Status Quo ...or not

I love some of the classes I've been taking. One of my favorites is anthropology. I've dabbled in psychology and sociology, tools I'm sure I'll need as my life progresses. How people act and why has always fascinated me. One of my most simple joys in life is just "people watching." What drives them as person to achieve what they do?

Accordingly, I just finished a chapter that spoke of a persons social status. If you make 'x' amount of dollars then you are this wealthy... or this poor. If I were to measure myself by the standards set by the book, then I would fall into a category that would be 'lower class.'

I couldn't help but laugh at the idea.

I am, by their definition, a person who is poor and left wanting. I am socially at a loss in this world.

I could not be more okay with this.

The world tells me that what I earn as person defines the type of life I'll live. The idea could not be more absurd.

I live in America. I have never truly wanted or needed. If I have gone without, it is because I've chosen to do so and for no great period of time. I have never felt the desperation of finding shelter or a next meal. If life were to deal me into dire straights tomorrow, I would have family and friends to fall on.

The world tells me I am insignificant and yet, I'm not. Today, I really let it sink in, that I am blessed more so than the rest of the world and more so than most. There are others in the world that would consider what I have to make me royalty.

Think about that, take a moment and realize how fortunate and blessed you are. To know know what it is to truly want. To wake up in a war torn guerrilla warfare existence. To know that you will not have to forage or beg for food. Say what you will, but epidemics and disease don't run rampant in the country. We have no warlords or extremely corrupt politicians or dictators.

I live better than 95% of the world! And today, I can only thank God for what I have. To never know want. To be blessed in this life and to realize it, is truly a gift.

I will go to sleep tonight, thanking and loving a God who loves and blesses me more than I deserve.

Not me...You

I've been going through older blogs and it almost broke my heart. To see where I was so passionate, to remember this love affair I had. My life revolved around God. I read the Bible to learn and just be captivated and consumed.I'd try to wrap my mind around the mysteries of God. I was infatuated. I had an understanding. I loved it. Millions of people everywhere in the world and all there was was us. The creator of heaven and earth and it was just us. I was on the front line...

but my priorities shifted. Not at first. but little by little. My eyes filled with amazement and wonder shifted toward mirrors and worldly things. I realized my agenda was how can I fit God into my life? How can my life reflect God? I had images and thoughts of being this amazing pastor. I'd Speak hell fire and salvation, picturing people being moved. Prodigal sons and life stories.

So what's wrong with that?

Well, looking back I realize, I traded this love affair for my agenda. I put me first.

I heard a pastor speaking in a sermon series. The series itself had nothing to do with this. It was entitled, why your purity doesn't work. Obviously not the same thing as this. I've heard the message before but, this was somehow different.

The pastor began the message with, Mark 8 - Take up your cross and follow me; and 2 Corinthians 4 - I die daily.

I talk about my agenda, my writing had hints of it underneath. My life had it under the surface. But, I had no cross... and I certainly stopped following Jesus. I didn't recant my faith or anything like that... but just as Peter denied Christ... My life and my agenda, my thoughts and my actions ... well I was denying Christ.

"I die daily..." The contradiction was staring me down. My flesh, my sin, my denials... I certainly wasn't dying to myself. If I was the prodigal son, I would have basically gone BACK into the world...

I've put off thinking about this for about a week. Tonight as I drove home, well, it seemed like God was saying, "we need to talk."

I just... I just don't want my agenda anymore. Not if it's going to cost me something like this. So what happens now? Now, I guess I have some things to sort out. Time for this prodigal to start walking home. Time to pick out my cross and lay my life down.

So tonight, I pray for a lack of agenda. I pray for a lack of me. Not me... but YOU.

Step right up....

(below is me being a little silly, taking on a nonbeliever. feel free to add comments)

When did it become hip to bash Christianity? I hate this stereotype that Christians are bleeding heart hypocrites that are viewed as idiots for their beliefs.

Ironically, I feel the same about the people who throw rocks at my beliefs. Sure it's easy to join the band wagon and poke holes in anyone's beliefs. However, before you mock me, maybe you should stand up for what you believe in.

