It's been a while

Recently, I spoke to a friend who is going through a tough time. I should explain what I mean by friend. This guy, I would have to say, is my oldest friend. He is the first legitimate friend I can ever remember having. One day during preschool I had him believing that my tennis shoes would turn into  baseball cleats just by pressing a button on them. When he told me to prove it, I simply replied, "I don't have batteries in them right now."

Whether he ever truly believed they would become cleats or not doesn't matter, but that was the start of my first true friendship. Don't get me wrong he isn't the closest friend that I have. As a matter of a fact he hasn't been a close friend for well over a decade but we recently ran into each other in Walmart (of all places).

 Growing up, I stayed over at his house (or he at mine) at every given opportunity. He always had the latest gaming console and the most awesome games to go with it. We were inseparable. Others would join our little awesome duo from time to time but at the end of the day, but at the end of the day we would remain.

Moving into Jr High, which is obviously a difficult time for everyone, we began to drift apart. I was more into the sports scene and he was more into screamo music. This continued on into high school, where we were separated by the classes that we took. Our lives began to drift apart. nobody told me when it was going to be the last time we spent the night with each other, played our last video game together, or talked about girls together.

Our Senior year of high school, I'm not sure we even said 10 sentences to each other. This wasn't because we were mad at each other or anything bad at all. We had simply gone down our separate paths. In my yearbook that year, I will never forget what he wrote to me.

"Jacob, You'll always be my first friend and I'm sorry we've drifted apart over the years... I would normally say something funny at this point, but I love you man."

If you knew who I was talking about you would be in tears. And now, present day, he is struggling. We had a chance to reconnect with that encounter in Walmart. Quite frankly, I dropped the ball. I let down my first friend, again. Do you know how bad that can make someone feel?

When I ran into him (in Walmart again) months later my heart sank to the floor. I felt terrible for letting him down. At this encounter I informed him that my wife, Sarah, and I were moving across the country to California. He wished me luck and told me to stay in touch. While I haven't been doing the best job at staying in touch we have chatted a bit, but he called me the other day with some crushing news. And although I'm not there close to help him through it, I am a phone call away and he knows that. He told me during our last conversations that he can't even get friends that live right down the street  to slow down long enough to talk to him. Yet, he can call me across the country.

That'll really pick you up when you've been a terrible friend the last 15 years. And while I hate with every fiber in me that he is having to endure what he is, I'm glad that he still has the confidence too confide in me and let me try to encourage him and hear him out.

I'm not sure if he will ever read this or not, most likely not, but if you do, you know who you are and I love you man!

Also, for the rest of you, sometimes it's a good thing to run in to people you know in Walmart!

More than Fish Stories and Tall tales

I'm not an avid fisherman; as a matter of fact, I'm not sure if I've ever caught a bass. Oh but I've heard fish stories, and even been a part of a few of those stories. My favorites are those that the mammoth of a 6 inch fish stretched to a foot long by the end of the day. By next week, somehow, the fish is 1 yard long, and pulled the boat all around the lake before we got it reeled in.

It's funny how we stretch our own accomplishments. We build them up far beyond what they ever were. We have a way of making the insignificant  extremely important. Let's compare our works (fish) to the works of God.

The Bible says (Isaiah 64:6) that our works (righteous deeds) are as filthy rags. Now I've seen some filthy rags in my short 26 years on earth, and that is our best deeds. Our best work is as disgusting, muddy, greasy, dusty, musty rags. That is leaving out of the picture our "not so great" deeds. Our best is (to steal a South African term) rubbish, and really unusable.

There is no stretching our filthy rags out so far to make them appear as useful, but when we allow God to be God, his works are useful, uplifting, and full of mercy and grace.

I've only heard of one fish story where the fish was so big that it caught the man, and that is the story of Jonah. While our fish (works) seem good, they are minimal compared to the grace that God sent in the form of a fish that caught Jonah.

Why is this fish a sign of God's grace? In Jonah's reality, the fish of grace saved his life. He would've drowned in the storm in the sea. Grace swallowed him, and grace spit him out in the will of God on the shores of where he should've been. One might say grace saved him and grace led him home!

Dry Things Burn the Best

Have you ever felt like you were in a slump, a spell so dry that all of the water in the ocean couldn't quench the thirst? I think if we were all honest (and very rarely is that the case) we would say, "Yep, I've been there." Yet others may say, "I am currently there."

For those currently there, the symptoms didn't seem so extravagant at first (fires don't typically die all at once), but they have since exacerbated into something that seems eternal. The joy found in the Lord seems like a distant memory that is a bit hazy to our remembrance. The mercy and grace that we experienced (many times) in our distant past seem like they were just a good dream, but we question their reality, their very existence in this moment. Forgiveness for our own shortcomings seems impossible, and we struggle through the internal aspects of forgiving others; while on the outside, it seems like we are (to steal a southern phrase) "fine and dandy."

