Life, Now.

"Under your pardon. You must note beside,
That we have tried the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day;
We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."

dreaming

I have a dream.

That I might actually be able to do what Jesus wants me to do.

I dream of living a life fuller than the one I have now, I dream of loving those in my life more than I do now. I dream of being a better friend to those God has trusted me with. I dream of one day being a good husband to a lovely wife. I dream of having lots of children who I can enstill my love, wisdom, and passion into. I dream of affecting this world more than I can do on my own. I dream of a day when the body of Christ will actually function as a body. I dream of greater things than I am even capiable of imagining. It is neccessary for me to dream these things because this is how God made me. I think this can happen, but only through God.

Seeking God is like running a really long race. At times, I have wondered off the path, only to be lost in the thicket. At time, I have camped out on the path, sitting down in my lawn chair to marvel in the beauty of the path. At times, I have become so excited that I ran this path, while at some times I did it because I was afraid. But alas, here I am once again, walking forward on my path towards doing the will of God in my life. It is not the destination that concerns me, but the journey. I thank God that I can enjoy this journey. On top of that, I thank God that I have people in my life that I can enjoy my journey with.

Life is long, hard, and complicated- there is no denying that. But to me, life is still overwhelmingly beautiful. There is really no great discovery of this post, but just to say that life is really beautiful right now, and that I am so glad that God has allowed me to see its beauty.

I dream of having a bigger family than I do now because, really, family is everything. I am excited about one day having a wife to love and having children to learn from. But until then, I will continue on my path, appreciating God in everything around me. And someday, perhaps, I will get to walk next to others and watch their eyes light up just as mine do every day.... That will be a beautiful day, as it will also be a beautiful life.

This is my dream. Let it be so (amen).

Gettin' Busy

I think it is about time that I started to learn the tent business. You know, I have spent the last year trying to find a Jesus occupation (pardon the phrasing); because I really wanted my life to be centered around helping people and changing the world. However, today, I was reading my book on the life of Paul, and started to think about how, the great Apostle, who gave us a majority of our “theology”, and really helped spread the Christian church more than any other single person, made tents for a living. From what we can tell, he didn't do this because he had to, but because it put him in contact with all sorts of people with whom he could share the “good news” with. So, I think it is about time I started to get into the tent business. Now, obviously, I am not talking about actually making tents here, but hopefully you get the point.

I want to really make a difference in this world, and the best way I see that being possible is to motivate these great institutions, already in place, to exercise their full capacity to really help the world around us. However, me, as one person could never make that change happen alone. But with other, “high named” people pushing the same message, maybe we really could make a difference. Plus, we would have the favor of God behind us, so who could stand in our way.

Now comes the part where I need to just take steps to put myself around the people who, combined in one vision under God, can make a difference.

We are going to do this. The world is going to be a better place. Something good is on the horizon. Just wait, you'll see. :-)

Good Day

Today was a good day. It has been a while since I have had a purely good day. I like good days. I hope to have more of them in the near future.

Thank you God for a good day, and thank you for letting me enjoy it with someone. I really appreciate it.

Good-day.

Being a Good Person

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"

At some point or another, I think everyone has heard this phrase. But let me expand on it for you tonight. I believe that there are good people out there- truly good people who want to make a difference in this world. I believe this phrase is true as well as its implications. All that is needed to defeat evil, on any level, is for a good person to stand up and do what they can. Anything... so long as it is more than standing around and doing nothing at all.

Here is where it gets complicated. Those that are good know that there is no such thing as them doing something half-assed. We do not do things for show. We are not in it to tweak a detail, or even just to be good. We play because we want to win. And not even for the sake of winning, but because triumph is what we do. Why even try unless your goal is to succeed When it comes to the evils of this world, good people really have only two options.

1) We can either stand by and pretend like someone else is taking care of the problems, thereby not committing ourselves to the problem.
or
2) We will give it our all to amend the world as we see fit, simply for the sake of it once again being "right". Not for the glory, not for the sense of accomplishment. We just want the world to be "right", and we believe that we as a people deserve to live in one that is "right". If nothing else, we believe that the God we serve is good, and has placed within the context of our lives, the possibility of living a good life. But beyond that, to where we see life falling short, we believe that God has given each and every one of us the capacity to change and effect the world in th same way that the burden in our hearts crys for us to.