If you're an atheist, good for you. You either don't believe in God or you believe that we evolved from a lesser being according to science and what science has proven. You say something along the lines of, Religion is man made and fallible. Science can be proved. Science proves all things. Yeah? First of all, science is another one of those "man made" things. And according to that, that means it can be argued and proven wrong. For those of you that say, "no it can't." I say, look at how science offers theory's, then adds, changes or discards those theory's. And that's what most of science has to offer... theory's. By the way, evolution can be proved just as much as God is real according to the "scientific method." So, I'd like to take the time to negate science as a leg to stand on, in an argument against my beliefs.

Also, for those of you, who just think that there is no God. Cool, I don't mind arguing this point. If there is no God, then fine, you win. Nothing happens when you die and this life was a giant coincidental waste of time... whoop-ey. From your point of view, you were right. but you're dead and it only took dying to figure it out. You can't gloat any way cuz like I said, you're dead. You can look at it like I wasted my life. Fine, I lived my life to a set of standards. I tried to leave this world a better place and found comfort in the others that shared my beliefs and all that jazz. But, let's take a look as to what's on the other side of that coin, shall we? If I'm right , then you're screwed.

"Well, if God is real, then all I have to do is ask for forgiveness and I'll still get to go to heaven." Holy crap, let's pretend for a second that God is not retarded. Since there is a God that created the whole universe and understand the complexities of making life, planets and stuff that he wouldn't have thought all this through, just so some jerk off could find a loop hole in the system and make God look like a giant d'bag.

"How do explain all the bad things that happen in life? Why doesn't God step in and do something about it?" ...Why don't you do something about it? I'm sick of people using this line. This life is packed full of free will-ie goodness. You, like everyone else has a choice. There are good things in life as well as bad. Sometimes it needs to be chalked up a learning experience, a gift, or a loss. regardless of what happens in life, you have the choice to change and over come your circumstances. Plus, good can come out of any situation.

"What about the golden rule, how do you explain the people outside of abortion clinics with those awful signs? Same situation with Christians at gay pride rallies." If you believe that all Christians are like this, then all Muslims are in Al Queda. For the record, i don't believe all Muslims are in Al Queda. It's unfair to compare one group with a bunch of extremists. Don't compare me to some extremist groups of Christians who exploit the Bible to express personal beliefs and spew hate. Most of us live by Jesus' example. Love everyone, no questions asked. Hate the sin, not the sinner.

"What about Biblical conspiracies, hypocrisy's, and possible missing chapters?" Who cares? If a chocolate cake was missing a slice, would that make it any less of a chocolate cake? If the bible is missing chapters it probably doesn't matter. All the important parts are still there. If a chapter was missing out of harry potter or any other story, chances are you'd be able to figure out what's going on... why would the bible be different? I get the gist of the story. The beginning talks about God and everything leading up to the birth of Jesus. He sent his son in the middle of the story who died for us so we can go to heaven. God wins the fight at the end. All you have to do is say the sinners prayer. You don't have to be the guy in the chuck e. cheese outfit to figure this out.

"I believe in God, I don't believe in hell though..." (reaching for the advil) To say you believe absolutely in something, such as God. If he tells you there's a hell, then there's a hell. He talks about it, his son talks about it. I don't understand the problem here. Do you think the whole devil/Lucifer/dark prince talk is just filler to make the Bible a darn good read? It's there. If you don't believe me, you're always welcome to go, we'll wait here.

"what makes you think you're religion is the best?" Now here is a good question. 90% of the whole worldly population believes in some sort of God. We can safely assume that we're not all looking off each other's papers because there are different versions of all major religions. If you're another religion, that's fine. Hope you change your mind, if you have questions, come see me, I'll help out. However, Religion is an awful term. I have faith. I like to think I have a relationship with God. I think if people had these two things it'd solve a lot of problems.

I'm actually stopping here for now.

floats like a cannonball

It sits. waiting. always patiently waiting to be turned into words to be spoken. Something of a Revolution.

Even now I see the images of friends fighting the epic battles of their own lives. Each one falling victim to themselve... their own worst enemy. I watch their pain from a distance. Waiting... calculating. Taking notice when instead of taking action.

For a few, their torment lies in substance. Each time it becomes salvation and a death sentence. It's always one last time... and no one has to know. and they can't really say who controls their souls.

