Performance 1 of 2

How twisted it is when the stage is lit
And the singer
Bellows
Or more apt – when the dancer dances
That we spectate
With such pomposity
As if the bellows-
As if the dance
Is danced for
Us

The spotlight does not
Request the dance
But bestows it

The dancer knows it
To be simple
Silly
Why perform
For an unadorned face
In a dark seat
When it’s the spotlight that is watching

Atack of Tears

Copy and paste
The pain to your face
Arrange your frame
Display your distaste

Your eyes formulate
The tear paths I map
The rain trails I trace
I can’t

Combat your attacks
I shake, topple, break
Shatter like a vase

Hear the cackle of emotion
As it laughs in my face

Gettin Rained On

Yuh hear them raindrops?
Poppin static
Puts us lowly, exposed ones in a wild bustle
See them yuppies?
Unfolded ‘brellas like shields
Heads held high
N dry
While we attempt a futile dance
Out maneuverin the sky’s darts
And it aint flat-footin’
Call it the jitter walk
Ever tried? Course.
Yuh just jitter walk and gawk
At them idyllic, skippy-smilin’ yuppies
Heedless to our foolish performances
Got no peril beneath them ‘brellas
Got no heart
For us soaked, poor folk in bedlam
The inauspicious bunch

Poems from the Past #4 --- Could Have Helped Her from April 2004

She insists they're tears of joy
But is her happiness so far away?
As she walks on through her thoughts
They all seem to meditate
On this
All that was real is fake
She missed
All that was there to take
But she insists

With all our sins and lies and faults
Once again we rise
And fall

Now as she hides her dying patterns
But still tries to show us
With her mind so distant
But close to everything that matters
Will she find what's missing?
Is the timing always right?

And she says,
I can feel the worlds collide
If the world is unreal, then so am I
If the world is unreal...
And I'm unreal...
And everything I know is changing...
How can i know what I feel?

With all our sins and lies and faults
Once again we rise
And fall

Poems from the Past #3 --- Psalm 91 from 7/10/03

Can I know
By just seeing
If I sleep
In your shadow
While thousands
Keep falling
At my right hand
Will i know

Pestilence
Still growing
While arrows
Are flying
The darkness
That stalks me
The serpent
Cannot see

I have been
Covered by feathers
Guarded by
The angels
Delivered
And honored
And lifted
From the stones

Oh how great
Is the One
Who will fight
To protect me
And remains
My fortress
And holds me
In His wing

It is this love
That will bind us
And drive us
To fight for
As many
That may dwell
In His shelter
Of most high

Poems from the Past #2 --- Father's Call

From what I was told
This is what Your wrote
In the letter to my soul
Of how You'll never let me go

I know what it says
It never left my head
It was here from the start

You signed it, "I will be back"
Wrapped it in the past
Mailed it to my heart

My son,
Leave whenever you wish
It is always your choice
Whatever you choose
And when you look back
to see what you've missed
You'll hear my voice
Calling for you

- I will be back

P.S.
You will try all else, you will love all else, and still not find the adventure you're seeking. Run to me.

I have made you
I designed you
I placed My desire inside you
Run to me

Poems From the Past #1---The Same Changing Name

As time travels on
Do stories remain,
Or grow with each second
Redefining their names?

You might have been right
Over ten thousand times,
But do questions and answers
Eternally bind?

Answer me now
And tomorow the same,
Your reply will rely
On the upcoming day.

God told me a story
When I asked Him His name,
And that's why you've read
What I wrote you today.

All The Time

Half the time
I don't see what you're seeing.
I sit here and dream.
I dream about dreaming.
I once had red eyes,
Strained from my seeking.
But now they're egg white,
While my pupils are hiding.

Half the time
You don't know what I'm thinking.
I say pages of words
To myself without speaking.
I would let them free,
But they'd drown in my breathing.
Who will be there
When my thoughts start leaking?

