Shades of White (You Are Beautiful)

So. I was sitting on our couch the other night next to Ashley while she is watching "Say Yes to the Dress." I don't know how I got in that situation. At one moment I was just sitting there managing a few things on facebook minding my own business and then BOOM.... I was seeing women twirling in front of mirrors admiring the different types of white that exists on Earth. I always thought that white came in one color but apparently that is not true. What do I know about shopping for a wedding dress? Nothing. I just know that I loved Ashley's. It was perfect.

Besides shopping and getting ready for one's wedding, what possesses women to want to be beautiful? And why does that fascination drive so many women bananas? Please don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that this is a bad thing or that I am making fun of it. I'm just assessing a widely known phenomenon. Women want to be viewed as beautiful one way or the other. I don't know why women choose to do so many weird things to maintain their beauty but I do know one thing, us men better stop and recognize when our spouse or girlfriend goes the extra mile. If we were to ever stop telling them that they are beautiful then God help us. We will surely die a slow and painful death. Well, maybe not. However, it will cause our relationships to miss out on two very important ingredients. Love and Respect.

For your sweetheart to know that you notice how beautiful they are, they will respect you more. Lord knows that we make plenty of mistakes on a daily basis but to take a break from our stupidity and to wise up with the recognition of their breathtaking looks will save us from crashing and burning. Now I'm not saying you use this to simply get your way because women CAN and WILL smell BS from a mile away. You will only get yourself in the doghouse if you use this as a weapon instead of a tool. What I am saying is that you should take the time to stop and sincerely admire your lady.

She will respect you all the more for your reassuring words. Validation and love is what they need from you. Give them those things and they will supply you with what you need--respect. Before you know it you guys will be connected to one another in such a way that you will be surprised at how much stronger your relationship is.

Do I tell my wife that she is beautiful?
-Not nearly as much as she deserves.

What am I going to do once I post this?
-Um, I think I might go get a smoothie. jk

Thoughts on The Human Experience

If you haven't seen this documentary yet then you should. It is very powerful. As you get closer to the end you will be moved. If not, then you must be a tough guy who doesn't tap into your emotions too much. And that's okay, but please feel free to let your guard down. It's all good.

It's Complicated

There is one thing that I absolutely despise: exercise.

Whoever thought of this idea needs to be beaten with a baseball bat! I mean, seriously, what possesses someone to say something like, "Hey, I wonder what will happen when I lay face down and push myself towards the sky repeatedly?" or "You know, I think I'm going to spice things up a bit and lay flat on my back so that I can sit up and lay back down multiple times!" Really? They apparently had a lot of time to themselves to figure all this out. They definitely weren't using their backs out in the fields harvesting any crop or doing the type of labor that leaves a person completely exhausted. They had to be someone of great wealth in order to afford all that time experimenting. Wow. I'm really curious about who discovered exercise. I'm gonna Google it!

History of Exercise according to Wikipedia

The benefits of exercise have been known since antiquity.  

Antiquity - any period before the Middle Ages (476-1453), but still within the period of human history or prehistory, the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome:

Marcus Cicero, around 65 BC, stated: "It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.^"

However, the link between physical health and exercise (or lack of it) was only discovered in 1949 and reported in 1953 by a team led by Jerry Morris. Dr. Morris noted that men of similar social class and occupation (bus conductors versus bus drivers) had markedly different rates of heart attacks, depending on the level of exercise they got: bus drivers had a sedentary occupation and a higher incidence of heart disease, while bus conductors were forced to move continually and had a lower incidence of heart disease. This link had not previously been noted and was later confirmed by other researchers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise#History

Well, it doesn't tell us who invited it or discovered it but we do know who associated it with physical health, Dr. Jerry Morris. Well, thanks a lot Jerry!

Nah, I don't hate exercise that much but I do have a "love hate" relationship with it. I don't enjoy the feeling I get when I think about it prior to the workout but I do appreciate it when I'm done. Endorphins are released in my brain and I have so much energy to get me through the remainder of the day. As a matter of fact, the song that I am listening to right now comes to mind after a workout, Good Life by OneRepublic. The sun shines a little brighter and the songs sung by the birds are all the more delightful.