The hard part, atleast for me, patience: learning that sometimes you must learn before you can teach, and sometimes you must be sharpened before you can cut. But there is a difference between walking the winding road, and avoiding it.

Now, it comes down to a choice. How will you live your life?

Think about it.

too much information

I think I am going to stop telling people about who I am and details of my life. I dont know why I am such an open book. From here on out, no more volunteered information, but I will answer any and all questions as throughly as possible. Because, if they are willing to ask the question, then hopefully they will be the ones who actually care for the information that is me.

blah

exaustion, sort of

I am tired. My body and mind are tired. I am not sure why. I have trouble waking up, and am finding sleep more and more appealing. Why am I so tired?

This week was dirty. I am not sure how to discribe it other than simply "dirty". Mentally, emotionally, converstaionally... all just dirty. The only consistancy has been the ever increasing rate of time. These first weeks here seemed to go by so slowly, in a good way. Every day was fully of oppertunity to grow and develop. But now, things seem to have slowed down, and I am becoming more and more lazy. I do wish that I had the stamina to finish this race strong.

That is one of the reasons I stayed in cross-country -> not because I was good at it, but because my endurance and patience are horribly weak. You know what I learned from two years of running to no end.... my endurance and patience are horribly weak. But, to what extent that effects me, is totally my decision.

So, though life seems to be spiraling into a dark abyss, I will try and press forward and remember what life was like when I enjoyed all of this to no end.

But how am I suppose to enjoy life and all of these wonderful adventures without somone who is going to stay with me for more of my life than these few years in college. This does annoy me, the whole- me not being in "the relationship". I know that God is looking for me to surrender my desires to Him, and I know that I must learn to dissern between girl friends, and girlfriends. But, it is such a strong desire, that I am not the best judge of my actions in this area. I just want to enjoy life with someone who wants to enjoy it with me. I am tired of all the complications and incompatibilities. Isn't there someone out there who fits perfectly with my personality -> and I dont mean who she could be, but who she is, even if that is deep down inside of her. I chose to believe in the good of people, because if that good did not exist beyond the games everyone plays, life and friends would not be worth the effort.

But God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.
So with that, I will try some music and sleep- in that order.

We the People

In the two months I have been here, I have been fortunate enough to run across a few people who I think could actually turn out to be friends. I wont bore you to death with my history of friendships, but I will make this point. Through the cycles of life, I have come to distinguish between acquaintances, friends of proximity, and actual friends. Just by the descriptions, I am sure you can understand what I am talking about. It is not that any type of those is any better or worse, just different and for different purposes. Anywho, I have started to notice a similarity among those who have grown into friends. They all, to some capacity, would like to make a difference in this world.

I believe that somewhere within all of us is the desire to make some change in our paradigm, but these people actually seem to be taking steps towards making that difference. Some of them are going into politics, trying to make the change within. Some people are going into business, trying to take the wheel of the great power that is capitalism to do some good. Others are determined to venture into engineering, to help others qualities of life. Then there are the missionaries, who really don't know how to make a difference, but know that being with those who are suffering is better than sitting on their thumbs here. Some of them will become teachers, trying to educate a generation into actions. Some will go into the 9-5 of corporate America, and impact their families and co-workers, inspiring them to be better people, and admits that change, the world will have a renewed hope of being a better place. Then, I am sure, there are some who will end up as pastors of some sort, trying to preach or sing to others a good direction for their life.

Really, I have found myself surrounded by quite a diverse group of individuals, but one things seems to remain constant. These are people who want to make the world a better place.

I was driving down the road the other day and decided that such a grouping of individuals should be able to identify that desire with some greater movement. Sure, the pastors will have their youth groups, the engineers will have their clubs, and the teachers will have their conventions, but how about a bigger picture. That is why I am proposing a new group. Granted, it will probably never develop into an actual group. But the idea is there for something big.

If I were to start a group, it would be called: “We the People”
Affectionately named after the opening lines of our very own Constitution. If you want to read it, you can find a link for it here: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html Interestingly enough, the phrase “We the People” is the only part of it written in exceptionally large font (except titles like “article 1”). Take a look if you have time.

