I've had the opportunity to speak to more than just a few people in the last few weeks about Jesus Christ and being a true follower of Him. I've talked to Christians and Atheists alike, and one common denominator that I've found is that most people don't know why Jesus is the Savior, as opposed to Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna, or any other religious figure. Well, let me try to bring clarity to the body of Christ and others who don't believe, because there seems to be a lack of sound teaching about these FOUNDATIONAL truths about Jesus Christ.
All of the above mentioned people have many followers just like Jesus, and a lot of people are completely confused as to why Jesus is the way. Many people have come to the conclusion that Jesus is just A way, not necessarily the only way to the Father. Let me set this one thing straight...JESUS CHRIST is THE ONLY WAY to GOD the FATHER....THE ONLY WAY to SALVATION....THE ONLY WAY to be CLEANSED FROM SIN. If you are a Christian and you do not believe this....please know that you should examine yourself and seek God for knowledge in this area. If Jesus is not the only way...then we are not saved...because Jesus said, "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). If Jesus lied about this...then everything was a lie...but we know that He didn't (especially if you're a believer) so that means it's the truth.
Now...why do we believe in Jesus and what He did at the cross? There are so many religions out there, so why choose Jesus? Can they all be wrong and one right? There are a lot of similarities in all the religions so that must mean they are all the same right? WRONG. Let me help you by pointing you to the scriptures (THE Word of God). When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit, Sin entered the world, and we know that when Sin entered, he brought his best friend with him called Death (Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23). From that time on, man began to die. Why? Because of Sin. Everyone was born in sinful flesh, and absolutely no man had power to resist Sin. Paul explained the state of man when bound by sin in Romans 7:15-23. In other words, man had the can't-help-its...can't help but sin against God...all started by one disobedient act by Adam.
So, God...in His mercy...had a plan for man to be restored back to the place he was before Adam fell. So where was man before he fell? Adam had an intimate relationship with His God...he was naked before God (no hidden sin, pure, innocent)....he had peace with God....he would have lived forever because there was no sin that brings death. God looked down in the earth to see if there was anyone that would qualify to restore man back to his place and he found none (Romans 3:10-18). Because man was powerless to Sin and there was nothing man could do about it, God decided to take things into His own hands. Remember that famous scripture? "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That's exactly what happened. God the Son, wrapped Himself in human flesh and came down to the earth. He was born of a virgin named Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit, which means He was born spotless and without sin. He lived a life free from sin, even though He was tempted in every way by Satan (Luke 4:1-13; Hebrews 4:15). So, here is the part that is really going to help you understand what made Jesus the Savior. When man sinned, the bible says that Death began to reign in the earth (Romans 5:14)...which means no man was sinless so Death had the right to come upon every man. When Jesus Christ was condemned to death, suffered, bled, and died on the cross....Death basically "broke the law"....because Death killed a sinless, innocent man. Remember, Sin brought death...so where no sin is...death is not allowed. Jesus was sinless, so that means he was innocent, which means Death could not hold Him....Jesus had to rise from the dead! Jesus said, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and , behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys (authority; power) of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).
ALSO, there is another part to what Jesus did. Because He was innocent, He qualified to suffer the payment for sin. Remember, the wages (payment) of sin is death. In other words, man had worked for sin ever since Adam fell, so when payday rolled around, Jesus was there to pick of the check. God's wrath fell on His Son Jesus Christ instead of man! That's why Jesus came, that's why He suffered like He did, and that's why He died! Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are accepting His payment, while those who don't are telling God that they will suffer the payment on their own. It's that simple brothers and sisters. SO WHY DID HE RISE? Jesus rose from the dead WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HAND so that man can be "RESURRECTED" from his dead state of sin, and brought into life which is through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 says, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." So, every man is SAVED FROM HIS SINS when he puts faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. When Death tries to come upon a man who has put his faith in Jesus Christ and His blood, Death will see the blood of Jesus Christ upon you and be reminded that you belong to Jesus, the only one who has power over Death! Why? Because Jesus was truly an innocent, sinless man put to death...so Death gave his rights over to Jesus and all that belongs to Him. (Just to clarify, I'm talking about the 2nd death which is hell/lake of fire according to Revelation 20:14) And guess what? This...is just the tip of the iceberg....all that Jesus did....I couldn't possibly write it all in this blog.
The next question would be, why do we have these other religions? If God made the way through ONLY Jesus, then why do all these others exist? Well, according to the Bible, there is someone called "The prince of the power of the air," "The god of this world," and "That old serpent the devil." His name is Satan, he is a fallen angel whose job is to keep man away from God. He is very good at what he does, and has studied mankind for thousands of years. He has set up a system in the world to confuse, deceive, and ultimately destroy man. What can you do when someone (Jesus) comes into your world and totally puts you to shame and takes your authority? Satan can't deny the truth, the miracles Jesus did, the support that the Father gave Jesus and continually gives to this day. What can Satan do? Well, Satan has devised a way to deceive people by mixing a lot of truth with a little lie. The many "ways" to God that are out there that seem so near to the truth of the Bible, the education system that has totally gone against anything biblical, and any other system that is contrary to what God said in His Word is influenced in some way or another by Satan. People who operate from logic and have no faith to believe in a spiritual world will laugh at this...I know it. But our "intelligence" or what the Bible calls "worldly wisdom" will keep us in a state of unbelief that will literally cost us our soul. We must become fools (to other people; to ourselves; to our logic) in order to truly obtain wisdom. "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise" (1 Corinthians 3:18). That's why Jesus said that you must receive the things of God with child-like faith. It doesn't always make sense, but you'll come to understand that it's truth...why? Because God cannot lie. The Bible says Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He also has ministers who help to spread his gospel. Finally, the biggest thing I've heard is that the Bible was written, changed, altered by man for selfish purposes. If Satan can get the world to believe that the very Bible that we put confidence in is not the word of God, then there is no hope for you, because the Bible and everything it says is the foundation of everything God does in our lives. Regardless of what people say, I believe and know that God is able to preserve the truth of His word for mankind. If you believe God is all-powerful, all-knowing, etc...then know that He surely has the ability to keep His people from being deceived. So...Any message that is contrary to God's message to man is called deception. People who do this are usually doing it ignorantly, while some are doing it in rebellion to the truth that they know. Regardless, the truth is...Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to come to God and be saved from the wrath that is to come. You can put your soul on that one for eternity....period.
So, why Jesus? Why not Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna, etc?? Because they did not qualify to save man from his sins, because they were not sinless. They could not suffer the wrath of God for mankind. Plus, they never rose from the dead...so...death still has them. Jesus....He is risen...all power is in His hands...and His blood that He shed at the cross is available for anyone who desires to be saved from their sin. Put your faith in Jesus Christ! There are many similarities in the world's religions, but that is one thing they will never agree on.
"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25)
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Are You A Real Christian?
