Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Star Wars Episode 1 - Your Life as a Futuristic Sci-Fi Hero
There's something about Star Wars that has captivated audiences for decades. Since it's first release, audiences have flocked to see every installation in the nine part saga (yes, there are nine - six released, three unfinished), and they continue to flock as each update comes out. And while it's not specifically based around Christianity, there's a lot of parallels that we as Christians can draw from it.
First off, I'm going to be using information beyond the movies - background information that most people don't know/don't care to know about star wars, so bear with me in this. Don't worry though, we'll start with the basics.
The Jedi, in the Star Wars Universe, were the protectors of the republic, the heart of the galaxy representing peaceful, prosperous civilization. Originating on Tython, a core world in the heart of the galaxy, as a philosophical study group, their purpose was to study what was called "The Force" at that point a concept, more than a fully conceived energy source. However, another group also evolved with them - the Sith. Following their own version of the force, Boca, they philosophically opposed the Jedi. Where the Jedi focused themselves toward peace, knowledge, understanding, and compassion, the Sith viewed the force as a method to overpower and overcome their enemies, fueling their passions to give themselves strength.
Over thousands of years, the Jedi remained prevalent in the galaxy, always standing for the morals and values they established on Tython. The Sith, on the other hand, struggled through the millenia with infighting between the lords of their orders. With a philosophy bent so fully on destruction, deceit, and power, it was impossible for them to truly excel.
We, as Christians, can take a lot from this history, because it points towards our own. Think about what we are called to strive for - what Jesus stood for. He stands out as an example of compassion, empathy, courage, and humility. It is obvious to see throughout his life - healing the sick, making the blind see, loving the invisible and unloved. What people don't notice though, is the battling he does with the devil. He spends forty days in the desert locked in combat with Satan, being tempted and won! And he stands right there and calls you to do the same and follow him!
Ephesians 6:10-13 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Armor is a tool for fighting! Not for living an ordinary life. We have been radically transformed as followers and asked to fight for our God on a spiritual and physical level, fighting the devil in our lives through the overcoming of temptation and sin, and recruiting more people into His army! In my mind, what the Jedi do is a physical representation of what we, as Christians, should be striving for - actively fighting the hold the devil has on our lives and on the world.
While Star Wars isn't a perfect representation of what Christianity, as with all my posts, it presents examples, little flashers that we can use to look at how we're directing and living our lives. Are we living a life in which we earnestly fight the power the devil tries to hold over us? Are we calling on and relying on our brothers and sisters in Christ to aid us? Think about what you live for as you go through your day today.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Star Trek - Creation Ideas
I'm willing to bet that all of you have seen Star Trek, in one form or another, throughout some time in your life. Whether you watch it for the entertainment value, the historical significance, or whatever drives you, the show has, historically, been one of the most well known sci fi shows of our time. From visiting distant worlds to interacting with alien species, Star Trek had it all. It was a link to the strange and unknown, filled with adventure and the constant twinge of danger.
What gets me most, though is the expanse in which the U.S.S. Enterprise travels. It brings into mind the amazing complexity of this universe that God has created. It's astounding to me! The very idea that God created such an expanse of space for us. As it stands right now, we've only mapped a tiny portion of our galaxy. NASA reports that there are 3,000 visible galaxies in the universe and that number is only including what we can see through the hubble telescope. God only knows the infinite complexity of the universe, and He took the time to create every infintesimal speck in it. Every image of beauty in the universe - every nebula, every star, every planet, he created. Each has their own radiant beauty and God took the time and effort to put it there. I think there's more to it than that though.
You see, while I can't guarantee exactly how God created the universe, science has shown that everything in the universe is moving outward, thus leading to the Idea of a "Big Bang." Scientists have been able to plot everything in a "big bang" univeral beginning up until the initial incident that started it.
I believe that there was a moment in heaven when God gathered together the myriad of his celestial beings behind him and looked into the void and simply said something along the lines of, "Check this out." and there was, for a moment, a tiny spark, which lead to the single largest explosion of all time. I imagine something like a sonic charge from Star Wars (as in this scene ) coming out of this explosion which created not only the galaxy we live in, but the entire universe, filled with it's myriad of completely unexplored beauty and environments.