I have spoken on this topic before, but our Declaration of independence really is a powerful document. Think about it. You have a group of individuals who gather together and decided that their government was not operating the way it should, and that it was causing too much harm to remain subordinate to. And so, they wrote this:
**********************************************
(Pardon the heresy as I present my cliff-noted version of the Declaration of Independence)

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them... they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ...

(They then contend reasons for abolishing their current system of government)

We, therefore, ... appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States..... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

*****************************************

Having written such a declaration, they then later wrote what we now know as the “Constitution of the United States”. Let me clarify my thoughts here.... You have a group of individuals who have decided that they no longer believed in the ways the government was operating, and so they banned together to form their own group “We the People”, to establish how they felt a government should be run.

Now, please don't confuse what I am saying. I am NOT contending that the U.S. Government should be overthrown or even rebelled away from. But I do believe that there are changes that need to be made, both internally and through external coercion.

The good news is that our government was created around the idea that the POWER IS IN THE PEOPLE. And that is who we are. We ARE “the People”. And when it comes to change, we are the ones who are going to have to do it. Otherwise, as we can see in the world around us, nobody will.

That is why I would call my group of friends- “We the People”... and just as every good group has a motto, I would give our group the motto of “WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!” Too many times have I gotten the reality speech or stern looks of disapproval when I have talked about actually making an impact. I am tired of it. I do believe such a small group of men and women can start a movement. I do believe in the ripple effect of life. I do believe that through God all things are possible. I do believe that we can make a difference, and I will not just stand, but will move in action towards that difference until the change has been made.

There are two powerful institutions within my grasps that have immense capacity to change this world. There is the government of the United States, and then there is the great Roman Catholic Church. Both with simply the inherent flaw of being opposite sides of the same world changing coin. Pardon the generalizations, but on one side of the coin there is an institution, derived by men and supported by God, to establish freedom and equality- but those two things have served as its undoing as the United States now seems plagued by the effects of “true freedom” and “absolute equality”, when the original intention was freedom FROM oppression, not freedom TO oppress. And on the other side of the coin, you have a brilliant institution derived by God and supported by man, designed to give structure and stability to a feeble Christian faith that at one time, and still is, fighting the world. Sadly though, its structure has trumped its spirit, and what was once a movement of the heart, guided by principles to bring one into a relationship with Christ, has turned into a mechanized structure of rules and regulations creating a new order of Pharisees (in one sense) – and only because it knew no better way to deal with such an influx of new believers.

Here in America, we have the capacity for change, and that capacity is US. Not the U.S., but US- as in you and me. “We the People” are the ones who are going to have to make the change that we want to see in this world. Sure, this sounds crazy, but so does a man from Nazareth saying you could throw mountains into the ocean with but a mustard seed of faith. With the Holy Spirit to guide us, with the anointing of Christ on our lives, and in pursuit of Gods pleasure, what could stop us. Sure, this is not going to be some beautifully eloquent march up the steps of the Capitol asking for immediate change. I know it will take a long time to do, but patience never seemed to be a problem for God, and therefore should not be a problem for me. “We will change the world”... In whatever way we can. Because “We the People” believe that we can, and that this world was not the one God intended for us live in. We believe that we were sent a guide, the Holy Spirit, to direct our passions- and right now, we feel those passions pushing us to make a difference in this world. And so that is what we will do. However we can.

And in closing, I will leave you with my favorite quote from Rocky. Have a good day.....

"What's crazy about standing toe to toe [with life] and saying, I am."
-Rockey

daily thought

The most powerful force in the universe bounces off of my chest every morning. I AM Superman.

Secondly, to me- Jesus healing the cripple man's body wasnt the incredible miracle. What astonishes me is that the man even knew how to use his new legs, so much so that he ran. I have a sore on the bottom of my foot, and I still limp whether or not it actually hurts. How amazing is it that by a touch, Jesus transformed and renewed the mans mind so that he knew how to run again. I guess that is what Christ is suppose to do to our minds. Transform them.... think about it.

Jubilee Conference... One week ago.

