still waters run deeep

no greater love can ever be known

2010-08-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

"For oh my God, it found out me."

What a graceful Saviour!

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD HE REIGNS

2010-08-14T10:29:00.001-07:00

FROM HEAVEN ABOVE

2010-08-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

I tend to write very cliche material, when I try to right something personal in life, and I was on my way to writing another bland diatribe. I realize I tend to be cryptic in my writing, making it useless for the reader, and also constraining on what I feel is quite a cathartic process when done the way it should be.

I almost want to say that the consequences of sin can sometimes cannot be undone, but this isn't a reality because of God's grace. I still have no idea what it means. So I'll say it. It seems like sometimes sins you've done cannot be undone, in this sense, the damage has been done.

I know that God's grace CAN undo it, but I can't say I've experienced it myself. The consequences not only are confined in myself, but to those around me.

I wouldn't say I'm feeling "discouraged" or "down-trodden" at all. I just see I have no hope within myself.

If anything good is gonna come to my life it is never gonna be through me. Like forreal there is nothing good in me. I'm not like normal people that have compassion, that can muster up good works, that are considerate, that have any redeemable qualities. On paper, I would probably hate myself, despise, and just shake my head.

But their is Christ. I've been asking God, "teach me what it is like to know weakness," and I guess He made me realize that I AM. Blessed are the lowly in spirit. I guess I thought I was better than what I really was. It's funny cause God has showed this to me time and time again.

I'm not even on that emo, low self-esteem tip. It's true, I have no redeeming qualities as a human being. Nothing good within myself, like forreal.

I came into this post thinking I was going to write about sin, and it's consequences, but I ended up writing whatever you would call this.

Am I trying to debase myself or have some show of humility? Lols, not at all. What was the point of this post? I don't know, right now I'm thinking of that song "Give him the Glory" though, it's a good song.

John&Betty Stam

2010-07-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

“When we consecrate ourselves to God, we think we are making a great sacrifice, and doing lots for Him, when really we are only letting go some little bitsy trinkets we have been grabbing, and when our hands are empty, He fills them full of His treasures.” - Betty Stam

I give Thee back the life I owe

2010-07-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

George Matheson wrote, "My hymn was composed in the manse of Innelan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."

Courtesy of Cyber Hymnal

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

First of all, just want to say Happy Father's day to my dad, Artemio Generoza Lejarde Jr., Happy Father's day!, I love you! Also to my grandfather, Artemio Lejarde Sr., love you grandpa, thank you for raising my and teaching me the right ways!

Most important, I am so blessed to be called a son of God.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."
I John 3:1

use only illustrations from scripture

2010-06-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

I REALLY need to learn my Old Testament.

I'm glad when Jesus saves, he does indeed

2010-06-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

"Repentance is not a sinner changing his life; it is a sinner yielding to God, surrendering to God, so that God can change his life."

I've been reading "Does Salvation Make a Difference?" by David Cloud from Way of Life ministries that has really encouraged me, a doctrine that is not strongly preached today even in "Independent, Bible believin', soul winnin', BAPTIST" churches." Which is the doctrine of salvation, and the repentance it brings in one who truly is born again. This doctrine in my opinion has produced a whole lot of errors, and false doctrines within our movement today, that has likewise effected our methodology. I hope to expound upon this sometime, but here is the link.

Now back to finishing the article.

upular: loving my life, but not wanting to feel at home

2010-06-16T10:15:00.001-07:00

So just a couple of minutes ago my mom and I were talking, and I ended up showing her this video.

Now this post isn't necessarily about Pogo, or this song, but how this song and music in general effects me. When I listen to certain music that doesn't have to do with spiritual things, that in my opinion are perfectly fine to listen to, it makes me feel good. I'm happy and content, and music, in this case "Upular," seems to be a good song for where I am in life: in Santa Cruz, on the beach, summer time, perfect weather, sun shining, no responsibilities. It fits. However, I realize when I listen to non-spiritual music, I tend to grow comfortable, and I start feeling at home in this world. Is feeling comfortable wrong? Not at all, I just personally realize, that these things take my eyes off of eternity, and God's general purpose for me in this life, and also God's specific will towards me.

I'm not trying to infringe upon Christian liberty, and our freedom from the law, and freedom in Christ. Just personally, I want to as much as possible keep all things in subjection to Christ, and make sure everything I listen to, and watch edify me in Christ. This for the most part eliminates a lot of worldly entertainment. I don't do this out of necessity, but for a greater thing, which is Christ. Before I probably would try to impose this on other people, but I'm perfectly content, because I WANT to do it, and I don't feel the need to have others follow suit. I guess I've matured in the sense that, Christ is supremely satisfying to me, and I don't need to feel or see others walking as I do. I'm not perfect, but I press on, God is faithful nonetheless!

P.S. I'm a REALLY bad writer, and my thoughts are all over the place, I'll work on this the more I blog. G'day chaps!

Biblical Economics by John MacArthur

2010-06-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Videos/V8280-358

Haven't heard the whole thing yet, but a great primer on Biblical economics, and it's implication in our daily lives. Will comment more later.

For now I'll post the transcript of the message, for those who don't want to follow the link.

Biblical Economics
Selected Scriptures

Code: 80-358

Tonight I want to talk to you a little bit, kind of like a family talk. This is not really a sermon, I wouldn’t call it a sermon because I’m not even sure what I’m going to say myself. So I have a lot more things to say than I will have time to say and I don’t want to drag it out, but I want to try to help you have a bit of a biblical perspective on the situation as we face it in our world and in our country today. I want to talk about biblical economics. Everybody is highly aware of the mega-shift in economics, mega-shift in finance. We’re all very much aware of rising unemployment, people losing their jobs. Very much aware of the fact that taxes keep going up, that the government is passing more and more bills, more and more legislation that is essentially going to reallocate wealth from people who have it ostensibly to the people who don’t have it, shifting economic situations are well, well known to all of us.

My intention is not to talk about the politics of any of that. My intention is simply to talk about how we respond biblically to what is going on. A few things to say at the very beginning. Whatever happens economically in the United States has no direct effect on the church...it has no direct effect on the church. The church exists as a completely independent organism. The Kingdom of Christ has no connection to the kingdoms of this world. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a capitalistic culture or an absolutely communistic culture. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a monarchy or whether you’re in anarchy. What happens in the world, what happens politically, what happens economically in the world neither retards or expedites the development of the church. The Kingdom of God works by power that is transcendent to the world. It operates under the divine purpose and the divine hand and is not subject to the whimsies and the shifting changes in human cultures from nation to nation which exists, that form of government, that form of economics, that social structure has no direct impact on the church.

It has an indirect impact on the church insofar as Christians respond to it and maintain their stewardship. And that’s what I’m concerned about...that’s what I’m concerned about. I’m concerned because obviously the government is taking more money from people who have money than it ever has in the past and it will continue to do that. It’s going to do that because that’s the agenda, that’s the socialist agenda that is being played out before us. There are many contributing realities that lead to that, but that’s precisely what is happening. And as the government determines that it must control every aspect of life. To maintain that control, money has to come into the government because the government is the controlling agency in everything. And so the takeover will continue to be great. As it does, it will take money from people who have it to give it back to the people that they feel deserve it, even though they don’t earn it, which is a violation of a biblical principle, as you well know. You don’t work, you don’t eat.

But nonetheless this is what we have. So what is going to occur and is already occurring, it’s occurred in my lifetime and more rapidly in the last ten years, is that you’re going to have less discretionary money than people have had in the past...much less discretionary money.

The question then of your biblical stewardship becomes an issue. What happens in the government doesn’t directly impact the church but it indirectly impacts the church because it puts more pressure on the people of God to be stewards of what they possess. People who have been philanthropic in the past, who have been generous in the past aren’t going to have as many opportunities to do that because they’re going to have limited discretionary funds. Their giving may be challenged. But that may be true of all of us because all of us clearly are going to be dealing with less as government gets larger and larger and it must be funded.

So we need to think about our own stewardship in a changing climate with less discretionary money. You know, when we look back. In Israel if you were living in a theocracy of Israel under the reign of God, there were two ten percent tithes every year you paid, and there was a ten percent tithe you paid every third year which breaks back to three and a third each year to make up the three. So you paid about twenty-three and a third, and a few other sorted temple taxes and shared the corners of your field and so forth. So about twenty-five percent of your income went to fund the government. You had discretionary money to help the poor and to invest and to do with what you will. The people who could work, did work and those who could work and didn’t work were worse than infidels. The Bible says if you don’t provide for your household, you’re worse than an infidel, you’re worse than an unbeliever. Even unbelievers understand that responsibility.

There were those people who couldn’t work. There were the destitute and the abject poor and those who didn’t have the skills or didn’t have the mental resources, didn’t have the faculties, didn’t have the strength, didn’t have the health to work and they were cared for by the society. But the people had discretionary funds and they were instructed to give to the Lord whatever was in their heart to give. You pay your taxes, twenty-three and a third, and then you give the Lord whatever you want to give the Lord. Bring the best you have, bring the first fruits of your crop and then give the Lord whatever is in your heart to give. That’s the Old Testament principle of giving. Pay your taxes and give the Lord whatever you want. The New Testament, the same thing. Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, pay your taxes and then give the Lord whatever you want. Whatever a man purposes in his heart to do, do it...Paul said. Do it the first day of the week, whatever it is that you desire to do.

In those cultures, as I said, even in New Testament Israel, there was a higher percentage of discretionary money, if not great amounts of money. People could make decisions about that. As those decisions are squeezed and we have less and less discretion about our resources, the choices then become very, very important. And as we go forward for the sake of the future of the Kingdom of God and the future of doing the work of God in the world, Christians have to rethink how they’re going to use the limited funds, more limited funds than they have. Wages are probably not going to go up, if you have a job at all. Wages may stay the same. Wages may go down. Taxes will go up, that’s inevitable. We all understand that we have incurred a debt in this country that essentially couldn’t be paid off no matter what under today’s conditions or the conditions in any immediate future. So we’re looking down a black hole which means that in the future, discretionary funds are going to be diminished and we have to be very careful to establish our priorities and refocus our lives on a different standard of living.

Now what got us to this? I’m going to answer that question but first of all, I want you to look at 1 Timothy chapter 6 and I just want to set this in your mind. I’m not going to do an exposition of it, although I am going to refer to it. But just to get one passage that kind of sinks down in our thinking. First Timothy 6 verse 6, “Godliness actually is a measure of great gain when accompanied by contentment...when accompanied by contentment.” That statement alone is monumental...it’s monumental. The reason we are in the problems we’re in economically is because people are flatly discontent. They never have enough of whatever they have. And discontent, covetousness, greed, whatever, dissatisfaction is a sin. And that kind of discontent is basically fed a steady diet of advertising in our culture.

So discontentment flourishes, contentment almost disappears. But godliness is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. We have brought nothing into the world so we can take nothing out of it either. You will leave with exactly what you arrived with...nothing...nothing. If you have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction, for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.

And dropping down to verse 17, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future...that’s treasure in heaven, as our Lord put it...so that they may take hold of that which is life for real eternal life.” Familiar words to us and powerful ones.

Now they address the issue of greed and discontent which is behind the world in every sense because unregenerate people are sinners to the core, as we well understand. And one of the manifestations of that sin comes in the area of greed and covetousness and self-indulgence.

