Traveling

~Unconditional Love~

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

Love for sinners, Love for enemies. God loved us while we were still sinners. Do I know what UNCONDITIONAL really means? I have a feeling I am just duping myself, if I think I understand what UNCONDITIONAL means… I love those who love me back. But loving those who cause me harm is another matter entirely. God sacrificed His Son, so that we could live. God didn’t sacrifice His Son for just the righteous, for the deserving. I am undeserving yet, I have been given for free, the gift of eternal life. God’s love is more than sufficient. If we understood God’s love for us, then perhaps we could better show love to those around us.

My cup overflows… ^_^

===—===

Just sharing my taste in music, I invite you to return in kind…
(Counter-points, additions, critiques, and songs-that-won’t-stop-running-in-your-head are all welcomed)

CD Title: Sing Wit’ Me

1. Madonna – Remember
2. Christina Aguilera – I Turn To You
3. N’Sync & 98 Degrees – Heaven’s Eyes
4. Leanne Womack – I Hope You’ll Dance
5. Donna Summers – I Love You (Always Forever)
6. Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting
7. Ricky Martin & Meja – Private Emotion
8. Mariah Carey – Butterfly
9. Leanne Rimes – I Need You
10. Kirk Franklin – Lean On Me
11. Whitney Houston & Ce Ce Winans – Count On Me
12. Shania Twain & Bryan White – From This Moment
13. Various Artists – Let The Music Heal Your Soul
14. Nelly Furtada – Like A Bird
15. Marc Anthony – She Sang To Me
16. Avril Lavigne – Complicated
17. 98 Degrees – Why
18. Extreme – More Than Words

——- Edit ——-

I am bug bite magnet… I have a grand total of 4 mosquito bites from yesterday night… ack… why me?

~Simply Speaking~

Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

I think God wants us to speak simply. The verses before this spoke about not swearing any oaths. When you have promised on something, keep your promise. There should be nothing more to it. You should not swear by all that’s holy in order to make people believe what you say. People will believe what you say, if you make a promise and then you deliver on that promise. If you try to escape a promise you made using the intricacies of language or “technicalities,” you have stopped following God’s teachings. Jesus is trying to tell us to be truthful and trustworthy. Those who are trustworthy and truthful will not need to end their promises with “on my mother’s grave…” or “cross your heart, hope to die” etc…

for a more modern interpretation, perhaps Jesus is speaking about the evils of small print… hahah sign this contract… the small print will sign over your firstborn to me… *chuckles* j/k but I think we get the picture… any comments? ^_^

~Filled with the Holy Spirit?~

     “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolotry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
     But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Galatians 5:19-24 (NIV)

Who’s in charge of your life? Sin or God? I would like to say that God in control of my life, but I don’t think I could say that whole-heartedly. I still have a couple more nails that need to be punched in before my sinful nature has been crucified… But I’d like to think that I’m moving towards God and away from sin. Will I ever been free from the clutches of sin? I dunno, but I’m going to keep striving for my goal. (WWJD?) Jesus has the right way, but it is sooo easy to slide off the path. Fight it~ Pray and spend time with God. Time with God is time well spent.

^_^ Much love to the supporting brothers and sisters out there… you know who you are.

Short, sweet and simple…

I was strolling to work this morning and stopped by a supermarket. I was hungry for something… so I went down the snack aisle… and I didn’t really find something I wanted to eat. I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t really need food. I just felt this void within and for some reason, my brain automatically thought “FOOD!” I bought some chips.. yeah, Herr’s Potato Chips for breakfast. Hot & Spicy, just the way I like them. I ate a couple, but I found I didn’t really want food. At least not food of that sort. I missed my QT (quiet time/quality time) with God yesterday… so perhaps this is the quote to leave us think about today….

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.“

John 6:35 (NIV)

~Intimacy: Mental, Spiritual, & Physical~

I read a little pamphlet this morning since I had some spare time… It gave the following analogy to intimacy. Intimacy is like glue and people are like pieces of wood. When two people are drawn together and intimacy occurs, there is a bond formed. The strength of the bonds from physical intimacy are the strongest. The strength of the bonds of mental intimacy are weaker. When a relationship breaks up, the bond is broken. Anyone who’s glued two pieces of wood together know that the two pieces of wood will be forever changed by the bond that was between them. Splinters of each piece of wood will be lost when the bond is taken apart. So it is with physical intimacy. If you enter into a relationship and engage in physical intimacy and then the relationship ends, a piece of you will be broken. Hence the argument for marriage as a “Till death do us part” concept.
You want a better bond? Think about a bond that includes mental, spiritual, & physical intimacy. Yeah, marriage makes a whole lot more sense now… ^_^

~Replies to comments~

“What would god do if sumone’s fucking racist!”

God would continue to do what He has always done. Love them. God asks us to love our enemies. I think that ultimately, we are striving to become like God. God loves everyone. Everyone includes murderers, rapists, racists, stupid people, smart people, proud people… If something that your brother has done causes you to anger, then I think you should resolve it before it consumes you. Try to help the racist person see what they are doing… But don’t take my word on it, read the Word.
What God does and what humans do are two very different things… I think it would be worth your time to calm yourself and deal with the problem with a cool head. If what I have said doesn’t seem to answer your question, perhaps it would be better to ask God, personally in prayer. He would be much better answer this question than me.

“what is God’s purpose for marriage?”