Why do I feel this way? Is it the endorphins? Is it the song Good Life?

Nope, it's because I know that I don't have to exercise again for that day!!

Love-hate relationship, I tell you, love-hate relationship! Our relationship is complicated.

My Mind: Fully Loaded. (Good Night)

I can't go to sleep right now! I have so much rolling around in my mind. There is so much I want to do for others that I can not contain myself. The fact that more and more people that I am growing to know are getting closer to finding out who Jesus is, what He was all about, and why He died makes me so excited. As the Pentecostals would say, "I'm gettin' fired up". So, trying to go to sleep right now is proving to be a hard task. So, in efforts to release some of this excitement from my system I'm going to just blurt out some of my thoughts-- because I really need to go to sleep here.

There is so much exciting developments underway within the Families Ministry @ Genesis Church that it makes me want to just boast for all the wisdom that God has bestowed upon many leaders in today's church planting movement. Normally, I'm not the boasting type but in this case I can't help but boast in God's infinite faithfulness and wisdom. There is so much that can be learned and taught in today's modern church. (Modern may be a poor term to use but it's right before midnight for me right now, just bare with me)

The fact that there are growing numbers of churches working hard to make it easier for more and more people to gain access to the gospel of Christ makes me want to do nothing else but join in their efforts. I love people. And I love to see people loved and pointed in the right direction (towards a genuine relationship with God). The fact that Christ called you and me to simply love and NOT to change people (because that's not our job) makes me happy. Why? Because I'm capable of that. It's in my WIRING!! I can't change anyone, if I tried then I would make one "Hell"-of-a-mess. If that was all I tried to do with everyone then no one would want to be my friend except for the perfect Christians in my life (I call them my "Imaginary Friends Who Don't Exist". I always try to compare myself to them. As psychologists always say, "You are your own worst critic") After all, Love is easy....especially when there are no strings attached. (Strings can be found within the track record of most Christians...me included)

As a closing statement, before I get too random in my thoughts, I am just thrilled to be in a position to grow. To grow in my personal life and to grow in my vocational life. I have grown to love learning. I have grown to love reading and writing. As a matter of fact, I am growing extremely tired just by thinking about it. My eyelids are growing havey and I don't tink I'm gonna finish this senten

Let Your Love Shine.

Tears will be cried as the children are numbered.

Pain will befall as little lives are all murdered.

But let this song ring to the left behind mothers,

That love is still here somewhere in your bride.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

When no one else cares that your truth is made known.

Lord, give us the strength to go where others won’t.

Cause this life that we live was bought from your right hand.

Lord, help us take back what was stolen from you.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

When will your bride pay the price that it takes to follow?

Lord, help your church chew what it is we can’t swallow,

For there is work to be done that can’t wait for tomorrow.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

The explanation.

I am a part of a Nonprofit Organization called The Magdalene Project [MAG] that is working to fight human trafficking worldwide. But right now we are focusing all our energies toward one location, Guatemala. As a matter of fact we will be going this July to deliver supplies and One Hope Bibles to a halfway house where women and children live. It will be mine and my wife's first trip to Guatemala and we will be exposed for the first time to the horrible conditions that sex trafficking has made in the high poverty zones. We don't know what to expect but by what we've been told it will be a sobering experience.

As the poem mentions, genocide is used as a means of keeping the homeless population low enough so that the government can proudly say that homelessness isn't an issue. This process does not exclude women or children. They are actually the prime victims of genocide.

http://www.facebook.com/MAGProject2011

I've heard that the culture in Guatemala is so jacked up that even the "Christians" who live there don't even notice the problem with human and sex trafficking. They don't understand that the Christ that they worship on Sundays is the same Christ that taught about love and taking care of the widows and orphans.