If you were to break it down a little bit and ask how we got to the place we are today, the answer would simply be because we have a world full of sinners. We have always had a world full of sinners and that will never change. And one of the manifestations of sin is materialistic greed. The Bible makes that very clear. People are never satisfied with what they have. So the first thing that contributes to the economic revolution that we’re facing in America is materialistic greed. People are never satisfied with what they have. No matter how much they have, no matter what they have, they want more than they have and they want different than they have. This creates the opportunity then for people to feed their discontent and therefore to offer them things that really are the products of their temptation, they are the products of their sinful desires.

Now in order to give people everything they want, you have to give them more than they can afford, right? Because if they could afford it, they wouldn’t be wanting it anymore, they would have it. So in order to accommodate materialistic greed, you have to come up with a system that lets people get what they want when they can’t afford it. That’s called debt. That’s called debt. So you have people living in houses they can’t afford and driving cars they can’t afford and buying things with credit cards they can’t afford with money they don’t have. That’s debt. And you have a system that feeds that.

Let me tell you just one example...one illustration of how that system works. If you were to go back say 40 years and you were to track a graph...just imagine a graph in your mind...and you were to show the rising rate of wages, say the average wage, start with a minimum wage or the average wage, wages would go up like this.....to the present time...say, 2006, 2007. The line would be a steady increase like this..... If you were to put a line above that, that showed income, corporate income, the lines would go like this....the wages and the income would go like this until about twenty year s ago and then the income would go like this.... And so the gap between what companies earn and what they pay their employees is so massive that you can give ten million, a hundred million, fifth million bonuses to the people at the top of the food chain. And the gap is just massive.

The people down here want what they can’t afford. How they going to get what they can’t afford? Not only have you become rich but now they want more money and you won’t pay it to them. So they borrow the money that their wages will never be able to pay back and you not only take money from them that they really worked to produce, but when they need it, you give it back to them in a form of a loan and you become even more and more and more wealthy. This is one product of greed. It isn’t just that people on the low level, the hard-working folks in the world who are greedy and want more than they have, the people at the top are greedy because sinners are greedy because human nature is driven by greed. But never, at least in my understanding of American history or of any kind of economics, has there been such a massive, massive gap between what is earned by corporations, and what is paid to the employees so that the people at the top can throw around bonuses that number in the multiple tens and hundreds of millions of dollars and hand them to people who are walking away from failing corporations while all the employees lose their jobs. It’s a bizarre situation. And then when you create the desire for them to have more and they don’t have the money, and you loan it back to them, it’s a double sin against them.

No wonder this kind of thing irritates people. This is the kind of stuff that leads to revolution. The French Revolution, you remember, the royalty was filthy rich and they came to Marie Antoinette and they said the people have no bread and she sarcastically said, “Let them eat cake.” There was such a massive gap between how the people in the palace lived and how the people in the street lived that it led to the French Revolution. This is colliding greed. Greed at the low level, greed at the upper level, and the chaos that that greed generates is becoming obvious to us all.

So the first thing that creates these economic crises is materialistic greed. The second thing is unsustainable debt in our case. What happens is people could get money for absolutely anything. People could get money to buy a house they should never have bought to buy a car they never should have bought, they can get twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty credit cards and rack up incredible debt that’s to be paid off at interest rates from the low of twelve percent to the high of twenty-five percent. Eventually the debt is so big, so massive, so unsustainable and while we’re all doing it at the local level, at the individual level, the United States Government is doing exactly the same thing...exactly the same thing, borrowing money from nations all over the globe, developing an unsustainable debt that can never be paid off, and eventually the house of cards begins to collapse. Jobs are lost. Bankruptcy proliferates.

Now this is a perfect storm. This is a perfect storm for socialism, for revolution because now the government says we have to step in and take over and stop all the abuse. We’ve got to stop all the bad things going on in the case of the worker. We’ve got to stop all the bad things going on at the corporate level.

So what are we going to do? We’re going to have somebody control all that. We’re going to put people in charge of wages and people in charge of corporate salaries and we’re going to have government take-over health care because there’s so much corruption there insurance companies and doctors and on and on they go. Whenever you have this kind of chaos that comes from a society that is driven by materialistic greed that comes to unsustainable debt, the government is in a perfect storm to step in. And then if you have a socialist leader in charge of all of that, that is what really perfects the storm because then you have the underlying agenda of the reallocation of wealth which is driven by a certain amount of class, envy, and so forth.

We have those kinds of problems aided and abetted by the fact that somewhere along the line we decided in America that you should have money, even if you don’t earn it. Fifty percent of America doesn’t pay any taxes, the burden falls on the other fifty percent.

How did we develop all these entitlements? How did we get to the point where some people have no responsibility? Other people carry a heavy responsibility? How did we get to the point where we think people who don’t work should be given money? Somebody who has money should give money to other people, but they should give money to other people for services rendered, right? Not because they have it, therefore they owe it. Big difference between earning it and the dignity and the sense of achievement and accomplishment that comes with that and being handed that.

But this is the kind of situation where you have government takeover. Always these kinds of situations lead to revolutionary changes and so here come the regulators, regulating pay, regulating corporations, regulating health care, more government control of everything, more taxation. This is incompatible with what America talks about most, freedom...freedom. You know, what we want to do...we want to go all over the world and help nations become free.

Well, I’ve got news for you, folks. Socialism and government takeover is completely opposite freedom. Because what does it do? It eliminates your choices. It eliminates your discretionary money. America has loved its freedom and is now fast losing that freedom. According to the Constitution, the government of America was set up to protect the individual rights of Americans, right? We have certain inalienable rights and the Constitution put the government in power to protect those inalienable rights. Well rights and liberties and freedoms are all related to how many choices you have with what is yours. You’re only free if you can choose. As soon as you can’t choose, you’re not free. And if the government off the top tells you how to run your business, how to pay your people, what you have to do, if it regulates you to the gills and you have to pay for all those regulations and pay for all the infractions of those regulations, your freedoms are just being taken away systematically. And as the taxes rise and rise and rise, we see this in Europe and in Canada, you have less and less freedom. Liberty and Socialism are incompatible. That’s an oxymoron.

Under all forms of Socialism which is a reallocation of wealth through government, Government Control, all freedom and rights of the individual are subject to removal by the power of the government. The power of the people becomes concentrated in the hands of the people who are in the positions of leadership in the government. And in our case, the bureaucrats, the elite people who are making all of these decisions with which everybody seems to be very, very upset if the ratings of our Congress and Senate in the public surveys are any indication, these are the people who make all the shots. They make all the calls. They determine how much you’re going to have. They determine how much you’re going to spend. They determine how much you’re going to pay taxes.

So the control of the people is being limited. We’re losing control over the choices we make in businesses and salaries and health care, wages, property, spending. We’ve got to be protected from credit card abuse. We’ve got to be protected from employer abuse. So the government comes in, in this noble way, and becomes the protector of all things and eventually everything gets filtered through the government and the choices are theirs and not ours. This is confiscation of freedom.

Am I happy about this? Well I’m not really emotionally involved in it. It is what it is. What I like to think about the fact that we had more freedom? Sure. But I understand who’s in charge of all of this, don’t you? The powers that be are ordained by God. I understand all of that. And I’ve said this for many years. America is going to get what it asks for. Romans 1, I did a message, you remember that?, a message on Romans 1. You can listen to it, if you haven’t. But, you know, we’re going to get what we ask for. And what are we going to get when we behave the way we behave? When we have a sexual revolution and a homosexual revolution and when we decide that people who don’t work ought to be paid and the people are entitled to take money from people who work hard, to earn it without having themselves earned it, when we overturn all the things that really fit the biblical pattern, what else can we expect but difficulty.

Am I frightened by it? Not at all. Does it affect the church? Not in a direct way. In fact, God’s going to do what He’s going to do. But I do think it can affect the church in an indirect way because it effects how we behave as believers if we don’t reassess our stewardship. That’s kind of what I’m after.

Our government is no longer interested in protecting the civil rights of individuals from encroachment by those in power. It is now encroaching and is set to perpetrate and expand social programs by which they control everything, absolutely everything. And we’re so far down that path, it’s not about to turn around. The destruction of freedom, the limiting of freedom is well on its way.

Now that would be...that would be disturbing enough to anybody who wanted to have discretion and make choices with the use of their own resources which, I believe, is a biblical principle. So this is a violation of a biblical principle for sure, but this isn’t the first country that’s violated biblical principles in which Christians have still had to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. So we accept the fact that in a fallen world it’s going to happen.

But the worse part of it is this. And I think this is the hardest part for Americans to swallow. At the same time there is the aggressive removal of the Bible from everything in the public square. Throwing around separation of church and state, which, by the way, is a statement not in the Constitution, it’s simply something Thomas Jefferson said, throwing that around so that you can’t even bring up Christianity anywhere without being out of bounds in terms of what is tolerant in America. The destruction of freedom in America by this expanding government is also accompanied by the removal of the holy Scripture, the Word of God.

Now what is frightening about that is you then have no objective fixed permanent transcendent standard for what is right. Either for what is morally right, or for what is considered to be virtuous. If the Bible was the foundation of our country, we would know that adultery is wrong, that homosexuality is wrong, that abortion is wrong, that euthanasia is wrong. We would know that lying and stealing and cheating is wrong, that revisionist history where you go into a class and you lie about history because you’re not committed to truth, you’re only committed to helping the disenfranchised masses be liberated from past oppressions. We have a nobler goal than truth.

Where you have the Bible, you understand objective truth. You understand what is a fixed standard of morality. You understand work ethic. You understand that you earn your bread by the sweat of your brow, from Genesis on. You understand that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. You understand that if a man is not providing for his household, he’s worse than an infidel. You also understand that you care for the widow, and you care for the orphan, and you care for the poor which you’ll always have with you.

But whence the Bible is out, you have no moral authority. You have no authority for virtues like honesty, integrity, kindness, how about humility, deference. There is no moral authority. There’s no standard for behavior, no standard for what is an appropriate attitude. We exalt anger, we exalt vengeance, we exalt in the media murder, mayhem, killing in video games and movies. And now what we have totally removed, the only foundation for truth, morality, virtue and the way things should be done.

So who is going to determine what is right? I’ll tell you who’s going to determine what is right, the power elite...the power elite. They’re going to decide what’s right, what’s true, what’s tolerated, what’s not tolerated. They’re going to come and say to you, you’re going to have to hire homosexuals. They’re going to come and say to you if the people in your church are spanking their children, they’re subject to being arrested. They’re going to decide, even though the Bible says if you don’t spank your child, you’re making a terrible mistake, you’re spoiling your child. The power elite, they’re going to be in charge of a manmade morality. They’re going to decide what the truth is. They’re the ones in the power positions. There will be no permanent absolute truth. All qualities in society that we would have judged as qualities, like honesty, integrity, freedom, truthfulness, kindness, humility, generosity are subject to changing perceptions. Relativism prevails. Government control strengthens. Moral chaos abounds. Socialistic, naturalistic relativism takes over.

I’m convinced that the only hope for a stable, good, right kind of society is total commitment to follow the patterns of Scripture. If you don’t, all is lost...all is lost. (Applause) Without the Word of God, everything disappears into the ever-changing conditions of relativism. The extent of freedom, that is the discretionary living of your life, the extent of freedom is in direct proportion to a nation’s compliance with Scripture. That’s long gone.

