Capital J

Joy. True limitless, mind boggling Joy has been promised to all those that enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Joy beyond the grandest possible understanding. PROMISED to us IN WRITING. Yet most people (myself included) look in the wrong places for minor, fragile, perishing pleasures that never have, do not now, nor ever will add up to the outstanding Joy that comes in and through knowing Jesus Christ.

Example #1: Money
Fiscal prosperity is nice. We all like money. Not all of us are rich but we sure do wish we were. But what about spiritual richness? Wealth of holiness? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said that if we give up earthly belongings, and distractions, we will store up TREASURES IN HEAVEN. TREASURES!!!!!!!!!! For what doth it gaineth a man to inherit the whole entire blooming world, and lose his very own soul?

Example #2: Relationships
God has better lovers in mind for us than porn stars. UM HELLOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! How do you expect to find the woman of your dreams that God has planned for you, if the only thing you can associate a beautiful woman with is sex??? God wants better for you than a computer screen or a DVD. (I am saying this as much for myself as for anyone else who might struggle with this.) I want THE wife that GOD planned for me from the beginning of time. I never want to settle for anything less than Gods perfect will. NOT TO MENTION that THE BIBLE SAYS to stay away from even a hint of sexual immorality, BECAUSE it will TRAP you (like a bear trap snappin your legs into pieces.......:) Sexual immorality includes: Lustful thoughts, pornography, homosexuality ect... So stay away from it, SO THAT you can get BETTER love than you have ever known. End of story.

Example #3: Decisions
Q: How many of us have ever made a mistake? .......................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................
A: ALL OF US!

Ok now that we know that, lets remember that GOD has never, is not now, nor ever will make a mistake. SOOO if we put our faith and trust in him, and prayerfully make decisions based on what we know to be the will of God, we should pretty much be right. Right? UNLESS we do something out of his will to mess ourselves up. Its an easy thing to SAY but it is week old caf cookies hard to do. I'm trying though, and I hope you are too.

Joy, guys and gals, is a thing IMPOSSIBLE to find on our own on this earth. BUT Joy in and through Jesus is so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so reachable. I hope you find that Joy. Because even now as I write this I become excited about what God wants to do in you, and with you, and through you.

May the JOY of the Lord be with you.

Whilst Sitting Alone.

Listening to a past voice lesson, watching SCRUBS, and eating Mac' and Cheese I ask myself, "How are ya Shea?" Well guys and gals, I'm doing great. I love choir, I am doing well in my classes, I'm enjoying my job. Everything is good. I am so acutely listening and looking for God here, and I'm finding him in some very strange places. I am learning more and more about him every day, and subsequently I learn more and more about myself. My faith is strengthening exponentially. Now I'm not going to say that I know EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing here right now, but I think that's okay. Maybe right now, God just wants me to search and show my eagerness. Guess I'll stick with that.

Blessings on you all.

Requiem Aeternam.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion: et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi, exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet. Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.

Rest eternal grant them, Lord our God, we pray to thee; and light perpetual forever shine on them. Thou, O God, art worshipped in holy Zion: unto thee the vow shall be performed in Jerusalem. Hear us, Lord, hear us. Hear thy servants prayer. Lord, unto thee all flesh shall come. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

In memory of Dr. Lowell Ashman, a teacher, and a great influence on ALL who ever met him. May his memory shine warmly in our hearts, and may we show love to others as he showed love to us.

-Amen

I Hear That Train 'a Comin.

Wow, what in the world is going on here? Did I miss something? When did it become all about me? Wait........IT NEVER DID! I can feel something coming on me, its like I KNOW something is happening that is shaking me off my pedestal. I'm tired ladies and gents. Tired of taking the long road. What I'm getting at is that I forgot I'm not in control, and gosh darn it I'm tired of trying!! Lets get back to the basics Shea. Its time to think.

Beyond The Table.

