Traveling

~ Snowday ~

(Child-speak Part II)

     I was watching a young boy around 12 shoveling out his sidewalk this morning. Now this sounds relatively normal, but his choice of implements was well, insufficient. We had 2ft+ of snow and he was using a dustpan. He had cleared away about 5 sq ft of space with it. I was thinking about how hard it was shoveling this mad amount of snow with a shovel…. and he was going at it with a dustpan!?!? God really knows how to pop my bubble. Self-pity? Look over at that boy with a dustpan. I prayed for some more strength from my Lord. Then I went over and lent this poor boy a shovel, (I had two.) He said thank you and accepted it quite graciously. At least he didn’t question why I was helping him. I wasn’t really in a mood to chat. But I really needed to respond to this boy shoveling with a dustpan. Thank you, God. Each day, in every way, the goodness of Your ways amazes me. *sniff* No, I’m not going to cry, misty eyes will have to do.

     But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
     In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he was the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘ and when i return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
     Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
     The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
     Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

— Luke 10:29-37 (NIV)–

~ Child-speak ~
Note: This has been recreated from my memory, which is rather shoddy, so excuse me if I misremembered something…

yb = young boy (sitting across the table acting like well, like a child would)
me = ha256 (eating lunch… *chomp slurp sip*
lf = lady friend (nice pal + cute != girlfriend)

Setting: church basement, having lunch while little kids play in the background, everyone is eating and making chitchat…

yb: Do you have a girlfriend?
me: No
yb: Why?

*(not that question…)*

me: because I’m not ready.
yb: Why?

*(again? crap…)*

me: I don’t really need one.
yb: But don’t you want one?
me: Yes
yb: So why don’t you have one?

*glances over at lf for some backup…*
*lf smiles and shrugs*
*yb gets a revelation*

yb: It’s not like you’re ugly or something.

*hidden smiles, chuckles and me sputtering*
*yb goes back to being a kid*

yb: is ####### your girlfriend?
*yb ~ (referring to lf)*

*lf first, followed by me echoing*
lf & me: No.
yb: is too!

*I see lf smile out of the corner of my eye.*
*neither lf or I reply*
*yb chants childish matter that I will not reprint, I think you get the idea*

“When I was a child, I talked like a child…”

     Children always seem to find a way to articulate the hardest topics in the most interesting ways… I don’t know of any adults that would speak of relationships like that. But it is because children have a way about them… a lack of worldliness. Truly like sheep. Makes me wonder if children have the right idea about how to speak to one another. When children talk to one another, they have a clear, transparent way of showing what they are saying.
     Jesus loves little children. Faith like a child…. Just some random thoughts in my brain bouncing around…

~ Love in terms of Offering & Sacrifice ~

Love is patient.

Offering your time as a gift to someone you love.

Love is kind.

Giving others due consideration and care.

It does not envy.

Sacrificing your judgement of your life and giving God’s perspective a chance.

It does not boast. It is not proud.

Giving up the act of raising yourself up above others. We are all the same before God.

It is not rude.

Sacrificing narrow-mindedness and ignorance as excuses to offend others.

It is not self-seeking.

Offering up your own desires, wants & needs and placing other’s desires, wants & needs above your own.

It is not easily angered.

Giving up the right to become angry over petty matters and learning to managing your anger properly

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.

Always choosing and enjoying the way of truth and good, even if choosing evil would feel better.
Paying the price of following truth, regardless of the gains to be had from doing evil.

It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Offering protection to those who need protection
Giving the gift of trust to those who need trust
Offering hope where it cannot be seen
Sacrificing our perception and acknowledging through our actions that Love will always prevail

Love never fails.

Knowing where our hopes lie and placing our faith in what we hold to be true.

~————~

— 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 —

If you truly understand this verse and know what it means to put these words into action,
then you know the heart of God. The love of God is Jesus and his life reflects God’s love.

And so we rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
— 1 John 4:16 —

I don’t claim to know how to love yet. My love is not yet there, not yet perfect. But I know what it is I speak of, and I know where I have placed my hopes. Can you say the same, my friends?
Each and everyday we make choices, thousands of choices, and from these choices, God may shine though you.

Thank you elusiv8 for the wonderful challenge. May God bless you every day, in every way, and open your eyes to see the blessings that abound all around you.

