Vision

Some things you can't learn directly. Take humility for example. How do you "be humble"? The moment you realize that you have achieved humility is the moment you have lost it. Or patience. Have you ever tried to intentionally learn patience? Your first thought usually is "I need to learn this now." Even something as basic as love. Love is selflessness--it's kinda hard to love while focusing on your own ability to love.

Then there's emotions. I probably don't have to even say anything else here. I'm sure we've all experienced the lack of control we have over our emotions (if, on the other hand, you can't relate to this, you must tell me your secret). I'm not sad when I should be, I am sad when there's no reason to be. I get excited over the wrong things and don't get excited over the right things. And most of the time I don't feel very close to God.

It's a paradox--the more we focus on these things, the less control we find we have. It's like chasing a little kid through the supermarket. The more you chase after him, the more he runs away (and gets into all sorts of trouble).

And so we are told to surrender. Just give up. And we try. Oh, we try so hard. Only to be met by the same paradox. Like being told not to think about something, the harder we try to give it up, the tighter our grip becomes. Sometimes to the point of crushing the very thing we were trying to protect.

About a year ago, I was reading a book by Stephen Covey where he talked about how our lives our directed by where we place our focus. That it is all about perspective. Gain the right perspective and your life will line up--have the wrong perspective and things will fall apart (including the very thing you were focusing on).

I think Covey was on to something. Yeshua said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness" (Matt. 6:22-23). Your eye or your focus is the lamp for the rest of your life. 

You see a similar idea in Judaism. According to their tradition, the difference between this world and the world to come is in the world to come we will see everything as it really is. We will see people as they really are. We will see our actions for what they really are and their full consequences. And that is what will cause us to obey. But right now we are asleep, walking about with blurred vision like a drunk stumbling in the dark.

Where do we need to shift our focus? What will shed light on the world around us? In short, I believe the answer is the Fear of God...but more about that in the next blog.

Return to "Days of Awe"

Some Things You Don't Have To Do To Earn God's Love

Kinda inspired by Brant's "Here's Some Stuff You Can Do Before Going To Hell", here's a list of things you don't have to do to impress God or earn His love. Cause it seems that I continually find myself trying to.

- Read your Bible every day
- Pray every day
- Post inspirational or religious quotes to your Facebook wall
- Listen to only Christian music
- Avoid television
- Avoid "wasting time"
- Overcome all your struggles
- Make it through one day without sinning
- Figure out the meaning of life
- Have social skills
- Know the right thing to say
- Be the perfect friend
- Understand how salvation works
- Understand how to keep all the commandments
- Memorize Scripture
- Get emotional during worship
- Go to church
- Make sure everyone else knows "the truth"
- Be disciplined in life
- Be successful
- Add a religious spin to everything you do
- Speak only in Scripture
- Look righteous
- Give away all your worldly possessions
- Become a missionary
- Become a pastor or Bible teacher
- Stand up for a cause
- Change the world
- Feel guilty
- Feel forgiven
- Feel close to God


God doesn't love you for what you do or how you feel. He loves you for who you are. His child.

Conspiracy Corner: Government tampers with time

For some time now I have been keeping careful track of suspicious activity within the time/space continuum. At first I was a skeptic. I didn't want to believe that our government might be tampering with time and space. But the evidence is overwhelming. I believe now is the time to speak out.

On July 19, 2012, Skype popped up an alert for a friend's birthday. After opening Skype, no mention of a birthday could be found (nor on Facebook). Upon further inspection, it was found that Skype has July 20, 1900 logged as this friend's birthday. Apparently, time/space fluctuations had sent the birthday notification a full day into the past.

On August 16, 2012 a friend responded to a comment I made on Facebook microseconds before I posted the comment.

On August 22, 2012 during roll call for the states, Arizona called in with "Aloha from Arizona." Hawaii called in with "Howdy from Hawaii." Possible spatial tampering.

August 22-23, 2012: several reversions were noted on Facebook. Profiles of people I had defriended still showed up as friends. Notifications received were disappear and reappear intermittently...sometimes receiving the same notification twice. Same with statuses and comments. Evidence suggests that this is due to interference from sun spot activity with the government's time/space experiments.

You may have noticed most of these incidents involve the internet or phone. This is because electrical fields are especially sensitive to fluctuations in the time/space continuum. For example, the phenomenon known as "lag" is caused when the continuum self-corrects itself (the continuum is very resilient).

I have also received information from a reliable anonymous source that the U.S. government will perform a major time experiment on Nov. 4 of this year, possibly permanently altering the time/space continuum. Stay alert. I do not know how long this has been going on or what damage has already been done. For all we know, we could be living in alternate universe, completely oblivious to the fact that the timeline has been wrecked.

Money, Charity, and Social Awkwardness

Over the last couple of years, with the help of God and friends, I've been able to overcome a little bit of my shyness. There's one area, though, that hasn't been touched. Money.

