadership should be, undying love, devotion, and servitude to those who follow you. He is also saying that leadership is not something that you can be given, nor is it something you can randomly decide you want, it is something that you have to earn.
Leadership could be better defined as "love so strong for someone that they wish to be like you." At least true leadership that is. Working for someone or something, and putting maximum amounts of efforts into it is the best way to earn the status of a leader. It takes an uncanny amount of devotion.
Leadership is something that is impossible to have without God. It is extremely taxing, and wears you down. That is why you need God. You need Him to keep you energized. You need Him to help keep your heart in it. Finally you just need Him period.
Though Leadership is trying, and difficult, it is also very rewarding. It helps to build strong friendships, it is enjoyable, and it is something we are called to do as Disciples of Christ. We need to be leaders (and thus servants) to the world we live in. We need to make everyone look to us with our undying love. We need to be the men and women God has called us to be.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Beautiful Disaster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q39XH3D0R9o
(stupid youtube disabled the embed code, sorry, you'll have to visit the page to view the vid)
John McLaughlin
I don't know much about him, but if this song says anything he knows a lot about this world. Just listen to the lyrics...
(for those of you who don't want to listen to the whole song here they are)
She loves her mama's lemonade,
Hates the sound that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she'll find someone to need her.
She swears that there's no difference,
Between the lies and compliments.
It's all the same if everybody leaves her.
And every magazine tells her she's not good enough,
The pictures that she sees make her cry.
And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
And she just needs someone to take her home.
She's giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant,
Afraid they'll see that she's lost her direction.
She never stays the same for long,
Assuming that she'll get it wrong.
Perfect only in her imperfections.
She's not a drama queen,
She doesn't want to feel this way, only seventeen but tired
She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.
Cuz she's just the way she is, but no ones told her that's ok.
And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
And she would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home
And she just needs someone to take her home.
Mclaughlin is right. The world has told girls they are useless. It has told them that if they aren't "hot" or "sexy" then they are a waste. Its no wonder that there are so many people who are clinically depressed, anemic, bulimic, cutters, or thinking of committing suicide. Most of the females in this world are living in a world where they can never feel good enough. They are told through music, tv, the internet, even their "friends" that they aren't ever going to be considered beautiful.
Just so everyone one knows, there is no such thing as good enough, because everyone is good enough. God loves you, and your true friends will love you, no matter how you look, act, talk, or think.
For the Disciples out there we need to start loving everyone again, no matter who they are. Jesus showed us unconditional love, now its our turn. We need to be the people who tell people their true value, as God sees their true value.
(stupid youtube disabled the embed code, sorry, you'll have to visit the page to view the vid)
John McLaughlin
I don't know much about him, but if this song says anything he knows a lot about this world. Just listen to the lyrics...
(for those of you who don't want to listen to the whole song here they are)
She loves her mama's lemonade,
Hates the sound that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she'll find someone to need her.
She swears that there's no difference,
Between the lies and compliments.
It's all the same if everybody leaves her.
And every magazine tells her she's not good enough,
The pictures that she sees make her cry.
And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
And she just needs someone to take her home.
She's giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant,
Afraid they'll see that she's lost her direction.
She never stays the same for long,
Assuming that she'll get it wrong.
Perfect only in her imperfections.
She's not a drama queen,
She doesn't want to feel this way, only seventeen but tired
She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.
Cuz she's just the way she is, but no ones told her that's ok.
And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
And she would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home
And she just needs someone to take her home.
Mclaughlin is right. The world has told girls they are useless. It has told them that if they aren't "hot" or "sexy" then they are a waste. Its no wonder that there are so many people who are clinically depressed, anemic, bulimic, cutters, or thinking of committing suicide. Most of the females in this world are living in a world where they can never feel good enough. They are told through music, tv, the internet, even their "friends" that they aren't ever going to be considered beautiful.
Just so everyone one knows, there is no such thing as good enough, because everyone is good enough. God loves you, and your true friends will love you, no matter how you look, act, talk, or think.