Now, how do we face this? You know, I’m always excited about what the Lord has in the future because He always surprises me. I wouldn’t be surprised if money came out of nowhere to do things I can’t even imagine that could be done. I know many of you struggle. I know many of you struggle in your own lives. Some of you have lost your jobs, some of you had your wages cut. Some of you don’t know what your future looks like. Some of you have reached that great epoch day a few weeks ago when you graduated from college and now you can’t find a job and you’ve invested a lot and you need to pay off some bills. And others of you are looking at your kids and your grandkids and wondering what the world is going to be like in the future for them. I know there are challenges ahead of all of us but I haven’t lost any confidence in the Lord and what He can do.

I...I never believed that this was a Christian nation, I don’t believe it ever was. I don’t believe it is now because nations aren’t Christians, people are. How basic is that, huh? People are Christians, nations aren’t Christians, people are. So I think we are just presented with a new opportunity, we have to rethink what we have. We need to change our life style, if I can say it so boldly.

And first of all, I just want to break it down and give you a few things to think about. When we think of biblical economics and I could say more about that, but I don’t think I need to. I think you get the picture.

But I want to talk about biblical economics and just in simple terms.

Number one, the right to possess money. The Bible gives us the right to possess money. In Deuteronomy 8:17 and 18 it says that God has given you the power to get wealth. Don’t think you did it, God has done it. God has given you the power by your circumstances, by His providences, by your abilities and your gifts to get wealthy. And there’s plenty of it on this planet, wouldn’t you agree? It’s a staggering reality when you think of the wealth of this planet. This is not the moon, folks. This is not Mars. This isn’t a dirt pile. This Earth abounds with prospects of wealth. And God has given us the power to get wealth. And if you look at the Scripture, He gives us the power to do this in order to provide for our basic needs in order to share with those who cannot provide for themselves, in order to prove His goodness and in order to do His will.

In other words, He gives us the power to get wealth so that we can provide for ourselves and provide for others who can’t provide for themselves, so that we can see His goodness on display in the provision that He makes and so that with the use of that appropriately we can do His will.

Nothing wrong with having money. Nothing wrong if God prospers you with having a lot of money. Look, some have a little bit, some of have a whole lot. And then there are all the rest of us in the middle somewhere. But that is all determined by the providences of God through circumstances and His plan and His purpose and your gifts and your opportunities and the things that you can control and sometimes the things that you can’t control. But all converge in His purpose for a believer to make you able to get wealth, to put it in the language of Deuteronomy 8.

So, money is a provision from the Lord. You have the right to possess money. Nothing in the Bible looks down on that. Job, very wealthy; Abraham, very wealthy; there are wealthy people in the New Testament like Joseph of Arimathea, he was a wealthy man who provided a grave for Jesus, etc., etc. There’s no issue there. The Lord has provided wealth for us at all different levels.

But beyond that, the second thing is the way you regard money. You have the right to possess it. The way you regard it is the important issue. And that’s what I was reading to you just a minute ago from 1 Timothy 6. The danger is to love it, right? And the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money is not the root of evil, it doesn’t say that. It says the love of it is. And you can love it like crazy and have none of it. And you can have a lot of it and not love it. It’s the attitude you bring toward it.

How are you to regard money? You are not to love it...you are not to love it. You are to love God and not money. You are to see that money is a provision by God in His kindness so that you can provide for your family and your life, that you can provide for those who can’t provide for themselves so that you can see the goodness of God and live a life of thankfulness and so that you can be in a position to do what is His will.

Listen to Ecclesiastes 5:10, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Nor he who loves abundance with its income. This is vanity.” When good things increase, those who consume them increase, so what’s the advantage to their owners except to watch while all their money goes away. Loving money is the wrong attitude. You have to have the correct attitude toward money. If you love money, it will destroy your relationships with others, it will destroy your personal contentment. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Be content with such things as you have.” That’s the right attitude. Don’t covet what you don’t have. A covetous person is a person that is utterly discontent and it’s so amazing, it doesn’t matter what they have, it’s never, ever, ever enough. James talks about how you want and you want and you want to consume it on your own lust and you’re never satiated.

So the right attitude is absolutely critical when it comes to money. If you have the wrong attitude, if you love it, if you pursue it. Look, you say, “Well, what’s my motive to go to work?” Colossians, Ephesians, what does it say? “Do your work as unto the Lord.” I want to honor the Lord in my work. I want to give excellence in my work. I want to do my best. I’m not pursuing the money, I’m pursuing the testimony of excellent work rendered in the name of the Lord. And when the money comes, I thank Him for the provision. I’m not driven for the money, I’m driven for the ministry, I’m driven for the testimony, I’m driven for the quality of the work that I do.

The way I used to think of it as an athlete, when I was a football player, because I always have been a person who would like to be able to control all the results, right? I mean, that’s what leaders are all about. But I learned pretty fast when I was a football player in college that I couldn’t control the outcome and I had to get over that. That was a very difficult thing for me to accept. I knew what I wanted the outcome to be, okay? We win and everybody else loses. That was the outcome I desired. And that was what I wanted.

The problem was I had that outcome in mind but I had a whole lot of people trying to prevent me from getting to that outcome. There were always eleven of them on the other side of the line and sometimes there were three or four on my own side of the line who were doing everything they could to make sure we never achieved that either. So there were just too many variables beyond my control. So I had to come to a point in my career where I decided that instead of being concerned about the outcome, I would be concerned about the effort. That I could control and that’s all I can control. And that’s the way you have to view what you do.

If you’re consumed by the benefit, if you’re consumed by the winning, if you’re consumed by the reward, you are down the wrong path. You want to be consumed by the privilege of the maximum effort. Do the best you can and let God determine what the reward will be. You have to have that kind of attitude or you’ll live with personal discontent, disillusionment, you’ll never have enough, you’ll be a covetous person, you’ll lose friends over it and you’ll become an idolater. Colossians 3:5 says, “Greed, or covetousness, is idolatry.” You’re worshiping money. Can’t do that without crossing a serious, serious line.

In Job 31 and verse 24, “If I put my confidence in gold and called fine gold my trust, if I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand had secured so much,” then down to verse 28, “I would have denied God above.” I’d be an idolater. I’d be worshiping money.

Live for your bank balance, live for your investment portfolio and you’re living idolatrous. People who do this get into financial bondage because they never have enough, never have enough, never have enough and what they want is more and more, more money, more stuff. What happens? What characterizes financial bondage?

Here’s a little list. Discontent...discontent, you just got to get out there and buy something else, you’ve got to get out there and have something else. Whatever you’ve bought the last time you bought something, was fine for the moment but past and now you need something else. Discontent, just brooding discontent with everything.

Secondly, indebtedness. The borrower becomes the lender’s slave, Proverbs 22:7. We have a culture which has provided for you, a way that you can buy what you don’t need with what you don’t have. How convenient is that? Perfect scenario to fulfill unnecessary desires.

Another thing that defines financial bondage...one, discontent; two, indebtedness; number three, constant pressure...constant pressure. Or we could say, anxiety, worry would be another way to define it. Worry because you have all these debts. And with that financial pressure comes the pressure of guilt because you face the reality of your overindulgence.

And then you’re led, when you’re in financial bondage, to the worst people with the worst schemes. Have you noticed? When you get into the tank, you’re a sucker for the first guy that comes alone and tells you he’s got to get rich quick scheme that will get you out of debt. Proverbs 28:22, “A man with an evil eye, envious, hastens after wealth, doesn’t know that want will come after him.” Run after wealth in the cheapest, quickest fashion and you’re going to end up not with more, but with less. And then I think you begin to, when you’re in financial bondage, you begin to lie to yourself, cheat on your Income Taxes and James writes, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming on you, your riches have rotted, your garments have become moth eaten, your gold and your silver is rusted and the rust is a witness against you, consume your flesh like fire in the last days you have stored up your measure.”

Why is this judgment on them? Why? “Behold the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields and which have been withheld by you, cries out against you.” Wow! You know what happens? When you get in debt, you can’t pay the people that you owe money to and you come under this kind of guilt, this kind of condemnation from Scripture itself. The people in financial bondage then are discontent, they’re in debt, they are slaves to whoever they owe. They feel this constant relentless pressure. They have to build their life around the dilemmas of their own greed. They look for any quick way out and make bad decisions and wind up in deeper trouble and they live with the guilt, and it’s a just guilt, and the condemnation of not paying their debts. That’s not the way you want to live.

Alright. So we’ve talked a little bit about the right to possess money and the right attitude toward money. What about God’s design for acquiring money? What does the Bible say? I wish I had time, I don’t. Let me just give you the outline and you can look up the verses.

God has given us ways in Scripture to have money. Number one, work...work...work. Proverbs is full of these, Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 28:19; and a lot...even in the New Testament there are statements about the very basic, the very, very obvious reality that we need to work. That’s what I’ve been saying from 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work, then he’s not to eat either.” Humph, pretty simple. If you won’t work, you don’t eat. That’s God’s plan.

Number two, save. The gap should not between what you earn and what you owe, the gap should be between what you earn and what you spend. You see the difference? Where do people in our society live? They live in the debt gap between what they earn and what they owe, instead of living in the saving’s gap between what they earn and what they spend. Here you’re spending way more than you earn. You should be spending way less than you earn, that’s called saving. Ever heard of that? It’s a really good thing and it’s a biblical principle to save.

You say, “Well, I don’t have enough to save.” Everybody has enough to save, it’s a matter of choices that you make. It’s a principle. Proverbs 21 tells us about it. Proverbs...actually it’s all through Proverbs, I’m not going to start reading those or we’ll never find an end to it.

Third way, plan...plan. In other words, could we say that evil word of all evil words, budget? Plan? Actually think about what you have and what you need and how you’re going to allocate what you have toward what you need and leave a gap so that you have saved in the process? Listen to Proverbs 27:23, “Know well the condition of your flocks. Pay attention to your herds, for riches are not forever.” In other words, take a look at what you’ve got, assess the situation. Do some planning. I mean, that’s so basic. That’s very important. And I think as we move ahead in this society, these are the kinds of things we’re going to have to take a look at...hard work, careful saving, thoughtful planning. “By wisdom,” Proverbs 24:3, “a house is built. By understanding it is established.” You’ve got to know what you’re doing. “And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

The Lord doesn’t mind you having the pleasant things. The Lord’s not trying to withhold the riches. They’re all there if you plan carefully.

And then there’s one more way that you can acquire money and that’s by giving. You say, “Wait a minute, that’s how you get rid of it.” No, that’s how you acquire it. Why? Jesus said, “Give...Luke 6:38...and what will happen?...it shall be given unto you.” That’s right. That’s a divine promise that when you give, you will also receive.

Listen to Proverbs 11:24, “There’s one who scatters yet increases all the more. There’s one who withholds what is justly due and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous.” I will promise you that is a fact and it’s just a fact apart from divine intervention. I’ll show you that if you’ll look with me at 2 Corinthians 9. This is a text worth commenting on. Second Corinthians 9, verse 6, we can start there. “He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” That’s the principle, right? What you give in sowing you get back in the crop. “Each one must do what he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly under compulsion. God loves a cheerful giver.” So you give, and it’s like planting seed. You plan a little, you get a small crop. You plant a lot, you get a big crop. “And God...verse 8...is able to make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in everything you may have an abundance for every good deed. As it is written, he scattered abroad and he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower, bread for food will supply multiply your seed for sowing, increase the harvest of your righteousness.” You say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it will all be spiritual and I’ll starve to death.”