     Father, it is a wonderful day. Thank you for the sunshine spilling in the windows. There are many brothers and sisters on my mind: kewlness, ah_b, k, blaq, nite owl, amg, completelylost, cwaymon, vic, marc, kyun, lan, lisa, hal, glitterbutt, steven, pops, mom… You never bring people into my life randomly. I have a purpose from You and I pray that You will use me as You will. Shape this crude tool into precisely the instrument You need. To bring Your will to earth, that is my purpose, the bread of my life. May my life reflect Your Word. May I shine, not for myself, but to Your glory and Your purpose. I pray forgiveness for those times where I have fallen short and slipped into sin, like a second skin. I pray all this in name of love made into flesh, Amen.

~ Sexuality ~

This post is going to be hard for me. I pray that God will speak through me…

     A topic that I think I would prefer to altogether avoid, but when I think about it, perhaps that is more reason to take it on… It is a part of our daily lives and it is a part of what makes me… well, me. Same goes for you. It has gotten so much of a bad reputation such that we avoid sexuality altogether, except for perhaps a couple dirty jokes now and then… talking about Birds & Bees doesn’t cut it. Telling dirty jokes doesn’t really help either. So I will try to take a look into how God perceives sexuality, seeing that should give us a better grasp of how it should be dealt with, no? I sure hope so, I get the distinct feeling I am completely out of my element when I try to examine my own heart… God, show me what you think, it’s better that way.

No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute inot the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.

— Deuteronomy 23:17-18 —

Drink water from your own cistern,
   running waters from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
   your streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be yours alone,
   never to be shared with strangers.
May your fountain be blessed,
   and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer –
   may her breasts satisfy you always,
   may you ever be captivated by her love.
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
   Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?

— Proverbs 5:15-20 —

she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.

— Deuteronomy 22:21 —

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.
…
Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter – a thing that should not be done.

— Genesis 34:1-2 & 7 —

Now for the matter your wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command.

— 1 Corinthians 7:1-6 —

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;

— 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 —

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
 How much more pleasing is your love than win,
 and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
 milk and honey are under your tongue.
 The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon.
You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
 you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.

— Song of Songs 4:10-12 —

Perhaps sexuality is too broad a topic to address in a single post… I’m getting confused… does it show?

*sits down among all the biblical references and falls asleep sorting though it*

~ next day ~

*wakes up, chats with God, and gets back to it*

     Shrine prostitutes are objectionable to God. He doesn’t even want their earnings. So the question that always comes up, why? I think that selling sex for money is the problem. Two strangers meeting up for sex, basically, you are buying what you see. LUST. Now there is a subject that is found throughtout the bible. So it seems to me that mixing sex with lust makes for an ugly combination according to Deuteronomy 23 (prostitution) and Matthew 5 (lust).
     So if we keep along this line of thought… of eliminating lust, we hit upon sexual sins caused by lust. Being promiscuous (Deuteronomy 23) and rape (Genesis 34) are just a pair of examples, I’m sure I could dig up more… so what are we to do about sexuality? How do we keep from sinning sexually when it seems apparent that love at first sight is another word for lust? Can you trust your heart? Somehow, I think not… (I can dig up the verse, but there seems to be alot of verses as it is… ^.^;;)
     “each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable”… sounds reasonable to me… hard, but not impossible with God. So the sexual control should be by holy and honor… what does that mean? I think it means we should place control of our sexual issues with God. If you note the last part of that verse, it notes: “who do not know God” So the control seems to stem from our Lord God, not within our hearts… Can our hearts control bodies in a way that is holy and honorable? The resounding answer for me, is no. I have tried and failed already, so my trust and hope in sexual matters lies with God and no longer with me. How about you? 
     So what kind of sexuality is pleasing to God? If I am trying to please God in every way, I have to find out what are God’s thoughts on the right way to deal with sexual matters. Looking at Proverbs 5, we see references to all sorts of sources of water…followed by references to a wife. I think this water is really speaking about the wife. Speaking about not sharing these waters… keeping them from strangers.
     So your wife is yours. Does this make her your possession? Think again guys! We are all sons and daughters of God first and foremost. So your husband is also yours. “The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. ” Equality in sexuality. hmm… perhaps this “becoming one flesh” stuff is making more sense, yes?
     So within the confines of marriage is where sex should reside. It seems rather apparent that sex outside of marriage is more dangerous than not… My personal experiences confirm this. Love is very hard to see when lust is clouding your vision. There is nothing wrong with beauty, but it is lust, the need to possess, that is a sin. So admire beauty, but avoid the pitfall that is lust.