I don't know where you are in your faith, or that you even believe in God, but know that there is a responsibility that falls on the church. The responsibility of presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people no matter who or where they are and that love is the number one message that needs to be portrayed in that presentation. When Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment during the last supper He told them to love one another. He explained that this is how everyone would recognize that they are His disciples. So, if we want the world to know who Christ is we have to start loving one another. And right now Guatemala needs to know who Christ really is. They need love and hope. And the only one who can mend what's been broken for them is Christ's love through us. Yes, the church has dropped the ball in this area a lot but now is not the time to sit around and point fingers, it's time to act. So act.

If you're interested in getting involved with The Magdalene Project please feel free to visit the above facebook page.

More posts to come about [MAG]

Open Eyes

I close my eyes and I see home, the place where I grew and the people that I knew.

I open my eyes and I see home, a new place where I grow with people I’m soon to know.

I close my eyes and I see my Mom and Sister, the women who made me this person I am

I open my eyes and I see my wife, the woman who absolutely loves this man that I am.

I close my eyes and I see my Dad, the man who showed me the way.

I open my eyes and I see myself in the mirror,

So much like my father, oh how I see it clearer.

So much I want to do to show that I understand

I am only here by the love and grace that I found in your hands.

I am who I am for many good reasons.

If not for love, life would only be time filled with seasons.

I open my eyes and what do I see but a future worth living as the man that I am.

Thank you to my Mother and thank you to my Father

I’ve made it this far but just you wait I’ll make it farther.

To my wife who’s the best of me this is what I know,

You said that you’d follow me no matter where I go.

The love that you give fits me perfectly.

Only God would have known that it was you that would complete me.

To the life that we’ll have in the years to come, just knowing that you’re mine gives me peace that overcomes.

To my family and my beautiful wife, thank you for all your love.

Hope: More Than Just Our Wishful Thinking

Have you ever stopped to think about the word hope? And how much we use it? It's a interesting thing to think about. Whether it is through the spoken word or simply in our thoughts we use it constantly. I have caught myself multiple times hoping for various things ranging from a small "I hope I have enough change to get a sausage dog on the way to work" to a big "I hope I don't loose my job today." Regardless to how big or small our hopes may be to us or other people, it goes to show how much we are all wired to act and think along the terms of hope.

The important thing to realize about hope is that it is crucial to have when we are facing big, real life situations. But it can't just be any type of hope--it has to be a hope that is durable, long-lasting and strong. What would it look like if we didn't have that type of hope? Well, here is a true story that will shine some light on this issue.

Major Harold Cushner was a POW – a Prisoner of War – in Vietnam.  He was describing the hopelessness that happens in prisoner of war camps.  Specifically, he was talking about this one 24-year-old marine.  This marine, when he was captured, he decided that he was going to give in to the Viet Cong.  He was going to cut a deal.  So this 24-year-old marine said this, “If you promise to let me go, I’ll do whatever you want, and I’ll cooperate with you.”  They said, “It’s a deal.”  This young marine did everything to cooperate.  He was a model prisoner.  He was even a leader in the camp’s thought-reform program.  But after a while it, became clear to him that they were lying to him.  They were never going to let him go.  Major Cushner described what happened to him next.  He said, “This young Marine became a zombie.  He refused to do any work, and he rejected all offers of food and encouragement.  He simply lay in his cot, sucking his thumb.  In a manner of weeks, he was dead.”  He goes on to say, “If there was one word, a one-word cause of death of this young Marine, it was hopelessness.” 

The fact that we need hope is okay but the point is that we do not need to create or allow a false hope to influence how we cope with your circumstances. It's just that we need to depend on a hope that will never leave us and will never run out. Luckily for us, that type of hope exists. And it can be found in God. The cool thing is God isn't going anywhere. He is for you and not against you. He wants you to have hope. As a matter of fact, He is hope.

In Paul's letter to the Roman church, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

So, if we need hope and God is hope then what does that say about our nature? That we instinctively need God? or what?

It's just a thought to think about if you haven't already thought about it. I just know that hope has to be more than just wishful thinking, ambitious dreams and optimism. The reason being is that when we desperately need hope it has to be based off of something more than our own thoughts. Perhaps hope should be based more on the One whose thoughts are higher than our own.