In reality, our emotions are either out of control or we feel nothing at all. There seems to be no middle ground in our state of mind. And really it comes down to a head issue. Our hearts can still be on the right track, but our head gets in the way. We fill our time with everything but what we should. The solution is simple, but by no means is it easy.

We must let our brains remember what our hearts never forgot.

Force ourselves to spend time in prayer, personal time of worship, and time in the word. In these times, we never feel like doing these things, and at first it feels like we are going through the motions. Then we reach the point where it feels like out prayers are not able to get through the ceiling of our prayer closet, the worship is just music and the music is just noise, and the Word seems like hieroglyphics. It is as this point that Romans 5:4 can be an encouragement to us because it can define our circumstance.

3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character;and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.…

When we push through, our heads begin to look forward to our quiet times, and the hope and joy is renewed within us. Our faith is revived. Our lives are renewed! Our fire is burning brighter than ever!

There is no set time of how long this process takes, but don't give up. Sorrows may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning!

Why are Male Humans Disgusting: A Rant by a Male Human

As I was driving around my current city of residence, I realized that men are disgusting creatures. I can speak with only slight certainty that women are also disgusting, but coming from a single guy who was the youngest of 3 boys, having no sisters, I cannot be 100% on the issue of women hygiene. I am an American living currently in South Africa, and I realized that the country of origin doesn’t matter. I am a lover of all modes of gross humor, but men are nasty. The following are a few things that I have realized and would like to share with you. I'll use a copout here and say all men are not guilty of all 3 of these things, but these are things I've noticed that "some" men do.

Starting off with what I saw yesterday.

1) Men pick their nose… even in public (sometimes). 

Why do men do this? Heck if I know, but the truth is, men do it. Maybe the reason is to breathe easier, maybe it is a nervous twitch, but one thing is for certain; it is a disgusting habit that must be broken! For the love of all things sanitary, guys if you are going to pick your nose, do not even think about eating it. Somebody was grossed out by just reading that last sentence, but honestly, I was grossed out watching a guy at a red light (robot) today do just that. 

2) Men do not have great aim at all times.

Yes this is referring to urination practices. Anyone who has set foot into a public men’s bathroom knows this to be 100% truth. I can say as a Christian man, having bad aim is not a sin. Failing to clean up after your mishap is one of the most repulsive things you can do! I understand there has been a great debate among men and women since at least 1927 (which is the year the toilet seat was invented by Tom Bradney). Should the toilet seat be put down or remain up after a man does his business is not a concern of mine in this article. Frankly I have trained myself to put the toilet seat down because I know a (future) happy wife means a happy life. This one self training technique could save many days/nights of arguments, and in my opinion is worth investing in. But again in the name of sanitation, whether the toilet seat is up (which it should be) or down when a guy expels liquid, make sure there are no “sprinkle drops” on the toilet when you finish, or clean it up!

*As a bonus or side note to number 2, I would like to add that if one wants to truly understand the difference between men and women one must not look further than how men and women differ in cleaning the inside of a toilet bowl. Women use a brush. Men try to spray it off in a trip to the bathroom; if unsuccessful, men will try again on the next trip. 

3) Hand washing techniques leave a bit to be desired.

By a bit, i may be under shooting… a bit. I do not know how many times I’ve seen a guy walk out of the bathroom after doing his business, whichever of the two businesses that a man can do in a bathroom, and not wash his hands. What makes someone think this is an all right thing to do? It’s not only in the bathroom hand washing, but just hand washing in general that I have found lacking. Pet the dog and eat some chips. Scratch your hind-end and eat some fruit. Pick your nose and eat… we won’t get back into that. In the words of my old respiratory therapy teacher. Wash your nasty hands!

Since all good sermons are 3 points, I shall bring this rant to a close. Brush your teeth, wash your hair (if you still have some), use deodorant and wear clean socks! I am not asking you to not be gross, but just be a little less gross!

Pray in KJV

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you understand just how random of a person I am or can be. I can post a "deep" theological thought one day, and a totally random fact the next. Or more recently, I was in a smack talking mood over the card game, hearts. My good friends have handled my trash talking with much grace, especially on account of the large scale beat down that they have taken... Countless large scale beat downs to be correct.

I posted something the other day, that I had been in thought about for a while. I even had a discussion with the care taker at a Private Children's home that I help manage about the subject. I do not remember my exact post, but I will elaborate on it a bit now.

As a christian, I know I have been guilty (many times) of stating a certain phrase. That phrase: We serve a good God.