I mean, seriously, put yourself in the shoes of one of the angels standing behind God, just sitting there wondering what He's going to do, then being blown away by the awesome power of His creation. Can you even imagine it? I know I can't. Just the reality of it blows me away, and the best part is - You'll never know what happened! As long as we live on this earth and aren't in heaven, I don't think we'll ever fully understand the power that went into the creation of the Universe - the power that still gets displayed throughout it every day.
The next time you're not doing anything, just sitting around surfing the web, I'd encourage you to get on google images and look up pictures of Nebulas. Just take a glimpse into the mind of God for a while and see what he has in store for you.
What gets me most, though is the expanse in which the U.S.S. Enterprise travels. It brings into mind the amazing complexity of this universe that God has created. It's astounding to me! The very idea that God created such an expanse of space for us. As it stands right now, we've only mapped a tiny portion of our galaxy. NASA reports that there are 3,000 visible galaxies in the universe and that number is only including what we can see through the hubble telescope. God only knows the infinite complexity of the universe, and He took the time to create every infintesimal speck in it. Every image of beauty in the universe - every nebula, every star, every planet, he created. Each has their own radiant beauty and God took the time and effort to put it there. I think there's more to it than that though.
You see, while I can't guarantee exactly how God created the universe, science has shown that everything in the universe is moving outward, thus leading to the Idea of a "Big Bang." Scientists have been able to plot everything in a "big bang" univeral beginning up until the initial incident that started it.
I believe that there was a moment in heaven when God gathered together the myriad of his celestial beings behind him and looked into the void and simply said something along the lines of, "Check this out." and there was, for a moment, a tiny spark, which lead to the single largest explosion of all time. I imagine something like a sonic charge from Star Wars (as in this scene ) coming out of this explosion which created not only the galaxy we live in, but the entire universe, filled with it's myriad of completely unexplored beauty and environments.
I mean, seriously, put yourself in the shoes of one of the angels standing behind God, just sitting there wondering what He's going to do, then being blown away by the awesome power of His creation. Can you even imagine it? I know I can't. Just the reality of it blows me away, and the best part is - You'll never know what happened! As long as we live on this earth and aren't in heaven, I don't think we'll ever fully understand the power that went into the creation of the Universe - the power that still gets displayed throughout it every day.
The next time you're not doing anything, just sitting around surfing the web, I'd encourage you to get on google images and look up pictures of Nebulas. Just take a glimpse into the mind of God for a while and see what he has in store for you.
New Series
First off, I wanted to apologize - I've been terrible at keeping up with this blog lately, but I am working on a new series. Essentially, it's going to take themes and ideas from Star Wars (Not just the movies, but back history, etc) and relate it to christian themes as always. I'm not sure how many weeks it's going to be, but I'm going to try and get the first out by this week, but please continue to bear with me as I put this out, and I'll try and keep it updated through facebook! As Always, I welcome and encourage comments and feedback, and if you feel so entitled, feel free to follow the blog or email me!
As well, I'm going to work on/tweak a few of my older posts and actually put them out (i have like two or three draft posts) in the meantime! So keep watching!
As well, I'm going to work on/tweak a few of my older posts and actually put them out (i have like two or three draft posts) in the meantime! So keep watching!
Monday, April 30, 2012
New blogs
hey guys, sorry I haven't had anything new recently, but I'll try and get a few blogs up here pretty soon. It's finals week and i have to study! I have a few cool ideas though, so stay posted!
God bless!
God bless!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
August Rush and the Meaning of Life
Have you ever looked at your life and wondered what the point of it all was? I believe that we, as humans, are incapable of fully comprehending this fact. Life, in itself, is simply too beautiful to behold and understand in this physical sense. I do, however, believe that it has a specific order, individualized for every single person on this planet that was set about and pre-composed by a loving and powerful God.