In my English class we had to write a paper on the foods I would miss from home. I was a little stumped about this because frankly, all the food we cook in my house is good. So I wrote about the Sunday Dinner traditions that my family has. That was fine for my first draft, but my professor wanted me to write the paper as if it were a letter to my sister, who hypothetically did not want to continue attending dinner at my grandparents. I enjoyed this paper and wanted to share it with you.

Beyond The Table
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, known commonly as the “Fruits of the Spirit”, are things one would generally expect to learn in Sunday school. Our family however, is slightly different. Our classroom is not in a church, nor is it in a school or a community center. No, in fact our classroom is in Mimi and Grandpa’s kitchen. We don’t all sit down, grab a bible and lecture. Instead we cook, we eat, and we clean up; every Sunday afternoon. To you, dear sister, this may sound extremely unorthodox and a little ridiculous. Do not be fooled. It is here that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It is these lessons I’ll miss the most. Later on in life you’ll miss them too.
Love is a thing well known in the Berbaum household. We all express our love in different ways. Grandpa loves with his laugh. Mimi loves with her questions about your day. Jeremy loves you with every punch and head-lock. Fortunately, love is not just a laugh, a question, or a playful whack on the head. It is also being a servant, an idea well known in our family. As kids, our first real “chore” was to set the table, pour some drinks, and clean up after dinner. Mom and Mimi didn’t give us these simple tasks because they were lazy. They did it to teach us how to love. Servant hood isn’t obeying every command at the snap of a finger. Servant hood, as a Christian, is doing something without being asked, without asking anything in return, simply because you love someone. To love sweetheart, is to serve.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is found in Matthew Chapter 13: 31-32. It’s a well know parable so I don’t really have to explain it to you. But does it really teach you HOW to practice your faith? I don’t think so. Christine Albert Berbaum on the other hand, shows us EXACTLY what faith is and how to implement it into everyday life. Any time someone in the family is sick what do they do? They call Mimi and have her pray for them. Any time you have a problem and need some help what do you do? You call Mimi and have her pray for you. The one major thing I have learned from our grandmother about prayer is this: prayer is more than asking God to do something. Prayer is asking God to do something, and then BELIEVING that he is going to do it, and then THANKING him for doing it.
Now, unfortunately, I must speak about the uglier side of Sunday dinner. Every family has its issues. Every family argues. We all know that the family is pretty emotional. We all know that Jeremy and Mom have very different opinions on some things. We all know that sometimes, arguments get out of hand. Do you remember when Uncle Jeremy and I got into that fight, and Grandpa had to break us up? That day was one of the worst days of my life. Never before had I been so furious at someone in my own family. The good thing about that day is that I learned a couple very valuable lessons. First and most importantly I learned forgiveness. The beautiful part about it is that we never officially apologized to each other. We just forgave and forgot. The other very important lesson was that of self control. I discovered that I never want to feel as angry as I was that day, ever again.
I did not write this letter to you to chastise you. I’m not angry or upset. I do want you to realize exactly what you are missing on Sundays. You’re missing laughs, tears, memories, and utterly amazing food. But most importantly you’re missing out on lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Sure, our “classroom” is a little unorthodox. But don’t be fooled, my dear sister. It’s during those seemingly unimportant Sunday dinners that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It’s those lessons I’ll miss the most. You’ll miss them more.

S3

So college has been good. As far as what LR has had to offer me, its been GREAT! But I haven't really connected with anyone yet......well except for the deaf kids. Ironically, they have taken me in more than anyone else. More then choir people (excluding Gospel choir), more than Poli Sci people. It seems that the people I am most different from, are the ones who show me the most love. I digress. Classes are excellent, most everyone is kind. My professors are good. I got a job. Its all coming together I believe. Thanks God. I came here looking, and I think I'm gonna find it.

Keep praying.

Actions Speak.