I have a concern in my heart for a lot of people in this world who say that they are Christians. I believe that if you ask the majority of people if they believe in God and are Christians, they will respond and say, "Yes I'm a Christian" or "Yep, I go to church every Sunday" or "Yes I love God." I believe there are many sincere people that respond to this question with those answers. I know that there are people who go to church and may feel that they are believers so that means they love God. Well, as a fellow brother in Christ who has genuine concern for the souls of people, especially those who are believers, I want to give some information that could literally save your soul. This may be something many already know, but I want to attempt to speak the truth to those who don't. This is with as much love as possible, so just remember that if I really love you, I will tell you the truth. So here we go...
The bible says that, "He that saith, I know Him (God), and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him (1 John 2:4). Jesus also said, "If you love Me, you'll keep My commandments (John 14:15). So, it is not in just saying that we believe in Jesus, but it's also in doing what He tells us to do. You may say, "We are not saved by what we do, but it's by His grace." I would tell you that you are absolutely right. We are saved by grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). BUT...the bible says in the very next verse, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). So we must understand that we demonstrate our faith through our works. In the book of James 2:24, it says, "...by WORKS a man is justified, and not by faith only." That means that your conduct and your obeying God's commands ALONG WITH your trusting and having faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is what saves you and causes you to truly be justified in God's sight. What about grace? Well, the bible says something very specific about those who truly have God's grace on their life. In the book of Titus 2:11-12 it says "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. TEACHING US that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." So we see that grace not only saves us, but will TEACH us to live a holy and righteous life. One more scripture for clarification...in the book of Hebrews 12:28 it says, "...let us have GRACE, WHEREBY we may SERVE GOD ACCEPTABLY with REVERENCE and GODLY FEAR." So, the bible is very clear about the fact that when one has truly been born again and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things pass away and all things become new. So I must ask the question, HAVE YOU BEEN CHANGED?
I'm very concerned for our generation because we don't know the truth of the word of God, and oftentimes there are very sincere people who are caught up in sin and everything pertaining to the world. "Shall we continue in sin so that we may have grace? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein (Romans 6:1-2)? You may ask, "What about God's love? He loves us so much that He won't send us to hell." But I must tell you that God's wrath is just as perfect as His love. The same God that loves those who accept His son Jesus and obey, is the same God whose wrath rests upon those who disobey Him continually (Ephesians 5:6). You know what the bible says about loving this world and the sinful pleasures and lusts of it? It says that if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15). It says that friendship with the world is ENMITY (Complete Separation) with God, and that being a friend of the world means that you are an ENEMY of God (James 4:4). So, lets go back to the question, "Are you a true Christian?" We must not continue to sin against the Lord and think that we are okay just because we believe in Him. The bible says that the demons also believe and tremble because of Him (James 2:19), so God is not interested in mere profession from any of us. He wants us to be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), and if that is not what we are striving for each and every day of our life then we have truly failed. Jesus said many will say that they have called Him Lord all of their life and done many works IN HIS NAME, but He would said He would tell them to depart because they were caught up in sin and He never knew them (Matthew 7:22-23). So, don't get caught up in doing good things in His name, and never actually strive to know the person behind the name and become more like Him. No, we have not yet become just like Him, but remember the Apostle Paul said, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me (Philippians 3:12). So, we must continue to strive for that perfection in Christ.
In order to do this, we must PUT OFF some things that would hold us back from this. We must PUT ON the new man which is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24). There are some things that our generation has pick up and has continued to do, which is contrary to righteousness and true holiness and must be put off, because they will literally put your soul in danger...which is what I want to avoid for everyone. If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ and BORN AGAIN, you will STOP and eventually completely LOSE ALL DESIRE for: Lying, cheating, stealing, cussing, having sex before marriage, drinking alcohol, smoking, going to the club, going to parties that promote sin and ungodly atmospheres, homosexuality, pornography, demonic movies and music that promote ungodliness and sinful activity, and any other thing that is contrary to God's word. If you still do these things and feel no conviction about them then I encourage you to sincerely ask God to give you a new heart that is not hardened, because the bible says that continuing in sin will literally harden your heart and make you feel like you're okay when you're not (Hebrews 3:12-13). If you are caught up in sin and want to be free but just can't stop doing it...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment or even Facebook me because I want to help you get free so that you can serve God acceptably. If you think that I am being ethnocentric, a bigot, and just plain intolerant to other peoples feelings, then you are completely correct. I have the responsibility of telling people the truth, and when it comes to the word of God, not even I can change that...besides....His Word Is Perfect. You don't have to agree with me, you may think I'm judging, but just know that the word that you hear is the same word that will judge you...Jesus said that (John 12:46-47). My job is to help everyone to avoid that day and stand before God in peace, which is why Jesus came. So, believe in Jesus AND obey Him...that's the only way to be saved (Hebrews 5:9).
So, what if you make a mistake and sin against God? Well, good news! You have Jesus Christ, through whom you can be forgiven, as long as you forgive others (1 John 2:1-2; Matthew 6:14-15). BUT, that is no excuse to continue to sin...it becomes very dangerous to your soul. The bible says, "If we SIN WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS (Hebrews 10:26). Even Jesus won't help those who continue to wilfully sin against God, but there is still hope to REPENT while you still have breathe in your lungs. So, to make a mistake and slip up is one thing, but to continue to disobey God and harden your heart against His word will put you in danger of losing your soul. I love you to much...to let that happen. Just know that I speak all these things in love and concern for the souls of those who read it. I know that the bible says, "There is A WAY that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of DEATH (Proverbs 14:12)." I don't want that for you...especially those who sincere want to be right with God.
So if you don't have Jesus, who is the ONLY WAY to salvation, please ask Him into your heart and repent (change your mind) of all of your sins, and then be converted (change your conduct).
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
The bible says that, "He that saith, I know Him (God), and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him (1 John 2:4). Jesus also said, "If you love Me, you'll keep My commandments (John 14:15). So, it is not in just saying that we believe in Jesus, but it's also in doing what He tells us to do. You may say, "We are not saved by what we do, but it's by His grace." I would tell you that you are absolutely right. We are saved by grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). BUT...the bible says in the very next verse, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). So we must understand that we demonstrate our faith through our works. In the book of James 2:24, it says, "...by WORKS a man is justified, and not by faith only." That means that your conduct and your obeying God's commands ALONG WITH your trusting and having faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is what saves you and causes you to truly be justified in God's sight. What about grace? Well, the bible says something very specific about those who truly have God's grace on their life. In the book of Titus 2:11-12 it says "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. TEACHING US that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." So we see that grace not only saves us, but will TEACH us to live a holy and righteous life. One more scripture for clarification...in the book of Hebrews 12:28 it says, "...let us have GRACE, WHEREBY we may SERVE GOD ACCEPTABLY with REVERENCE and GODLY FEAR." So, the bible is very clear about the fact that when one has truly been born again and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things pass away and all things become new. So I must ask the question, HAVE YOU BEEN CHANGED?