One week ago I went to a conference in Pittsburgh. It was called the Jubilee conference. For the most part, it was a series of lectures and social events for three days surrounding around the idea of moving college students into action to change the world around them. For me, it was both informative, in that I learned how really screwed the world is, but it was also a great time of reflection. While I was there, I wrote in my notebook an entry that I promised myself I was going to post on here no matter how it turned out. It has been a week, there has been no editing to this...so here goes nothing. Please forgive my tardiness.

My thoughts:
Since I can remember, I have been a fixer by nature. This has lead me into computers and engineering because they were constant problems that needed fixing. However, I soon grew tired because I had no goal or purpose, and I was not in complete dependence of God. For some reason, I have not expected the ways Gd has guided my life. My soccer career ended in a strange way. I was fouled out setting a precedent for the game. My friends were being bullied around and I grew tired of it and so I set a standard. We went from loosing with a full team to finally pulling through and tying into overtime, but loosing the shootout. Then, I saw myself as a failure, but perhaps it was not about winning the game but learning the lesson. In school, I was always the devils advocate against the teachers. This was not out of rebellion, but because I was tired of authority trampling people. In high school, my great task was debate. However, that crumbled as I grew tired of twisting the truth and I grew tired of arguing against little challenge, only for my own glorification. So, instead of moving forward in politics, I abandoned that outlet. But now, i can see that once again there was a lesson to be learned in my experiences. Though debate, I learned that: just because someone wins an argument does not make them right, it makes them persuasive. So, alas, here I stand at Grove City College seeking God and trying to see how I can help the world. Here is what I know about myself:
-- I have to be helping people to be happy in life.
-- I feel called to defend the underdog, purify the faith, and witness to the intellectuals and the powerful.
-- I am the happiness when I am fixing problems.

So, here is what i feel I must do for the fulfillment of Gods will in my life. This has come by revelation, and is in interesting timing with the rest of my life.

I need to place myself in the cross-hairs of the huge problems of life and just be me. Only admits the storms have I ever felt right/ happy/ complete. So, if I want to seek the will of God in my life – I need to place myself in the storms of life and start working. Then, let the favor and gifts God has given me begin to transform this world.

Ironically, I sit here in the second session of the Jubilee conference wondering why my affinity for books ifs fading. I walked around their book stand, thinking- these are all the same and none of them are actions, just words..... (and interestingly enough) the speaker just started talking about how books are not life. He said “You can get straight A's and still flunk life”.

My New Life

Interesting factoids about my new life:

1) My roomates rock. I am really glad that I have two roomates. I know a lot of people complain about the whole roomate situation, but I think if you get a group of individuals who are relativly considerate to each other, it can be really great to live together.

2) I do not mind asking the "hard questions". In class today, I asked my professor, essentially, whether or not a Christian could be possessed by a demon. You would have thought that I just shot someone. The entire class fell silent, but alas, the professor gave a great answer. I am not sure why people are so afraid of stepping on other's toes. But I am not. Granted, that has to be balanced with respect... which brings me to the next topic

3) Life is an interesting game of balance. Not just in the way you act and react, but also in the way with you deal with your inherent personality. I think that we all have natural personalities, that for whatever reason, we just have. Understandably, there is something to be said about becoming a "better person". However, I do not think that means that we are all suppose to be the same. For all negative personality traits, I think there are two ways they can hurt you. First, and most obviously, the negative nature of them (like anger, lack of self-control, being conceited, etc.) can hurt you and other people. However, what I didnt realize, was that overly opressing them can also hurt you and other people. I have several things that I have "struggled" with for a long time. I had a serious anger problem, I talked too much, I was apparently insensitive, I had a dominating personality, and I had a way of asking too many questions that were too deep, either intellectually, or emotionally probing. For the longest time I have been fighting all of those natural impulse- and I believe that it has done me good. But, there is something to be said that we were all given natural personality traits to do our plan and purpose with. To me, it only makes sense that Satan would attack, tempt, and frustrate us with our strengths, so that we would think they were weaknesses. For so long I have thought of my capacity for adrenaline, my audacity, my probing nature were negative traits that I needed to "oppress" if I was going to be a mature person. But now I am realizing that those traits, if viewed properly, can be very instrumental in life.
Case in Point: I think it is safe to say that many of the areas we think are our "weaknesses" are really are strengths. The good book once said "God will use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise". I think that it is parallel to my mini-sermon here, lol

4) I am learning once again that communication is key to having relationships with people. I have always been a proponent of talking- but in the last few years, I have thought that it was only plaguing... now I am once again assured that communication is key to any type of relationship you want to have, whether it is familial, romantic, or friendship.