Others face heart break and live life constantly struggling. Refusing to give up and yet never sure how much they really have left. They suffered abuse outside of our imagination.

Then there are those who live life never knowing their greatness. Meant for so much more but content with so much less.

These are the hardened hearts of the fallen. Bitter towards a God... One that they're not even sure exists anymore... Like so many others they stand in line amongst the damned. After all the presence of others makes up for a missing God.

But each one suffers from a lie. Accepting their place... But it was never meant to be this way. I've watched and watched. As I'm sure many of us have. But Wars were never meant to be watched. They were meant to be fought.

For so long I've been standing here waiting. Asking for a sign... but at the same time being blind. Bombs have been dropped around me and there have been to many casualties. I never realized it but I've been on the frontline.

I've been saying for awhile that I need to go back to basics. But their in lies the secret joke. You can't go back once a revolution starts. You can only go forward. Choosing your side and putting in the fight.

My biggest hope now is to be more than I was.

lyrics that remind me of mike

memories in F minor

To the friend that I love
who has different roots of blood
You are the earth that makes mud
that comes from rain that made the flood
We cycle in and out of what our lives are capable of
And through it all I thank you for teaching me below and above

I had a friend who was way to young to die
I guess death is one of those things some people do to life

Past Times and Sold Short

Quick story. Two brothers are equally different and opposite. One brother is making a stew and the other is coming back from hunting. The brother coming back from hunting is starving, smells the stew and immediately thinks he's going to die if he doesn't eat. The brother who made the soup is extremely clever and in the heat of the moment offers the meal for the others inheritance.

Stupid right?

Who would give up their inheritance for something as simple or temporary as a meal? Who would want to insult themselves and sell themselves so short?

Funny how I see it as more of a common practice these days. People who sell themselves short. Sad, how people can forget or not even know their own worth. Even sadder are those who have been labeled "worthless," who have little idea of their real potential and worth.

If you found a dime in your pocket, you know from experience that that dime is worth ten cents, or 10% of a dollar. You can't pass the dime of for $50 dollars because people know what the value of a dime is worth. I highly doubt you'd be able to get away with using it to buy and pay for a car.

And yet, in 1965 the U.S. treasury department released (by accident) a dime made of real silver. I'm pretty sure that normal dimes are made from copper and nickle. But these handful of dimes are special. If you happen to find one, you'd soon find out that what was meant to be 10 cents, something insignificant, is actually worth about 9,000 dollars! Somebody do that math on that and get back to me about the percentage increase that is.

I cannot help but think of certain people who have accepted their own labels that society, people or even those close to them have given them. How many people have been labeled worthless, hopeless or lost cause? How many people have either listened to statements or deemed themselves less than, or not worth it.

I use the dime as an example. But there are those who need to know what their real value is and where it comes from. Your value never has and never will and never should come from this Earth or anyone on it.

Serious collectors from tea sets to comic books know one important truth. The rarer and unique something is, the more special and valuable it is. Now this might sound cliche or even trite but, if you were to take inventory of every person that ever lived from now until forever. You'd be the only one. You'd be the rarest, most valuable, single edition, extremely rare one of a kind, you.

The Bible says, that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You might be thinking, well that's great. So what? What does any of that have to do with my worth? If you thought about the most important thing in your life, would you try and save it if your house was on fire? Of course you would! You might put yourself in harms way for that one thing or one person.

You are so valuable to God that you cannot be measured. He would put his son, whom he was most pleased with to horrible, painful death for you. Because you are too valuable to him.

There are some out there who I know are selling themselves short. They get caught up the world around them. Their circumstances or even their break ups that they have no idea what their value and real worth is. If God was on this physical plain or on the other side of your computer, he'd tell you. Or maybe he's using me to tell you.

The point is, if you're reading this, you either thought, I'll humor Jon and check out what he wrote... OR, maybe God's trying to remind you how precious and beautiful you are. I believe that if you're reading this, it is not coincidental.

God calls us (the sinner) the cornerstone or crown Jewel of all creation.

There is no mistake big enough. No screw up large enough. Not even the worst of your dirty little secrets to stop you from God Love.

I pray tonight, that at the least, you never sell yourself short.