Ponderments

Why do people have to see the belief, faith, and trust in Jesus--the one way to get to heaven---as being a negative thing? I would think that having only one way and knowing it would be much easier than several different ones.

Why is Christian faith so hard of a concept to grasp, to understand, to follow, to believe? Do people not put faith in airplanes and tires, other drivers and other man-made things everyday. All of these are made by humans who make mistakes, who have faults, who err.

I don't understand how someone can see a newborn baby, see an awesome sunset, hear waves crash onto a beach, experience the different seasons, smell (put whatever nice aroma here) and still not believe in the God of Creation.

Being a Christian doesn't mean we become perfect. It means knowing we aren't and knowing that we cannot live life on our own. It means knowing that we don't know everything. That bad things are going to happen, sometimes for no good reason. That some things we may never understand. That some things are unexplainable. That we have Someone to serve and to talk with. That we have Someone to model our lives after. But when we do mess up, we are forgiven. For perfection will only come after our human self dies.
That Someone is Jesus Christ. God's Son, who humbled Himself in setting aside His authority and powers of God and heaven to become one with us. That Someone who suffered, who ached, who endured pain, who was abused and made fun of, rejected, tempted daily but stayed true to His Father (our Father). So He knows what we go through and put up with and endure for He experienced it while here on earth. The two things that require faith are the two miracles: His virgin birth and his resurrection.

Why do people have a hard time believing that God is more than just a God of love?

Wonder why people tell themselves that there is no afterlife of an eternity in heaven or hell?

Wonder why people want to ignore, disbelieve, construe, omit, or add to Scripture? It is what it is.

Wonder why people preach about people's rights and freedom but want to take those same rights and freedom away from Christians?

All the hate shown by Christians through the years, all the things done in Christ's Name, has really hurt and screwed up what unChristians believe Christianity to be. And all the Christians trying to create their own beliefs, their own twist, adding laws and putting a denominational stamp of godly approval on it hasn't helped either.

What Are We Really Doing Here Now?

What are we really doing here now? I wonder why we are forced to become slaves to businesses and government in order to survive. Where did this concept come from and why did it ever take off to where a handful of people could dominate the rest as chess pieces? And what is the point in making people suffer just to get by? The choices that have created this type of life for society are quite ignorant. To sit back, carelessly, and ignore the absurdity in how life is programmed for us here on earth by means of those given power down through the centuries of this country is hindering what could be. How is this democracy? Where is real freedom? Men and women give up their lives for it, for each of us, all so we can be told that we can not verbally utter God's Name in prayer in schools or the public sector; so we can be owned for 30+ years and miss out on real life and all the experiences that come with it.

It all boils down to money. Without it, you may be alive, but how do you get to really live?

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Greed continues to ruin society.

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Bigger isn't always better. New isn't always best. Technology isn't always smarter.

Pursue

What do you pursue? Is it a better retirement, a bigger savings account, a job that pays more, a bigger house, a "nicer" car? Where does a great majority of energy, time, and effort go most days? A vast majority of teachings in Scripture (i.e. Jesus, Paul) seem to point to our motives. This meaning, why do you want something? Why do you desire ? What MOTIVATES you? A lot of things that we desire aren't technically a bad thing. For example, I desire to do mainstream acting. But the older I get & the more I mature in my faith and relationship with Christ, I have found myself examining this desire, this pursuit. The idea of why I want to do mainstream acting isn't bad at all (to use it as a form of ministry, especially youth ministry in order to provide positive influence). However, I think it is time for me to admit that the desire/dream to do it hinders on taking priority over Christ a lot of the times. I get too infatuated with it. My yearning to act becomes annoying and I catch myself getting in the mental place that I would do anything to achieve this dream. Then I wonder, What would it be like to apply all of this mental energy, all of this time, all of this yearning for acting and replace acting with Christ? How amazing and awesome would that be? Think of the things Christ could teach me and ways He could use me. Oh the things He could accomplish.

The whole acting thing, when it takes center stage, can be a bit exhausting. Thus, I am sure it has and is a little overwhelming and annoying to anyone that has been or that comes around me when I have this drive. My prayer for myself and for all of you who have that one thing (or a handful of things) that easily overtakes your heart and mind and becomes a main pursuit in life, I pray that you will let go of it and let God's desire for you to overtake your human desire. Spend your time, energy, and effort chasing after Christ. Be motivated to serve Him whenever, wherever, and however. In doing so, Christ's desire for us will become our new desire. And think of all the things Christ will be able to accomplish on our behalf. Imagine the growth in your faith and in your relationship with Christ. How awesome and amazing that would be. That would be a true blessing.

Take time today to let God search your heart. Let Him have control. And in doing this, make that choice to pursue Him.