5) You know you have left Oklahoma when you walk outside and think "Wow, it has warmed up"... and then you realize that it is actually 26 degrees... which, is "warmer" than -15... life is funny.

6) Laughter is the key to life. If you arent laughing, you need to change something, or find someone who will make you laugh. I dont see the point in living if we can be happy and laugh.

7) Making fun of people to get a laugh can be good... in very small quantities. That is something I need to work on.

8) I work harder than my roomates. Well, maybe not harder, but def. longer. I go to sleep after them most nights, and wake up before them. Currently I am averaging 6-7 hours a night. So far, I feel fine. Though, a nice 30 min afternoon nap is becoming my friend.

9) I love music, without it- I can easily go crazy. Whether it is worship music or secular self-expression... I am a sucker for a good rhythm and some nice lyrics.

10) I love my family. I miss being around them sometimes. I have a great family. Every one of them are incredible, and uniquely special to me.

11) I like the cold, but it does make me miss the lake. I think I am going to really appreciate the lake and spending time with my family more this summer.

12) I avoid doing homework by blogging. Like now... bye

Encouragement

I should ammend my previous post by saying that I now know that my words and actions did in fact have some impact on the group. If nothing else, I know it has helped to guide the leadership's vision of the direction this group needs to go.

However, I do still believe that my exposure to this group should be limited to some degree as I feel it is just not my place to be a part of this group yet. Time will tell.
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Also, one more addendum. I would also like to reiterate my first post- This blog is not for the purpose of instruction any/ all of its readers as to what the direct truth of life it. It is, instead, a means by which I get my thoughts on God, life, and such out into the open. I will not post something on here unless I am atleast 90% sure of its truth. However, seeing as how all of this is in my constant pursuit of truth, I do appreciate any and all criticism of these ideas if you feel such opposed, because I do want to know the truth of God, and I refuse to be trapped in the bubble of my own mind.

silence

I have trouble being quiet. I learned that tonight. I went to a small-group / community group tonight and listened to a sermon. Through the worship, and the praying, and the sermon... I just kept yelling to myself all of these things I felt needed to be said. They were seeking God, and I knew that I should remain silent because they need to find them through their own ways- but I so felt that I knew the "missing link", and I felt such an urge to share it. So, needless to say, I did. Then, time went on, it was all good, so I shared another thought. Then, everyone just stared at me. Shortly there after one of the "main people" tried to clear up what I said to make it fit the group... but it was then that I learned my lesson.

Perhaps sometimes God wants me to just be quiet. I was silent for so long, but when it came out, it just exploded, and apparently I was "preaching"... which for some reason, I did not want to do. I guess it would be easier for me to think that what I said was of God, but I know that I did it with a caviot in the back of my head that perhaps these people should learn it themselves. Sadly, I do not think they understood what I was saying. But, perhaps someone did.

I pray that it did help someone. I just hope that this does not inhibit my future dealings with these people / this group. Next time, I will try and be more "community" and less "pastoral". If there is a next time.... lol

Dominion

Okay, so I have written this three times, and it has been deleted each time by my computer... so either it is going to be really good, or really bad. I don't have time to explain it all right now, but I am just going to outline the points and come back to it later.

When Adam was created, he was given dominion over all of creation. However, because of the fall, he lost that dominion, and was held subject to the ways of nature. When Jesus was offered as a sacrifice, it allowed those who pursued a relationship with God to be restored to a pre-fall state, where as we could actually have a true, unadulterated relationship with God. Heb 10 tells us that the sacrifice of Jesus was ultimate and finished. Unlike the old covenant, where people need to be constantly attoned for, and constantly seek forgiveness- Salvation through Jesus was a once and for all deal, where as it not only covered your sins, but washed the entire idea of sin away for all of eternity so that those who believed in God and pursued a relationship with Him would not need to be burdened by sin.