I'm very concerned for our generation because we don't know the truth of the word of God, and oftentimes there are very sincere people who are caught up in sin and everything pertaining to the world. "Shall we continue in sin so that we may have grace? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein (Romans 6:1-2)? You may ask, "What about God's love? He loves us so much that He won't send us to hell." But I must tell you that God's wrath is just as perfect as His love. The same God that loves those who accept His son Jesus and obey, is the same God whose wrath rests upon those who disobey Him continually (Ephesians 5:6). You know what the bible says about loving this world and the sinful pleasures and lusts of it? It says that if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15). It says that friendship with the world is ENMITY (Complete Separation) with God, and that being a friend of the world means that you are an ENEMY of God (James 4:4). So, lets go back to the question, "Are you a true Christian?" We must not continue to sin against the Lord and think that we are okay just because we believe in Him. The bible says that the demons also believe and tremble because of Him (James 2:19), so God is not interested in mere profession from any of us. He wants us to be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), and if that is not what we are striving for each and every day of our life then we have truly failed. Jesus said many will say that they have called Him Lord all of their life and done many works IN HIS NAME, but He would said He would tell them to depart because they were caught up in sin and He never knew them (Matthew 7:22-23). So, don't get caught up in doing good things in His name, and never actually strive to know the person behind the name and become more like Him. No, we have not yet become just like Him, but remember the Apostle Paul said, "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me (Philippians 3:12). So, we must continue to strive for that perfection in Christ.
In order to do this, we must PUT OFF some things that would hold us back from this. We must PUT ON the new man which is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24). There are some things that our generation has pick up and has continued to do, which is contrary to righteousness and true holiness and must be put off, because they will literally put your soul in danger...which is what I want to avoid for everyone. If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ and BORN AGAIN, you will STOP and eventually completely LOSE ALL DESIRE for: Lying, cheating, stealing, cussing, having sex before marriage, drinking alcohol, smoking, going to the club, going to parties that promote sin and ungodly atmospheres, homosexuality, pornography, demonic movies and music that promote ungodliness and sinful activity, and any other thing that is contrary to God's word. If you still do these things and feel no conviction about them then I encourage you to sincerely ask God to give you a new heart that is not hardened, because the bible says that continuing in sin will literally harden your heart and make you feel like you're okay when you're not (Hebrews 3:12-13). If you are caught up in sin and want to be free but just can't stop doing it...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment or even Facebook me because I want to help you get free so that you can serve God acceptably. If you think that I am being ethnocentric, a bigot, and just plain intolerant to other peoples feelings, then you are completely correct. I have the responsibility of telling people the truth, and when it comes to the word of God, not even I can change that...besides....His Word Is Perfect. You don't have to agree with me, you may think I'm judging, but just know that the word that you hear is the same word that will judge you...Jesus said that (John 12:46-47). My job is to help everyone to avoid that day and stand before God in peace, which is why Jesus came. So, believe in Jesus AND obey Him...that's the only way to be saved (Hebrews 5:9).
So, what if you make a mistake and sin against God? Well, good news! You have Jesus Christ, through whom you can be forgiven, as long as you forgive others (1 John 2:1-2; Matthew 6:14-15). BUT, that is no excuse to continue to sin...it becomes very dangerous to your soul. The bible says, "If we SIN WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS (Hebrews 10:26). Even Jesus won't help those who continue to wilfully sin against God, but there is still hope to REPENT while you still have breathe in your lungs. So, to make a mistake and slip up is one thing, but to continue to disobey God and harden your heart against His word will put you in danger of losing your soul. I love you to much...to let that happen. Just know that I speak all these things in love and concern for the souls of those who read it. I know that the bible says, "There is A WAY that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of DEATH (Proverbs 14:12)." I don't want that for you...especially those who sincere want to be right with God.
So if you don't have Jesus, who is the ONLY WAY to salvation, please ask Him into your heart and repent (change your mind) of all of your sins, and then be converted (change your conduct).
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Juvenile Center
Well today was a blessed and yet another busy day as well. I started the day off at work again, and then made my way to class. We went over our review for the test coming up on Monday, and I found out that we might be having bad weather Monday night as well, so Tuesday might be canceled. I thought to myself that classes being canceled used to always be a wonderful thing, but every time the school closes, I lose hours at work, so maybe it's not so hot after all lol. Isn't it amazing that we only see things as good or bad depending on how it affects us? It is truly a selfish way of looking at it, but hey I'm just being honest...the weather should cater to me! lol JK. Anyway! I went to pick up my wife from class and then we went home. I talked to my parents for a bit, and then came and laid down for an hour before getting up and ready to go to the juvenile center.
I met Ms. Sandra the chaplain at the Waffle House like we always do, and we went to the juvenile center. It was a good trip, and we got a chance to really catch up on what's been going on lately with the center. We then got there and talked with the superintendent about some things concerning the facility and finally went to start the bible study. We had about eight boys show up, which is WAY below the normal amount of people that we normally have, but it made it more of a big brother to little brother kind of discussion. We started out by letting one of the brothers read Psalm 96, and I asked each of them what they thought about it or what spoke to them. I encouraged them that when they read to stop and ponder on what they are reading and allow God to really speak to them. We then talked about Luke 8:11, the parable about the sower and the seed. I explained that we must sow good seeds in order to reap a good harvest, and that we sow it not only through our behavior but through our words as well. One of the boys told the group at the end that his grandmother had sent him a letter in the mail that very day, and in the letter she talked to him about EVERYTHING that was said in the bible study lesson. I explained to him that God was obviously speaking to him, and told the group that that is how they know when God is trying to tell them something so keep their ears open to know what He wants to tell them. Ms. Sandra said a few things about God speaking to them through dreams, and then we ended it. Afterward, they came up and greeted me, and I really just enjoyed the fellowship with the brothers. One named Jeremy in particular seemed to have a lot of potential and God really placed him on my heart to encourage and tell him that he has a bright future if he keeps his head right and do what he knows to do. He received it, and we then got ready to leave.