No, it won’t all be spiritual. How do you know? Verse 11, “You’ll be enriched in everything. You’ll be enriched in everything for all liberality which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” God’s not going to hold back anything. You’re going to be enriched in everything.

What is God’s design for you then to acquire money? Work by the sweat of your brow. Work hard. If you don’t work, you don’t eat. There’s dignity in work. There’s achievement, accomplishment, self-respect. Save, plan and give and watch God give in return. These are just simple biblical principles of economics.

Now when it comes to giving, I think that’s going to be the challenge in the future. We’re going to be instead of looking at x-amount of dollars in the future from which we can choose to buy this, buy that, or give to the Lord’s work, give to the Kingdom, give to the church. We’re going to be squeezed down more and more. We’re going to have to make decisions. If I had this much, and I gave the Lord this much, and now I have this much...can I still give the Lord the same? That’s the challenge. Or even more? You have to make the choices about the stuff that you’re not taking with you, right? Isn’t that right? I mean, “You’re going to lay treasure where? In heaven where moth and rust doesn’t corrupt and thieves don’t break through and steal,” the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Put your treasure in heaven. Purchase friends, Luke 16, for eternity. Make your money count everlastingly. And that’s my concern that in the future as discretionary money becomes less and less, believers don’t change their life style and so they don’t lay up in heaven the treasure they ought to lay up. They don’t invest in that which is eternal. And for that, you will forever be blessed, right? What happens here in the brief veil of tears in which we live for a few short years isn’t what matters. What happens in eternity is what matters.

So some final things to think about. Transfer ownership of your money, time, possessions, earning power to God, He owns it all. Whatever He allows you to have by His providence, you’re living in America, and if you get squeezed down to a lot less than you would like to have, or that you think is equitable, or fair...hey, that’s the way it is, God has not abandoned His throne. You just need to understand that all of it is His...all your time is His, all your talents, all your possessions, all your earning power belongs to God.

Establish then regular commitment to invest as the priority of your life in that which is eternal...that which is eternal. You’re not going to go bankrupt that way because the Lord will return what you give, pressed down, shaking together and running over, and you will enjoy it forever. Nobody is going to repossess anything in heaven.

Make the goal of your life...thirdly...make the goal of your life the advancement of the Kingdom. The goal of your life is the advancement of the Kingdom. I can’t control what’s going on in Washington. I can’t control what the President does. I can’t control what the Congress does. I...I...my heart is sick over the decisions they make, the exclusion of the Word of God, the Scripture, they’re all kinds of things going on today like, you know, if we’re going to appoint a new justice of the Supreme Court, it ought to be an Atheist to balance out the power. Does that bother you? That bothers me greatly because it’s a symbol, it’s a sign of the absolute hatred of Scripture that exists in the powers that run this nation and the people of influence. It’s tragic, but it’s tragic for the souls of those people, that’s what it’s tragic for. It isn’t an issue of my political comfort, it isn’t an issue of my economic comfort, I don’t care. I could live in a shack. If that’s where God wants me to live, I’m happy as long as I have the right people in the shack with me, right? It’s about the people. And I know who those people, in case you might think there would be some applications for that. But you need to live to advance the Kingdom, that’s why we live.

Number four, get out of debt...the faster the better. Which means, don’t keep getting deeper into debt. Figure out how to get out of debt before you literally are foreclosed on, or bankrupt. Come up with a plan, steps to financial freedom.

Number five, evaluate every expenditure on how it will benefit the cause of Christ. Evaluate every expenditure...now we’re not talking about a latte, but I’m just saying, when you come to things that are significant, evaluate their effect on the cause of Christ.

Never presume on God, number six...never presume on God. Don’t buy things by faith. “Well, I’m going to buy this because I think God’s going to provide.” Oh really. “Well I’m going to buy this because I think just around the corner there’s a job coming.” Really? Don’t put God in a box.

The next one, number seven, “Do not borrow money for depreciating items...do not borrow money for depreciating items.” You know, people borrow money to buy food every day. That’s a depreciating item, folks. When you walk out, it’s worth nothing. You go...you know, you go out and you have a fifty dollar meal and you put it on credit and you pay interest on it and it has no value. That’s a small illustration of it. People buy things on credit that are depreciating items. We always used to talk about the fact that if you want credit to buy a house, that’s a different issue because in our economy that’s an appreciating item, or to develop a business, or advance an idea, or to create something new, or to do something that’s going to produce benefit and pay that back and more. That’s using wisdom. But you just don’t put yourself in debt for items that have no value when you walk away and all you’ve got left is the debt and the interest on top of the debt.

Never loan people money for essentials in life, give it. Did you get that? Never loan people money for their essentials in life, give it....give it. You can’t close up your compassion, 1 John 3:17, we said this morning. Don’t...don’t try to make money on people’s distress. That’s being done by the banks in this nation, you know. It really is. We don’t do that. If you see somebody in need, you don’t loan them money, you give them money, Proverbs 19:19.

Don’t cosign...don’t cosign. I’m not talking about with your family or your children, but don’t cosign with a stranger because you now pledge your assets for somebody else’s debt. And you now have given up control over what God has given you to control.

Develop sales resistance. Another way to say that is stay out of the store...stay off...what is it?...the QVC channel and all the other, whatever that is, stuff.

These are practical things. Distinguish between needs and wants. Wisely invest your money...carefully, thoughtfully, conservatively. And learn to live below your income and not way, way above. These are huge paradigm shifts in our culture.

And consider the wonderful privilege you have to give money because there are great needs, because it is a means by which the Lord advances the gospel, because giving is commanded, because everything you have belongs to God, you don’t want to rob Him. Because of what God has given you freely, you’ve received freely give, because of promised blessing, back to Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, running over, sow bountifully, reap bountifully.” The Scripture says give joyfully, not grudgingly. Give systematically, first day of the week. Give sacrificially, “I will not give the Lord...David said...that which cost me nothing.” Give humbly, don’t blow a trumpet in Matthew 6 like the Pharisees when they came into the temple to give. Give quietly. Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Give like you pray, in private. This is what the Lord has called us to do.

Whatever the economy is going to be, whatever the issues of our nation, it’s not going to be what we would want it to be as Christians. But we have the promise of God. Listen to this, and I’ll close with this, this is Mark 10:28, we’ll get to this in a few months. “Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold...this is to Jesus...we’ve left everything and followed You.’” We’re hung out here, Lord. We dropped the nets and the boats and here we are. We’ve left everything and followed You. “And Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms...that would be source of income in the agricultural culture...there’s no one who has left that for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much in...are you ready for this?...the present age.’” Houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms...that’s the church. Oh, footnote, along with persecution. Part of it. And in the age to come, eternal life. When you give it all back to Him, He gives it back one hundred fold...now and in the life to come.

Father, thank You for helping us to just look into Your Word a little bit tonight and get some clarity on some of the things that we face in the world around us. Shepherd us through these things with understanding. Help us to do the right thing, do the wise thing, not to simply do what our impulses and our desires long for. Father, we also pray tonight for Steve Sturtz who is in the hospital and is going to be undergoing some procedures to try to help him with his mass that apparently has appeared inside of his skull and we can only commit him into Your care now and ask Your grace to be abundant on his life. May Your presence be near and dear to him. May he find joy even in the wonder of just exactly where it’s all headed. Thank You for him and pray Your great grace upon him.

We thank You, Lord, again for the testimonies tonight and the work that You’re doing in so many lives here. How blessed we are. How grateful we are. We thank You again in Christ’s name. Amen.

this may sound weird

2010-06-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

but i feel so free now that i have deleted my facebook, lol. oh how i am so easily entangled by the things of this world...s m h!

is this inappropriate? i assume my readers (who probably don't exist) won't get offended. if it does, then LMK.

when things go bankrupt, we see Christ

2010-06-15T01:21:00.001-07:00

"It's written on their hearts, that they are made for God... You can find overlaps in the things they long for and yearn for, and how things go bankrupt in their lives when they set their affections on small things" - John Piper

I found this quote particularly moving. I still have so little knowledge of my God, and even "who I am," but as I hear little bits of Pastor Piper's musings, I can glean from my personal experiences and relate to what he preaches about.

I find it such a great burden not only in my life, but in the church, in particular the "independent fundamental Baptist" movement how so many teens and college students set their bar so low, in trying to fill the void that only Christ can fill. And I'm not talking about unregenerate church members, but those who are saved, maybe even in Bible college searching for God's will. We try to fill this void with movies, tv shows, worldly music, finding a spouse, dating, friendship, and even ministry itself. While not all of these are wrong, and some even good, they will never fulfill the void that we need of Christ. Any true believer will have a desire, a thirst, a hunger to know Christ. Some of these things will temporarily fill the void, or even distract us from this need, but without the Living Water, without the Bread of life, we will find ourselves empty, in our quiet moments.

I myself can testify of the emptiness of those things, but I also can testify of the satisfaction in Christ. Even with this knowledge it is still a fight. I struggle, and have to get myself to PRESS ON towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. I still have to endure hardness, I still need to strive against myself. But I am so glad that God gently comes to me, and gives me the motivation to live for Him, he gives me the strength to live for Him, and gives me the hunger to know Him. I'n my weakest moments, I truly see that is His grace, and that not myself. Not my my own love for God, and my "bein' spear-chul," or anything else, but just being kept by His grace.

What I'm trying to REALLY say is, I just don't think that Christians in the "IFB" are getting fed and taught and preached the "deeper" things of God. There is only so much we can hear, yet it seems like we do not KNOW, and I mean TRULY know God as we should. Our theology is weak, not only at the bottom with the lay people, but even to the top, with pastors, and influential figure heads. Am I trying to criticize them? No not at all, but if we want to live a life pleasing to Christ, we cannot depend on man, but we must search out ourselves, and have that alone time with Christ. These times we spend alone with God, with our TOTAL UNDIVIDED attention given to Him, is the greatest time that God transforms us to be like Him, to know more of Him, and to have even a greater devotion and motivation to live for Him.

Nevertheless, God is faithful!

Sermon Notes: The Family According to Jesus - Pastor Tim Conway

2010-06-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

- 9 references of family in the gospels
- 3 major references in the 4 gospels where Jesus Christ affirms what God already declared in the Old Testament
- 2 verses where it shows Jesus functioning as a part of family
- 16 references to family that are radically new, never said before (in the old testament)
- 7 verses ...

Jesus supporting the OT (@ Creation and @ Mosaic Law)

Matthew 15:2 - Mark 7:?