Now, most people leave the analysis right there; however, I think it can go one step further. When God created all that is, he not only created it ex nihilo (out of nothing), but he instilled his image into it, and made it part of His creation that He Himself would live, to some end, within His creation so that He could have a relationship with His creation. Pre-Adam, we know that God walked through the garden with them. Pre-Jesus, we know that the spirit of God was behind the Holy vial. And now, the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit), runs freely throughout the creation.

So, here is where things begin to get interesting. Many people have this idea that here on earth, we live in the physical, or natural. In heaven, and in another spiritual dimension, there exists the supernatural. Even if you believe Eph 6, that “our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the ... spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places”- I would venture to say that you would still believe that the spiritual world still exists in a separate place, but has a profound impact on our lives.

Now, here is where it might get confusing. I would like to venture to say that there is no separate “natural world”, nor a distinct “supernatural realm”... case in point, Jesus. When He came down to earth, his actions did not seem to be a great bridging of the cosmos. His miracles seemed common place to Him. Casting out demons was not a ritual or a process, but rather- He spoke, and they obeyed. When Jesus was talking to the Roman soldier about his son being possessed, the Roman soldier said that just as he could speak to one of his soldiers and they would obey, so could Jesus speak to a demon and they would obey, because they were under His authority. Because of this, Jesus said the man had greater faith than anyone he encountered.

Every time Jesus spoke about miracles, driving out demons, or enacting the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, it seemed to be “by faith”... which simply means believing the correct reality. Many people today want to go through drawn out ceremonies, or prayer battles to do “supernatural things”. However, I would suggest that such a view of the world is not correct. I believe that there is no distinct supernatural realm. Instead, what we would consider natural and supernatural exist together. Case in point, I believe we are living in the supernatural. All that is limiting us is our unbelief, or rather- our misguided belief. Many people view the supernatural or spiritual realm as something distinctly different. However, that just does not seem to be the case. Jesus did not talk in hypothetical when it came to doing spiritual things. He showed that the merging of such two ideas, was simply done by faith and by speech. Even when he responded to His apostles who were unable to cast out a demon, he told them “this kind comes by prayer and fasting”. Now, I might be wrong by saying this, but this is how I see that response... What do prayer and fasting do but to give you more faith in God. I would venture to say that prayer and fasting are for devoutly seeking God, and based on that search of God, you become close to Him and start to realize the truth of His creation. Therefore, giving you the authority in His creation. When Adam and Eve fell, they did so because their minds became so flooded with knowledge that they were unable to seek God through all the clutter. They disobeyed His commandment, and so they were put in a position where they would have to seek God, instead of just enjoying His fellowship.

However, now we have the ability to live and breathe with God as we walk in our day to day. We know that God is living with us, and we should know that the world we are living in is no different, in a structural sense, than it was when Jesus performed His miracles. Therefore, if we are walking in the supernatural, and if our relationship with God, through Christ is such that the Kingdom of Heaven is our everyday lives, then we have the same authority over earth that Adam was given pre-fall. That means we have authority over all areas of this world.

Now, here is an interesting thought that will perhaps make you all think I have lost my mind. It is my own personal extrapolation, so take it with a grain of salt. Miracles, as we understand them, can all be explained by a supernatural phenomena. Jesus jumping through time and space can be theoretically explained by string theory, Jesus healing people can be explained by Him speaking order to that persons bodily functions, and such an action would be simply the speaker commanding that part of creation to act in the way it was designed, and not in the way it was. Now, this is not to say that we are all meant to be in ideal function, because I know different bodies were made different ways, for different reasons- but to the end God has given us authority, or rather dominion, we should have the ability to shape and mold His creation as our spirit guides us, and tells us how it should be. Jesus walking on the water can be explained by his atoms resisting the pull of attraction to the earth (gravity), and/or his atoms distributing his weight perfectly over the water. Ultimately, anything is possible if one had the authority to command it so (as long as it was within the creation of God) because we were not given the ability to create ex nihilo, but we were given the authority to command the already present creation.