I came back home and we went to KFC for Bailee and then to Braums for me. My n-laws came over because they were all down for a funeral, and we talked for a good while before some of them left. My mother n law stayed the night with us so she is sleep in the other room right now, and they plan to go to the funeral in the morning sometime. I think I'm going to get me some rest myself now, after spending a little time with the Lord. It's been a truly blessed day, and I thank God for everything He continues to do!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
I met Ms. Sandra the chaplain at the Waffle House like we always do, and we went to the juvenile center. It was a good trip, and we got a chance to really catch up on what's been going on lately with the center. We then got there and talked with the superintendent about some things concerning the facility and finally went to start the bible study. We had about eight boys show up, which is WAY below the normal amount of people that we normally have, but it made it more of a big brother to little brother kind of discussion. We started out by letting one of the brothers read Psalm 96, and I asked each of them what they thought about it or what spoke to them. I encouraged them that when they read to stop and ponder on what they are reading and allow God to really speak to them. We then talked about Luke 8:11, the parable about the sower and the seed. I explained that we must sow good seeds in order to reap a good harvest, and that we sow it not only through our behavior but through our words as well. One of the boys told the group at the end that his grandmother had sent him a letter in the mail that very day, and in the letter she talked to him about EVERYTHING that was said in the bible study lesson. I explained to him that God was obviously speaking to him, and told the group that that is how they know when God is trying to tell them something so keep their ears open to know what He wants to tell them. Ms. Sandra said a few things about God speaking to them through dreams, and then we ended it. Afterward, they came up and greeted me, and I really just enjoyed the fellowship with the brothers. One named Jeremy in particular seemed to have a lot of potential and God really placed him on my heart to encourage and tell him that he has a bright future if he keeps his head right and do what he knows to do. He received it, and we then got ready to leave.
I came back home and we went to KFC for Bailee and then to Braums for me. My n-laws came over because they were all down for a funeral, and we talked for a good while before some of them left. My mother n law stayed the night with us so she is sleep in the other room right now, and they plan to go to the funeral in the morning sometime. I think I'm going to get me some rest myself now, after spending a little time with the Lord. It's been a truly blessed day, and I thank God for everything He continues to do!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
True Sacrifice
Today was a great day in the Lord! I woke up this morning in a great rush to get ready to leave so that me and Bailee could get to class and work on time. I grabbed me a cup of coffee, which I hardly drink, because this was the second straight day that I didn't get the rest that I usually try to get (at least 7 hours). I got to work and spent the morning shift studying the Word of God. I got so much out of it today, and I'm excited to be able to share all that God showed me. I won't put it all on here yet because I might teach it in church sometime this week, but I will say that it deals with sacrifices. After I teach it and get it all out, I might put it on here so you all can see it. Just a side note though, I believe it is so necessary that we learn what it truly means to make sacrifices, especially when it comes to the Kingdom of God. Sometimes we will tell the Lord that we are ready to do anything for Him and we get really excited, but the moment that it gets inconvenient or something else comes up...WE ALL begin making excuses and thinking up reasons why WE CAN'T do something. In reality, I believe it is those moments that we feel that we don't have time, that God is truly pleased with our good deeds. Anybody can do things when it's convenient. What's $1000 to a millionaire? Not a big sacrifice I'd say. But giving that when you make $20,000 - $30,000 a year might be considered great. You give God 2 hours out of your day when your not going to school or maybe not working, but that's not necessarily a sacrifice, it's just something you're privileged to have time for. What about when you work 20 hours a week, carry 15 hours of school, and may have a child to raise? In that case, spending 30 minutes or 1 hour with the Lord apart from all of that could definitely be considered a sacrifice to you...but that's when it really counts! I know the Lord is pleased when we spend time in His presence at any time in the day, but He truly loves it when He sees us press through the excuses of life in order to do His will and spend time with Him. Wouldn't you feel the same way if someone did that to spend time with you? Just something to think about...
Speaking of sacrifices, I got a phone call today that informed that the juvenile center is supposed to have bible study on Friday night but no one has been able to agree to go. They only have bible study twice, sometimes once, a month and the chaplain has worked extremely hard trying to keep the young men encouraged and fed with the Word of God. There is a new superintendent over the center who wants to meet me as well, so it is important that I make the trip as soon as possible so that we can continue to have access into the center to minister. I told her that I would get back to her tomorrow and confirm whether I could go or not. My wife reminded me tonight that my mother n law may be coming Friday night for the first time to visit. This is a tough scenario, because I am trying to help the chaplain in her ministry while wanting to be here to welcome my mother n law. However, I have spoken with my wife and believe that it would only be in the will of the Lord (if I am able to go) that I go minister to the young men and return home as soon as it is finished (the center is about 45 minutes away). I believe that God will be pleased that when an inconvenient situation arose, I chose to "be about my Father's business" and put my own affairs second to that. I love my mother n law and always enjoy her presence, but she will be here when I return, which I'm sure she will totally understand. Remember brothers and sisters...we must count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him."
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Speaking of sacrifices, I got a phone call today that informed that the juvenile center is supposed to have bible study on Friday night but no one has been able to agree to go. They only have bible study twice, sometimes once, a month and the chaplain has worked extremely hard trying to keep the young men encouraged and fed with the Word of God. There is a new superintendent over the center who wants to meet me as well, so it is important that I make the trip as soon as possible so that we can continue to have access into the center to minister. I told her that I would get back to her tomorrow and confirm whether I could go or not. My wife reminded me tonight that my mother n law may be coming Friday night for the first time to visit. This is a tough scenario, because I am trying to help the chaplain in her ministry while wanting to be here to welcome my mother n law. However, I have spoken with my wife and believe that it would only be in the will of the Lord (if I am able to go) that I go minister to the young men and return home as soon as it is finished (the center is about 45 minutes away). I believe that God will be pleased that when an inconvenient situation arose, I chose to "be about my Father's business" and put my own affairs second to that. I love my mother n law and always enjoy her presence, but she will be here when I return, which I'm sure she will totally understand. Remember brothers and sisters...we must count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him."
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Powerful Service
I tell you what...the power of the God was in the house today in church. We started out in prayer this morning and the Lord really moved, and then in Sunday school we went over the book of Galatians with our study guides that I made. I believe they really helped people, and I liked our discussion that we had and I think it challenges the brothers and sisters to stay in the word in order to be ready to give an answer. I told them that I'd have the book of Ephesians study guide ready by Wednesday night bible study. Anyway, we went into the service, and it was a great one. The praise and worship was good...the altar prayer was powerful...Sister Kathryn really did a good job bringing the people to God. The flow of the service was just good today. Mother Maytubby gave the hotspot message, and she titled it, "When you gonna let Jesus calm your storm." It was a good word. After she finished, Pastor Petties got up there and began to speak along the same lines, showing us that when we got Jesus on the inside, all we have to do is let Him rise in us and rebuke the storm. Sometimes we are fighting the devil with everything we have, but we are using the wrong weapons. There is only one weapon that the enemy can't defeat, and that weapon is the Word of God. Yes Lord! The bible says to put on the whole armour of God...which includes the Sword of the Spirit which is God's Word. The bible says Jesus was the Word made flesh...therefore, when we use the Word to defeat the devil, we are allowing Jesus to calm our storm! It was a powerful word today! After pastor finished, we went into a powerful corporate prayer service in which God began to move by Spirit in a special way. We prayed for the sick, and saw others come get a refreshing touch in their spirit. I can say...I felt the power of God in the house.