Its been only a few days since I arrived on the campus of LRU and already I am beginning to see God. There is a large deaf community at this school, so I am being introduced to a new society of people. The world of sign language is beautiful and expressive, and I want to be a part of it. There are two guys across the hall from me who are hearing impaired and they are the kindest most helpful people I have ever met. Stuart is helping me learn new words, so I thought it would be nice to do something for him, and the others at my school. SO I decided to be a "note taker" in my Religion 100 course. Its just a way for me to get connected with these new friends of mine, and to further immerse myself in this culture. God has made a fire in my heart, and I keep finding more and more fuel. We'll see how things go.

Go Bears!

So I woke up today at 5:00AM to get ready to leave. It took me like 10 min to shower and get dressed. We got to LR at 8:30ish because we didn't leave until 6, and we ended up eating at Waffle House for breakfast. Started moving my stuff in and it all became a blur of boxes, bags, people, and sounds. CRAZY! My room mate's name is Tyler, he seems like an alright guy. This ENTIRE weekend is gonna be crazy!! Classes dont start till Tuesday. Ill keep everyone posted on everything.
Thanks to all who helped me get here. Especially Mom, Jack, Jess, Mimi, and Grandpa.

GO BEARS!

Thank you GOD.

I cant really express in writing what just happened to me not three minutes ago. I just posted "Thank you AMK", then I went into my room and opened my Bible. My ribbon was on the first page of 1 Corinthians. I looked down and in bold were the words Christ the Power and Wisdon of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) Just like that I realized what my problem has been. I thought I had it all figured out and I stopped looking for Gods will in my life. Isaiah 29:14 says "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." As Paul said to the Corintihians, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world?" My arrogance has clouded my vision. Christ said the first will be last. I've been foolish.

I get it now Paul.

Thank you AMK.

Sometimes it takes a compliment to fully realize how much you don't deserve one.

I'm sorry, this isn't about you, its about me.

Today it took a compliment to realize how much I didn't deserve it. I know it sounds cryptic but its true. I haven't been growing in Christ very much this whole summer, in fact I have regressed. But that stops here, today, right now. I want to be as good of a Christian as you think I am AMK. Thank you for helping me realize it. Its back to the basics ladies and gentlemen, I have to figure out what went wrong in the first place.

Exactly one week left in RC, time to strengthen some ties and sever others.

I Know Where I've Been.

Eight days until I move to LR. Eight days to say goodbye to the people that matter, and pack up the things that matter as well. I struggle with thoughts of frustration and elation, an urge to escape from the pleasant fields of Randolph County, but a love for home is a mighty adversary. Its time though, I know it is, and I'm ready. I don' know whats going to happen, and I'm not too sure where I'm going, but I know where I've been; and that means a lot. "I lift my eyes unto the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of Heaven and Earth."

-Amen.

Excuse Me.

In all my frustrations and aspirations I am reminded of Luke 12:22-34. If God feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies, will he not do that and more for me his child? "Of how much more value are you than the birds?" Fret not Bradley Shea Daniel, He's got the whole world in his hands.

Selfish Aspirations.

So when is it okay to forgo your better judgement and pursue something that you really and truly want, even though its probably a horrible idea and may end in complete disaster? That is what I'm up against at this moment.

A Colossal Sigh.

What is the best thing to do when that which you love the most is that which causes you the most pain? You put so much faith and trust in it, yet it never lives up to your expectations. So what to do? Does one simply cut it away, relieving one of the suffering, yet leaving a rather enormous hole in its place? Or should it be left to fester, and disappoint, until your very soul is ragged from the struggle? There is absolutely no easy answer. It seems that God is taking his time with this one. Prayers go up in earnest, and I wait. Perhaps I should keep waiting until I see my burning bush, or pillar of fire. Oh, but how much more can I take? As a colossal sigh escapes my lips I realize how miserable it is to cling to things that were once beautiful, and then became a source of darkness. But a faint glimmer of hope still burns that maybe, just maybe, like Lazarus this thing can be made whole again. Maybe before healing can begin, I must, like Mary and Martha, accept the death.