I've heard lots about saving money, spending wisely, giving to charity, paying tithes and offerings--but I've never really heard anyone talk about the social awkwardness of money. Maybe it's just me, but I get uncomfortable around checks and dollar bills. Whether it's in giving or receiving or buying or selling, I tend to lock up. I don't know why. I just do.

I was in Mexico several years ago and a friend had to remind me haggle down the price. Negotiating money is a totally foreign concept to me. At least at the supermarket, everything is fixed. Just follow the system and you're fine. But outside of that strict business structure, whether bartering in Mexico or dealing with friends and family, the rules are not quite so straightforward.

In particular, I'm talking about giving and receiving charity. There are only two people in the world that I can accept money from or offer money to without getting butterflies in my stomach. My parents. Accepting money from them is easy, because, well, they've been supporting me all my life (thank you Mom and Dad). And as for returning the favor, I know that they would not hesitate to tell me if they were in need, even in a minor way. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them for all they have done for me.

Outside of these two people, it is quite a different story. I don't have any problem with giving. But offering unsolicited--that's hard. I could say that people should just tell me when they need help. But the fact is that asking that is often harder than offering.

I don't know why money has to be such a big issue for me. I wish that it could pass as easily between us as prayer. Isn't that what James talked about--faith without works? After all, we're all in this together.

Resurrection

We lost a fellow camper this week. Joel Mills. He was lost in a boating accident. Day after day we prayed and prayed. A facebook prayer group was started and the number of people praying steadily climbed. Then his body was recovered from the lake and still we prayed, hoping beyond hope for a miracle. More were added to the group--songs and words of encouragement were posted. Scriptures about resurrection and life. The Mills family went into see Joel, and still we prayed. A memorial service was held yesterday and still we prayed. In defiance of death, the burial site was named "Ezekiel 37 Resting Place." And still we prayed.

Through this tragedy, the community was gathered together as one in prayer and worship. Unified we took our stand for our brother in Messiah. Unified we marched on the gates of hell with faith unwavering. And a resurrection happened--a resurrection in the body of Messiah. A revival started, and we pray that it never stop, that this move of the Spirit will never dwindle.

Because this week we were reminded that this is not our home. This is not where we belong. Our Messiah, our King has gone before us to prepare a place--a place with no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death. A place where life flows like a river and joy abounds. A place where we will once again all come together to worship our Creator. Both those who remain here today and those who have gone on before us--we will all be united together with Messiah. And then we will be home.

So let us press on day after day looking forward to and hastening the coming of our Redeemer. Let us hold to the Promise, even now declaring the coming of our Great King. The world watches and mocks our faith. And still we pray. We will never back down. We will never be silent. For our God is not dead!

"But YHVH is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; YHVH of hosts is his name."

(Jeremiah 10:10-16 ESV)

The Reasons

I originally wrote this three years ago. I've made a few updates since then, but the central message is still the same. It's not about us. It's about Him.

Why are we following this path of Torah?

Are we doing it so that we will be happy? Are we doing it to earn blessing or earn brownie points with our creator? Are we doing it because it makes us feel good? (Matthew 16:24-25)

Are we doing it to become holy? Do we think it will make us more righteous than everyone else? Are we doing it for salvation? Has it become a legalistic list of do's and don'ts? (Leviticus 20:8, Ezekiel 37:28, Titus 3:5)

Are we doing out of fear? Are we afraid that if we don't, that God won't love us any more? Do we feel like we need to earn His favor? (Romans 5:6-8; 8:15, Psalm 103:8-12)

Are we doing it because our friends are doing it? Is it how we become accepted? Are we doing it because it is the latest fad and makes us stand out? (Matthew 10:35-39, Mark 4:16-17)

Are we doing it out of rebellion? Are we trying to separate ourselves from other Christians (Christians who love God dearly)? Is this just a way of showing our independence—of breaking away from tradition? (Mark 9:50, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Romans 12:18)

Or are we doing it for more? Are we looking to our Father in heaven and saying “I want to love like He does”? Are we doing it so that the light of Yeshua may shine through us to the world? Are we doing it for the sake of His name and His Kingdom? (Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel 36:22, Matthew 5:14-16)

Chapter The Next

Well, I'm here. On my own in my first apartment. A new chapter in life. My very own set of ceramic bowls and plates--blue. They didn't have purple. My first printer. Still in the box. Much unpacking to do tomorrow.

A big thank you to Mom and Dad for helping me get moved and settled in. And thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. It means a lot to me.

I should be starting work as a meteorologist soon. Getting to this point has been a bit of an adventure. In more ways than one. Both on the job front and in life. To think...my first post on this blog was one year minus thirty days ago. Between then and now, we've been where the dinosaurs roam. Tasted surrender. Just one step after another. Reflected on the little things of life. Played in the land of square men. These are our journeys. Still the chase goes on.

I believe that God calls us to be faithful where we are at. And well...I'm here.

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15 ESV)