For the Disciples out there we need to start loving everyone again, no matter who they are. Jesus showed us unconditional love, now its our turn. We need to be the people who tell people their true value, as God sees their true value.
the wonderful forwardings of my grandmother
UNITED STATES MAP
A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little
girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like, so he tore a
sheetout of his magazine, on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing
it into small pieces, he gave it to his daughter and said, go into the other room
and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country.
After a few minutes, the little girl returned and handed him the map,
correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she
had finished so quickly.
Oh,she said, on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got
Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.
haha, i have no clue who wrote this but its very funny, and true
A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little
girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like, so he tore a
sheetout of his magazine, on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing
it into small pieces, he gave it to his daughter and said, go into the other room
and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country.
After a few minutes, the little girl returned and handed him the map,
correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she
had finished so quickly.
Oh,she said, on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got
Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.
haha, i have no clue who wrote this but its very funny, and true
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A Foundation of Love
17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.
(John 3 17-18 NLT)
We are so lucky to have such a loving God, for he judges not, and loves us regardless of our sins and faults. God is the ultimate parent. He gave us a clear set of rules as far as what we can and can't do. When we break these rules He does not anger, but instead gently nudges us back onto the right path. However; this doesn't mean that we can go and do whatever we want and then expect Him to forgive us. Will He? Yes, i believe He will, but still, shouldn't we want to do better for someone who is so kind to us? As God plays the ultimate parent, we should become the ultimate children. In everything we do we should strive to be like Him. Our greatest goal in life should be to make Him happy by doing what He has given us to do.
In order to do this, we really only have one rule to follow, and that is love. As you may be able to tell from previous posts i have a firm belief that love is what this world need. The reason why i think this, is first of all outlined in the research i wrote under the same title, but also because of our relationship with God. God has based how he interacts with us on love. He created man-kind and "saw that it was good." He gave his only son so that we as sinners may be saved. Our God is a god of love. That is why i say that all of our relationships in this short lifetime we have been granted should be based off of love to. Just imagine how much better the world would become. There would never be any problem getting things done. People would get hurt less. Cures to diseases could be found more quickly. Love is the tylenol for the world. Would it stop all pain? No, but it sure would make the world a better place to live in.
Unfortunately it is very difficult for every interaction we have to be based off of love, but that should be our goal. I hold a firm belief that the understanding of true and untainted love equals a firm understanding of the Bible, and makes it much easier to follow everything it contains.
For you are the Lord
And You are God above
Your love goes on and on
~The Everlasting by Third Day~
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
~You Never Let Go by Matt Redman~
Just remember, God will never let go of you, so never let go of Him or each other.
18 There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.
(John 3 17-18 NLT)
We are so lucky to have such a loving God, for he judges not, and loves us regardless of our sins and faults. God is the ultimate parent. He gave us a clear set of rules as far as what we can and can't do. When we break these rules He does not anger, but instead gently nudges us back onto the right path. However; this doesn't mean that we can go and do whatever we want and then expect Him to forgive us. Will He? Yes, i believe He will, but still, shouldn't we want to do better for someone who is so kind to us? As God plays the ultimate parent, we should become the ultimate children. In everything we do we should strive to be like Him. Our greatest goal in life should be to make Him happy by doing what He has given us to do.
In order to do this, we really only have one rule to follow, and that is love. As you may be able to tell from previous posts i have a firm belief that love is what this world need. The reason why i think this, is first of all outlined in the research i wrote under the same title, but also because of our relationship with God. God has based how he interacts with us on love. He created man-kind and "saw that it was good." He gave his only son so that we as sinners may be saved. Our God is a god of love. That is why i say that all of our relationships in this short lifetime we have been granted should be based off of love to. Just imagine how much better the world would become. There would never be any problem getting things done. People would get hurt less. Cures to diseases could be found more quickly. Love is the tylenol for the world. Would it stop all pain? No, but it sure would make the world a better place to live in.
Unfortunately it is very difficult for every interaction we have to be based off of love, but that should be our goal. I hold a firm belief that the understanding of true and untainted love equals a firm understanding of the Bible, and makes it much easier to follow everything it contains.