However, I will append to this that we are told to not worship the miracles. In Luke 10:19-20 we are reminded to “not rejoice [that we have authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and all the power of the enemy], but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Now, granted, this was probably written to dissuade the cults that bite snakes and what-not to show the power of God. But still, it is a reminder that life with God is not about all the cool stuff we can do, but rather about a relationship with Him.

I guess then the point of this long post is to tell you that in Christ, all things really are possible to Him that believe, and even though your relationship with God might be pulling you in such a direction that you do not see as practice or even possible.... stretch your imagination a bit a just get it into your thick skull that God is bigger than your dreams and your reality. So seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you. That includes understanding, and sense of reality around you. Too often, I find myself limited by my comfort zone, or at least only allowing direction from God to send me into the norms of life. But why should I let my own mind limit what God can and cant do when I know my own mind doesn't even know what I can and cant do. Even if you had some trouble with the talk on the supernatural, surely you can agree that you do not even know your own abilities. If you don't even know yourself, then why on earth should we ever think that we know God.

So, dream big, follow God, and stop constraining the guidance of the Holy Spirit to your own logic and understanding. If you want to really work for something, work for a relationship with God where you can be sensitive to the guidance of the spirit and trust it as you trust your relationship with God. Then, maybe he will call a few more of us out onto the waters

journey to Virginia

This weekend my life took an exciting detour... all the way to Virginia. I drove a few of my friends from GCC to Virginia to do some skiing. It was about a 6 hour drive, so we left Friday afternoon, spent the night, skied the next day, then drove back today (Sunday). On the way back, we took the "scenic route"- so, our drive was about 8 hours (including several cool stops). All in all, it was awesome. The people I went with were really cool, and I am looking forward to forging better friendships with them. We stayed with the ski-patrol at the mountain, and they were all really nice.... So, I said all that to say this. Here is what I learned from my road-trip:

1) My body was made to work. I cannot sleep properly, and still have a functional, enjoyable day unless I work my butt off during the day. It is just the way it is.

2) Roadtrips with friends are amazing. Not only are they exciting, but they teach you so much about a person. It is incredible what 8 hours in a car with someone will teach you. ( All in all, I found out my friends from GCC were pretty great, just btw )

3) The best sanctuary made for the worship is nature. Roadtrips allow you to put life in such perspective. You get to see how big the world is, and how ordered God has your life.

4) People love to laugh, and love to tell stories. It is pretty much what gets us through the days. I am not sure why this is, but it makes sense why the bible is in story format. As for the laughter, it just makes me happy. Though, I do need to work on how I make people laugh.

5) I very commonly make-fun of people for a laugh. It is in total sarcasm, so I am not actually mean, but I think I need to stop that. It just isnt worth it to slowly chop people down, even if they act like everything is fine.

6) People love when you notice the little things about them. Sure, anybody can make a comment about the generalities of your personality and such... but the little things really seem to matter.

7) Life is not about on-upping everyone. Too often we fall into the cycle of trying to prove to each other that we are equal or superior to each other. I am not sure why this is, but we all do it. Even if it is just as simple as telling a "similar story" about how we "went through the same thing". This is something I really need to work on. I need to learn to listen more and just "chil-lax" as Karen puts it.

8) "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'...for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - The Bible

9) I need to stop thinking about dating. My mind wonders far too often to girls and the possibility for "something more". If I learned anything this trip, it was how to have good friends... that are girls. (Thank God for maturity)

10) God has made us in His image, and has instilled in us a certain personality to exercise the Kingdom of God in our own lives. It is good to sharpen your own skills... I believe we all have areas of our own self that need improvement... but in all reality- our pursuit should not be an external, ideal personality- for that would make us all the same. Rather, we should strive to be a better version of ourself. I think that I have been cutting my own legs out from under me, trying to be a "better person"- when in truth, there are parts of my personality that could be used very much for the "good" if only channeled the right way.

11) I need to learn how to relax more, and appreciate every moment of life.

12) I know I am going against #9 here... but I think I am going to one day marry a girl from the north-east.... not any time soon, don't worry, but still... ha.

13) lastly, I love the white powdered, chocolate cream filled donuts.


Okay, I need sleep. I haven't slept well this whole week.

-Z