I guess Ill go find a tomb and some linen.

When Love Hurts.

Its one thing to be honest, even frank maybe. But utter and complete inconsideration for the feelings of loved ones is truly unacceptable. Why is it that we take advantage of those closest to us? The ones that fight for us, pray for us, care for us in every way. As I ramble on in anger and disgust, I remember times in which I treated loved ones quite poorly. Now I understand their hurt. The insult of it all is astounding. What did I do to deserve this? And now how should I react?

A terrible, terrible thing love is. Terrible and necessary.

In Love.

I fell in love today.
With the shadows of oak trees in the back yard,
With Fire Flies rising in the late afternoon,
With hawks soaring and chickens scratching,
With hymns around a fire,
With the southern breeze that blows in the storm.
Its chasing each other up and down hills.
Climbing trees, and dams, and our imagination.
Its planting corn in the garden,
Knowing it never grows.
Its a two-year-old in your lap
Singing "Frog Went-a-Courtin."
Its life,
Its love,
Its Family.
Thank you God for the memories,
That were, that are, and that are to come.

Amen.

Irish Blessing.

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

This song has been apart of my musical life for the past two years and now, now I truly understand it. It really speaks to me as graduation approaches. Especially since I know that I will never see some of these people again. I get it.

Irony in its Entirety.

Its funny how the one thing that inspires me the most is the one thing I cant find the words to describe.

Counting Clouds.

You know for a while now I've been sitting on Cloud 8. Not quite reaching that legendary place of pure elation. But today, ladies and gentlemen, Cloud 9-109 became glittering specks in my past. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I ceased counting clouds. I reached the stars.

So yell, scream, harass, I don't care. Bring forth your trials and tribulations, spew your bile and greed. Now, ladies and gentlemen, now I know what its like to live without them.

-Adieu

Need-vs-Want.

As Sinners , we need God. But as Christians, we should want God just as much as we need him. Just as us humans want to be wanted, God also wants to be wanted. Once we accept Christ into our lives we should endeavor to grow ever closer to him, because he is infinite and everlasting. He will never expire, run out, or get tired of us. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Getting closer to God includes more than just going to church, singing Hymns, and staying awake during service. In involves reading your Bible, praying, and maybe even fasting.

So if you're worried that God isn't speaking to you, maybe you should speak to him first, or else be quiet and listen. Because he wants to know you, and you need to know him.

Grace.

I found that sometimes when a person prays and tries to get through to God for somebody else, God in turn gets through to THEM.
Faith can move mountains, and hearts.
-Amen

"It Is Well."

"When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll,
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
it is well, it is well with my soul."

True peace is a destination in which many travel toward, but RARELY reach. you see, in STRIVING for peace, you turn away from it. All the time I hear the words, "If I only had______, my life would be so much better." Or, "If those people would do what they aught to, I could get on with MY life." You see we work, and work, and work so excruciatingly hard that peace really becomes quite impossible. Its not until you learn to accept what is happening and let God control your life that you will have peace. Now lets be honest here, you cant just sit around and do nothing! But you surely cant do everything either. So lets give God some room to work.

Now, I must say, nothing is more ridiculous than when people put THEIR state of being into other peoples hands. Because trust me honey, they will stomp all over YOUR peace just to achieve their own. When you let a man or a woman be your "source of optimism" you may as well just hand them the knife to stab you in the back. Only God can grant us peace in life.

Romans 5:1-5 says, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowung that tribulation produces perserverance; and perserverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not dissapoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy spirit who was given to us."

So even though today may be the worst day of your life, rejoice, because through that you shall grow.

"And the stone was rolled away."

Hallelujah! My God is the Living God.
-Amen

May You Always See Hawks.

I am sitting here looking at the sky and there is a hawk flying around outside. I am encouraged because to me, that is a sign from God that He is watching. Sometimes we lose sight of His sight, so lets just try to remember from now on. And if you ever forget, may you ALWAYS see hawks!
-Amen

It Takes A Stranger.