— Prayer requests —

  Father God, I come before you to speak about a sister. You know who I’m talking about. She knows what is right, what is true… but she does not apply your commands in her life, Father. I place her into Your hands. Your Will is better than our plans. All the time! 
  Why do we acknowledge You with our lips alone? Why do we insist on doing things our way, when Your ways are so much better? Why am I so baka? The Holy Spirit compels me, and still I hold back. Your love lays over me like new fallen snow upon the ground, and still I keep pieces of myself from you.Is there any excuse for such actions? All I can do is look to Jesus and pray for forgiveness.
  For when I am judged by my own standards, I fail even those. My integrity is nothing. The truth hits like a chisel and Your Law hammers it in… Father, forgive me and help me to turn from my sins and turn to You. You know what I need, who I am, what is going on better than I know myself… I pray all this in the only name in whom we can find salvation, Amen.

God gave me this verse today…

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

— John 8:12 —

~ Shameless plug ~

I know there are people who want to be Salt… So if it looks like something you feel a “fit” to… please join. ^.^ It’s not flashy, it’s not flamboyant, but it works.

~ Hunger ~

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

— Matthew 4:2-4 —

      I was hungry the past couple of days. I could feel the twisting and turning of my gut, searching for something to sustain itself. But I had no heart to eat. I could have eaten either Filet Mignon or McDonalds and not cared… I wanted something and it has nothing to do with physical hunger, my spirit was crying out for something more… something more sustaining than just food. Spiritual starvation is a horrible thing. My souls cries out for something and I have not quite put my finger on it yet… perhaps I need to do God’s will? or do I need to read more of God’s word? more prayer? more praise & worship? … Anyone got a clue?
     
      Gonna go pray some about it some more and keep on trying to etch God’s words into my heart (1 Cor 13). I’m actually doing rather well I think… God must’ve upgraded my memory or something… May those who have taken up the challenge along with me know the empowerment that comes from the Lord and rely not upon themselves.
     
      On a completely different note, my present job will be ending on Valentine’s Day. Ironic huh? God’s shutting the doors in my face… Hopefully, I can spot the window He opened for me. ^_^ I’m a pretty dense fellow when it comes to “common sense” matters….

     Father, thank you for hard times to show me beauty to be had in the sunshine after the storm. Each and every thing that happens to me is in Your control. Let me not deceive myself into believing otherwise. Open my eyes, I can only see the hunger and not the food. I pray that you will give the power of memorization to those who would ask of it. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

~! CHALLENGE !~

     The gauntlet has been thrown down. Will you answer the chanllege? hehehe, ok, so a little overly melodramatic. ^.^ Anyway, my friend issued the following challenge:

     So come, join me in meeting this challenge. It is a beautiful chapter of the book. (It doesn’t even mention “God” once in the entire thing…) Talk about setting the mood for V-day. Well said, elusiiv8, well said. ^_^

For those who don’t have it, here’s the chapter in question from the NIV version:

     And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fanthom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

     Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

     Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put my childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see fact to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

     And now there three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

— 1 Corinthians 13 —

Yes, memorizing the word is good for you~!

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

— Psalm 119:9-11 —

~V-day~

     February is right around the corner. Everyone with eyes and ears can tell… the seasonal aisle is filled with red, pink, and chocolate. The local Hallmark store blooms with a Valentine’s Day section filled to the brim with expressions of love, caring, romance, appreciation and fun.

     For those unfortunately enough to be single during this month, there is the sudden onset of loneliness and wishing you “had someone”. The couples scour the malls, stores, and web for the “perfect” gift to give their significant other. They search for a way to make this day, extra-special. Bookings and reservations at that one particular restaurant.

     A day to show your love. That is what V-day should be. Instead, we end up so focused on getting that perfect gift, the perfect outing, we miss out on what V-day should really be about.

     V-day is like any other day. Don’t let all the bluster of commercials and marketing make you think otherwise. It should be a celebration of love. It’s about things that money cannot buy. It serves to remind those who are in romantic relationships, to keep the romance in their relationship. Everyday should be like V-day. You should not need a calender, roses and chocolate/candy to show that you love someone.

     As for the single people, just finding “someone” is not going to cut it. Wait for the right one. Nothing excludes single people from celebrating V-day. So send a cute V-day card to a pal, I’m sure they’d love it. The goofier the better. ^_~ Just thinking outside of the box.

May your V-days be the rule, rather than the exception.

~Follow the Leader~

   Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?
   He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

— Matthew 15:12-14 —

   As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

— Matthew 9:9 —

   So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 
   Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

— 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 —

   But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps.

— 1 Peter 2:20-21 —

   I’m sure most of us have played the game called Follow the Leader. You know the main point, someone leads and the rest follow. In the childhood game, the leader does harder tasks and the followers struggle to follow in the leader’s footsteps. 

