Alright...
I've become bored with this blog here, in a way. I'm kinda getting sick of the 'questionyoursanity' html, and I didn't want to just change it. So, I decided to start fresh and I've created a new blog called "A Work in Progress."
If you liked this page, then check it out, because this page will no longer be used. The address is:
http://aslowworkinprogress.blogspot.com/
Hope you feel as refreshed as I do.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Snuggie
Saw this on tv, it made my day. I hope it makes yours...
Apparently some inventor really needed a patent.
But seriously... couldn't we all use a beltless robe that you put on backwards? Come on, it has the most adorable name ever, doesn't it.
Apparently some inventor really needed a patent.
But seriously... couldn't we all use a beltless robe that you put on backwards? Come on, it has the most adorable name ever, doesn't it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
...
Jared sent me this link a little while ago. So, check it out.
http://searchwarp.com/swa386156.htm
I find that I have done a lot of those things in the list without having to think about them, but I also don't do a lot of them. Great suggestions, great post.
Good night friends.
http://searchwarp.com/swa386156.htm
I find that I have done a lot of those things in the list without having to think about them, but I also don't do a lot of them. Great suggestions, great post.
Good night friends.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
We don't take classes for our exams in life
Now i have the time and environment to recollect my thoughts from earlier.
As i stated in the post below this one, yesterday i had some extensive conversation with Jared. If one of us had saved the meat of that dialogue we could have probably turned it into a monologue and posted it here. Sadly i don't remember it that well, and thusly cannot regurgitate it for you. However i do remember one section particularly well, and i was reminded of it when listening to Alistair Begg today... we don't need training to be where we are. Hmm, what do i mean by that? Well, maybe i could quote Mr. Begg: "...It would be silly to think that maturity and completeness in the Christian Life would be a maturity and completeness that was conferred upon us without taking the courses and without going through the examinations." This is, of course, referring to the tests (don't confuse tests with training for them) that we as followers of Jesus undergo throughout our lives. He goes on to a fantastic logical explanation of how the test that is spoken of in the book of James is not a moment in time, but it is, in fact, one's entire life.
If one's whole life is a test or trial, then we can't get training for it. Begg alludes to the 'crown of life' in James 1:12 when he talks of life being the test. The crown of life is received after death, and the verse says 'blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life." So, standing the test means living life... this life is a test. Begg also points out how James doesn't refer to certain tests, thus making this verse applicable to ALL of those who claim to be in Christ.
Now, the point... we don't get training for this. My current trial is college at SUNY Oswego, and everything associated with it, Jared's current test is Minneapolis, more specifically the Somalian community within that city. When we were talking yesterday i thought of this analogy; we have climbed to the top of a mountain, but we have never been trained on how to get back down. Does that mean we're gonna sit on the peak and wait for some training? No, we're gonna figure it out, because we have no other choice. So, wherever you are, figure it out. Surprisingly enough, the Bible does have some great suggestions so you definitely have some help.
That's what i did throughout high school though. I sat on top of a mountain waiting for someone to teach me how to get down. The funny thing is... people were actually telling me all along how to get down; i just never applied it (or at least not to the extent that i should have). How does one get down from the mountain? I think it's fairly simple: Tell people about Jesus. Why is this the route to flat ground? Because, the biggest trial associated with one's surrounding is that he or she is surrounded by those who don't know Jesus. Sure, there are the trials of one's financial situation, school work, work work, lack of food, too much food, etc. But the biggest issue we face, at least from the way i see it (which might not count for much) is that we are surrounded by people that are going to Hell, and we aren't loving enough to take just 5 minutes out of our days to ask one of them if they would be willing to at least hear the Gospel message.
An image popped into my head today as i was walking to my last class, looking at those around me. I started to think of the scene in the film "The Wall" where a bunch of school kids were on a conveyer belt that lead into a giant meat grinder. You know where we are in that picture? We're sitting in lawn chairs on the side of it watching them fall in. Some of us may even being turning up the speed of the belt. What's the biggest test we face? The test of whether we love these people like Christ loves us. If it's not the biggest test then i don't know what is, but it's up there, and so far i've failed.
Sorry if this was jumbled a bit. I felt it was necessary to get my thoughts out for once, instead of letting them wander into the abyss of my mind, and being pretty much lost. Thanks for reading, correct any heathen ideas, and share your thoughts, please.
As i stated in the post below this one, yesterday i had some extensive conversation with Jared. If one of us had saved the meat of that dialogue we could have probably turned it into a monologue and posted it here. Sadly i don't remember it that well, and thusly cannot regurgitate it for you. However i do remember one section particularly well, and i was reminded of it when listening to Alistair Begg today... we don't need training to be where we are. Hmm, what do i mean by that? Well, maybe i could quote Mr. Begg: "...It would be silly to think that maturity and completeness in the Christian Life would be a maturity and completeness that was conferred upon us without taking the courses and without going through the examinations." This is, of course, referring to the tests (don't confuse tests with training for them) that we as followers of Jesus undergo throughout our lives. He goes on to a fantastic logical explanation of how the test that is spoken of in the book of James is not a moment in time, but it is, in fact, one's entire life.
If one's whole life is a test or trial, then we can't get training for it. Begg alludes to the 'crown of life' in James 1:12 when he talks of life being the test. The crown of life is received after death, and the verse says 'blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life." So, standing the test means living life... this life is a test. Begg also points out how James doesn't refer to certain tests, thus making this verse applicable to ALL of those who claim to be in Christ.
Now, the point... we don't get training for this. My current trial is college at SUNY Oswego, and everything associated with it, Jared's current test is Minneapolis, more specifically the Somalian community within that city. When we were talking yesterday i thought of this analogy; we have climbed to the top of a mountain, but we have never been trained on how to get back down. Does that mean we're gonna sit on the peak and wait for some training? No, we're gonna figure it out, because we have no other choice. So, wherever you are, figure it out. Surprisingly enough, the Bible does have some great suggestions so you definitely have some help.