If you have never seen the movie August Rush, I'd highly recommend it. It's one of those movies that inspires to the point that when you see it you recommend it to everyone you know. The film goes through the story of young Evan Taylor, orphan and musical prodigy, as he tries to find his family through music. It's not an easy search of course, the plot is full of deceptions and people pulling him away from his future. The end result, however, was worth every trial. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd recommend you see it before you read this post all the way through as I'm bound to give spoilers and I don't want to ruin it for anyone.
Throughout the movie, as Evan struggles to find his parents, he's constantly pulled away from his endeavors by "Wizard", a man who formerly had helped him, but then only wanted him for his own selfish desires. It's the same way with us in our walks with God - there are people who want to pull us away. I believe very firmly, however, that God is right there behind us, urging us to go forward and follow our dreams. He pursues us even while we pursue him, just as Lyla pursues Evan throughout the movie. And when everything is said and done and our journey is over, I believe that God is waiting to wrap us in his arms and welcome us home.
A lot of times in life we get focused on the "here and now" and forget to look at the big picture. It isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but it can make us lose sight of the fact that God has a plan. We get so focused on the individual successes and failures that we don't look at the culmination of those events. The struggles in life make you ashamed of who you were to the point that you never stop and see how who you were helped define who you are. Even while we lose sight of this, I firmly believe that God has this all under control. Every decision we make in life, whether good or bad, is under his control. God is writing a symphony with your life and there are no stray notes. Whether or not you feel like your life is meaningful in this world, it is to God - He makes no mistakes.
I believe that when we die, there will be this moment when we stand before God and he asks us how we lived for him and we will have to give an account for our actions. Matthew 12:36 says, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." I think there may be more to it though. I think, for those who follow Him, that there will be a moment where God shows us what He did. When He shows us our lives and this symphony that He wrote before we were even born. I believe that there will be a moment and tells us how every trial we went through played into this symphony - from every thought to every major decision that changed the face of our lives. Each one was a note or key change in God' symphony.
If you have never seen the movie August Rush, I'd highly recommend it. It's one of those movies that inspires to the point that when you see it you recommend it to everyone you know. The film goes through the story of young Evan Taylor, orphan and musical prodigy, as he tries to find his family through music. It's not an easy search of course, the plot is full of deceptions and people pulling him away from his future. The end result, however, was worth every trial. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd recommend you see it before you read this post all the way through as I'm bound to give spoilers and I don't want to ruin it for anyone.
Throughout the movie, as Evan struggles to find his parents, he's constantly pulled away from his endeavors by "Wizard", a man who formerly had helped him, but then only wanted him for his own selfish desires. It's the same way with us in our walks with God - there are people who want to pull us away. I believe very firmly, however, that God is right there behind us, urging us to go forward and follow our dreams. He pursues us even while we pursue him, just as Lyla pursues Evan throughout the movie. And when everything is said and done and our journey is over, I believe that God is waiting to wrap us in his arms and welcome us home.
A lot of times in life we get focused on the "here and now" and forget to look at the big picture. It isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but it can make us lose sight of the fact that God has a plan. We get so focused on the individual successes and failures that we don't look at the culmination of those events. The struggles in life make you ashamed of who you were to the point that you never stop and see how who you were helped define who you are. Even while we lose sight of this, I firmly believe that God has this all under control. Every decision we make in life, whether good or bad, is under his control. God is writing a symphony with your life and there are no stray notes. Whether or not you feel like your life is meaningful in this world, it is to God - He makes no mistakes.
I believe that when we die, there will be this moment when we stand before God and he asks us how we lived for him and we will have to give an account for our actions. Matthew 12:36 says, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." I think there may be more to it though. I think, for those who follow Him, that there will be a moment where God shows us what He did. When He shows us our lives and this symphony that He wrote before we were even born. I believe that there will be a moment and tells us how every trial we went through played into this symphony - from every thought to every major decision that changed the face of our lives. Each one was a note or key change in God' symphony.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Superman: The Man of Steel - A Gateway To Your Past
Just about everybody knows who superman is - the tights, boots, cape and hidden identity are practically a cultural marker for an entire generation. But how does this apply to your past? More importantly, how does it apply to your future?