He Almost Got Donked Out

Drinkin' milk n driving
Thinkin' bout i donno
Molecular cohesion
No
Adhesion
Or
....
Some kind of hesion

I saw this dude on the crosswalk
Just donkin along
I didn't hit him
But it was close

And the first thought in my head was
Hmmm....that wouldn't have been good for the economy

Old To Me

Old to me
Means old

But old,
to me,

Can mean ancient:
Kings of war
Crowns and stone castles

Rugged:
A tree withstanding an axe

Raw:
Cracked winter skin

No.
Old to me
Means old.
Old like that man over there on that bench
Staring at
Nothing. With his belt buckle at his belly button.
Man! old people are so old.

How It Will Happen

Before I saw it
I stood
In the street
Waiting to leave

The road’s black hole
Held me
Stopping me still enough
To escape the street’s sound

It showed its world to me
Like a movie:

How the sidewalks moved
People like a conveyer belt
And the buildings grew like ghosts
Flaunting their power
And how the chewing gum
Lived life like a parasite
On souls
Of people's shoes

Until the cold woke me
It stole me
Pressed the stop button on the movie
Numbing my poor skin

Then I saw it
Kneeling at my feet
I grabbed the penny

I looked my new friend in the face
And told the honest man
What he thought was a lie

"Lets go Abraham
To the woods
Were gonna build a log cabin
And drink some tea."

I stole the penny from that city
And left that place on top

And Stay Out!

Some guy once told me,
"The best urinal
Is the urinal in your home."

This quote gave me the chills
It reminded me of the pee shivers
Which by the way
Occur, I presume
Because a stream of heat
Is leaving one's body
Or perhaps
They are due to
A sense of loss, or detachment
Like saying goodbye
To an old friend

I should have known
When he said, "your home"
He meant my home

That was the last time
I talked to that man
This is the last time
I will quote him

It took me about an hour
To kick him out of my bathroom

Don't Get Me Wrong

The milk waterfalled out of the glass
And off of the table
And the spill got me thinkin'

But really
I'm not much of a thinker
And I'm not much of a cleaner
I'm more of a teacher

I thought it best
To leave the spill
To those who are cleaners

Like I said
I'm more of a teacher

And I'm not much of a waiter
So i left

I went to wander
Oh, man, do i love to wander

But don't get me wrong
I'm more of a teacher

And if any cleaners need to be taught
I will teach them

Just
Don't make me find them
I need to be wandering

The Crash Comes Quick With a Flammable Billboard

Dragon
Drag-in
Drag-out
Fire blazed and burnt out

Then you live it like a billboard:

Denounce your freedom!
Jump start your dreaming!
--Just an ounce--
--Two claps--
--And a snap of the fingers--

Yes, so consumed by the hits, but then comes the punch-and the waiting's done. You first burn-crash. Then you watch yourself craaaaaaaaaaash and burn.

Yes
You'll come back
But the waiting is sad

In French My Name Means Duck

I didn't believe it
When I heard it,
Until I read it;
But I wrote it.

Resolute

Saran-wrapped skin
Stretched by pressing knuckles
HIS KNEES FOLDED
Towing rope and twine of twisted tendon
Raking the sea of scarlet
Sending the army
HIS EYES SHUT
Of pricks and tingles
To torch and stab
Each flexed, desperate palm.
HIS PRAYER BEGAN

rip 12/25/**

Well.
I had waited all year.
Like ever year.
And every kid.
Only a few more hours.
Anticipation suffocation.
Patience broke.
Tip-toed stairs.
Hallway.
Turned.
A shadow!
Rarrrrrr!
Tripple scissor super face kick.
Punch.
Gouge.
Bite.
Dragged the thief - out the door.
Tied the thief - to the mailbox.
Gave the thief - to the winter night.
So technically it was frostbite.
And I blame his small bladder.
And miscommunication.
But anyway.
That's how grandpa died.

Mo'nin Trouble

Had my bowels not broken
Breakfast wouldn’t have burned.
Instead I sit on this circle.
Inside this box.
Delaying the outsiders'
Ensuing blame.