- family is not the 1st priority in this discussion.
- we find living power is from Christ/the cross NOT the law
- antinomianism is HERESY
- law is for the lawless or unsaved
- law was not to aid us to be like God or Christ, its purpose was to show sin as EXCEEDINGLY SINFUL, which explains why the natural man tries to dismiss it / take away its authority
- for men to realize they could NOT keep it, to show them they needed a Saviour
- provided for a mirror/insight of their own sin
- however, do not believe the law has lost it's authority in the new covenant

Matthew 19:
- focus is NOT on parenting
- reveal the state of this man
- ruler has a bad estimation of what is good
- Jesus is AFFIRMING the law to this lost man
- the law exposes
- most comprehensive/representative text affirming something of the old testament
- longest series of passages on divorce
- divorce was not for the guilty man divorcing who had a hard heart, but to protect the innocent to show they were not at fault for the divorce
-

2 Verses about his own life what the family should be:

Luke 2:
verses are at 12 years and at death
- treated how? he was not with his family ( cousins . siblings)
- why did you stay here when we left?
- He was submissive to his parents!

John 19:25
- he puts Mary under someone who will care for her (John the Beloved)
- Jesus showed honor and tenderness to His parents
- we should honor likewise

Luke 9:59 - Matthew 8
- we have the tendency to be swayed away by competing loves ( in this case family)
- Jesus Christ said things to sever them from their idols unto HIM!!!!
- you may miss important family events for Christ's sake...
- if you have competing affections that pull you away from Jesus, you are NOT fit for the kingdom...
- "I must venture all for God" - John Bunyan, on staying in prison for preacdhing Christ / or stop preaching Christ and go back to his family
- Christ came to do best for man, to bring them to Him, not to put hold on dearest earthly possessions whether it be things/riches/family.
- Luke 12:51 - opposition within the family because of Christ...
- Christ told the WORST news up front unlike Satan with sin, boasting of the benefits, and hiding. 100x fold will be repaid for what you do on this Earth
- Luke 14:16 - widdled the crowd down
- He did not divide the people into two groups to keep the crowd, he hits hard to AL of them
- hate - radical preference / superiority of Christ when it comes to Christ vs family
- you can be a nominal "Christian"/Churchian and sit the fence, but you are not MINE. bow or burn
-if you love anyone or anything more than Christ, you are not worthy of Him

O let the nations be glad and sing: I Can Go

2010-06-12T01:49:00.001-07:00

(Verse 1)
in the holy of holies behind the heavy veil, sat the ark of the covenant
where the most High dwells
and only the high priest could enter therein
to offer up the sacrifice in atonement for sin
but the veil was rent an in an instant revealing the holy place
in a hill near by on a rugged cross justice meant grace

(Chorus)
now i can go
into the holy of holies
i can kneel and make my petitions known
i can go, into the holy of holies
and although I'm just a common man
because of God's redemption plan
i can boldly approach the throne

(Verse 2)
the blood of sacrifices
is never more required
for the blood of Christ the spotless lamb completely paid the price
and the sacrifice of worship will open heaven's door
allowing us to enter in the presence of the lord

Chorus (x2)

i can boldly approach the throne
the throne, boldly approach the throne

I haven't edited the lyrics yet to look neat, but I just want to dwell a little bit on Jesus Christ in prayer. I'm so glad that at my most troubled times I can go to Him. In prayer I can go to him as a friend. In prayer, I can go to him as a father. In prayer, I can go to him as a comforter. It's amazing that the only reason I have access to the Lord of the Universe, is because of how he took my wrath upon Himself. What a Savior, what a Lord, what a friend, what a father.

There are just times in my life where I have no idea what to think. My actions seemingly all look to be in vain, or wrong, but I have a God who comforts my heart in this time. I'm so glad I do not have to go to an earthly friend, I don't have to console my own heart, I don't have to seek a counselor, I don't need a psychiatrist, I don't need an addiction, I don't need anything else other than Jesus Christ. I don't want to be long winded, it's getting late, my train of thought is weak, but who can compare to my God? What can compare to my God? I am so thankful that he understands what I'm going through, because He went through the same but moreso. When I feel misunderstood, my Savior moreso, when I feel hated, my Savior moreso. We have a compassionate father, a friend who not only can sympathize, but a God's whose words penetrates do the depths of my heart. No superficial comfort, but true comfort. Peace, no inner turmoil. It's all of grace, every privilege of the adoption to Himself is grace, every benefit is grace, every enabling to do so is grace. Wonderful grace of Jesus, TRULY. It is wonderful. I wish to know my God more and more, and I wish His attributes, and his person, become more of a reality in my life. Praise be to God in all things, whom all things consist. Whoa, mind-blown, what a God!

I don't expect anyone to read this, but I just wanted to put it out there for my sake, lol.

O let the nations be glad and sing: He was, He is, He is to Come

2010-06-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

My human mind can’t understand, but long before the world began
In regions yet unknown to man, He was, God was
And it is still a mystery but I can say with certainty
Deep inside the heart of me, He is, God is
And although He’s been all things to everyone
There is so much more to come, He is to come

He Was, He is, He is to come
Worthy is the Lamb who sits upon the throne
Praise The Ancient of Days
Who was, who is,and is to come

Kingdoms made by man will rise, but it should come as no surprise
When right before our very eyes they fall, they will fall
And even time itself will end and Christ will come to earth again
Every tribe and race of men will bow, we will bow
And we're the finished work of Christendom
We’ll see His kingdom come, His kingdom come

He Was, He is, He is to come
Worthy is the Lamb who sits upon the throne
Praise The Ancient of Days
Who was, who is and is to come

Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches
Wisdom and strength, and Glory and Honor, Glory and honor and praise

He Was, He is, He is to come
Worthy is the Lamb who sits upon the throne
So let us praise The Ancient of Days
Who was, who is and is to come
So let us praise the ancient of days
Who was who is and is to come
He is to come

NT Gallavanting

2010-06-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

So I was bored and took a look at general, and I found someone mocking the 10 Commandments. You can find this post here. An outspoken atheist on the forums, I read about 3-4 of the commandments, and didn't bother to read the rest. It was obvious he just wanted to mock the Word, and of course as a natural man, had no spiritual discernment, had no wisdom, and just wanted to blaspheme our heavenly Father. There are many atheists like this(not all obviously), and the reason they need to be so loud about their denial of God, is because they fight within themselves, and the truth God has placed in every man, that there is God, and he demands a law (I can put up verses backing this, particularly in Romans, but I'm too lazy to look it up, I can put them up if anyone asks). Either way God is good!

@lobotomybeats

The 10 Commandments was given as not only a law, but as a mirror that reflects to us how God sees man. There is no way anyone can or will ever fulfill the whole of the law. There was only one, the man-Christ Jesus. The punishment was shown as how serious a breaking of these commandments was, also many of the rules that Yahweh gave to the Jews were so that civilization could evolve into what it was today. I don't think you can deny the fact that 'religion' (in general) and Christianity (specifically, including the Pentateuch and 'old' law) helped bring along and establish civilization as we know it today.

In regards to your atheism, even to those who aren't 'believers' it is obvious you are fighting hard and trying to prove to NT and the world you don't believe in God, and we get it. The Bible puts it in man's heart that there is a God, and I find it no surprise you have to fight so hard, and shout so loud, trying to disprove the reality. Someone once jokingly said "God doesn't believe in atheists." Just remember when it is all said and done, we all die, and the words of God you try so hard to mock, and make fun of, will also be the law that will judge you.

If the punishment that God gave to men to execute on these 10 commandments is harsh, imagine the punishment and wrath the Creator of these commandments will deliver. The writer of Hebrews said "And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment."

If you feel any fear or conviction towards this, your only hope is Jesus Christ. No fulfilling of the law (being a good person) or going to church ("Churchianity") will ever save you or can ever save you. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

And to everyone else repent, or like this man you shall all likewise perish.

O let the nations be glad and sing: God Will Provide

2010-06-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm getting back into the blogging groove, and to get me started I'm going start a new series of posts. In this series I'll be posting a song, lyrics, reasons for posting, and Biblical scriptures that show where the song came from or the doctrines expressed in the songs. I'm hoping the songs I post are as much of a blessing to you as they are to me, and I hope it would help your hearts to glorify our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. The title of this series will be, "O let the nations be glad and sing."

Psalm 67:4
"O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah."

My scriptural basis for this series is:
Ephesians 5:19
"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Verse 1:
Isaac walked up the mountain
his father by his side
never realizing, he would be the sacrifice
and when Abraham raised his hand to take his child's life
in his heart he must have wondered why
sometimes God will take us to unexpected places
but in every situation we will find

Chorus:
God will provide
beyond what we imagine
so much more than we could fathom
He will supply
God will provide
when we trust in Him completely
and take each step believing as a child
God will provide

Verse 2:
On another hill called Calvary
the fathers only Son
was offered as a priceless gift
of faithfulness and love
amidst the cry of all mankind
God reached down from above
and covered us with Christ's atoning blood
no matter what your need is
God will always meet it
I know his grace will always be enough

Chorus (x3)

God will provide
He will provide
I know my God will provide

Our life in Christ is all of grace, and this song is always a comfort in times of need, when I feel overwhelmed by what's a head, or in general uncertainty. Thank God he provides for his children, and thank God for his grace.

This song is also a reminder of who we are, and that without God we an do nothing. So often, Christians can be come(in their minds) independent of God, and start doing work in our own strength. We sometimes think we only need the "power of God on our life," when it comes to spiritual matters, but in reality, we need the power of God on our life to simply breathe. I don't want to go off on a rabbit trail, but hopefully this song is a blessing to ya'll.

When God places us in that wonderful place, where none of our efforts will help our situation, we can always rest on that fact that God will provide!

and the fellowship of his sufferings

2010-06-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

"The greatest fellowship you will ever know, is the fellowship of his sufferings" - John Piper

I can't say I know this, even a little bit, but I remember a time in my life where I just gave up on what I perceived as the "Christian life," because it was getting too hard. Paul exhorts, "Endure hardness as a good soldier for Jesus Christ." I thank good everyday for bringing me to the place I am right now in my life. I want to fight with all my strength the urge to look back at the plow that I left behind years ago.

so i want to do this

2010-06-05T02:35:00.001-07:00

Day 01 - A picture of yourself
Day 02 - A picture of what you wore today
Day 03 - A picture of what you did today
Day 04 - A picture of where you went today
Day 05 - A picture of your morning
Day 06 - A picture that inspires you
Day 07 - A picture that makes you cry
Day 08 - A picture of yourself
Day 09 - A picture of what you had for lunch
Day 10 - A picture of what you like to do
Day 11 - A picture of your favorite drink
Day 12 - A picture of your favorite food
Day 13 - A picture of your friends
Day 14 - A picture of your favorite teacher(s)
Day 15 - A picture of yourself
Day 16 - A picture of your dream cell phone
Day 17 - A picture of your mp3 player
Day 18 - A picture of your room
Day 19 - A picture of your favorite musical instrument(s)
Day 20 - A picture of where you want to honeymoon
Day 21 - A picture that makes you think of your loved one
Day 22 - A picture of yourself
Day 23 - A picture that describes your life
Day 24 - A picture of what you did today
Day 25 - A picture that you edited
Day 26 - A picture that makes you angry
Day 27 - A picture of you more than 10 years ago
Day 28 - A picture of what you wore today
Day 29 - A picture of yourself
Day 30 - A picture of you and your best friend

"Discipline not desire determines your destiny"

2010-06-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Get Your Mind Right

2010-06-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a year since I've posted on this thing. Why now though? Simple, because I perm deleted my Facebook, and I need an outlet of expression.