This blog isn't so much about Superman as it is about his nickname: The man of steel. As humans, we have a strong desire to be safe and secure. We surround ourselves with things that can make us comfortable and secure in life so that when things get hard we won't have anything to worry about. When we have kids, the infamous vow, "I'll never let anything happen to you" comes out. We have a strong desire to live a life of comfort and luxury, where nothing bad can touch us. Ironically, though, it rarely happens. Throughout our lives, it seems we go through struggle after struggle, heartbreak after heartbreak and sometimes it takes a long time before we can get to a place where we can feel safe. We live in a world that is full of divorce, crime, poverty, and death and that in itself makes life exceedingly difficult at times.
It's so easy when things get hard to shut yourself down to God and people because we have this sort of bifocal vision issue. We always look at the close reality that says, "Life Sucks" and we don't look at the larger picture that encompasses your past, present, and future.
Think about the hardest substance you can think of - whether it's steel, obsidian, stone, diamond, or anything else. Now think of how it came to be that way. Steel is first mined, then refined by being melted down and smote to whatever shape it's needed to be in. Obsidian is the result of violent volcanic eruptions that cause massive amounts of devastation. Stone is slowly layed down over hundreds of years and compressed until it's solid. Diamonds are formed in the mantle of the earth and pushed up through deep source eruptions (info from http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/). What do all of these have in common? Every single one of these required stress, work, and trials to make. It's the same with people! John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. " The trials in life help form us into the people God wants us to be! Life is going to be difficult, it's going to have problems that seem unfixable. The important thing is this: The verse doesn't end there and neither does the story! The end of verse 33 says, " But take heart! I have overcome the world." God knew when he created you that you were going to go through a lot of trials. He engineered them specifically for you! You are where you are because God knew that was what would turn you into the person He wanted you to be.
Think about some of the problems you've had in your life. What changed because of it? A huge thing nowadays is debt and not having money. When you get to a place where you aren't in debt, aren't you more careful about your money? It's a huge part of the reason that we make mistakes - so we can learn from them! The next time you feel tempted or that the circumstances you are going through in life are hard or are some sort of punishment, rather than ask God why he is doing this to you, ask Him what He wants you to learn? I can almost guarantee your outlook on the problem and help you to overcome it. At the end of the day, there's always a new morning if you can hold out long enough to see it.
This blog isn't so much about Superman as it is about his nickname: The man of steel. As humans, we have a strong desire to be safe and secure. We surround ourselves with things that can make us comfortable and secure in life so that when things get hard we won't have anything to worry about. When we have kids, the infamous vow, "I'll never let anything happen to you" comes out. We have a strong desire to live a life of comfort and luxury, where nothing bad can touch us. Ironically, though, it rarely happens. Throughout our lives, it seems we go through struggle after struggle, heartbreak after heartbreak and sometimes it takes a long time before we can get to a place where we can feel safe. We live in a world that is full of divorce, crime, poverty, and death and that in itself makes life exceedingly difficult at times.
It's so easy when things get hard to shut yourself down to God and people because we have this sort of bifocal vision issue. We always look at the close reality that says, "Life Sucks" and we don't look at the larger picture that encompasses your past, present, and future.
Think about the hardest substance you can think of - whether it's steel, obsidian, stone, diamond, or anything else. Now think of how it came to be that way. Steel is first mined, then refined by being melted down and smote to whatever shape it's needed to be in. Obsidian is the result of violent volcanic eruptions that cause massive amounts of devastation. Stone is slowly layed down over hundreds of years and compressed until it's solid. Diamonds are formed in the mantle of the earth and pushed up through deep source eruptions (info from http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/). What do all of these have in common? Every single one of these required stress, work, and trials to make. It's the same with people! John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. " The trials in life help form us into the people God wants us to be! Life is going to be difficult, it's going to have problems that seem unfixable. The important thing is this: The verse doesn't end there and neither does the story! The end of verse 33 says, " But take heart! I have overcome the world." God knew when he created you that you were going to go through a lot of trials. He engineered them specifically for you! You are where you are because God knew that was what would turn you into the person He wanted you to be.