For you are the Lord
And You are God above
Your love goes on and on
~The Everlasting by Third Day~
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
~You Never Let Go by Matt Redman~
Just remember, God will never let go of you, so never let go of Him or each other.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Yo
Just so everyone knows, I'm taking a break from blogging as i settle into the school year. I'll try to have something up this weekend or at the latest by next week.
Talk to you later
Keep walkin the walk
Talk to you later
Keep walkin the walk
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
hey all
I just found out today that i am auditioning for the Delaware county youth orchestra. I have not prepared, because i was unaware of the audition date. I hate auditions to begin with anyway. So if you could just offer up a prayer on my behalf it would be great. Thank you.
Once again, for those of you who have challenged me on my last post, i have some good responses. I'll put them up later when i have more time to thoroughly think through them.
Just wanted to let everyone know i made it
Also, i am looking for some new ideas to blog on, so if you have any, let me know
Once again, for those of you who have challenged me on my last post, i have some good responses. I'll put them up later when i have more time to thoroughly think through them.
Just wanted to let everyone know i made it
Also, i am looking for some new ideas to blog on, so if you have any, let me know
Monday, August 25, 2008
If I was a teacher
To everyone who has challenged me, thank you, i'll get to answering them as soon as i can, but i will be busy for the rest of the day. I will hopefully be able t get to them tomorrow. Once again thanks
As everyone begins to head back to school the first day or so is always reserved for one thing, rules. These days are often the most boring and most useless days of the year. That's why, if i was a teacher, i would only have one rule, Love Each Other.
In reality, that is the only rule we need. Think about it, if we trully loved everyone else in the class room why would we need rules like "respect others and their property", or "don't be disruptive", or even "have all materials you need for class?" We wouldn't. Also, if i were to ever to be president i would only have one rule, and it would be the sae as my rule fo teachin. ;)
Listen, i'm asking for some audience participation in this one, if you think you can come up with a rule that doesn't relate back to love then let me know and i'll try and tell you how it relates. I bet you that no one can stump me, so give it a whirl, what do you have to lose.
From Evan
"School dress code"
My Response
that is a tuffy, and technically thats not a classroom rule but i'll give it a go anyway
School dress code is relatable back to love but its a stretch.
First of all i view the dress code as a means of making sure that no offensive material is in the classroom. Out of respect for other people is where the dress code comes from, and respect is definitely a thing of love.
Also, love is not just reserved for others. It should also be applied to yourself. If you truly love yourself then why are you going to dress yourself in a way tha does not comply to the dress code. Why do you need to expose your middriff, or why do you need to where your pants around your knees. In my opinion people just do these things because they want attention. If you truly loved yourself, then you would not be desperate for attention.
Well there's my attempt for that one, and i'll admit i was difficult, but i think i succeeded without too much of a stretch.
From Evan
"being on time"
My response
Being on time is a thing of respect. By being on time you are showing respect to your teacher, by making to extra effort to get around the school quickly. You are also respecting your classmates by leaving their learning undisturbed without interruptions of people coming in after the teaching has started.
Mikey G.
"If the rule is to love everyone then i can have my way with my girlfriend in the bathroom right"
My response
No. If you truly loved that person you would not make them hav sex out wedlock, because you would be afraid that you could be ruining their future marriage. Even if your girlfriend was willing, then you would not want to do it because your would know it would not be in your girfriend's best interest.
Also. Love includes loving yourself, and if you truly loved yourself you would not want to give yourself away until you are in a life-long relationship. And so would your girlfriend.
From Jeff
"the necessity to wear sneakers in some classes"
My Response
We are required to wear sneakers for our own well being. It is out of love for ourselves and the body that God has given us that we should wear sneakers in order to keep ourselves safe.
from Mikey, reffering to his preview question
"What if that's how we show our love"
My Response
First of all Mikey you have to realize that this would only work in an ideal world. Second, I perceive Love and Lust as two entirely separate things. I view Love as entirely emotional. Love has absolutely nothing to do with physical appearances, or actions. Lust on the other hand does. Lust tries to disguise itself as love, however it is always based off physical attraction. Can lust and love go hand in hand, yes, and in the pretext of marriage this is perfectly fine, but, my rule was that you have to love one another, not lust after one another.
