You aren't going to believe who has a blog!!

You aren't going to belive this. If this guy has a blog, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a blog. He has links to video on YouTube. He's uploaded his videos on Google Video. He has audio blog entries. I'm impressed. I'm sure he has someone helping him with it, but nonetheless, I'm excited about the new MC Hammer blog. :)

Who are YOU?

Who exactly are you? Are you really that nice? Are you really that cruel? Do people think of you as a loser? Do people think you are two faced? Do people honestly like you? Those are big questions. Most people don't really like to think about that. Several years ago when I was in college my father gave me a book called The Man in the Mirror. I didn't read the entire thing. (I used to hate to read. At the time, if I had a choice of reading a novel and getting poked in the eye, I probably would have taken the poke in the eye.) But, I did read a good part of it. One thing from this book that has kept with me all these years since was the notion that the most mature thing any man can do is to self-evaluate one's life - to look inside your life and say "how can I become a better human being?" Going through life just trying live right is not enough. You've got to take the time to analyze your life. To evaluate your standards of living. That's the mark of a real man. That's the mark of maturity. The Bible says is clearly here. "...When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." This line of thought got me thinking recently. I started thinking about my current status in life. I'm a good guy (I think). I don't do outrageously crazy things - at least intentionally. I don't like to go drinking just for the sake of drinking. I've never smoked. Never took drugs. But, here I am, 31 years old and single. I've got good friends. But, certainly wish my friendships were closer than they are. My family relationships are good. But, they could be better. My friends and family know that I love them and care about them (I think). But, why aren't things better now? Who am I? Better yet, who do others think that I am? What type of man do others perceive me as? So with these questions I realize that good intentions can only get you so far. You've got to assess your place in life and ask if you can do better. Have you been a good friend to others? Have you helped out others expecting nothing in return? Have you been a good brother or sister? A good son or daughter? These are questions of maturity. On the opposite side, I feel immaturity can be characterized by excuses. It would be immature to point blame for your failures in life because of some circumstance, because it was someone else's fault, if your parents only understood you better, or if I just had a little more money. Pretty soon, it is these excuses which characterize your life. Before you start thinking that you've had it rough because of these excuses, it's probably time to ask yourself if you are in that rough spot because of your actions. Is it really someone else's fault, or was it because of your ultimate overall behavior? My brother Wesley says that today's society has a problem with Perpetual Adolescense. That is, people don't want to grow up. Today's youth and young adults are having a difficult time maturing. They are getting married later in life. They are having kids at a much older age. (My parents had 5 kids by the time they were 30!). Some of them still live at home with their parents. Beside going to school and gaining an education to improve their lives, they'd rather play video games and party with their friends until the wee hours of the morning. I'm not saying you shouldn't have fun, and enjoy life. But, there comes a time when a man should act like a man and take ownership of his life. You can't let outside influences affect it. You can't let your desire to have fun keep you from progressing your life in a healthy manner. Relying on excuses affects your character, how people view you. Then, pretty soon, this character change affects your core values. I'll never forget what my old civil engineering instructor, Serji Amerikhanian, told us on our final day of class as seniors. He was put up slides and gave hand outs for his tips on life. I'll never forget two of these tips. He observed... 1) You can always repair a broken reputaions, but rest assured that people will always be looking where the crack once was. 2) Words are like leaves. Seldom fruit is found where they most abound. These are great tips. The first one reminds me to be careful of how others view me. And the second reminds me not to over speak, try to impress, try to offer something I don't know, and not to offer excuses. So, I ask again... Who are YOU?

Didn't you get that memo?

My grandfather sent me this... One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time. When he returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not." God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time too. When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good." God was not pleased. So He decided to e-mail the 5% that were good, because He wanted to encourage them. Give them a little something to help them keep going. Do you know what the e-mail said? Okay, just wondering; I didn't get one either...

You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know

I came across this blog today. It's a good read. If you like to read passionate views by articulate people, then you'll like this. You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know It's written by a fellow named, Andy Monfried. I don't know him, but he's linked from a web page that I read regularly. His post on Feb 14th cut me to my core. I can't tell you how disturbed I am. His post today also is another one that disturbed me. But, like the title of his blog says... You can't learn what you don't want to know. I'm definitely one of the guys who doesn't want to know. But, after seeing how horrible life can be in the middle of war, maybe I need to become man enough to want to know. God bless all of those who are on the forefront on this physical and political battle. May God bring you wisdom and strength to do the right thing to bring peace and resolution. May God give you harbor and bring you home safely.

New video from Matt

You gotta check out this new video from Matt. Good compilation of family photos and video throughout the year, strung together with music. And you thought he was just an email pro! :) Just click the Play button to watch.

How YOU doin'?

You know that feeling when you are leaning back in a chair on 2 legs, and then you lean back too far, but just at the last minute you catch yourself...? Well, I feel like that all the time.