I. Web Inter-connectivity: Why does Facebook make it so hard to quit?

Whether it be making you type in passwords and captchas to deactivate your account, or the ease of reactivating your account, Facebook really goes out of their way to make you stay. I've realized Facebook and online connectivity in general is really addictive. Whether it be AIM, Xanga, Friendster(who used that, I mean really?), MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, tumblr., etc. people nowadays really feel a need to constantly feel connected. Now we have smart phones, and we can pretty much be connected everywhere we go. I'm glad I don't have an unlimited data plan on my phone, or else it would be REALLY hard for me to try to cut my web connectivity addiction.

I guess it just comes down to the fact that, in general, people are lonely. And when we are alone, it becomes even more glaring and profound (wait that's not the word I'm looking for, uhhh what was it again?) that we are in fact alone (moreso if you aren't a Christian. However, there are Christians that find themselves constantly connected to someone for the simple fact they are immature in their relationship with Christ, mainly stemming from the fact they don't pray/read their Bible on their own time, but I guess that's a whole differen't story).

II. God's Been Good

Well, last year I was getting back into church, and I was trying to figure out what God wanted for me. I was bed ridden all of December'08 all the way to around New Years, and quite literally I couldn't run away from God. I tried with all my might to get away from not only God's calling, but His general will for my life. I started contemplating the vanity of what I've been doing; I wasn't happy at all, alone(in the desert), and now God had me. I started listening to preaching online, still not going to church, nor really reading my Bible. I would listen to Paul Washer mainly, but I found out about John Piper and his desiringGod website. I have no idea what he preached, but I was in my room passed midnight just bawling. God just worked a miraculous thing in my heart that night, and all of the hurt, bitterness, disappointment, guilt, shame was healed. I started going to First Baptist Church of Palm Desert with Pastor Jason Dickey, and WOW. It was a great thing to be in the house of God. God used Pastor Jason, Pastor Jimmy and Pastor Larry to really encourage me. More strikingly, was the fact that literally every message Pastor Jason preached had something directly to do with me. I truly believed God prepared those messages in Pastor Jason before I even started attending. I eventually joined the church, and it was all good.

A couple months went on, and God allowed something very strange to happen in my life. Do I understand fully what happened, no. But do I understand a little of how it happened, why it happened, and what God was trying to do with me. It was definitely God speaking LOUD and CLEAR. I thank God that it happened, still question why, what, how. I'm still kind of puzzled a little bit, but hey, "it is what it is." I really had to examine my life, my health, and just my general perspective. A much needed thing.

Now it took quite a long time for me to recover, I actually had to drop all my classes that semester, and it destroyed my GPA. But I started getting better physically through working out and jiu-jitsu, spiritually through God's Word and my church. Mentally I was still recovering, and the physical side of it was really helping me out in that aspect.

I visited my college up north, with none other than Kester Garcia, to see my class graduate. Found out my roommate was on his way to being a missionary, and seeing my Freshman roomie, Austen Taylor, growing in stature (as a man) was a great blessing. Hung out a little with Ant A., Chris A., and Bro. Doan. I felt a great peace over at North Valley that I didn't have for quite some time, and it was just great to be among God's faithful.

I started considering my promise to finish up college @ GSBC and started thinking about going back to Bible college. I talked with all the pastors over at FBC and my parents, and pretty much said, if Bible College was I really was what I wanted to do, then it would be WCBC. I didn't truly have any peace about it, and I still in my heart that I was to finish up my secular degree. God was trying to get me to strengthen my devotional life with him, but I got too busy.

Eventually summer came, and I stil didn't know what I was gonna do. My mind was all over the place, and I wasn't seeking God, and getting that personal devotion time with Him, and pretty much trying to figure out what to do with my arduous over-analyzing. I got discouraged and everything wasn't working out perfectly as I expected, for no real reason at all, stopped going to church.

In retrospect, I think it was just God trying to slow me down, and teach me patience, and also to REALLY seek Him, for His will in my life.

Fast forward to Easter of this year, and I went to Pastor Larry's first church service at Journey (Baptist Church). It was a typical Easter message, but he went into a little rant about after Christ's resurrection, He went out to meet Peter, James, and John out at sea. Pretty much, they tried to go back to what they were doing before, and Jesus pretty much told them they would never be good at what they used to be, and if they would continue into it, it would have been total vanity: "Have ye any meat?" God spoke to me so strongly, Here I am running away from responsibility and God's will. I would NEVER be satisfied doing anything else but God's will. He then talked about the famous conversation Jesus had with Peter. "If you love me feed my sheep." I believed God called me to be a missionary(church planter) in Fall '06 during the week of NVBC's Missions Conference, and it struck me.

For one reason or another, God put a resolve in my heart. A resolve I haven't had since I was @ GSBC. This time the resolve came with a greater understand of God, His will, His purpose, His ways, and also a better understanding of me, and my general life as a Christian.

Praise God, I've been abiding with Him, going to church, have met friends that love God and have a passion for Christ, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Growing in grace in every aspect of my life.

Here I am now, in Santa Cruz, beautiful weather, spending time with my mother(who is lost pray for her), and just having a great time. I have summer school in San Diego, and I can't wait to be in the coast for the summer again. I'm gonna miss my dear church in Palm Desert, but I get to fellowship with my brothers once again. I thank God that His sheep know his voice, and in every which way we go, it leads back to our Good Shepherd.

I don't even know what God has for me passed this summer, but I can't wait to find out. Pray for me "YA'LL!"

III. "And that's what it is" - Juan Hurtado

:D

By His grace.

in the sorrow, in the laughter, all praise rising

2009-06-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

word to adl

Went camping for the first time since probably 6th Grade camp. Camping with white people is different. The like beans, chili, and skinning rattlesnakes. That is all.

meMoryALaneASMO

2009-05-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

What's the difference???

When I think of Memorial Day, I think of America's "Fight for Freedom..." I just really can't celebrate it with a clear conscious knowing our fight for freedom has put so many people into bondage; whether it be by industrialization, civil wars, or western ideologies. America is supposed to be the good country...right? God Bless America...right?

The more I think about ideals and philosophy, it all seems so empty without God, namely, Jesus Christ.

I think this post also stems from the fact, me trying to "turn over a new leaf," without God and horribly failing for 2 1/2 years. I'm still the same leaf, no matter how many times I try to flip the script. If I'm not doing this sin, I'm doing another. If I become a better person, I become self-righteous. I think Paul got humanity right when he said "Oh wicked man that I am."

Oh yea, I'm supposed to be righting about Memorial Day.

I asked my Dad what Memorial Day was about, and his response was "It's for those who died in service: whether they be a doctor, military, etc..."

And I appreciate those who died for their ideals, and it is what has brought me the freedom to express my views on this blog today.

But at what cost? At whose cost?

On a greater note...

Romans 5

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

desktop 20.5.09

2009-05-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him. And saved him out of all his troubles.

2009-05-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, I've had a pretty wild 6 weeks. To put it as bluntly as possible, it really messed me up. I apparently had to just be "vulnerable" for a bit and deal with some wounds and hurt that I tried to run away from.

I didn't know how much things from your childhood can affect you. I mean I'll be real and say I have the best family in the world and I love them to death. On the other hand: my parents are divorced, my dad walked out on us when I was 5, mother always had a volatile relationship with my dad and my grandma(paternal of course), my grandma and dad really f'd with my mom for a good portion of my life unbeknownst to me, and a lot more other drama that really doesn't matter. I guess as I was learning how f'd my family was, it took a toll on me. My family was pretty dysfunctional, and it really made me dysfunctional. (But hey aren't all families and people dysfunctional on some level?) I'm not saying I had the best or worst life, really who can say that? I'm just saying I was pretty messed up.

So why am I saying this? Cause despite all of this, I love my life, I love my family, and it's all by the grace of God.

The homies were there when I went f'n bonkos. And from your perspective I can see why you'd still think I am, it's whatever. I just don't want you to speculate this or that, if you guys want to talk to me about it, pleae do, it's fine.

I was talking to Raeizon about all that happened, and I brought up demons, literal ie. Satan, Beelzebub, on some Bible tip. And Raeizon brought up "inner demons." I told him "Yea man, I've had a good life." And I have, but I guess good ol' Rae was right. I think I'm blowing it up if I call them "inner-demons." But I had some wounds and hurt that needed to be treated, that were neglected by myself for too long. And I think I had some literal demons use that against me. I mean a Christian can't be possessed by demons, but good ol' Pastor Jimmy said I could be oppressed. And I guess the devil used all of those neglected wounds to get at me. My going bonkos in San Diego was just the tip of the iceberg, and trust me it got a lot crazier and stuff happened that cannot be explained other than, I believe the Bible so much more now.

And in the end, good ol' Romans 8:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

I know this verse, and I would always say it. But man, when you experience it, you learn to appreciate it so much more. This is why I have faith in my God.

Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. "

When you experience what you've read or heard from the Bible, it really does make you say, wow, this is the real deal. You get the substance of all those things you hoped for, you see evidence of what you've never seen. A God, a Saviour, that the words in the Bible are true because you've experienced it. No blind faith here.

And on that note...

Psalm 34:8
"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

I think Jojo Videna did a devotion on this one Sunday morning 3+ years ago, and it's great to experience God first hand isn't it? I'm so glad that, I can say, I know I'm not alone in this world, no matter if everyone forsakes me. Cause I KNOW the Lord is good.

Jesus is
Peace and Love

new life verse for meee

2009-04-21T23:53:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:20-21
"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

im fine, just traumatized a little bit. JUST A LITTLE. lols

2009-04-17T15:30:00.001-07:00

for all the homies that were there for that little incident thank you. I just want to let you know it really meant a lot. for real. i probably went insane for a couple of days, and that 15 or so day span that happened was probably the worst 15 days of my life. what you guys saw was just the beginning of some of the crazy stuff that happened.

BUT.

Jesus is greater than all that, can i get an Amen? I know you guys are still scared about all the stuff that happened to me, and believe me it got worse and worse after San Diego. But with the support of you guys, my family, and my church family. I'm starting to understand more and more why it happened. Just know that the little incident at SD and everything else that happened after was all in God's plan. I mean I LET all those things happen, but GOd knew all along. If it was scary for you guys, it was way more scary for me. I was 100% cognizant and aware of everything that happened, and I can assure you guys it wasn't 100% me. There was some other spooky stuff that I know some of you are skeptical about, but I promise you there was some evil spooky spiritual stuff going on during all of that.

BUT, Jesus is greater than all that haha. I don't know when I'll be back in SD, but I'm just trying to get my stuff together, and I've been chillin. Just trying to get back to doing my thing, and move on with life.

So stay up homies, haha.

out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, for it is not what comes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out

2009-03-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

!firesale! allz muzt g0! HypeBeast Especial

2009-03-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

UPDATE i don't get butterflies often, but.... UPDATE

2009-03-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently my friend from New Jersey is trying to spit his game at her. *sigh* I can't complete with a white basketball player, lml.

R.I.P.

Unconditional love, sure. But...unconditional hate?

2009-03-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Intended to be a comment posted on Erwin's "Philosophical Thought"

Uhh it's really early right now but. In my opinion love and hate aren't only emotions, but a "mindset" or "heartset," (I just made that up right now) that sets into motion actions. I think this is the most general statement I can give on the two of these. And since both of you put some religious standpoints.