Bonfire Bluegrass

San Diego Series #7

Angels Stadium

San Diego Series #6

San Diego Series #5

Venice Beach

San Diego Series #4

Mission Beach Pier

San Diego Series #3

San Diego Series #2

Outside the plane window

San Diego Series #1

Photographed Frames of My Life

I jump out a plane
Just to land in the sky
I hope I catch your drift
Before the ground catches mine

In the few short moments
Before I die
I hop on a bike
And cycle through my mind

I flip through the frames
That convey my life
Until I notice a man
Falling by my side

Reaching out His hand
And with all His might
He stole all the frames
I was trying to find

"I need this weight
To get the timing right"
He stacked up my frames
To an amazing height

Laying on the top
The landing broke His spine
As I neared the ground
I could now see why

His broken body
Was to my delight
And the tower of frames
Was by His design

My feet touched His back
To end my flight
He landed on the ground
So I could land in the sky

Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Wages= payment

What we owe = Death



"Did Jesus have to die?" The student on campus asked.


"No......but he did."

That is love. I don't understand it, but I want it. Sometimes I get tired of always hearing about the simple Christian concepts. But that's because I'm an idiot. God offers a relationship; not concepts. Maybe I should try harder to better understand what Jesus did for us.

Poem About Going To California For a Few Months

I'm off
To California

I'm 19 and You're Not!

Well today is the day
I turn 19
And I think it is time to adopt

Not a son
But a grandson
Grandfatherhood has always been a passion of mine

Plus
It would be considered socially acceptable to fall asleep
While someone is talking to me
Also
I would urinate often

My main concern
Is that he will be older than me
But I wouldn't mind if he was remarkably bigger than me
If so, I would name him Pseudoname

I would say to my friend
"My Pseudoname could kick your butt!"
Then my friend would say
"Bet he can't!"
Then Pseudoname would stomp into the house
And punch his stomach in the face!

Fire and Jake

Fireball and Footsteps

Ready,
Aim,
Fireball!

Your cannon fires
Dawn till dusk,
Reflecting off both sky and sea,
Waking up
The dust these feet will mold.

Your brother
Catches the water,
And tosses the waves;
Breaks the shore
Then starts again.

While you bring beauty,
Life, and light
To brighten
These footsteps.

Ready,
Aim,
Fireball!

Tell your brother
To bring his best;
Tell the West,
These footsteps are approaching.

MMMMM Delicious Glacier National Park

Small Talk as The Plague

We passed by the few mingling bodies outside
And entered the front door
Like foreigners
In unfamiliar surroundings

Apprehensively
I awaited the moment
She would spot familiarity
And become another cow in a herd
Leaving me to fend for myself
I should have stapled our elbows together
The safety would’ve been worth the pain

As if already a member of the cattle
I strolled about the house
Faking confidence with each stride
Pretending to search for
Well…anything
But deep down I knew
This plan could not entirely escape me
From engaging the plague

So I prepared
Observing, calculating, mapping out
Which herd I would infiltrate
Occasionally they would pause
From chewing their cud
And warn me with their eyes
To enter at my own risk

Then Alas!
Behind and to my right
An eavesdrop of undertone
"Well my favorite color is white,”
A gangly, composed lady slowly exhaled her words
I embraced my opportunity
“Off-white,” I almost shouted
Elbowing, digging,
Squeezing my butt into their circle
“My favorite color is off-white.”

Uh oh
The awkward uncertainties of the plague
Began to extract palm sweat
And new-fangled ambiguity
Would my preference for off-white
Bring my relationship with gangly lady closer together
Or farther apart?
Too late
It was underway

Crabservation

Who woulda thought this guy could beat me in a race?

Why Hello

The Finish Line of Thoughts

Sun up
Lids open
Covers removed
My thoughts start racing
I think one cheated
Steroids I presume
First place: the thought of concern
For I overslept my class

Hunger
Stole second
Resulting in
1 and 1/2 Poptarts
And a steak and cheese Hot Pocket

Forgetfullness
Tripped rememberance
And completed the race
Rendering me helpless
To attend my second class

Wearing a onesie
Goggles
And carrying a duck
Which might
Or might not
Have been stolen
Stupidity dove across the finish line
Provoking me to pour
Syrup into my mug
And milk onto my
Waffles that I am currently attempting to eat

Today is a Good Day.