Hold fast, Stay true, Learn, Trust, Grow....Continue seeking, Continue living

What you are about to read is what some would define as a testimony. I hope those who might read this will come away with hope, renewed faith, new faith, or even an opening of the heart and mind to seek more.

Since May 2007, when Kim & I got married, I graduated college and we headed to our new residence in Northeast Tennessee, a lot has happened. In these three and a half years, I worked full-time as a temp employee for only eight of the forty-three months we resided here. The rest of the time I worked part-time, mostly at a local fitness facility. It was during this time that God was doing most of the work. It was in my day-to-day struggles of seeking full-time employment here, there and everywhere, that Christ was teaching me, molding me, and refining me into a better, more mature person. There were a few instances where things got quite tight financially. But it was in these times, God showed up to remind us Who was in charge and that where Scripture states that if He provides for the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, that He will surely meet the needs of those whom He has entrusted and created to rule over these animals. He came through every time in all sorts of different ways. It was in these instances that increased our trust and faith in Christ.

Also, needless to say, I had some free time on my hands. And in no way am I boasting or patting myself on the back, but I was able to develop a daily time with my Savior. And it has been in this time of Scripture reading, prayer, devotions and being quiet to meditate upon Him and His Word that I am most thankful. For had I worked full-time, perhaps I would not have been able to build a stronger, more secure foundation. And had I not been blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to develop this time, who knows how I would have behaved and acted when times did seem a bit harder. But it was by His plan and love that the Holy Spirit within stirred me and motivated me to want to spend this time with Him. And it was in this time that His greatest work took place. He has taught me so much. He has revealed even more to me. And He has refined me, thus allowing me to see things about myself that I didn't know existed. Sinful things about myself that are selfish. I now realize things about me that I was unaware of prior to this and though it has been difficult to realize that these thoughts and actions come from myself, I am grateful that Christ has let them be known to me. For it is in this process, that God is bringing such darkness to the surface, scraping these things slowly away, and allowing His light to shine forth. It is here that He is increasing my knowledge, my strength, my Christian maturity, and my faith. And to me, this is the best thing that could have ever taken place.

Only God knows why He needed 3.5 years to work upon me in this manner. But I know one thing, I am thankful, I am blessed and I am excited to see how He wishes to use me. In this time, I have also seen my wife grow and begin her own journey. It is from God's work upon my heart that He has used my personal spiritual growth to be put on display for her to see. And it is here she has come to desire more of Him. And for that I can only sing His praises. It excites me to see how He will use us as a Christian couple.

We hear it so often and witness it everyday, but we live in a country that is selfish, greedy, covetous, and lustful. We live at a time where more and more people are impatient and want things at the next split second. And if they do not get it, they handle it poorly and place blame on anyone and anything except at themselves.

My prayer is that you slow down. To examine your life. To question things. To seek. To not live for yourself but for others. And to look a little closer at Jesus Christ and who He was while He lived here on earth and who He is today. And may you come away from reading a little about my life these past few years to realize that hard times, discouraging times come to us all. It is how we handle them that matters. It is who you rely upon and trust that will help you out. Not to make things easier at the snap of a finger. But to rely and trust Someone beyond yourself and your own human energy, mind, and strength. We live in a sinful world. Therefore, bad things are going to happen and they will happen to everyone: good and bad, Christian & nonbeliever. It is how we handle them that matter. This earth we live on is temporary. This life we currently have is short. It is what is to come that truly matters.

Why is it so hard for people to believe in God? Why is it even harder to believe in Jesus?

One can sit back and look at a clear night sky. One can drive across the country and see the various landscapes that make up our own country. One can think of things in their life, big and small, and understand that something outside of their own power was the real reason those things occurred. These things are because of God.

But how do you know? Where's the real proof?

Those questions are what seem to keep people from believing. People want proof. We think that this world, the happenings, and our lives should work just like one big mathematical problem where X+Y=XY.

It all boils down to faith. Faith in a being and happenings unknown to us and unseen. Humans seem to struggle with this. Is it out of arrogance that we think we deserve to know and have to know the meaning and an answer to everything that goes on?

Of course if you have trouble with the any of the above, you will definitely have trouble with your motives and approach to reading Scripture out of the Bible.

One false teachings we hear from such pastors as Joel Osteen is a message called the Prosperity Gospel. This is the teaching that if you do a good thing and give so much of your finances to the church then God will reward you with more material things and wealth. Sorry to burst your bubble but it doesn't work that way. You serve others out of love for them and out of reverence and love of Christ. You do not do it in hoping that you will be rewarded with more stuff and more money. This thought is basically the same as the whole concept of karma. God doesn't work that way.