On another note...I'm now trying to finish my homework and work out my schedule for the week. Sometimes it's difficult balancing all of these tasks but the bible says, "To whom much is given, much is required." I have been blessed so much and given so much from the Lord, so I must be diligent to do what the Lord requires of me. Not only me...but we all must remember that if we have gifts, talents, and abilities of any sort, we must use all of them to glorify our Father both in the church and the world.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
On another note...I'm now trying to finish my homework and work out my schedule for the week. Sometimes it's difficult balancing all of these tasks but the bible says, "To whom much is given, much is required." I have been blessed so much and given so much from the Lord, so I must be diligent to do what the Lord requires of me. Not only me...but we all must remember that if we have gifts, talents, and abilities of any sort, we must use all of them to glorify our Father both in the church and the world.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Just Receive
Today I woke up and spent time with the Lord. We then went eat sushi with our friend Kiya. We spent a few hours there talking about the Lord, and being filled with the Holy Ghost. We then went by Sprint to check out the phones and ask questions. Then we went grocery shopping, and tomorrow we will be having STEAKS! We also bought coffee because I'm not a morning person and it takes a while for me to wake up so it will help me lol. We came home and I did some cleaning...my wife "directed" me to clean the bathroom toilet, shower, tub, and sink. Then I swept and took the trash out as well. Tomorrow I have to clean around the outside of the house to make it look a bit nicer. After cleaning, I did some reading and stuff for school, and then I read about receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. All you have to do is just receive Him, and allow Him to take over your tongue, speaking while He gives you utterance. There's a lot of misunderstanding about speaking in tongues, and I want to help clarify some things to anyone who desires to know (if you have questions about tongues I'm open to questions). I'm bout to pray and read some more and then off to bed. I believe that people are going to begin receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost in a special way this year, and I am going to encourage everybody in it. It will take your walk with the Lord to the next level in Him. It's not just a gift for some, it's a gift for all. He wants to pour His Spirit out on ALL flesh, and I want everyone to understand that another level in God is just as easy as saying "Yes Lord, I believe, I receive."
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Yesterday and Today
So I left class, went downstairs to close the tutoring lab for the day because I had to leave early. My wife and I were being treated by the McNair program to a trip to Jazmo's Burbon Street Restaurant & a play called The Color Purple. Jazmo's was pretty much off the chain. I put my best suit on and decided to go all out with everything, and we headed out about 4:40 pm because traffic is pretty bad after 5:00. We met one of the supervisors on the road and decided to follow her since she knew where she was going. Since we arrived early, we had to wait a while because our reservations were at 5:15. When everyone arrived, we ordered an appetizer of Alligator Bites, which pretty much tasted like chicken. We also had Calamari Royale, which was chewy but pretty good as well. I decided to order salmon with spinach and dirty rice, while my wife ordered the k-bob (whatever that was)...it included sausage, shrimp, chicken, and veges on a stick. We were then able to order dessert. I ordered a brownie sundae with whipped cream and fudge, and my wife ordered a pecan pie. I must say that the food was DELICIOUS. Everyone seemed to be satisfied out of the 15 or so people that showed up. We got a chance to meet some of the new people who were added to the program so it was a good time. We then went to the play. It was okay, but nothing special to me. I didn't like the messages it was sending at times, nor did I like how the men were portrayed...not a single black man was decent...every one of them was either lustful, abusive, and/or ignorant. Other parts were funny though...so it was okay at times...3 hours was a bit long though...but it was free so I won't complain. One of the other married couples there was pretty fun to hang out with so I got the man's number and we may plan to hang out sometime...they seemed to like being spontaneous and fun so...we'll see. After getting lost with the supervisor (who gave us a ride back to our car) downtown for a little while, we finally drove back home and soon called it a night.
Today, I just went to work and then class this morning. Talked to one of my supervisors for a while, then talked to a friend of mine, and asked a few people questions on whether to join Sprint (for almost nothing per month) or stay with AT&T. I don't know what I should do...we will see. I was with Sprint for 7 years and finally escaped and now someone's trying to tempt me to go back...I will decide later on. I saw a girl I went to high school with in the university center...she had come to give some kind of presentation...Haley was her name...it had been a long time since I had seen her...glad to know she's doing good. I then blew off some time until my wife got out of class. While I waited, yet the second person in three days asked me about our bible studies and whether we had them anymore, so I'm thinking that God must be speaking that we need to be consistent about having them more often. I believe that we will try to have them once or twice a month...we shall pray about it and see. I went to pick up my wife and we had gotten a coupon to eat at Louie's on the back of the tickets for the play, so we decided to go eat there with one of her friends from nursing school. We had a wonderful time eating and talking, and we had DEEP conversation about pretty much everything to do with being a real Christian. Some things were touchy and sensitive but I think we covered them in a loving, peaceful, and truthful manner. I believe God was in the midst of that discussion, and I know there will be more to come. I am now at home, waiting to see if me and the wife are going to do anything tonight besides stay home and sleep lol I think we are always sleeping but we need our rest. I might run to Sprint to look at phones and plans...or watch a movie....or just study and read the word and pray. I guess I'll find out soon....