God has made us unique in the way we think and create. It is so amazing how BIG God is and how many ways He seems to get through to us. I feel like any way I look at it, my human nature seems to put Him in a box. Maybe I can try to expand that box until the edges are no longer seen.

I'm gonna switch modes a little bit. I want to post some writings, poems and pictures...and I guess whatever comes to mind. Enjoy.

I Like God. He's Big.

Beneath scattered trees
Sat the pebble
Alone, awake, deafened
By the upbeat music
The pounding rain produced

Fleet footed
Flickering lights signaled
The clashing echoes
Of shattering thunders
Marching through the forests

There they found
Pride had fled
And sat
The humble pebble
Held up by the mountain


Most who do know God, desire to know Him personally. We constantly strive to be intimately close to our father so that we can whisper and hear His whispers. We wake up early to meet Him, and climb mountains to find Him. It is good that we are searching with persistence. Almost forcefully we try our best to meet God, in our time, and on our terms. God wants us to be close; and thus, rightly so, we begin to expect, and expect, and expect. But what if while we are expecting…..we begin to forget?

God is huge. We can’t imagine how great. Picture in your head everyone in the world standing next to one another. Hah! I bet you couldn’t. Well God is so big that He created all of those people that you couldn’t picture, as well as all of the people who no longer live. The God we serve is the same God that Moses and Elijah served. He is the same God who challenges Job. Read the beginning of Job chapter 38 and let that reshape your image of the Lord.

Perhaps before we expect to meet God on a personal level, we should assimilate what a privilege it is. He doesn’t have to meet us. Maybe He would appreciate it if we occasionally acknowledge His splendor before, during, after, or while we meet Him.

Okay bye.

Brainwashed: a photographically cured doubt

• My doubt was simple. But maybe it was more of a fear. What if my faith is just a brainwashing? The more books I read about God, the more I believe. The more I surround myself with Christians, the more I live like they do. I’m told how to deal with my questions, “If you have doubts it’s the enemy and it would be best to just ignore.” Well what if I don’t want to ignore?What if I have doubts because I’m believing a lie? Don’t tell me not to question!

Here’s what I mean. You are in a philosophy class and your professor tells you that money is the key to happiness. He also tells you that anyone who tells you different is only trying to discourage you . You then spend your free time discussing, reading, and strategizing how to make money. You have now thrown yourself into a life of money but have forgotten the most important part….discovering whether money is in fact the key to happiness. Your mind is being trained by a lie.

• So this led me to believe that this way of thinking is wrong; that maybe saturating our lives with God can lead to a fenced in belief so caught up in itself that it leaves no room for failure. And then I met photography…
  

I love the idea of photography and I love photography. There’s something significant about being able to combine my mind and God’s creation. At first I thought that by not knowing anything about taking pictures, I would be unrestricted. But as I read, practiced, and talked to others about photography my mind became more and more trained. Trained….but not restricted. I could do more than I ever imagined possible. I found that as I surrounded myself with photography, the more I understood my passions/perspectives and the more freedom I had to reach to those passions/perspectives. And now my doubt is cured…

• So I was scared that I was being brainwashed. But maybe God created our minds this way; to be influenced by our surroundings. Just because it can be a bad thing does not mean it can’t be a good thing. I voluntarily brainwashed my mind with photography. And now that I have seen through my flesh into the reality of our God, I will voluntarily brainwash my mind with Jesus.
  

I know there is something in here that you either don’t agree with or isn't clear ….tell me what it is.

Are You Becoming?

Each step suggests
Lack of focus
An enslaved mind
Remains ensnared
Breath and body
Breed indulgence
Glimpse of glory
Exposes error

Purpose paved path
One sacred soul
Limitless love
Found free of pride
Clean conscious proved
Complete control
Surrendered life
Stands glorified

Exodus 34: 29-35 speaks of when Moses would come down from Mount Sinai after speaking to God. The Israelites became fearful when they saw that Moses’ face was, “…radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” He then put a veil over his head until he entered the Lord’s presence.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

I’m not sure if what I am going to say will ring true with everyone…….actually, I don’t know if it will ring true with anyone. But this is what I have learned over the last few months, so I want to share what I am passionate about.

