What's It All About?

What is it all about? What am I here for, and what are you here for? Of course you answer this question differently depending on where 'here' is. Is here being alive, being present in society today. Is here this blog? Many people have tried to answer the first question and it seems that everyone has to find some sort of explanation for the first question. However I want to pose it in the second sense. Why is my blog here? why do I write down these thoughts and why in the world do you find that you should come and read them? I started this blog because I wanted to get my ideas out, i love ideas and I like to express them and share them with others. However, ideas are only good if they change and grow people. Everyone today wants some new challenge, some new inspiration to motivate them to do something. I will admit that I wanted to be that inspiration and that motivation, and maybe I have for some people that read this. However, I have seen so often in my own life where I get that inspired, chills in the spine, motivated feeling to do absolutely nothing with it. The reality of it is that this feeling really doesn't compel us to do anything but search for that feeling again. I would argue that the most influential feeling that compels people to action today is discontent or discomfort. It actually is quite disturbing when you think about it, that the only thing that compels us is really what directly affects our attitude and feeling in a negative way. Good inspiration fades quickly, discomfort lasts. It is not really something that I fully understand, in fact I would think that I don't really understand it at all. Negative emotion moves us to action, positive emotion moves us to... well... um... ok... yea I am still waiting to see what positive emotion moves us to. We hear about the good things that are happening and we say "that's nice, good job", however we hear about the negative things and we say "something should be done!". Now I want to be very honest and very open here, and so it is going to be very generalized and I don't believe this about everyone, but it is about society as a whole. However, do not take this disclaimer to excuse yourself from what I am about to say. I am speaking to you, and you can discern with the help of God if it's something you need to change. I AM TIRED OF LAZINESS! Why do we think that we can check out after our day in the office, and leave every other sort of injustice for others to sort out? Why is it that we leave all sorts of injustice that we see and simply state that 'something needs to be done' when in fact you are standing right there with the means to do something!!! This does not always even mean going out of your way to do something, and it is not that hard. Yet, we convince ourselves that we are not the right person for the job. That for some reason we are not worthy to do it. AND YOU ARE RIGHT! We are not worthy to do it. We CAN'T do it. That' the point. Our society has made us yo depend on our own skills and resources and what we can do and reject everything we think we can't do. Yet, God tells us that he will be there for us in those times. Woe to us of little faith. (and don't get me wrong I include myself in this just as much as anyone else). When do we stop asking who is going to take the baton and act and start actually acting? When do we stop asking if we are ready, are we ready? are we ready? Am I ready after bible school? Am I ready after seminary? Am I ready after I'm 20? After I'm 30? The answer is yes, these things are not bad to do, but what are you doing while at these places? Where are you working and coming alongside God's plan? Where are you acting NOW? No more excuses, God has either equipped you now or will equip you to fulfill his works. and even if you fail, you will learn? We need to stop being afraid of the gospel, and stop being afraid of acting and just start doing it out of faith. This is my rant... there is probably a lot more I could say but out of a fear of being redundant I am going to stop there. I hope this does not inspire you. I hope that instead this gives you a nasty little knot in your brain that doesn't leave you alone the next time you say to yourself, "someone should do something"... Grace and Peace to you

I think I'll try defying Gravity

One of the things you learn about fairly early on in life is the scientific law of gravity. Gravity is not something that is really understood very well. We understand what it does, but not really why it's there. We learn what it is from the very instance we come into this world, even if we don't understand it. Then, we get into junior high and learn a little more about it. We learn at least what it is called and what it does, even if that still means we don't really understand it. We learn to live with it, to adapt to work within it's boundaries and in a sense to defy it. Not ultimately or for infinite amounts of time, but for some instances there are times where gravity cannot fully hold us down. We learn to walk, jump, climb, fly (at least for a little while, and with machines that help). All of these actions in a sense are defying gravity to some extent. yet, that does not mean the force leaves, we do not attribute jumping to the fact that gravity for that instance in that specific area "stopped working" or "wasn't present". No these actions occur in spite of the fact that gravity is still there trying to bring us back down to earth, so to speak. Ok Nick, thanks for the science lesson that I already knew, but what does it have to do with me other than the fact that it is kind of a cool idea. Well there is also a sinful nature that is part of every man. The famous verse of Paul that has him saying that he does not do what he wants to do and what he wants to do he does not do? Yea that verse is talking about how his sinful nature tends to get the best of him. There is also, surprise surprise, an adversary that is trying to bring us down. It seems like the odds are against us to rise and become like Christ. It seems like there is some force, something that is not really fully understood, although we can see the effects and know what it does, we do not really understand why, or where it comes from. this force seems to be trying to bring us down, take us out, bog us down. The Christian walk is the same as that baby coming out of the womb, already feeling and understanding the force of gravity even if they don't fully recognize it by it's term or understanding it's there. However just as that baby has to learn to 'defy' gravity and walk, jump, run, climb. Christians also need to learn to do these same things to defy our sinful nature, defy the forces that are trying to bring us down. Reality check, IT DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN. It is something that is learned. I think too often Christians think that as soon as you believe in Jesus all of the sudden life gets easy. Let me ask you a question. As soon as you understand that there is gravity trying to bring you down does that mean that you are able to walk? NO!!! It takes practice, and work, and frustration and joy and falling and getting back up. I do not know of one baby that has never fallen. In fact, i still don't know of one person that still doesn't fall. You see the thing about gravity is that it never gives up. Although many people don't give up either once they fall. It would sound pretty ridiculous if someone all of the sudden said "I'm giving up on walking, gravity just keep dragging me down, I keep falling, I think I am just going to stop trying to work against gravity." Many people would think it's absurd. We learn to stand more often than we fall. We learn to stay on our feet longer than we fall. Falling is still inevitable, but we understand and have grace for falling. Obviously falling does not impact others as much as sin does I understand that, that is not the point of this post. I think it is important to start teaching people how to defy the spiritual gravity that wants to see us fall. Being patient with people when they do, when not if. And starting to disciple people and try and grow ourselves so that we can learn to take our first steps, run, jump and maybe fly. And then when we fall, picking ourselves back up again and letting our father clean us up, and running back to him and running the race marked out for us. I think I'll try defying gravity