Think about some of the problems you've had in your life. What changed because of it? A huge thing nowadays is debt and not having money. When you get to a place where you aren't in debt, aren't you more careful about your money? It's a huge part of the reason that we make mistakes - so we can learn from them! The next time you feel tempted or that the circumstances you are going through in life are hard or are some sort of punishment, rather than ask God why he is doing this to you, ask Him what He wants you to learn? I can almost guarantee your outlook on the problem and help you to overcome it. At the end of the day, there's always a new morning if you can hold out long enough to see it.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Living With the Mark
Over spring break, I decided to watch Harry Potter for the first time. It wasn't bad, and I was left with some interesting connections. I love the last scene when Harry and Dumbledore are discussing the fight with Voldemort - It really creates a visual perspective of some of the fighting we do every day.
Do you remember that scene? During the fight, Harry grabs Voldemort's arm and it turns to ash and blows away. He then grabs his face with the same effect. Dumbledore explains the situation like this:
----
Dumbledore: Harry, do you know why Professor Quirrell couldn't bear to have you touch him?
[Harry shakes his head]
Dumbledore: It was because of your mother. She sacrificed herself for you, and that kind of act leaves a mark.
[Harry reaches up to touch his scar]
Dumbledore: No, no. This kind of mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin.
Harry: What is it?
Dumbledore: Love, Harry. Love.
---- (Thanks to imdb.com for the quote) ----
The same thing is true with us! Did you ever think about that? Jesus gave his life so that you could live in freedom from sin! That's why the devil wants to hurt you so much! John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy[....]" In this verse, it is generally understood that the "thief" is in fact the devil. He wants nothing more for us than to get us to lose our faith and lose hope That's why it's so hard to live in Christ - every time we take a step toward Him, the devil tries to push us back. That's why it's so important to continue fighting for your faith. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This doesn't simply mean to sit in a corner with your hands over your head begging him to leave you alone, even though sometimes it feels like that's all we can do. The word resist in the original greek (αντισταθούν) means literally to withstand or stand up. We need to be firm in our knowledge of the scripture and ready to oppose the devil! We need to have our armor on at all times and ready for ambush!
My last point is this: This line talks about the fact that Harry was marked because of the love of his mother. It's easy to take that and not glean anything from it because we lose sight of another simple truth: we are marked by the love of our Father! Revelation 7:3 says, ""Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."" It's an idea that was extremely prevalent in Tim LaHaye's left behind series. It was manifested physically to the Christians in the end times as a thumb print on their forehead. I think it's already there - only on a spiritual level. The Devil knows whose we are and it makes him mad! That's why he wants to destroy you!
Never forget that you are marked by God's love - it's one of your greatest qualities and weapons. It's one of the coolest things about being a Christian, but something that's very easy to forget. The devil wants us to have no hope, that's why that thought isn't always on our minds. It's too easy to fight knowing that the love of the King is written right on us. Keep that in your mind today as you go through life and see if that changes how well you fight today.
Do you remember that scene? During the fight, Harry grabs Voldemort's arm and it turns to ash and blows away. He then grabs his face with the same effect. Dumbledore explains the situation like this:
----
Dumbledore: Harry, do you know why Professor Quirrell couldn't bear to have you touch him?
[Harry shakes his head]
Dumbledore: It was because of your mother. She sacrificed herself for you, and that kind of act leaves a mark.
[Harry reaches up to touch his scar]
Dumbledore: No, no. This kind of mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin.
Harry: What is it?
Dumbledore: Love, Harry. Love.