Sometimes someone you love can tell you something over, and over, and over again and you never really hear them. But you let a Stranger tell it to you, and you repeat it in your head for hours. Yesterday it took a Stranger to show me my first real glimpse of the end. They made me really appreciate what got me here. The beginning was easy to see long ago, but its like I just skipped on over the ending part. Unfortunately, they dont mix. Its lonely and exciting.

Untitled.

At about 9:30pm go to your car, get in and drive (no music) down a long country road. Roll the windows down and experience the sights, the sounds, the smells, the speed. And then think about your life.
Then you will feel how I feel. Its freedom, its a calling, its an unseen force pushing you in the right direction. It is peace, turmoil, love, fear, and adrenaline all wrapped up in one hour of your life.
Enjoy.

The Happy Epitaph.

Here lie the remains of what used to be great.
In a time full of life and energy,
There walked a Man and Son
side by side.
But alas the Man left the Son,
Alone to face the world.
And the Son had to find a new Man,
A Teacher.
And that the Son did.
He found many Teachers.
And became, himself, a Man.
So that when the Man came back,
He found his old Son dead.
And he tried to revive him,
And could not.
But fret not dear ones,
For that Son is not dead.
He is just a different Son.
Someone else's Son.
He is a Man.

The Phenomenon of Rediscovery.

Ain't it funny how in the process of rediscovering yourself and God's plan for your life, you end up losing others? I have found that the closer I get to God, the farther away some people seem to drift.
But I'm not really surprised. In the Bible, the Disciples of Jesus left family, friends, and their entire life in order to follow him. Its just sad to know that it has to be like this.
But alas, God has indeed blessed me. For in place of those friends I am losing have blossomed new and exciting relationships that before I would have thought improbable.

Praise God.

The Sermon on the Mount.

So I had the opportunity to read Matthew Ch. 5-8 today and it was really great. Its nice sometimes to re-hash old knowlege, especialy with a fresh understanding of some different passages. I enjoyed it. Here are some of my favorite parts.

The Beatitudes. Mat. 5: 3-10
Mat. 5: 41; "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two."
Mat. 6: 14-15; "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses."
Mat. 6: 24; "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Mat. 6: 25-34 (summed in vs. 27, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" and vs. 33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.")
Mat. 7: 1-6 (Do Not Judge)
Mat. 7: 16-20 (You Shall Know Them By Their Fruits)
-NKJV

Just thought I would share my joy in these passages. Very helpful to go back sometimes ya know?
-peace

Internal Pollution.

Bitterness like acid rain can damage the soul.
Much like a radioactive storm pouring down upon a fresh crop,
Eating away its use, and beauty.
I know your pain.
I know your sadness.
But a wound that is always scratched will never heal.
To reopen a wound, causes only more pain and eventually infection.
An infection of bitterness eating away at your being,
Until there is nothing left but a black hole of dark, ugly memories.
Leave it alone.
Let it heal.
Until all that is left is a scar.
A reminder.
A lesson.
Then, maybe then, you will be able to say,
" I was hurt. But I can rise up now,
Stronger and wiser than I was before."
And then, maybe then, your life will go on.
_____________________________________________
Our Father, which art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
And Thine is the glory
Forever, and ever.

-Amen.

Miserable Observations.

Has it always been like this? Beautiful people with beautiful lives are distraught at a lack of conflict. Its as if simplicity is no longer fashionable. My peers live lives of pleasant dissatisfaction, and I am lost to it. Oh to be the happy outcast.

People see a glimps of genuine love and the cringe from it as if it were a shackle. People would rather talk about the horrid path they walk, instead of turning around. People weap about their happy simple lives. Its frankly vulgar.

But I digress, it is better to live happily alone, than dispairingly close to leaches.

On Man-kind's Identity Crisis.