I was going to say God has Unconditional love, but not Unconditional hate. But the more I think about it, I think he has both. How does that work you ask?

Well not everyone cares about God. But to the people that actually believe in God, there are 2 sides. (I'm talking about the Judeo-Christian God btw, since that's what I believe in. Can't speak for other religions)

God unconditionally loves man(kind). However, man does not unconditionally love/hate God. In my opinion, some don't even like to think about God, and live their life.

However, the more you think about God, you come to 2 conclusions.

Either you come to God, and submit to his will. How do we know it? IMO we have the Bible.

Or you reject God, and you choose to not believe him in anymore or vehemently oppose any form of religion.

This all comes from the Bible principal that says, every man who is born has ingrained in them a "sense of a creator." I also think that creation show's a creator. Even the ID isn't science, in my opinion it is legit. Only in the light of the Bible however. An ID in terms of evolution as a whole [Elemental evolution, Cosmic evolution, evolution from no life to life, Macro evolution, and Micro evolution (what Darwin studied, and what his whole evolutionary thought is based out of. Which in my opinion is totally in line with the Bible, and I definitely believe it)

didn't you know????

2009-03-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

i've been struggling, but

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

I definitely do not want to mess up.

even this world could never contain how i've been blessed

2009-03-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

so, i was watching a clip from almost famous, because i wanted to show Vicente what my old profile pic was about, and something caught my attention.

William Miller: I have to go home.
Penny Lane : You are home.

I used to feel the same way about Palm Desert and San Diego. I honestly feel, the desert is my new home. just without the homies, haha. But I finally feel like I can live in the desert without any qualms. I mean I'd definitely rather be in San Diego, especially during the summer, but I'm here now, and I'm gonna enjoy here, what I can't enjoy in SD.

So, I'm just gonna chill in the perfect weather, swim, workout, hang out with my new friends, and take it all in 'til summer comes.

But when summer comes, hopefully I'll be in SD with the homies again, haha.

Champion Baptist College Tour Group 08 - I Have Been Blessed

loved and forgiven much

2009-03-23T01:19:00.000-07:00

so i will love and forgive much.

i don't get butterflies often, but....

2009-03-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

isn't it funny like....before you even know them...no matter HOW confident you are...when you meet someone of the opposite sex, that you click with in THAT way, that you get this feeling? i mean i dont get this often, but like SOMETIMES YOU JUST KNOW...ohz wellz...i'm still working on me...you know when you are out of your league? well...yea. jk wow. im all giddy. *swoons*

it's quite apparent from reading my above paragraph, and listening to the above song that i am NOT a hopeless romantic...(wait for it)

maybe im just hopeless Q.Q

but she is def. more of a prov31, than a prov7. :]

anyway like i said, life is dope when you have joy. luls.

god is good all the time, huh?

2009-03-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

i am glad i don't have to feel shame, for whatever whatever. it's under the blood, b!

having joy is BOMBZ.

james 5:11

2009-03-22T05:33:00.001-07:00

Behold!

We count them happy that endured.

on a scale of 1-10 how much do my colors bother you? oh wellz! im not the one who has to look at my blog

(i swear this isn't some tactic to see how many people actually read my blog, without asking it straight out. i just like the colors, and it makes my eyes hurt. just wondering if it does for yEw GaIz <3)

anyway you can ctrl+a if it really bothers you

couldn't let myself go, even though i feel the end

2009-03-21T01:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes these shock-jocks of the conservative world don't think about what they say....

But hey at least Janya Levin makes an unexpected appearance on my blog. MMHS FTW.

Show Yourself Pedobear

2009-03-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

'nuff said.

I forgot to post my blog, my internet went down yesterday, and I wrote what I wanted to blog about. It came out SO much different than if I blogged, so I am compelled to make some real life diary type stuff, where I can physically write out the deepest thoughts. My mind works different when I write on paper apparently.

i was nineteen

2009-03-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

So I've always wanted to get legit with the guitar. I've also always to keep some of the singing technique I learned in HALF a semester of Voice with the great Boruff. And now I have a motivation! A song that I actually desire to learn and cover. This is not really a necessary post, but I just want to put it up for accountability, because I need to be accountable to SOMEONE. So to the three people who read this blog here it is!

Do You Remember When 21 was Old?

2009-03-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'm at school, and if Pharcyde didn't perform this song so exact to the beat they were given, this mash-up would definitely be a great mash-up. But it's good enough for me to put it up. Enjoy!

Real Talk Volume: What is a SNAG?

2009-03-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

specimen7 (3:41:36 AM): the guys the daughter always falls for
specimen7 (3:41:36 AM): such f()g losers
specimen7 (3:41:37 AM): the guy playing bass
specimen7 (3:41:37 AM): OMFG
specimen7 (3:41:42 AM): the manager
combaticus (3:41:53 AM): ?
combaticus (3:41:56 AM): the hell u talkin about
specimen7 (3:45:14 AM): unityd states of tara
combaticus (3:45:25 AM): ROFL
combaticus (3:45:28 AM): i hate that guy
specimen7 (3:45:33 AM): where did SNAG come from
combaticus (3:45:33 AM): hes everything i hate in a dude
combaticus (3:45:36 AM): yasi
specimen7 (3:45:40 AM): that phrase cracks me up
combaticus (3:45:51 AM): i was cracking up when she said
specimen7 (3:45:53 AM): like there was no such thing as a sensitive guy before that phrase came about
combaticus (3:45:54 AM): where have all the cowboys gone
combaticus (3:45:55 AM): lmfao
combaticus (3:46:02 AM): i think
combaticus (3:46:05 AM): its more of
combaticus (3:46:10 AM): a response to the "ah()s"
combaticus (3:46:13 AM): the new game is the SNAG
combaticus (3:46:19 AM): tryign to be your best friend
combaticus (3:46:23 AM): with full intention of smashing
combaticus (3:46:26 AM): well thats my interpretation of it
combaticus (3:46:33 AM): its not a geniuine sensitive guy
combaticus (3:46:35 AM): its a SNAG
combaticus (3:46:45 AM): like i think oli is just a SG
combaticus (3:46:52 AM): i think ___ ____ is a SNAG
combaticus (3:46:53 AM): FEEL MEH?

I hope you don't get pissed for putting you out there Oli. It's a compliment!

Real Talk Volume: The Rose That Grew from the Crack...wait or was it Concrete?

2009-03-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

edited: for luls and confidentiality

specimen7 (1:54:20 AM): well before it started _____ a (homeless guy) gave me rose outanowheres
combaticus (1:54:31 AM): hahahahahha
combaticus (1:54:33 AM): nice
combaticus (1:54:45 AM): im listenign to the __ song
combaticus (1:54:52 AM): hahahaha
combaticus (1:54:54 AM): for the first time
combaticus (1:54:58 AM): i cant believe you listen to it!
combaticus (1:55:01 AM): makes me luls
specimen7 (1:55:14 AM): and then after banquet someone took it and i saw ___ with is
specimen7 (1:55:15 AM): it
specimen7 (1:55:30 AM): and i was like " HEY THATS FROM MY BUM!"
combaticus (1:55:36 AM): HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA
specimen7 (1:56:14 AM): and then ______'s friend ____and ____were like " hwy.. i thought they only talked like that in england. YOU'RE COOOL!"
combaticus (1:56:33 AM): ahhaha
specimen7 (1:56:34 AM): then i was like " huh?... OH NOT THAT BUM! I MEAN A HOBO!"
specimen7 (1:56:38 AM): HAHAHHAHA

Some Things Never Change

2009-03-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

From Ms. Terry "Chickenhead" Hen

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU CHANGED IN 15 YEARS?

15 YEARS AGO (1994)

1) How old were you?
6

2) Who were you dating?
No one. Shout-outs to Dhalia, I see you baby.

3) Where did you work?
P.S.Q 84

4) Where did you live?
Astoria, Queens, CA

5) Where did you hang out?
Either at my mom's apartment, or my grandma's (paternal)

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?
Nope.

7) Who were your best friends?
Zack, Rafael(he might have been a 2nd grade friend, oh well), Nick the Pace kids, and I looked up to my neighbors(they were Filipino) Iggy and Third, and of course my cousins.

8) How many tattoos did you have?
None.

9) How many piercings did you have?
None.

10) What kind of car did you drive?
Walked everywhere, and sometimes the bus/train.

11) Had you been to a real party?
If "real" party means me getting drunk, then no. Otherwi, yes.

12) Had you had your heart broken?
Ariana was a two-timing skeezer. (Yes I'm still mad)

13) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced?
Single

14) Any Kids?
Yea....

10 YEARS AGO (1999)

1) How old were you?
11

2) Who were you dating?
No one.

3) Where did you work?
Challenger Middle School

4) Where did you live?
Mira Mesa, San Diego, CA

5) Where did you hang out?
Kicking it at Challenger after school of course. And the Rec center. REC CENTER BALLERS WHAT'S GOOD?

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?
Nope.

7) Who were your best friends?
Andrew Ngo, Toby Garcia(I see you Ray), Mark Mercado(That didn't hurt), Erwin Mendoza(Before I started being a dick to him in 7th grade lmao), Binnan Ong, Kris Butiong (Although I treated him more like a lil brother than a friend, always picking on him, lmao)

8) How many tattoos did you have?
This is when I got my tribal tatoo on my left forearm. I regret it now.

9) How many piercings did you have?
None.

11) Had your heart broken?
Nope, other than moving away from my homies at Spreckels Elementary.

12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced?
Single

13)Any Kids?
:|

14) What kind of car did you drive?
Walking/My dad driving me around in....I don't even remember what he drove back then. Either my Uncle Joel's '97 Toyota Camry , '92 Ford Taurus, '76 Toyota Celica, I don't know what else..

5 YEARS AGO (2004)
1) How old were you?
16

2) Who were you dating?
Nope.

3) Where did you work?
Mira Mesa High School

4) Where did you live?
Mira Mesa, San Diego, CA

5) Where did you hang out?
Raeizon's, Raf's, Oli's, Ray's, Martino's, Jordo's, Lu's, Marketplace.

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?
Nope

7) Who were your best friends?
BNB all day, with a touch of Young Hunnerz.

8) How many tattoos did you have?
Tramp Stamp

9) How many piercings did you have?
None.

11) Had your heart broken?
Nope.

12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced?
Single.

13)Any Kids?
3

14) What kind of car did you drive?
Red 2000 Dodge Caravan

TODAY (2009)

1) Age?
21

2) Who are you dating?
No one, yet....I see you creeping Martino, nosey nigga.

3) Where do you work?
Soon to be waiting/bussing @ Rockin' Baja and College of the Desert.

4) Where do you live?
Indio, Coachella Valley, CA

5) Who are your closest friends?
BNB, HER(I see you Raeizon), churchers.

6) Do you talk to your old friends?
Facebook.

7) How many piercings do you have?
0

8) How many tattoos?
0

9) What kind of car do you have?
Faded Red 2000 Dodge Caravan

10) Had your heart been broken?
YOMP Gomberz. Just not be a lady, gotems.

11) How many kids?
0.

12) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce?
Single.

Real Talk Volume: what if pfnr....