What I’ve noticed: I’ve come to realize that when I feel stale or bored in my relationship with God it usually stems from a reoccurring problem. I am not becoming. I am not allowing myself to be transformed by the Spirit of God. It’s as if I’m waiting; maybe to hear something new, or for something big to happen. I’m simply not content……

What I’ve learned: Never will I be content in what I AM during the process, because I am not yet what I am intended to be. I find my purpose, passion, and fulfillment in the PROCESS of being formed by God; the continual shaping of me.

Thoughts: Selfish? At first I thought it was; why am I focusing on myself? Well now I know that thought is stupid. Why? Because to be transformed, one must put aside fleshly desires and allow God to be the controller of your life. As you are becoming who you are meant to be your life can better radiate God’s glory. I sure hope that’s not selfish.

I dare you to try it: Ask God how He wants to change you. Maybe He wants you to remove something from your life, or to practice being humble, loving, joyful, patient, obedient, fearless, or faithful. It could be anything I guess. Maybe it’s something obvious or something intricate.

Here’s the tricky part. Wait for an answer. Silently wait. I promise He will answer. He promises He will answer. I’m sure very few will do this, but it is so so so worth it.

Your Thoughts: Do you disagree with anything? What are some ways God has transformed you so your face can shine brighter? Do you agree with the ‘What I’ve learned' section? How often do you sit in silence awaiting God’s voice and has it been worth it?
“You think we can actually be radiant like Moses with an unveiled face?”

Spring Break

Sorry I was on spring break, which means I'm not allowed to do work. But here is something for you to think about...

To me it's always a good idea to carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, when somebody says, "Hey can you give me a hand?" You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

-Deep thoughts by Jack Handey

We (campus crusade for Christ at Radford) went on a "mission trip" to D.C. for almost a week. It was awesome. Crazy stuff happened. Now i'm back to the "mission trip" of real life, which I guess is similarly different.

Dear God,

I’m sorry for what I have let our communication become. You have blessed me with an eternity that I consistently fail to recognize. Though You live in me, I limit You to our scheduled meeting times; most of which I do not attend. Sadly my intentions to meet with You are not because I love You, but because I want You to “fill me up”. My mind classifies the event of Talking With God under the category of My To Do list, and places the event 3rd or 4th. When I get around to talking AT You, I am so distracted by other thoughts that our five minutes I aimed for is generally cut to about one and a half. Instead of telling You why I am distracted, I insist on forcing out meaningless words. I ignore my passions and embrace the expected prayers. I ignore my pains and send You my complaints. I hide my lack of faith by praying for generalities, and give You half the credit for half of the answered requests. Not only do I forget what I talked to You about, but I don’t even try to remember. I come to you with questions because I am too lazy to look in Your book of answers. I get more excited about eating breakfast than reading about You. When You speak I’m not listening. When You scream I rebel. When I hear silence I grumble, and I mistake Your whispers for myself.

Tentatively I apologize out of fear of reoccurrence, but I boldly state that I am willing to change. Living this way has produced a numbed voyage in a muddled quest to know You, and has formed in me the hardest of hearts. No longer will I TRY to assemble an expected, reproduced relationship. Nor will I pretend to comprehend the approach to loving You Jesus. I am simply pursuing my deepest craving. I WANT YOU.

FOOLISHNESS

Read 2 Samuel Chapter 6….King David was bringing the ark of the Lord to the city of David, and his wife despised him for she didn’t see it fit for a King to leap and dance before the Lord. “..Danced before the Lord with all his might...”

Watchin the ol’ television set the other day, I saw a college basketball game where some goofy white Ronald Mcdonald lookin dude threw up a last second 3 pointer for the win and skillfully banked it in. Without hesitation, his teammates leapt off the bench in merriment and scooted around the court like FOOLS.