So I have had the experience as of late, to talk to and advise people that I have rarely even interacted with before; and I have noticed something dire. People are actually STRANGERS to themselves. huh?

Isn't it amazing how terrified people are of themselves? They hide behind their "manners", "politics", and any other false visage they can come up with. Humanity has undergone an identity crisis. I think it goes back to the whole "living loved" thing. Its because people don't love themselves that they have such an issue with being loved!!

I'm not trying to sound better than anyone else when I say, "I am who I am, all the time, with everyone." It may sound like I am saying that from some high horse whilst looking down the length of my nose at all of man-kind, but I'm REALLY not. I just got tired of being everybody.

A good example of this is with Daniel in the Bible. He and the other Israeli dude's were taken into the palace and were told to live as the Babylonian men did. Those fellows drank A LOT, ate gross food, stayed up all night partying, and were basically tired, strung out, slobs. Daniel, being the good Jewish boy that he is, persuades the chief Eunuch to allow him, and the other jews, to eat plenty of fruits and vegitables, drink a lot of water, and go to bed at a decent time. In doing this Daniel proved to be smarter, stronger, and faster than the Babylonian men.

Later in Daniel's life, King Neb (abbreviated) proclamates that all people shall bow down and pray to man-made idols of himself. All that disobeyed would be killed. Daniel, being the good jewish boy that he is, decides to practice civil disobedience and prays to HIS God (The God), and is concequently punished and, you guessed it, thrown into the lion's den!! EEEK!! BUT Daniel, being the good jewish boy that he is, KEEPS PRAYING, even in timess of extreme peril, and God saves him!! YAY GOD!!

Its like society has given us these horrid examples of how to dress, act, talk, and pretty much LIVE our life!! Ummm hello people. That makes NOOOOO sense whatsoever. The Bible gives us better examples. Daniel was the same in the court, in his room, and in a den full of lions.Jesus was the same in church, out of church, at the dinner table with the tax-collectors and sinners, on the hill with the gentiles, in the garden with his peeps, in the court with Pilate, and on the Cross.

Uh Yeah.

As a man, I have one life to do as much of the will of God before I die, so why not model it by HIS examples. Duh.

The best and worst: On the folly of wisdom.

I had to write an essay on how Dickens' quote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." relates to the senior year of a high school student. So here ya go.

The last year of High School is one of hope and fear, joy and sadness, wisdom and folly. Joy because AT LAST all of our diligence has come to fruition. All those years spent testing, reading, and reporting are now at an end, and real life is about to start. This time is both joyous and sad because now, we are on our own. No more seeing your best friend since 7th grade in the hall, no more asking teachers for extra credit because you spent more time chillin' at Mickey D's instead of doing homework, no more Mom and Dad calling the principle to get you out of trouble...AGAIN, no more G-Pop announcing your birthday at football games. Yes indeed, it's time to leave our safe, comfortable desks to take on the world. We may be the smartest in the school, yet foolishly we cling to our "Top Dawg" positions knowing that in a few months, we will be back on the bottom, fending for ourselves.

As June 9th draws near, we become both excited and nervous, because we know that as soon as those caps are thrown in the air, our lives will be forever changed. No turning back, no waiting. Pretty soon we will move off to some new and frankly terrifying place to begin our future, and the ever desired independence of adulthood leaves a bittersweet taste in our mouths. That is when we learn that true freedom was in our childhood, and we fought to be rid of it. Oh the folly of the wise.

A Real Man.

As a 17 year old, I have had to learn a lot about what it means to be a real man. The hard part is that my biblical knowledge conflicted with what society was throwing at me. Society kept showing me men who were wealthy, promiscuous, womanizers, and usually alcoholics. Sure, it LOOKED like a good time, but many of them ended up shot, in jail, or broke. So I began to think of biblical examples of how a real man should be. Men like Jesus (duh), David, Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Daniel, and TONS more. The only problem is, guys my age have difficulty reading and understanding the Bible especially concerning how we are to live.