That's what i did throughout high school though. I sat on top of a mountain waiting for someone to teach me how to get down. The funny thing is... people were actually telling me all along how to get down; i just never applied it (or at least not to the extent that i should have). How does one get down from the mountain? I think it's fairly simple: Tell people about Jesus. Why is this the route to flat ground? Because, the biggest trial associated with one's surrounding is that he or she is surrounded by those who don't know Jesus. Sure, there are the trials of one's financial situation, school work, work work, lack of food, too much food, etc. But the biggest issue we face, at least from the way i see it (which might not count for much) is that we are surrounded by people that are going to Hell, and we aren't loving enough to take just 5 minutes out of our days to ask one of them if they would be willing to at least hear the Gospel message.
An image popped into my head today as i was walking to my last class, looking at those around me. I started to think of the scene in the film "The Wall" where a bunch of school kids were on a conveyer belt that lead into a giant meat grinder. You know where we are in that picture? We're sitting in lawn chairs on the side of it watching them fall in. Some of us may even being turning up the speed of the belt. What's the biggest test we face? The test of whether we love these people like Christ loves us. If it's not the biggest test then i don't know what is, but it's up there, and so far i've failed.
Sorry if this was jumbled a bit. I felt it was necessary to get my thoughts out for once, instead of letting them wander into the abyss of my mind, and being pretty much lost. Thanks for reading, correct any heathen ideas, and share your thoughts, please.
Finally...
Alright, here i am... finally.
Jared and i had a long discussion yesterday concerning some of his thoughts and my critical lack of thought as of late. Praise God for brothers and sisters (Aaron, Jared, Mike, Alaister Begg, etc) who slap me in the face. Actually, my recent slaps in the face haven't really been so blunt; i think it was the reflection on what my brothers had to say about issues in general that have made me slap myself. That slap happened yesterday while reading Jared's blog (this post) which i ssuggest you all read. Okay, I won't repeat what he said, because that's not the entirety of my 'revelation', but basically the part that hit me is that we are where we are for a reason and that i need to stop thinking about the future and start focusing on NOW. And you know what? I started to think, here i am in college, and what have i done to further the kingdom while being here? Close to nothing so far. Sure i talked to this drunk guy at 2 in the morning a few weeks ago about how i love Jesus, but i didn't really explain the Gospel too much.
But this is the thing. Throughout all of high school i thought "we need something big and extraordinary to happen here. There's too many unsaved people, and i can't make a dent." I never once just walked up to some person i didn't know and talked to them about Jesus, not once. Yet i say i LOVE all of those peers. Yeah... right. How could i possibly love those people if i didn't even have the courage to withstand the minimal embarrassment associated with witnessing to them?
And here i've been at college, thinking, "there's a lot of people that don't know Jesus here. I'm gonna need something big to happen to change that. Maybe i could get Aaron Weiss to do a show or something." Cooome on! Thank Christ for that face slap last night. So, what's my point? I don't need something big to happen, I need to tell people about Jesus. I need to make a deliberate effort to actually feel blessed to be here, and thusly be a blessing. There's a thought; why do we always look to be blessed rather than to be a blessing? Okay... So... what's the application? I'm just gonna start talking about Jesus. Instead of talking about cigars, tea, music, classes, etc... I need to talk about Jesus with both people that i know and don't know. I need to stop waiting for some event or group to be formed and just do it. It's time to do and to be intentional.
Okay, so as usual i do have more thoughts, and i hope that there will be a sequel to this post. But this will do for now i think. God bless.
Jared and i had a long discussion yesterday concerning some of his thoughts and my critical lack of thought as of late. Praise God for brothers and sisters (Aaron, Jared, Mike, Alaister Begg, etc) who slap me in the face. Actually, my recent slaps in the face haven't really been so blunt; i think it was the reflection on what my brothers had to say about issues in general that have made me slap myself. That slap happened yesterday while reading Jared's blog (this post) which i ssuggest you all read. Okay, I won't repeat what he said, because that's not the entirety of my 'revelation', but basically the part that hit me is that we are where we are for a reason and that i need to stop thinking about the future and start focusing on NOW. And you know what? I started to think, here i am in college, and what have i done to further the kingdom while being here? Close to nothing so far. Sure i talked to this drunk guy at 2 in the morning a few weeks ago about how i love Jesus, but i didn't really explain the Gospel too much.
But this is the thing. Throughout all of high school i thought "we need something big and extraordinary to happen here. There's too many unsaved people, and i can't make a dent." I never once just walked up to some person i didn't know and talked to them about Jesus, not once. Yet i say i LOVE all of those peers. Yeah... right. How could i possibly love those people if i didn't even have the courage to withstand the minimal embarrassment associated with witnessing to them?
And here i've been at college, thinking, "there's a lot of people that don't know Jesus here. I'm gonna need something big to happen to change that. Maybe i could get Aaron Weiss to do a show or something." Cooome on! Thank Christ for that face slap last night. So, what's my point? I don't need something big to happen, I need to tell people about Jesus. I need to make a deliberate effort to actually feel blessed to be here, and thusly be a blessing. There's a thought; why do we always look to be blessed rather than to be a blessing? Okay... So... what's the application? I'm just gonna start talking about Jesus. Instead of talking about cigars, tea, music, classes, etc... I need to talk about Jesus with both people that i know and don't know. I need to stop waiting for some event or group to be formed and just do it. It's time to do and to be intentional.
Okay, so as usual i do have more thoughts, and i hope that there will be a sequel to this post. But this will do for now i think. God bless.
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