Man…I wanna be a fool for God! I want to follow God with love. I want to be lead by passion and stop worrying. You know when….well….I’m not gonna use any examples because we each have our own personal times when we’re scared to be a fool. So take a few minutes and think about times in your life when you restrain your passion for God because you don’t want to be judged or measured or categorized.

What if those basketball players held back their celebration? Imagine the game winning shot going in and a guy on the bench thinking to himself, “wow that was close, I almost started to get excited. Good thing I didn’t…I woulda looked like an idiot.” Pretty dumb huh?

We previously talked about our Joy in our salvation, and finding our Acceptance in God. That allows us to be fools, spread the joy of God, and not worry about looking ridiculous. Yes it is good to keep in mind what others think, but let us not mistake that for our own pride. David sure didn’t care, and he was a King! He jumped and danced in the streets, yet he didn’t mind if even his own wife lost respect for him because all his jumping and dancing out of love for God.

Why the crap should I care if the kid sitting next to me in class thinks I’m some kind of freak for asking him to come to church? I love Jesus; I’m excited and I want him to experience what I have experienced! I will be a fool in my walk with God (I like to call mine a scamper)! Don’t let your scamper with God be defined by hesitation, and most definitely don’t ever let your passion be muffled. If you are sharing the good news of the gospel with true passion, you will look like a fool to non-believers. I’m not saying maybe, or sometimes, or if you aren’t good at it....I’m telling you that you will look different or idiotic. Therefore we must suck it up, become men/women, and learn how to bring praise to our Lord by being a fool.

Does this make sense or am I talkin like a fool?

Stagnant Mr. Douglas

Mr. Douglas grabbed his bag and keys, and left the office. This used to be his favorite part of the day; with a hand out the window and the music blasting, he would sing as loud as his lungs would allow until his car reached the garage. But he didn’t enjoy this as much anymore, he had accepted the fact that some parts of life inevitably become stale.....It was Tuesday, so of course he didn’t have any plans. But dinner was something to look forward to and then he could unwind before going to bed. I wish I had enough energy to spend time with God, Mr. Douglas thought to himself. It’s ok though, at least I’m reading that Christian inspirational book every once in a while. Plus there’s not much in my life that I need to pray about, and I’m not mentoring anyone so I don’t really need to be on the top of my game spiritually.


In his book *The Life You’ve Always Wanted* Ortberg writes, “Sometimes, although I am aware of how far I fall short, it doesn’t bother me very much. And I am disappointed at my lack of disappointment.”


So last time we talked about being accepted by God and allowing Him into the depths of who we are. But there is another side to it; passionately pursuing the depths of who God is (the Father, Son, AND Spirit). Our passion for God should be powerful! We cannot let that relationship become stagnant in any way, as if we are burnt out from following Jesus. This is a serious problem in most Christians lives. We should consistently be hearing God’s voice, learning from Him, and giving Him a permit to transform us.


I want you to spend time thinking about these questions.
· What in life are you passionate about? Are you pursuing those passions?
· How has God recently transformed you? If He hasn’t, why not?
· What in your life is inhibiting your desire for the Lord?


The most frustrating thing in the world is when you are trying to teach someone or get them excited about something, and all they present to you is apathy. Do not let that be you. Do not believe that lie. Take every measure required to change everything in your life that you aren’t doing to your full potential. If you are going to lead people to Christ, people must follow you. Nobody wants to follow someone like Mr. Douglas, or anybody who remotely resembles that kind of person.


What helps me is to ask God to challenge me, even if it is in areas of my life I’m scared to be challenged in. “God put challenges in my daily life that give me an opportunity to step up and live for You.” A lot of times I fail….but to me that is better than becoming stagnant.


What gives you passion to be like Jesus? How do we find that passion, and once we find it how do we keep it from becoming a stale routine? Share what helps you personally.

