this and that: 08.20.2010
making horrible trades - a humorous note, this reminded me of a friend who, as a kid, found herself with the short straw when it came to trades with her older sister. :) more seriously, it ties in beautifully to this concept of idolatry - something i've been thinking about more over the last couple weeks. it began during my study of 1 corinthians 10 where Paul warns the Corinthians to not be idolaters like the Israelites were. i eventually found myself sitting with the weight of Romans 1:21-23. what am I exchanging the glory for? far FAR too often us Christians identify the crap in our lives, we acknowledge it as wrong, yet we never take active steps to put it to death. granted, our sanctification isn't on us. it's solely by the grace of God that we are matured into deeper and purer love for him; however, I don't think that frees us from the responsibility of pursuing holiness in our everyday. so the question I tried to pose to my bible study group is the same question I've been dealing with of late. what are golden calves have I created (friends, family, relaxing, stress-free living, etc.), in what specific ways do those idols manifest themselves, and most importantly how (along with prayer and great humbleness) do I put to death my active idol worship. again, i believe seeing this as anything less than active idol worship is a diminishing of one's own sin. yes, despite my brokenness God loves me and calls me His beloved. i'm secure in that and that is what keeps me from freaking out over my own depravity. however, if i truly love God the way i claim they i have got to be in a full on pursuit of bringing him the utmost glory in everything i do (1 corinthians 10:31). This requires a change in how i live my life. A reshuffling of priorities. Decisions and actions need to be made and it's by God's grace that any change can happen. okay, that's as close to a real blog post that i'm going to get any time soon...
honest abe - haha, love the awkwardness!
soldiers return home - maybe i'm a sap but this completely wrecked me every time i watched it, i simply could not compose myself.
offering guy - this is becoming one of my favorite blogs to frequent. hilarious stuff!
this and that: 08.17.2010
experiences vs. possessions - i thought along these lines for a while, but never could put it into words. there are some deep truths in here.
steak on a paper plate - don't know what else to say other than "hmm..." and "like."
d8nite - i don't approve of the alphanumeric usage but still quality content. :) is it weird that i read and post stuff about marriage even though i'm not even close to married myself? i think some would think it is. i don't think it is at all. quite the opposite.
sphere of influence - "God has placed me in an arena of influence in which I am to be faithful." what's my sphere of influence? how is this unique from any other sphere i've been in? what can i do now that i couldn't do before (as a college student) or can't do later (should i find myself married.)?
this and that: 06.03.2010
you can do a lot of things - refreshing reminder from Christa Wells' blog, an up and coming singer/songwriter....quickly becoming one of my favorite artists.
Black Church White Church - I appreciate the hip-hop/rap genre. I love to hear artists producing quality music, redeeming the genre for Gospel purposes. Here's one by Curtis Allen (aka "Voice"). Lyrics here.
FREE Dunkin or Krispy Kreme donut - tomorrow (friday, june 4) is national donut day, get a free donut!
9 informative pie charts - hilarious!
a certain man
Alright, don't get your knickers up in a bunch at the sight of yet another blog. If you're one of those people who think blogs where people document in chronological order the minutia of their mundane everyday lives are dumb, I agree. That's not what I intend to do here. If you're one of those people who think all blogs are dumb and no one cares about anything another person ever has to say, then stop reading you hypocrite. Also, you're dumb. I'm doing this so that I can play around with HTML & CSS a little, develop a discipline of writing and as a by-product hopefully impart words of encouragement, wisdom, conviction and humor.
The term "a certain man" in Scripture often carries with it a story. Sometimes it's a story of man resisting what he knows to be right and other times it's a story of a man exposed as a fool for clinging dearly to the possessions of this world. There are stories of a certain lost man helplessly seeking direction, and other accounts where a certain man was shown as a servant carrying the burdens of others. There are even stories of a certain man being used for purposes that were so far beyond his understanding all he could was comply and watch history unfold. As I considered the characteristics of these certain men, I came to realize that at various point in my life the very same could be said of me. I used to be that certain stubborn man. I often feel like that certain directionless man. I hope to one day be formed into that certain servant man used for mighty things I can't even fathom.
I was a certain man.
I am a certain man.
I hope to one day become a certain man.
number six
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