Faith and our motive is the key. Is your motive in giving money to a homeless man selfish? Meaning, for example, are you giving to this person in need only because if you help them it makes you feel better about yourself, that you did a good deed and that your good deed will equal to an earthly reward in some way? If that is your thinking then your motive for doing it is wrong. We humble ourselves to help others to show them Christ's love. It isn't about us at all. It's about God and about others.

Jesus is God in human form. He humbled himself to be born to poor people in a setting that none of us would really want to endure. He did this so that we couldn't ever say, "Well, God doesn't know, He doesn't understand because He has never faced this situation." God does understand. God can relate because of Jesus. Jesus was physically beaten. He was gossiped about. His name was slandered. He was shunned and ignored. He was cussed at. He was made fun of. He was looked upon as an outcast. He struggled at times in regards to food supply. He was tempted. So if the Son of God lived in this manner, why do we think that by becoming a Christian everything is going to be "hunky dory" and everything is going to be perfect. Are we better than Jesus. No way! We are going to face trials. We are going to have to endure difficult times and situations in our lives. And the only way to get through this is by trusting God. Putting our trust and faith in Him. Believing that in whatever circumstances we face, in the end, it will all work out. And you know when we might see how things did work out for the good? It might not be until next week, next month, next year, or later. Heck, we might not see the result in such until we die and are in eternity. We are so selfish and impatient. We want what we want and overlook what we only need. We want things to happen right this second and if they don't we get all bent out of shape.

For example, I'm learning that when I get cut off or someone pulls out in front of me while i'm driving to not get all upset at that person but instead to thank the Lord above for protecting me and keeping me safe. Nothing happened to me.

My prayer for those who have no faith or weak faith is to first off realize that your life isn't about you. Things aren't always going to go your way. Bad things are going to happen. Yet also know that good things will too. Everything isn't always going to be perfect. Also, this world is too big to know everything. This solar system is too big to know everything. Our minds are too small to understand and know everything. Therefore, why are we so arrogant, selfish and prideful to think that we will and should know everything. That there has to be an explanation. That's dumb to think that. Understand that there are things you will not know, you will not understand and things that cannot be explained. And it is in this that you will begin to begin the process of wrapping your mind around what it means to have faith. And it is here you will begin to understand God. And it is here you will be able to hear the Gospel message, read the Bible in a different light.

No more waiting...

Well, after 2.5 years of seeking, searching, refining, learning, growing, applying, being rejected and waiting I soon will have a job. I have accepted a contingent offer to work with the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati as an entry level Plant Operator 1.

My wife and I are a bit nervous about the whole transition and new road that we are about to embark upon. But we are excited nonetheless.

We will be looking forward to what lies ahead for us up there and how He will use us.

Getting to be closer to family and friends will be very nice.

At a Stand-Still

I am thankful to be a believer and follower of Christ. I'm am thankful that the morals He desires have been instilled in me and continue to expand. I wonder what my life would look like if none of this existed. What path would I be going down if I didn't have my faith and trust, nor if I didn't have morals that stem from Christ and God's Word?

In my current state, I can understand where those who are not blessed to have this type of mindset and strong faith can lose it. I think I understand how people lose hope and resort to stealing and dealing drugs or doing whatever to make money, especially when attempting to make money the right way continues to not work out and have door after door close in your face. It's easy to become selfish and focus on yourself and the current situation. If one has a weak faith or no faith at all, taking this wrong direction is, more than likely, just a matter of time. But through daily prayer and daily time with God and His Word, on top of surrounding yourself with strong Christians, you find the needed hope, comfort and strength.

I have been job hunting since July 2008. I've worked some part-time jobs here and there. I currently work 12 hours a week and am grateful to be bringing in some type of income. For a little is better than none at all. However, it still gets discouraging to get told that you are not qualified for something (especially when that something is a job that requires no prior work experience) or you are unable to even get on as a volunteer at a local homeless shelter (you have to fill out an application and submit to work as a volunteer). Some days are harder than others. I focus more on the negatives and I start to feel sorry for myself. But in the end, I come back to the realization that God is in control. I am reminded that He tells us that we are just a little lower than angels, that we are more important than the animals of the earth, that He cares for them and meets their needs, therefore, He will surely take care of us and meet our needs. I also am reminded that we are on His time table and not ours. I think this is the hardest. Especially with the type of society we live in where patience is practically non-existent and our wants get in the way of what we really need. On top of that, we are easily consumed by selfish desires and feel the need to seek out self-pleasure for right now, without thinking of the long-term effects.

I do not know how much longer this refining, faith-building road I am on is going to last. I pray that it is not much longer because I am ready to be trusted to use my talents, gifts, and abilities to not only impact others but to finally get to be the husband that I desire.

I can only keep seeking Him everyday, trusting Him and His Word and keep trying in my looking of jobs and applying. I know something is going to work out. And when it does, I know it will be awesome and better than I could ever imagine.