Accepted

First off let us talk about confession. For anyone like me, confession has a sort of eerie feel to it. The type of confession I am referring to is the act of admitting one’s faults. Nobody enjoys mapping out the darkest spots on their soul and then handing that map over to the people next to them. The vulnerability of that is almost scary, but I argue there might be something that tops that on the scariness gauge.

The more I think about it, the less hesitant I am to call it the fear of rejection. What is more terrifying than presenting the best of who you are to the person you admire the most in this world, without knowing whether they will accept the real you? I will say it again…if you are anything like me…as soon as you read that question you thought something along the lines of, “that isn’t that terrifying,” or, “I don’t care what people think of me.” Regardless of the excuse that was made in your mind, it cannot be argued that this is difficult; to say…this is what I am the most passionate about, these are all of my talents, this is what I am best at, this is my potential, and this is what I truly enjoy for no other reason than the fact that this is who I am! Here’s an example: I like to drink tea. I like tea to the point that my brother bought me a tea set for Christmas and it wasn’t even a joke. So what! I like to drink tea and I don’t care what you think. Or maybe I do.

So now that you are about to quit reading because of the endless amount of words, here is my point. All of our acceptance, significance, and assurance is found in God. We don’t need to prove to anyone in this world that we are significant. The only audible words recorded in the Bible that are spoken to Jesus from God the Father are found in Luke 3:22, “…You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” This is like Jesus’ acceptance; Jesus’ significance is found only in God. God accepts each one of us individually and assures us that He will always love us. God wants to have an eternal relationship with our true being. It is disrespectful to God to be ashamed of who you are because He made you!

The result of God accepting us is power; God’s glory can be radiated through us. We can be confident in our talents, regardless of circumstances, outcomes, or what people think. Instead of letting others dictate how we act, we can express ourselves in a true and real way. Our lives become worship to God simply by living the way He has intended us to live, without being ashamed or unsure. This power allows us to strip off our pride and say to God, “I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, work through me in whatever way you desire.”

Despite what God has done for us, we still search for acceptance by others. We continually question our significance. Is that wrong? Is it a sin to go to others for our assurance, significance, and acceptance? How do we find our acceptance in God? Think about your own life. What does it mean to you to be accepted by God and how should that change one’s life? What don't you agree with??

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Joyful, Joyful

We adore Thee...God you have created us and the world we live in. Though we forget You and deny You, Your love will remain. We each deserve nothing more than hell, yet our King died as a sacrifice for our imperfection to make it possible for us to eternally experience Him. Jesus Christ overcame death and fulfilled his promise. In this we REJOICE!!!

If not even a single thing in our lives goes the way we want it to, we should still have joy (it’s not like we deserve anything anyway). God's words shows us that our lives should be consumed in the joy of the Lord. 1Thessalonians 5:16 tells us that we should always be joyful, regardless of circumstances. In the third chapter of his book i've never heard of before, Habakkuk writes that when there is no food or cattle he will rejoice in the Lord. Read 1Peter 1:3-9. Verse 9 states, “…we are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…” Joy should be present through the worst circumstances and through the best circumstances. Yes that even includes times when you have to wake up early, have a lot of work, are betrayed, feel alone, lack energy, don’t feel like talking to anyone, lose in a video game, forget to put on makeup(girls….or guys), cut your face shaving (guys....or girls), step in mud, pee your pants, lose money, or get stabbed by a pirate. It is our responsibility to not let circumstances get in the way of our joy. Neither in sadness nor happiness do we find our joy, but in God our savior.

So, we are all filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. Wow! That sounds….kind of amazing. But do you feel like that? I sure don’t. Because this joy is not based on circumstances, it should give our lives a certain consistency in which non-believers will notice. When faced with undesired circumstances we need to celebrate that we have an opportunity to be a witness to others. What an amazing way to show the world God’s love….when there is no logical reason to rejoice, we shall rejoice. Let us show the people around us an inexpressible joy and make them ask, “Where does that come from?”

Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” What does that mean to you? How do we find such inexpressible joy through God, and how can we express it to others? Other than our salvation, in what ways can we find joy through God? What do you agree with, or disagree with???? How many questions will I ask?......to reply click on the comments at the bottom.