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Ice
Today was another wonderful day that the Lord has made. I'm not going to write very long because it's late and I'm tired but just want to remember what happened today. First of all, I got up and took my wife to work, and then came back to the house and spent some time in prayer before I had to go to class. I went to both of my classes, and then went straight to work. I found my supervisor in my office at the time that I had work, so I ended up talking to her for about an hour, which I realized later had made me miss an appointment (not an official appointment might I add...those were just his office hours) with my professor for my capstone project...maybe tomorrow right? Anyway, I worked for a while and went to my other job to work, and then finally got off. I met my wife at the library to walk to the car, and we ran by Panda Express to pick her up some food. Afterward, we went home and I took a little nap. I woke up and spent some time with the Lord again, and then we decided to run to Wal Mart to grab a few things. We came back just before it started to ice over outside...took a shower...read some word...thought about homework...now bout to get to bed. Hopefully no school in the morning!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A Busy Day
I found myself really getting in the word today, because my spirit was hungry! I needed and still desire a refreshing in my spirit, because sometime you give and give and give out to others but forget that you need to replenish that which is on the inside. I began to do that today, and it feels good to feed on the good word of God and get in His presence. I went to work this morning, and then I got off and picked my wife up...of course since it's Tuesday, I had to go right back to work at the other job (I love working). I then finally got off of work and went to class. We had a good class discussion today, and now I'm in the midst of decision about my class project. Should my ethnography be one over black barbershops? I believe this would be the easy one. I had a friend of mine, KG, suggest that he would do something with international students. I then realized that international students meet on Thursday nights on campus to have conversation with American students for the sole purpose of learning English and building relationships with Americans. I believe this would be a brilliant speech community because it places people from all over the world in one place sharing one language and forming into one community. What should I do? Hmmm...I'll talk to my professor tomorrow and see what he thinks, then I'll make my final decision. We shall see! After leaving class, I immediately had to go to a meeting for my leadership council. I could only stay for 30 minutes, so I didn't get the whole experience but it was good to see some of the council members again. Pretty sad that this will be the last semester we ever spend together...I don't think it has set in yet though lol. I left the meeting and went straight to work again...I took that time at work to meet some of the people who walked in, and found out that the new lab worker is from the Ivory Coast, her best memory is her catholic baptism at age 3 (which she actually still remembers), and she is a marketing major. Seeing that I'll be working with her for the rest of the semester, I figured I'd break the silence between us. You know what's sad? When people actually fail to communicate with each other and their in the same room. One person actually mentioned that when I started to talk to them. She said that it's sad that people don't talk as much as they used to...like my professor said today, maybe that's why people are just so rude to each other? I'll leave that one alone. Anyway, I finished printing off some things and interrogating everyone, and then decided to ask the advisor there near the lab about my class project and what she thought about it. She said it was a good idea, and she liked it better than the barbershop idea because it was unique (now lets hope my professors say the same). We then began talking about Jesus for a while, and the need for people to know Him, amongst other related things before I finally left to come home to my wife. It was a terribly long day...so....I fell asleep here for a few hours...now I'm awake and about to read a bit for class...spend time with Jesus...then get ready to call it a night. I look forward to my next assignment from God for tomorrow, because I really saw opportunities just to talk about Jesus come today, and I look for that to be an everyday thing.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Bad Adventure
Today was a great day once again. I got to spend some quality time with wonderful wife. I started the day in the Word of God, really just drawing closer to the Lord through the scripture. I then made a call to someone for a friend of ours in the church. We decided to go meet them to pick something up, and while we were out we decided to try a new restaurant...Romano's Macaroni Grill. I'll keep this short...the olive oil "butter" was plain, the bread was dry, the salad tasted like grass, and the food was terrible...the only positive thing was that the water tasted good. My wife barely ate anything so we didn't have to pay for hers, and I ate mine cuz I figured I still had to pay so might as well get my money's worth. I don't believe we'll be visiting that place ANYMORE! We then went to Pink Swirls...a very familiar place to get yogurt, and of course it was delicious, much better than our bad adventure we took to Macaroni Grill. I actually told the employee my story about the restaurant because I was so disappointed lol like she cared. We finally came home, and I spent some time reading the Word and praying...really uplifting my spirit. Now I am about to get ready for bed. Don't really feel like a writing a lot, but will hopefully say more tomorrow...no pic today either...today is a day of just pondering on Jesus. I love Him...look forward to seeing Him one day. When I think about the fact that He does so much for me even though I don't deserve it...just makes my heart glad. Well...May the Lord be with you!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Let's Go To Church
Today was a wonderful time in Jesus. We went to church this morning, and got in on some of that good prayer going on in the early morning prayer service. We then transitioned into Sunday school, which I was in charge of teaching...I was led of the Lord to teach on the fruit of the Spirit. Just a summary...the fruit of the Spirit is in Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: Against such there is no law." We must bear good fruit if we truly want to please God. If we have gifts to heal, do miracles, prophesy, or speak in tongues, but don't bear good fruit...all those gifts mean nothing to your standing with God...which is why so many people get deceived by people who are gifted. A gift is external but fruit is internal. The only way that we can bear fruit and continue to bear fruit is by staying connected to Jesus, who said in John 15:4 that we cannot bear fruit unless we abide in Him. Finally, the result of bearing good fruit is that God purges you (John 15:2), He answers your prayers (John 15:16), and of course eternal life (Romans 6:22). Bearing bad fruit will mean death in the end to those who continue in that state (Romans 6:21; Matthew 7:19). So, lets make it a point to ask God each and every day to help us to bear fruit that is always pleasing in His sight. Remember, you can operate in your gift all day, but it doesn't mean you are in right standing with God....you gotta check the fruit, because Jesus said, "Therefore, by their fruits you shall know them (Matt 7:20)."
So, we had a good service and people were delivered in the place. After church, we came home and rested. I was going to go to church again, but my wife needed the car and I didn't have a way to go otherwise, so I decided to just stay here...but God was still here with me...I just feel His presence when I just say His name...Jesus! Yes Lord! Anyway, I ended up talking to my mother for a while about their service in which my dad preached...she said he preached that "Jesus is Life." How many know that where Jesus is...there IS life. After speaking with her, I went and made some ramen noodles and chicken breast strips lol I know that's kind of a weird combination but it was good...cuz I made it! While I was making it, I talked to my friend Kyle, who was giving me a word from the Lord...He said that God showed him through the word that, "God can change something in a matter of a moment." That was simple yet so POWERFUL when you think about it...MY GOD can change anything in a moment! After preaching with him, I got off and called my god-mother while my wife ran to wal-mart with a friend. I ended up sharing some things about sacrifice to her that really spoke to her spirit, and God really confirmed some things in that conversation. My friend Britton actually stopped by tonight too and dropped off two DVDs to the revival we did at his home church in August. Unfortunately, only one of them worked, so I only got to watch the first half of the service, but it's all good cuz I'm sure I'll get the other soon.
So now, I am sitting here with my lovely wife, watching her work so hard and do her homework (so proud of her). I did my homework earlier too, amongst other things...so now I'm on chill mode for the night. Bout to spend some time with the Lord and get ready for bed. I believe tomorrow will be another great opportunity to be a blessing in some way! Thank you Lord...I'm getting excited already!
God bless every person who visits this blog!
So, we had a good service and people were delivered in the place. After church, we came home and rested. I was going to go to church again, but my wife needed the car and I didn't have a way to go otherwise, so I decided to just stay here...but God was still here with me...I just feel His presence when I just say His name...Jesus! Yes Lord! Anyway, I ended up talking to my mother for a while about their service in which my dad preached...she said he preached that "Jesus is Life." How many know that where Jesus is...there IS life. After speaking with her, I went and made some ramen noodles and chicken breast strips lol I know that's kind of a weird combination but it was good...cuz I made it! While I was making it, I talked to my friend Kyle, who was giving me a word from the Lord...He said that God showed him through the word that, "God can change something in a matter of a moment." That was simple yet so POWERFUL when you think about it...MY GOD can change anything in a moment! After preaching with him, I got off and called my god-mother while my wife ran to wal-mart with a friend. I ended up sharing some things about sacrifice to her that really spoke to her spirit, and God really confirmed some things in that conversation. My friend Britton actually stopped by tonight too and dropped off two DVDs to the revival we did at his home church in August. Unfortunately, only one of them worked, so I only got to watch the first half of the service, but it's all good cuz I'm sure I'll get the other soon.