2009-03-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

combaticus (12:33:41 AM): what if....
combaticus (12:33:49 AM): i kicked it with these ppl throughout high school
combaticus (12:33:49 AM): http://photos-a.EDITLOLZ
combaticus (12:33:56 AM): isntead of u guys
combaticus (12:33:59 AM): lawlz
combaticus (12:34:21 AM): id probably frequent fml
specimen7 (12:34:36 AM): fml?
specimen7 (12:34:43 AM): u wouldnt be as intresting
specimen7 (12:34:45 AM): not as cultured
combaticus (12:34:48 AM): fmylife.com
combaticus (12:34:51 AM): na
combaticus (12:34:56 AM): id hate myself
combaticus (12:35:02 AM): or would have turned into a major douchebag
combaticus (12:35:06 AM): imagine my douchebaggery now
combaticus (12:35:09 AM): extrapolated 10 fold
combaticus (12:35:15 AM): with snootyness
combaticus (12:35:21 AM): and 5x more condescending powers
combaticus (12:35:43 AM): probably ripped and in an asian frat
specimen7 (12:35:44 AM): lolwtf
combaticus (12:35:59 AM): or one of those mixed asian/white boy frats
specimen7 (12:36:08 AM): LOL
combaticus (12:36:12 AM): playing beer pong and going to clubs every day
specimen7 (12:36:14 AM): i see you in a visor with spiked hair for some reason
specimen7 (12:36:22 AM): white k swiss chino pants
specimen7 (12:36:24 AM): frat sweatetr
combaticus (12:36:24 AM): on my way to graduating with a bs in masters
combaticus (12:36:31 AM): in business
combaticus (12:36:33 AM): then masters
combaticus (12:36:34 AM): na man
combaticus (12:36:36 AM): id be a hypebeast
combaticus (12:36:37 AM): like
combaticus (12:36:38 AM): JaNbRaNgRoIdz
specimen7 (12:36:46 AM): your blog
combaticus (12:36:52 AM): I'm The Fjabu Greatest
combaticus (12:36:57 AM): with a big picture of me
specimen7 (12:37:00 AM): and my frat buddies
combaticus (12:37:08 AM): probably throwing up the shocker
combaticus (12:37:41 AM): id have a girlfriend and treat her like rihanna for giving me herpes
combaticus (12:37:47 AM): id drive an m3 with maxed our credit cards
combaticus (12:37:56 AM): and no chance of buying a house for 7 years
combaticus (12:38:13 AM): man....
combaticus (12:38:26 AM): good thing i made the right decision when i was 14
combaticus (12:38:46 AM): you know

Blame it in the ahh ahhh ahh ahh

2009-03-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have to vent this. It's a secret I've been keeping for the longest. I have an unnatural and immoral love of club bangers, and I'm not talking about parties. I'm talking about in the privacy of my own home/vehicle. Specifically, T-Pain club bangers(double positive positive I KNOW). Ahh, I feel much better now. I guess I can't blame my love for T-Pain on the ah ah ah ah ah Alcohol(c wut i d1d thar?!) And yes, I do know this is a Jamie Foxx joint, but this might as well be T-Pain singing the whole time.

Jamie Foxx is being a real douche right now, and won't let me embed his vid.

Unnecessary Traits I Desire in a Woman Volume 1

2009-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I was browsing NT and there was a post on Heterochromia:

Heterochromia refers to a difference in coloration, usually of the iris but also of hair or skin. Heterochromia is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin (a pigment). It may be inherited, due to genetic mosaicism, or due to disease or injury

Eye color, specifically the color of the irises, is determined primarily by the concentration and distribution of melanin. The affected eye may be hyperpigmented (hyperchromic) or hypopigmented (hypochromic). In humans, usually, an excess of melanin indicates hyperplasia of the iris tissues, whereas a lack of melanin indicates hypoplasia.

Heterochromia of the eye (heterochromia iridis or heterochromia iridum) is of two kinds. In complete heterochromia, one iris is a different color from the other. In partial heterochromia or sectoral heterochromia, part of one iris is a different color from its remainder (Wikipedia).

And gosh darnit, I think it's pretty sexy. You may call me a SNAG(Sensitive New Age Guy) for thinking eyes are the sexiest part of a female, but I'd say F(ine) You(are right). So on to the goodies....

sick sick sick sick sick sick We're Sick for the Big Sun

2009-03-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Never let me slip, cause if I slip, then I’m slippin.

more blog material:
SNAGs (Sensitive New Age Guys) "Where have all the cowboys gone? Unfortunately they've all gone brokeback on us." HAHAHHAHAHAHHAAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA

"I also think that we tend to retreat into delusion in order to cope with life because…I guess because that’s all we know how to do. Like my friend Jerry says “The oldest survival tool in the world must be euphemism. How else could we still be here?”"

anyway i wish bloggers like this were real people.

Almost Almost Famous

2009-03-14T23:47:00.001-07:00

One of the "heart-touching" moments of what just may be my favorite movie of ALL-TIME.

Also I don't think I'll have a quality post by the end of today so hear this is.

new blog name, new beginnings

2009-03-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

if you don't know the reference, then you are missing out on life

subjects

habitual line stepping

or

motivation / how i value my "things"

Real Talk Volume: Not Me This Time

2009-03-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

:on the guess your race post i said you looked chinese :lol
but if you dont have any asian in you... naw im not gonna go there.
:even if you did go there i wouldn't have much asian in me

ROFL. this convo had nothing to do with me by the way.

Smartie Artie

2009-03-13T00:11:00.001-07:00

When I first saw this video I was thinking, damn, the recession is hitting HARD, but it turns out to just be a little thing hood kids do. Please don't get at me with that, "Ohh, what you mean hood kid, cause he's black?" :| :|

Anyway this brought a smile to my face, cause this is EXACTLY what I or people in the neighborhoods I grew up in would do. This is SUUUUUUUUCH a hood thing. For my first 10 years of my life I grew up in Queens and the "ghetto" side of San Diego, and this seriously straight made me reminisce about running around the school with friends doing the exact same stupid stuff as this.

I guess that's what attracts me to working with kids in the more 'down-trodden' areas, when I'm working with the church. It just reminds me of my childhood.

Real Talk Volume 1: It's back!

2009-03-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

(11:58:15 PM): i mean i cant picture you acting out worldy things like that
(11:58:16 PM): idk
(11:58:28 PM): >:]
(11:58:32 PM): hahaha
(11:58:33 PM): hahahahahahhahhaahhahahahha

just in case

2009-03-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

gonna finally write my thoughts and reviews on the watchmen movie

EDIT 3/14 11:52 obviously i havent yet but i swear i will..

About Me: In Photos

2009-03-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Taken from my Raf:

The Rules
01. Answer each of the questions below using the [flickr] search engine.
02. Choose a photo from the first three pages.
03. Copy the URL of your favorite photos [mosaic tool] .
04. Then share with the world

01. First Name
02. Favorite Food
03. Hometown
04. Favorite Color
05. Celebrity Crush
06. Favorite Drink
07. Dream Holiday
08. Favorite Dessert
09. What I Want To Be When I Grow Up
10. What I Love Most In The World
11. One Word That Describes Me
12. My Blog/Online Name [or something close to it]

Blessed

2009-03-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Matthew 5:11-12

Took me two years, to finally truly get over things that I guess you can say soured my Christian life. Two years to realize what I've been doing up until now is pretty pointless and vain. But hey, It could have been worse right? I remember writing a couple months ago about this. I felt as though I became a better person, but as soon as I finished writing it, I didn't feel that way. But today, I can truly say I am a better person because of what happened. Without a doubt in my mind. Now it's time for me to live that way.

King David said, "Your steadfast love is better than life." So I guess it comes down to me choosing between His steadfast love or the life I want to live?

I've made the choice already, let's see if I follow through...

i dont want to end my night off with some emo post

2009-03-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

But anyway, I'm not sad or down in anyway.

Now that's out of the way. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is definitely one of my favorites from last year. I know I'm late, but hey let's make a list!

My Top 5 Movies of 2008 in no particular order:

a) Forgetting Sarah Marshall

b) The Dark Knight

c) Slumdog Millionaire

d) Milk

e) The Wrestler

stranded in the middle of the ocean

2009-03-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of ya'll have heard about the capsized boat that was filled with ex-football players from USF, and the linebacker from Raiders. I don't know the EXACT details, but from what I've read only one survived, that being Nick Schuyler.

It got me thinking, if I ever was put in that situation how long I would have lasted. Being stranded in the middle of the ocean is one of my greatest fears. Heck being surrounded by something so great as an ocean or a desert with no end in sight frightens scares the ugh out of me. Two of the men in the boat stayed for about 8 hours, then eventually gave up and let go. The other friend did the same not too long after.

I tried putting myself in their shoes. I wonder if I would have stuck it out as long as Schuyler, but if I am completely honest with myself, I can see myself just giving up and letting go of the boat.

Now I don't want this to be a self-loathing post, and I definitely don't want anyone's pity. I just feel like I have a weak will. We always see characters in books, TV shows, and movies with unbreakable wills, and I like to think I'm one of them, but in 20/20 hindsight, anytime a hard situation has come up, I've fallen short. I'm not clutch. I'm no Jordan, 2 points down, with 10 seconds left.

I don't see myself holding the ball for any NBA team in the last seconds of a championship game anytime soon, but I know life is tough. I know I'm gonna go through more tough situations, and I just don't wanna be THAT guy who gave up, or THAT guy who ran away from it.

I guess my greatest fear more than anything else is being a quitter. I guess recognizing I have a weak will and not holding up in "clutch" situations is a problem I recognize. Hopefully the first step to recovery.

i love reminiscing, but i hate to feel the best days are behind me

2009-03-09T22:35:00.001-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

God answers prayer, can I get a witness?

2009-03-09T11:00:00.001-07:00

It seems like God knows how to place certain people in your life at the right time. I've been praying for God to pretty much give me someone that can help me in my walk with Him. I've been praying this for a reallylong time. And God finally did after like 2 years of praying for this. I guess I didn't have it in me to man up and do it myself.

Anywho, so God pretty much answered this prayer putting someone back in my life I haven't talked to in yeeeeears. Maybe since senior year of high school. I mean not small talk, but like REAL TALK. I had stuff that I've been carrying for a couple of years now that have been pretty heavy on my heart, even though I tried to put it in the back of my mind. I can honestly say, I am totally over it. It was a long process, God used different people along the way, but I can say I am free from it now. I can truly move on.

So what's next for me? I don't know. As my friend once said in her facebook status. "I don't know where this road is leading me, I just like walking."

too lazy to complete my other post

2009-03-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm pulling something out of Erwin's book, with this.

random top 5

1. The Tales of the Black Freighter - watching the movie made me realize how important this piece was in understanding the Watchmen, peep the DVD!

2. Grilled eggplant with sweet bagaong - seriously this stuff is SCRUMPTIOUS. THIS but bagaong instead of that random sauce.

3. The United States of Tara - take Nazer's word for it, this show is LEGIT.

4. Kicking it with my dad - we did the exact same thing we did when we would have a "father-son" day 10 years ago, watching 2 movies and getting some mexican food.

5. stage kids - check these guys out. repping the 858 properly.

I'll eventually get to posting my thoughts on the Watchmen, and my thoughts on who really deserved the Oscar for Best Actor.

New Start

2009-03-05T16:07:00.001-08:00

Zoey Deschanel is :hat.