So what separates a Godly man from an un-Godly man? That's both a simple, and difficult question. Truth be told, a Godly man can and most likely will make the same mistakes that an un-Godly man would. But the difference is, that a Godly man KNOWS its a mistake, and he KNOWS to stop. Even in the days of Eden, Adam KNEW not to eat of the fruit. So what does a Godly man DO after he has made this "mistake"? Well if he is a TRULY Godly man, he asks forgiveness AND tries his BEST not to fall into that type of situation again. The hardest part about being a Christian is the whole "avoiding bad situations" thing. I tell you the truth, asking forgiveness is MUCH easier than avoiding evil. Especially today, with all the booty shaking, cleavage parading that goes on. Evil is at our fingertips EVERY time we get on a computer, turn on a TV or listen to the radio. Life is HARD.

So what does a Godly man do? He avoids evil. (See a theme yet?) In Psalms 119:9 it says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your will." The answer is in the Bible (obviously) but where? How about Proverbs 3, where the TITLE of the passage is "Guidance for the Young". Isn't it getting easier already? Obey the commandments and your life will be long and full of peace. That sounds pretty cut and dry to me. The answers are out there, they just have yet to be found. Until now.

This is my mission, my vision. Praise God.

Living Loved, a continued idea.

Ok here is a profound thought. If God is our Father, then doesn't that make Jesus our BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *GASP* NO STOP THAT'S TOO MUCH!!!!!!

Ok folks really. Lets take a view of the trinity. God the Father, God the son Son, and God the Spirit. God's son is Jesus+I am Gods son=Jesus is my brother, oh crap. So lets talk about sacrifice.

Life. Life is the ultimate sacrifice, we all know that. All of us think about death, I personally think about death every day. But that's just me. Jesus gave his life, so that we could spend eternity in heaven. ETERNITY!!! I get confused even thinking about that much time. There are few people in this world that I would give my life for. But I know one of them is my sister, If I did have to die for her, all I know is that she would live ONE more day. But Jesus gave his life so that we could live FOREVER. That's a wonderful guarantee.

So here is my closing thought, since Jesus died for us because he loved us, isn't it a slap in the face to Him NOT to accept and return his love. God has a call for our lives, why do we choose not to listen?

Living Loved

I have noticed throughout my life that people have a really hard time being loved!! Isn't that just stupid!? People seem to think that they are such filthy, rotten, dirtesque creatures, that to love them is simply impractical.* I firmly disagree, in the wonderful (and extremely over-recited) bible passage, John 3:16, Jesus says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Aren't WE apart of the WORLD too?? So then why do people have such trouble with this idea of LOVE EVERLASTING?

I know EXACTLY why. People can't get the image of an elderly, angry, so-holy-you-can't-even-look-at-me, judge/God out of there minds. But the reality of God is SO much deeper, and more loving than that. To me, God has always been like a Dad. I haven't really had much of a relationship with my father until just recently so God filled that place for me. Ill unpack that for you. A father is someone who guides you, laughs with you, goes on walks with you, listens to you and talks to you. Isn't that what God is? Jesus reffered to God as Abba. Thats like saying Daddy, and in The Lords Prayer Jesus opens with "Our Father..." sooooooo we can call him father too yes? Absolutely!!

God wants a relationship with us, one full of love, and awe at his love. People just get too caught up in the negativo to see the good stuff right in front of them.

Think on that for a while. Its late, I'll continue later.

First Blog

SO this is Blog #1. Im going to attempt to tell a bit about myself. Here goes.

Im a follower of Christ, I am MADE (a personal cliche) in his image, for his will. Isn't it great to know that!? The hard part is remembering that no matter what, no matter when, you are "living loved" (another great little cliche of mine). I love my family WAY more than my friends, and music is my hobby.

Ok thats the general info. The rest of my blogs will be a little deeper.

=) thanks.