   Where am I heading? Here’s my story: 
      So I was talking with a non-Christian friend, asking her why she keeps in touch with me. I m very bad at keeping contact with people. She enjoys my friendship. Somehow she knows I care for her, even though my actions can be misconstrued and taken out of context alot of the time. I ask her what she thought about God and I got no straight answers. But I think this illustrates the concept of following. Why does she follow me? I have no clue,

   Maybe I am worth following? But when I think about it, that cannot be true, I stumble and lose my way just like any other human. I am not a born leader, my social skills are not wonderful. But Jesus is who I follow. I think most of my friends know this. If they follow me and try to imitate my actions are they not, in fact, following Jesus? How can you follow me and not follow Jesus? I don’t think you can. I think within their hearts, they realize a good thing when they see it. Do their heads realize what their hearts are telling them? Is the Light shining in my life enough to illuminate God’s ways? So stop with this childish game… Follow Him. Don’t follow me, I am only your companion. A friend, a brother, not a leader. Follow the one who will not mislead you. The One who never stumbles, who never falters. I am only human, I have bouts of blindness and sin may waylay me.

   Yes… Truth. There is nothing to fear from the truth. Jesus, be Lord over my life. But unworthy as I am for leadership, leaders are chosen, so lead though me, Shepard of my soul. I hope and I pray that you will not let these sheep be lost. 
   God, CW is having some family problems at home. He is seeking a new shelter. I don’t know what is going on, but please lead him to quiet waters and green pastures, Lord. He called me… Father, am I to be your instrument? Shine through me Lord. Every day.. in every way. VL is also having some problems. I don’t know what to do. She is too close, I don’t know… help me. You said you would lead me, if I would only follow. I’m waiting Lord, what do you wish me to do? Last but not least, the body of Christ I am currently a part of is going through some changes, if you want me to help, I am waiting for your word. I feel the urge to do something, but I know not what. It is all in Your hands. I pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.

Oh yeah… no substitute for some good music.

Nicole Nordeman – Fool for You

There are times when faith and common sense do not align,
when hardcore evidence of you is hard to find,
and I am silenced in the face of argumenative debate,
and it’s a long hill it’s a lonely climb. 
Cause they want proof,
They want proof of all these mysteries I claim. 
Cause only fools would want to chant a dead man’s name. 
Maybe it’s true, yeah but….

Chorus:

I would be a fool for You, all because You asked me to.
A simpleton who’s seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.

I admit that in my darkest hours I’ve asked what if,
What if we created some kind of man-made faith like this,
Out of good intention or emotional invention,
and after life is through, there will be no You.
Cause they want proof of all these miracles I claim,
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves.
Maybe it’s true, yeah but…

(Repeat Chorus)

Unaware of popularity,
and unconcerned with dignity,
You made me free.
That’s proof enough for me.

(music break)

I would be a fool for You (Fool for You)
Only if You asked me to,
A simpleton who’s only thinkin’ of
your cause of love.

I will speak Jesus’ name (Fool for You).
If that makes me crazy,
they can call me crazed,
I’m happy to be seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.

(music break)

A fool for You.

~Knowing, Believing, Applying~

      What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
     But someone will say, “You have faith, I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.
     You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Issac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

— James 2:14-24 —

     I was speaking with a close friend who I am glad to have as a sister in Christ. But recently, we were talking about salvation. How can you be sure that you are saved? Believe in Jesus. check. Believe that the only way to salvation is through Jesus. check. Believe He came and redeemed us through His death. check. Believe He rose again. check. Learn God’s Law and apply it in your life. eeeehhh…. Boy, I got the surprise of the month.

     Knowing is not enough. Even the demons know who Jesus is. Does that save demons from God’s wrath? Nope. You need a faith that responds with action. Faith without deeds is dead. It won’t get you there…. The Holy Spirit lives within us and directs us. Shine the light. Proclaim the Good News. If you believe in God & Jesus, your life should reflect this. Sin is our enemy. Our loving, just, and awesome God directs us how to live our lives and He would NEVER misdirect us. He would show us the BEST way to live. No Doubt. If you are floundering, pray for direction… pray for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within you.

I was standing outside in the winter cold last night when something hit me. Call it a moment of understanding. I was reflecting on how cold it was outside. I wasn’t dressed to sit outside in the cold and I was freezing my buns off. I was also hungry. I haven’t felt the gnaw of hunger for awhile now. I barely reconized it. My, how often I catch myself taking stuff for granted. Thank God for reminding me… There is so much to be thankful for. When God has blessed you, make sure you do not forget God amidst the blessings. That would be worst of all. Be thankful and grateful for what God has done for you. Amen? ^_^

     Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
     When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
     One of them, when he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.
     Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nice? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

— Luke 17:11-17 —