Not until more recently did I realize the error in my statement. It is true God is good. Regardless of the 'if God is good then why is there so much bad in the world' question. In a completely personal opinion, my answer to that question is that God has given us free will. If there is no bad in the world, but only good, then we don't really have a choice between good and bad, thus there is no free will. That is the short answer. Many more details could and should be entered for my complete thought on the matter, but we need to get back to the matter at hand.

My error in stating 'We serve a good God.'

I was never an English major, as the 3 or 4 of you who actually take the time to read this blog knew very quickly, but this thought has everything to do with grammar in the English language. The word 'a' is my problem. Saying, 'We serve a good God." might leave a person to think that there is another good God out there some where. Kind of like asking the question, "Do you have a good #2 pencil?" (If you said hashtag 2 pencil, please reread the previous sentence). It's not to say that your #2 pencil is the only good #2 pencil, but simply asking do you have one of the many #2 pencils in the world. 

What could change this question? Replace the word 'a' with the word 'the'. Do you have 'the' #2 pencil? For some reason the word 'the' makes it seem like there are no other #2 pencils in the world. 

Do you want a Reese's Peanut Butter cup? (the answer is always YES!!!!) Or do you want the Reese's Peanut Butter cup? (again the answer is always YES!!!!). A makes me think one of many; whereas, the makes me think the only one. Have I made this point clear? And also the point that you should always say yes to Reese's?!

When we say we serve a good God, we should actually be saying, "We serve the good God!"

That statement leads one to believe that there are no other good gods except our God. It takes away the thought that God is one of the good gods, and sets God apart as the only good god!

I also believe you can substitute the word 'good' with: faithful, merciful, healing, and the list could go on and on. Use your imagination on this one!

Moral of the story: Pray only in KJV, God understands what you mean better in old English! (I'm joking, and hope you knew)

Learn it, Live it, Love it!

You know just because something is in the Bible and you believe it, doesn't mean you really know what it means or have necessarily learned it. Sometimes it takes experience; sometimes it simply takes time to sink in.

Take love for example:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. 

Love is patient: it doesn't force something that isn't there. It develops at the correct moment to be the driving force it waits, even in tough times or difficult situations that are outside of our scope of understanding. 

Love is kind. It doesn't mean it won't poke fun, but it'll never cross the line. 

Love isn't envious of what others have (in a relationship, business, etc...).

Love doesn't boast (before others or in a room all by itself) of what it has, and it definitely doesn't boast of what it may one day have

Love is not proud. There's nothing wrong with being proud of something, but love isn't proud to the point of thinking that what it has could never be lost.

Love isn't rude. It's honest without the rudeness. It gets the point across without being rude.

Love isn't self-seeking. It's not about what you can get out of it. Love isn't about you.

Love isn't easily angered. That doesn't mean that it never gets angry. it just takes a lot to anger it. It maybe disappointed, but there is a thick line between disappointment and anger.

Love doesn't keep a record of wrongs. So even if love does get angry (and according to the previous statement, it took a lot), it forgives and forgets. It doesn't keep a tally of how many times it has been wronged. 

Love doesn't delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. Evil brings pain to love while truth rejuvenates it.

Love always protects. it always has protection on the forefront of it's mind, in every circumstance, like an instinct. It makes sure to provide and meet needs.

Love always trusts. Trust is the foundation of love. If there is no trust, there is no relationship (in any form).

Love perseveres. No matter the circumstance, situation, huge life change, or small life change, love out lasts them all.

Love never fails, period.

No where does it say love is easy, or comfortable, and it surely doesn't say that love is easy to find (especially in this day and age).

Regardless, love never fails.

Some may say, "Oh you must have really loved them/that."
But I would say no. that isn't the case at all because love (to me) isn't past tense. Love is present: love is the decision that I will make in the future. I love now, and I will love.

"United in Love"

  

What You Need

Have you ever heard that Jesus is the answer to every question? I've heard it, and obviously one could ask a question that has nothing to do with Jesus, but in reality, Jesus is the answer to every question. He's everything we need; he's simply, the answer. Before I get too deep on myself let me explain.

Woman at the well needed water; she received living water straight from the Source. but he's not just water. Sometimes people are hungry and not thirsty. For those, He is the Bread of Life.

We all walk in a world full of darkness, but some indulge in that darkness and fall into the traps of the dark; Jesus is the Light of the World and can put those traps into the light so that they can be avoided.

People travel but don't get anywhere because they are lost and don't even know it, living a lie that they believe is truth, living a life that's leading them only to death.  For those (and all of us) He is the way, the truth, and the life.

People are different. Some react to more of a dictator quality in a person better than a gentle command. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He is the Lamb of God.

He doesn't have a split personality. He's not bread for someone who needs water. He's not a Lion for someone who needs a Lamb.

This isn't a "Jesus is only what you need and nothing else" gospel.
This is a "Jesus is exactly what you need" gospel.