Forgiveness

This post doesn't really have a point. Bare with me as I jot some thoughts and try to piece them together. It's got a Christian theme to it, so I hope me gathering my thoughts doesn't misdirect Christ's message. Your comments are welcome. --------------------------------------- I love the new show My Name is Earl. I think it has a good message. The writers keep the show PC by explaining the moral of their stories to karma. But, I think there's more to it than that. You see, the title character was a really bad guy at one point. He stole, he cheated, he lied, he robbed, he did whatever he needed to do without thinking of the circumstances or how it affected the lives of others. His was married to woman who didn't love him. His parents didn't want anything to do with him. He was in a real bad place. After a serious accident, he was lying in the hospital thinking that there had to be a better way to live life. The show describes his enlightenment as "Do good things, and good things will happen to you. Do bad things, and they'll come back to haunt you." I think that's great, but the show goes deeper. Earl acknowledges his past wrongs (in fact, he made a list of everything bad he ever did), and he intends to make up for all his past transgressions. He knows he needs a better life, and he seeks out each person of who he's wronged in the past to make up for it. This primetime TV comedy won't say it, but I see this as a man seeking forgiveness. The show is funny. Each episode depicts Earl having to confront the person he's wronged (stole their wallet, picked on in high school, burned their house down, ruined their dreams and aspirations). It's always the same. When the victim sees Earl, they immediately show the hate they have for him until he expresses his regret and desire to make things right. It's crazy what guilt does to a man. It keeps you up at night. It puts a pit in your stomach. It makes you feel the whole world is looking at you. It makes you feel that you will never recover. It makes you do crazy things to try to right your wrongs (if you could only go back and do the right thing or fix what you did, then things wouldn't be so bad). That guilt that keeps you up at night makes men seek for answers. Some call it karma, some call it guilty conscience, but Christians call it Jesus. You see, as a Christian, I believe that Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for all your transgressions so that you won't have to. He literally saved us from having to live a life of hell, a life without meaning, a life without purpose. I think this journey that Earl is on is a great one. He is seeking out forgiveness. He's not only looking for forgiveness, but validation from each of his 'victims' that he's on the right path. He's proving to not only the victims that he's a better person, but he's also proving to himself that he's a better person. And it is this journey that gives Earl's life purpose. Instead of selfishly taking advantage of others around him, he realizes the fulfillment he gets from enriching the lives of those around him. There lies some Biblical truth to this. John 8:1-12 tells us of the story when Christ was preaching in the temple courts. In the middle of his teaching, a group of what the Bible calls "scribes" or "teachers of the law" (I'll call them prosecutors and judges) and Pharisees (who are basically described in the Bible as a sect of Jews who lacked real religion and conviction) drag a woman who was 'caught in adultery' into the temple courts. There they told Christ that this woman was caught in the act of adultery, the laws of Moses command that this woman be stoned. They asked Christ, "Now what do you say?". At this, it is clear that Christ is disappointed with the actions of the scribes and Pharisees. He kneels down, starts drawing in the sand, and doesn't look up. The Word says that Jesus only spoke because the group 'kept questioning him'. At this relentless pursuit of the Pharisees to have this woman who was clearly caught in sin be reprimanded, Jesus responded "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw the first stone..." Christ never looked up. He just kept down near the ground. After a while, he looks up to find that everyone except the woman had left. These men were shamed. Here they were feverishly wanting to condemn this blatant depiction of sin. The words of Christ exposed their own weakness, their own sin. You see, we all have sinned. We all have wronged our maker. Just because one person's sin is more public, doesn't make the sin of yours less hurtful to God. It's so easy to look over at the one person who has hurt you and condemn them for rest of your life. It's so easy to ignore the younger generation who we feel are up to no good. It's so easy to feel that we live a better life because we have removed the splint from our eye, and now we can point out the speck in the eyes of others. Let us be reminded - we all have sinned! Every one of us. 1 Cor 6:9-11 says this... 9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (Watch the next line...) 11And such were some of you but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Let us not foget what Christ has done for us. Let us not forget that he has saved us. Yes, we must denounce sin. But, we shouldn't judge and put off the sinner. Christ offers forgiveness unconditionally. Should anyone acknowledge their wrongs, come to the Lord with a humble heart, God will take that sin and cast it into the sea. He will fill the void in your life, and fill your heart with Him. Just as Christ did with the Pharisees, He will shine his light on you and expose your sin. The light of the world will humble you. And with this humbleness, obey what He said last to the sinful woman in the temple courts - "...neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." So, getting back to Earl... I love how he finds his purpose - of righting the wrongs in his life. But, I wonder how he would have felt if he acknowledged Christ's presence in his life. That with Christ he was forgiven the moment his heart was humbled. I wonder how he would have felt...? --------------------------------------------------------- I know none of this comes full circle and makes a distinct point. But, the Earl story of doing the right thing is only a half of the story. One should do the right thing not for just the sake of karma, but because Christ has worked a miracle in your life. You should do it to please him. May your works not only be good, but be pleasing in His sight. We shouldn't think for one moment that we are above our brothers and sisters. That we are more righteous than the other. Christ (the light of the world) shines his light so we may see our own sin. We must always remember from where Christ has brought us, and let others know that they can too find peace. It's a constant battle. But, if we are humbled by Christ, submit to his will, and allow him to be the light upon our path, the monster inside us all doesn't have a chance.