So now, I am sitting here with my lovely wife, watching her work so hard and do her homework (so proud of her). I did my homework earlier too, amongst other things...so now I'm on chill mode for the night. Bout to spend some time with the Lord and get ready for bed. I believe tomorrow will be another great opportunity to be a blessing in some way! Thank you Lord...I'm getting excited already!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Lovely Day
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
It's Late
Here I am getting ready to go to sleep, but I thought I'd talk a little about my day first...it'll be quick. After I left work and went to class, we played a game in class called Norwegian Nosedive. Can't explain this game except to say...you get a partner and you have to only touch the ground with certain body parts given by the instructor. It included a lot acrobatic moves...we actually won most of the rounds but got short changed in the end lol...but I left class and went to wait on my wife to pick me up. I got home and washed dishes and cleaned a bit while she was in class. When she got home, I took some of our old clothes we had been planning to donate for a long time to the car (they're still there till tomorrow). I came back in and decided to set up the brand new printer we were given by my mother n law. We set it up and stuff but saw that we don't have black ink for it...only color...so at some point we'll have to go get some black ink (too expensive). After doing all of that HARD work lol I wanted to take a nap real bad, but instead I was forced by my wife to drive her to pay the electric bill. We then stopped by the bank to make a quick deposit. We came home and immediately took a nap...a long one too cuz we were both wore out. We had planned to go to a movie, because I came across some free movie passes, but instead decided to sleep past the movie time. I told Bailee, "If we both take a nap, we won't get up in time to eat and get ready for the movie." What happened? We both slept past the time we expected...of course it didn't help that I set my alarm for a.m. instead of p.m.. Anyway, we went out to eat at IHOP, my favorite restaurant, for the first time in bout 3 or 4 months! I got my traditional Big Steak Omelet and Pancakes...while Bailee got the Rooty Tooty Fresh N Fruity (I think that's how you spell it). We came home and decided to watch a movie online, I took the dog out, spent time with my God, and now I'm ready to call it a day.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Friday, January 14, 2011
I'm Sore
It's another blessed morning everyone, and I am just happy to be in the land of the living. Yes, I know it may be a little cold, but that's alright because God is still sitting on His throne, which means no matter how you feel today, you have a reason to have joy. Last night I did decide to go to the gym with my wife, and when we got there I ran into a little problem. I went upstairs to where the lockers were and found that they were all occupied and the ones that weren't occupied wouldn't even come open. So, I went back downstairs to ask one desk worker who said I needed a quarter to open it. Then, the other person said that they don't require quarters anymore so just find one and use it. I told him that they wouldn't come open, and he finally said that some of them don't actually come open....BREATH. Okay, so I finally just gave up on the lockers and saw someone upstairs that I knew, and put my stuff behind the desk...should have thought about that before.
Anyway, so I decided to play some basketball. I was a bit rusty when I started playing but slowly began to find my rhythm...but then I lost it again with an air ball when we needed points lol...yep, you guessed right...we ended up losing by 2. It was very close and LONG game by the way...and when I finally finished, I was a bit tired. All this was happening while my wife and her friends were doing their zumba thing (whatever that is). She mentioned that for $50 dollars she could do ALL of the class that they offer the whole semester. When she said it, I thought about the fact that this is just the first week of classes, so how much motivation would she have in 3 weeks when all of her tests hit? Would that $50 go to waste or be used efficiently? I'm not sure...but if she really wants to pay that...she'll be forced to go lol it might actually be motivation for her. I believe that's kind of like serving the Lord as well. If you don't invest anything in your walk with God, then it might be a bit easier just to not go to church, pray, read your bible, or serve others in any way. You might lose motivation pretty quickly. Yet, if you really invest some time, energy, and even resources into the Kingdom of God, rather than just building your own, you will find strength deep down to keep on keeping on, even when you might get discourage, simply because you have invested too much to turn back! I felt that one!
While at the gym, I ran into an old friend of mine who used to go to college here two years ago. He told me he had moved to New York. He said that in New York, you have to be careful how to approach people, you can't look at em for more than three seconds at a time, and there are professional thieves who will steal anything you got at anytime. It sounds like I won't be going to New York anytime soon lol...I like to stare at people and just approach em if I feel like talking. He said he came back down here because it was way too cold there (-25)...I don't blame him. So we exchanged numbers and such and I caught back up with him. I also saw a high school friend of mine earlier in the day, who I hadn't seen probably since we graduated together. He was just walking and we recognized each other...I thought that was cool...we played basketball together in high school too.
We left the gym, and took our friend Brittani home. We sat there and talked for about 30 minutes in the car. While talking, we saw a little boy get out of a car that pulled up beside us...he was a bad lil boy apparently. Brittani told us his mom is always yelling at him about something (he looked about 6-7 years old). After dropping her off, I thought we was finally going home, but then we had to go to the library so Bailee could print some stuff off...grrrr. We did that I went home...talked to a buddy of mine for a few minutes...the rest is history.
I woke up this morning sore as can be! I did NOT want to get out of bed, because my body was saying NO. I did get up though, and am now at work. My class starts in about an hour. I believe this is going to be a wonderful day that the Lord has made. It's Friday so I am finished at noon. I believe I might go home and snooze a bit after class, but we'll see.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Anyway, so I decided to play some basketball. I was a bit rusty when I started playing but slowly began to find my rhythm...but then I lost it again with an air ball when we needed points lol...yep, you guessed right...we ended up losing by 2. It was very close and LONG game by the way...and when I finally finished, I was a bit tired. All this was happening while my wife and her friends were doing their zumba thing (whatever that is). She mentioned that for $50 dollars she could do ALL of the class that they offer the whole semester. When she said it, I thought about the fact that this is just the first week of classes, so how much motivation would she have in 3 weeks when all of her tests hit? Would that $50 go to waste or be used efficiently? I'm not sure...but if she really wants to pay that...she'll be forced to go lol it might actually be motivation for her. I believe that's kind of like serving the Lord as well. If you don't invest anything in your walk with God, then it might be a bit easier just to not go to church, pray, read your bible, or serve others in any way. You might lose motivation pretty quickly. Yet, if you really invest some time, energy, and even resources into the Kingdom of God, rather than just building your own, you will find strength deep down to keep on keeping on, even when you might get discourage, simply because you have invested too much to turn back! I felt that one!
While at the gym, I ran into an old friend of mine who used to go to college here two years ago. He told me he had moved to New York. He said that in New York, you have to be careful how to approach people, you can't look at em for more than three seconds at a time, and there are professional thieves who will steal anything you got at anytime. It sounds like I won't be going to New York anytime soon lol...I like to stare at people and just approach em if I feel like talking. He said he came back down here because it was way too cold there (-25)...I don't blame him. So we exchanged numbers and such and I caught back up with him. I also saw a high school friend of mine earlier in the day, who I hadn't seen probably since we graduated together. He was just walking and we recognized each other...I thought that was cool...we played basketball together in high school too.