To everything Mikey just said
No, an ideal world would not mean it was perfect in this case, nor would it mean that everone was christian, it would only mean that everyone understood what true love is.
To what Evan just said
If you loved yourself, then you would not skip class, causing you to increase your chances of failing a test. Also, if everyone loved everyone then there would be no need for a "no cell phones" rule durring free time.
An extended thank you to all
If my response does not satisfy you then let me know and i can try a different route.
As everyone begins to head back to school the first day or so is always reserved for one thing, rules. These days are often the most boring and most useless days of the year. That's why, if i was a teacher, i would only have one rule, Love Each Other.
In reality, that is the only rule we need. Think about it, if we trully loved everyone else in the class room why would we need rules like "respect others and their property", or "don't be disruptive", or even "have all materials you need for class?" We wouldn't. Also, if i were to ever to be president i would only have one rule, and it would be the sae as my rule fo teachin. ;)
Listen, i'm asking for some audience participation in this one, if you think you can come up with a rule that doesn't relate back to love then let me know and i'll try and tell you how it relates. I bet you that no one can stump me, so give it a whirl, what do you have to lose.
From Evan
"School dress code"
My Response
that is a tuffy, and technically thats not a classroom rule but i'll give it a go anyway
School dress code is relatable back to love but its a stretch.
First of all i view the dress code as a means of making sure that no offensive material is in the classroom. Out of respect for other people is where the dress code comes from, and respect is definitely a thing of love.
Also, love is not just reserved for others. It should also be applied to yourself. If you truly love yourself then why are you going to dress yourself in a way tha does not comply to the dress code. Why do you need to expose your middriff, or why do you need to where your pants around your knees. In my opinion people just do these things because they want attention. If you truly loved yourself, then you would not be desperate for attention.
Well there's my attempt for that one, and i'll admit i was difficult, but i think i succeeded without too much of a stretch.
From Evan
"being on time"
My response
Being on time is a thing of respect. By being on time you are showing respect to your teacher, by making to extra effort to get around the school quickly. You are also respecting your classmates by leaving their learning undisturbed without interruptions of people coming in after the teaching has started.
Mikey G.
"If the rule is to love everyone then i can have my way with my girlfriend in the bathroom right"
My response
No. If you truly loved that person you would not make them hav sex out wedlock, because you would be afraid that you could be ruining their future marriage. Even if your girlfriend was willing, then you would not want to do it because your would know it would not be in your girfriend's best interest.
Also. Love includes loving yourself, and if you truly loved yourself you would not want to give yourself away until you are in a life-long relationship. And so would your girlfriend.
From Jeff
"the necessity to wear sneakers in some classes"
My Response
We are required to wear sneakers for our own well being. It is out of love for ourselves and the body that God has given us that we should wear sneakers in order to keep ourselves safe.
from Mikey, reffering to his preview question
"What if that's how we show our love"
My Response
First of all Mikey you have to realize that this would only work in an ideal world. Second, I perceive Love and Lust as two entirely separate things. I view Love as entirely emotional. Love has absolutely nothing to do with physical appearances, or actions. Lust on the other hand does. Lust tries to disguise itself as love, however it is always based off physical attraction. Can lust and love go hand in hand, yes, and in the pretext of marriage this is perfectly fine, but, my rule was that you have to love one another, not lust after one another.
To everything Mikey just said
No, an ideal world would not mean it was perfect in this case, nor would it mean that everone was christian, it would only mean that everyone understood what true love is.
To what Evan just said
If you loved yourself, then you would not skip class, causing you to increase your chances of failing a test. Also, if everyone loved everyone then there would be no need for a "no cell phones" rule durring free time.
An extended thank you to all
If my response does not satisfy you then let me know and i can try a different route.
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