I think it’s a covenant between two people. Till Death. That’s a very long time, so we need to give marriage due consideration before entering this covenant. For christians, I think it is better to be single, but for some of us, LUST is too strong a force, so marriage is a concession. (yeah, lust is strong, very strong)

“What is God’s purpose for the couple?”

They are to support and love each other. That’s the short and sweet answer. When you are single, you are accountable to mostly yourself. When you are married, you are accountable to yourself as well as your spouse. Couples move together, so if one side seeks God and the other side seeks pleasure, there will be an eventual break or lack of growth towards God. In other words, pick your partner carefully.

“Dorkkkk… haha… you afraid of tha ladiesss?”

Yes, especially the good looking ones. They scare me with sexual attraction… I am intimidated by them even when I don’t get intimidated by almost anything. So if I am shy around some ladies, you’ll know it’s just my reaction to someone who looks too good, if that’s possible…. ^_^;;

I started today trying to understand sexual attraction. For you see, I’m fearful of sexual attraction… maybe fearful is the wrong word… I am distrustful. I don’t understand it. So I started trying to decipher it. Dissect it. I prayed for understanding, then I read 1 Corinthians 7:1-35. It discusses marriage and how husband and wife are supposed to interact. It says that it is better to be single, but if you cannot control yourself… then better to be married then to sin. I still don’t understand, so I moved onto the next place that came into my mind, Song of Songs. I read the entire book… a summation of love, married life (my interpretation), human sexuality, sexual attraction, interaction between couples and their friends, and more… So what is God’s lesson for me today? I think that some things are beyond my understanding. I don’t understand attraction. Does it have a logic? Is it the same as lust? All I know is this, Romance is a dangerous thing and it makes your walk with God harder. The burdens of married life are different from the burdens of single life, but each has it’s own set of issues that need to be dealt with. Don’t be jealous of a couple, they have problems just like you do. Just because there is two where there was once one does not mean that they are happy… that they are more fulfilled.

Lord, help me to realize that only you know what goes on in the hearts of (wo)men. To realize that each one of us needs help, needs guidance, needs forgiveness, needs love. Thank you for today. Each day brings with it blessings plain and disguised. Amen. 

                Song I’m feeling today:

98 Degrees Lyrics
“Why (Are We Still Friends)”

We do almost everything that lovers do
And that’s why it’s hard, just to be friends with you
Everytime your heart is broken by the fool
I want you to know that it hurts me too
It’s hard to wipe your tears away (tears away)
Knowing that you should be with me
Now tell me why

[CHORUS x2]

Maryland interviews… I had 4 interviews and for anyone who cares… (good, ok, ok, ugh…) so yeah… it went ok. Gotta do the thank you notes and sit tight… hope someone hires me. ~_~ Thanks for the support… Going through airport security was interesting… :-p Got felt up by security… Frisked throughly. ^.^;; Small aircraft are scary… you feel every little bump…

~Doing Good~

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me..’
     Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and  give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
     The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’…”

Matthew 25:34-40

     Do good, not because it’s “right”… God specifically asks that you do so. For each time you do good, you are doing it for/to God. So the next time you are about to yell at your friend, about to turn your back on a bum, see a person buried in troubles, where you can choose to help or choose to turn away… Take some time to consider. I know… easily said… hard to implement. Each day… one day at a time. Just as a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, we must start small on our journey to follow Jesus.

Cliques and Reaching out…

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31

If we are followers of Jesus as we say, then we must follow in his footsteps. Everyday there are people around us, people who need help, who need support… the sick so to speak. Yet we go to church, we hang out with the same people. When there are newcomers, we watch them from afar. What would Jesus do? I don’t think it takes alot of thinking to see what Jesus would do… He would reach out and help him/her. It is a pretty simple gesture, but I’m sure that many people have found this to be a hard thing to do. Support, Reach out, & Comfort. Not because you feel like it, not because you should do it, but because Jesus calls us to follow him. Consider what God has done for you, what have you done for God lately?

~Thy will be done…~

On a side note, FALL BACK IS COMMING~! weeeee… wake up later… good stuff. I’ve got an interview on monday in Maryland. On-site interview. GOD~! Is this the right one? One day at a time, Lord, one day at a time… Thanks for all the support guys. *sniff* I love you guys… ^.^ And don’t even try to twist that… you know what I mean.

I think the interview went pretty well. I think my chances are pretty good unless a “seasoned” candidate comes forward… I liked the one who would be supervisor and they were pretty open and down to earth. So much thanks to the big man upstairs… maybe this is the one~ ^_^ I’ve got another interview on monday to prepare for, so I’d better write the thank you notes for this one before my memory disspates… Thanks to all you well-wish’ers & good-luck’ers

~Believing~

If the Jesus in the Bible is real, then

Demons exist, you can be possessed, angels exist, you could get paid a visit 0_0, God is watching you this very instant and knows your every thought, and miracles do happen.

^_^ A little surreal when you try to take it in…

(edit) possible flurries… ~SNOW~

When the weather outside is frightful, my dear, you’re so delightful.
But as long as your love me so…. let it snow, let it snow, let it snow~!  

Got an interview tomorrow… wish me luck~!

I wanted to post something interesting today.. but I’m high off of spray paint fumes… My dad and I were painting a table in a small enclosed area without adequate ventilation… need I explain further? so yeah.. got a headache now… >,< Nothing coherent comming out, so yeah… gonna put off with another “bleh” post.. sorry ppl. :-/