We left the gym, and took our friend Brittani home. We sat there and talked for about 30 minutes in the car. While talking, we saw a little boy get out of a car that pulled up beside us...he was a bad lil boy apparently. Brittani told us his mom is always yelling at him about something (he looked about 6-7 years old). After dropping her off, I thought we was finally going home, but then we had to go to the library so Bailee could print some stuff off...grrrr. We did that I went home...talked to a buddy of mine for a few minutes...the rest is history.
I woke up this morning sore as can be! I did NOT want to get out of bed, because my body was saying NO. I did get up though, and am now at work. My class starts in about an hour. I believe this is going to be a wonderful day that the Lord has made. It's Friday so I am finished at noon. I believe I might go home and snooze a bit after class, but we'll see.
God bless everyone who visits this blog!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Decision
Anyway though, I finished lunch and went back to work. I was able to collaborate a bit about my organization's future meetings and such, then I read a little for my class. I finally went to class at the appointed time, and we had a great class discussion over doing an ethnography, which is basically a type of research in which you observe a particular speech community. I'm in the midst of decision on whether I should observe black barbershops or something else more creative, rare, and never done before. The problem is that I only have one week so I better get to thinking...or rather asking God to spark an idea in my spirit lol. So...I left class and talked with a few friends about our organization, and what we were going to do this semester. We made a bit of progress in our discussion and decided to have a meeting next week sometime. The problem we ran into was that no one had remembered to save a list of members for the organization (we have a new organization), so we would have to just tell people as we see them that we will have a meeting. The good thing is that most of them are either in our class or another class with the same professors. Finally, I went to work at the tutoring lab again for a few hours. Talked to an advisor for a little bit about possibly working for the university when I'm finished, but not sure what I'm going to do yet. I made some progress on my online class assignments, and even decided that I'm going to do for my leadership capstone project (I'll tell you later).
Now...I'm at home. I just ate some spaghetti, french bread, and green beans, delicious might I add, and now trying to decide whether I should go to the gym and shoot around a bit while my wife does her zumba stuff. Should I go? Should I stay? I just ate so I'm kind of wanting a nap...but it's too late already for that so...I guess I'll go...I guess. When I come back, I plan to get in the word, pray, and go to bed at decent time, because guess what...I work at 9:00 a.m. Yep, better get used to it now, because college schedules are almost over. Oh and did I mention how much I love my wife?? She is so precious...This year I'm taking the meaning of "love your wife like Christ loved the church" to a whole new level.
God bless every person that visits this blog!
You Inspired Me
I have to first of all admit that this is not something that I normally do. I'm not the type of person that likes other people snooping around in my business, but I believe that I've acquired a new perspective when it comes to sharing your thoughts and feelings with others. I believe that it can help someone when you open your mouth (or type lol) and begin to give a part of who you are. I can say, however, that this change did not come by happenstance, but rather I completely give credit to my wonderful wife for motivating me to do something outside the box. You may think that she had to hassle me for days or weeks to get me to finally do this, but she actually never said a single word about me starting a blog; I just simply read her blogs and began to get inspired by how fun it was to see her thoughts about things written down (and see those beautiful pics she posts as well). If you think about it, that's exactly how it happens sometimes as we follow Christ. What do I mean? Well, just like my wife didn't have to say a single word about me starting a blog and doing something different with my life, but rather she just led by example and allowed me to see what she was doing. When I saw the joy and pleasure she got from doing this, it caused me to want to do it too. Even though I'm a little later in the year than when she started, I'm still doing it. It's the same thing with coming to Jesus. Sometimes you don't have to say anything at all, but just show people how much joy and pleasure being a follower of Jesus Christ brings you, then they'll want what you have just because they're watching you! That's why we should be careful what we say and do around unbelievers or those who are weak in the faith, because when we live or sound like we are living defeated lives, it doesn't make anyone want the Jesus you claim to serve and have on the inside. I didn't mean to preach, but I felt that thing! lol
Now...as far as my day is concerned. It is now 10:30 a.m. I am sitting at work in the tutoring lab here on campus, waiting to see if there may be any students who need my help with public speaking. Chances are that there won't be any students during any of my shifts this week, because most students don't even know I'm here and probably won't be needing any help the first week of classes. They'll probably do like most of us do, and wait till the last second to sign up, so I'll have six or seven students lined up waiting. Then they'll try to stay longer than their fifteen minutes, demanding that I do their outline for them and write their whole speech (which I'm not here to do), but I am simply here just to "guide" them in their work...it's their responsibility to do it. It's just like that with serving Jesus Christ! Sometime we want the Lord to do everything for us. God please read my bible to me...God please do my homework...God please give me money and don't make me work. It's not God's duty to do those things for you, but rather He simply "guides" you in what you are doing. In other words, He will give you a job, but you still have to work. He'll bless you to go to school, but you still have to do your homework. He may send someone to teach you the bible, but you still have to put forth an effort to study on your own as well. Everything in life can be an example of how we serve God. So never ever say that God doesn't speak to people. He will take something like working in a tutoring lab and give you a revelation about serving Him!
I'm about to get off at 11:00 a.m and go home for an hour before coming back to work my other job. My wife is going to do Zumba (don't know much about that) and I'm thinking I might just go and play basketball while she's at it (maybe). I have a few assignments to finish, and some reading to do before class, but so far...it's been a blessed and wonderful day. I'm sure I will update again seeing it is still early.
God bless anyone who has visited this blog!
Now...as far as my day is concerned. It is now 10:30 a.m. I am sitting at work in the tutoring lab here on campus, waiting to see if there may be any students who need my help with public speaking. Chances are that there won't be any students during any of my shifts this week, because most students don't even know I'm here and probably won't be needing any help the first week of classes. They'll probably do like most of us do, and wait till the last second to sign up, so I'll have six or seven students lined up waiting. Then they'll try to stay longer than their fifteen minutes, demanding that I do their outline for them and write their whole speech (which I'm not here to do), but I am simply here just to "guide" them in their work...it's their responsibility to do it. It's just like that with serving Jesus Christ! Sometime we want the Lord to do everything for us. God please read my bible to me...God please do my homework...God please give me money and don't make me work. It's not God's duty to do those things for you, but rather He simply "guides" you in what you are doing. In other words, He will give you a job, but you still have to work. He'll bless you to go to school, but you still have to do your homework. He may send someone to teach you the bible, but you still have to put forth an effort to study on your own as well. Everything in life can be an example of how we serve God. So never ever say that God doesn't speak to people. He will take something like working in a tutoring lab and give you a revelation about serving Him!
I'm about to get off at 11:00 a.m and go home for an hour before coming back to work my other job. My wife is going to do Zumba (don't know much about that) and I'm thinking I might just go and play basketball while she's at it (maybe). I have a few assignments to finish, and some reading to do before class, but so far...it's been a blessed and wonderful day. I'm sure I will update again seeing it is still early.
God bless anyone who has visited this blog!
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