---- (Thanks to imdb.com for the quote) ----
The same thing is true with us! Did you ever think about that? Jesus gave his life so that you could live in freedom from sin! That's why the devil wants to hurt you so much! John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy[....]" In this verse, it is generally understood that the "thief" is in fact the devil. He wants nothing more for us than to get us to lose our faith and lose hope That's why it's so hard to live in Christ - every time we take a step toward Him, the devil tries to push us back. That's why it's so important to continue fighting for your faith. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This doesn't simply mean to sit in a corner with your hands over your head begging him to leave you alone, even though sometimes it feels like that's all we can do. The word resist in the original greek (αντισταθούν) means literally to withstand or stand up. We need to be firm in our knowledge of the scripture and ready to oppose the devil! We need to have our armor on at all times and ready for ambush!
My last point is this: This line talks about the fact that Harry was marked because of the love of his mother. It's easy to take that and not glean anything from it because we lose sight of another simple truth: we are marked by the love of our Father! Revelation 7:3 says, ""Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."" It's an idea that was extremely prevalent in Tim LaHaye's left behind series. It was manifested physically to the Christians in the end times as a thumb print on their forehead. I think it's already there - only on a spiritual level. The Devil knows whose we are and it makes him mad! That's why he wants to destroy you!
Never forget that you are marked by God's love - it's one of your greatest qualities and weapons. It's one of the coolest things about being a Christian, but something that's very easy to forget. The devil wants us to have no hope, that's why that thought isn't always on our minds. It's too easy to fight knowing that the love of the King is written right on us. Keep that in your mind today as you go through life and see if that changes how well you fight today.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Suckerpunch and Forth Eorlingas: Battlefield Living
In my last post I talked about the fact that God has a journey intended for us and that sometimes we have to undertake that journey before we are prepared to fight for him. The cool part about God is this: He's ready for us the moment we finish our Journey.
A while back I saw a movie called SuckerPunch. The idea of the movie wasn't the best, but one line really hit me in the movie. The main character is in an Eastern style pagoda temple and she's talking to the "wise man" and he hands her a gun and a sword and ushers her into battle with three giant samurai warriors with one line of encouragement, "You have all the weapons you need. Now fight." While this is not meant to have any sort of Christian theme in it, It really shows this idea of trusting God. It's kind of far out but this girl is able to defeat these giant samurai when she has the faith to do it. The beginning of the battle, you see her as extremely tentative, but by the end she's a strong warrior, capable of just about anything. God wants the same thing for us! I love movies where you see the main character ride out into battle for their kings; When there is no hope for victory, but they still run forward to face their enemies one last time - laying everything on the line.
God wants that same thing for us. A lot of times we get wrapped up in sin and it seems like there is no way out - like no matter what we do we can't escape from it. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." It's that final resistance that gives us hope to win the battle against sin; that one time of resisting and overcoming your sin. I firmly believe that when you have the courage and strength to confront sin, God is right there waiting to push the devil away.
A great picture of this comes from Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers. The scene is called Forth Eorlingas and is set up where King Theoden and the fellowship are barricaded in the last stronghold of Helm's Deep, simply waiting for their enemies to break down the door and slaughter them, when Aragorn speaks up and tells the king to ride out and meet them one last time. From that, we get an epic scene with the king and Aragorn along with a portion of the Rohirrim riding out of the keep and trampling and killing all the orcs in their path and just when the situation seems to get the worst, Aragorn looks up to the horizon and sees gandalf ready to ride in and take on the orcs with the rest of Rohan's army. I think God wants the same thing for us. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons we fight with are not of this world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds." God has given you every weapon you need to vanquish sin. Resist the devil; Resist SIN and the devil will flee from you. You have the power to win the battle! While each battle doesn't win you the war, recurring victory does. You have all the weapons you need - Now fight.
Forth Eorlingas Scene
(for those of you who haven't seen the movie, they do win the battle for Helm's Deep because of Gandalf's flanking attack)
A while back I saw a movie called SuckerPunch. The idea of the movie wasn't the best, but one line really hit me in the movie. The main character is in an Eastern style pagoda temple and she's talking to the "wise man" and he hands her a gun and a sword and ushers her into battle with three giant samurai warriors with one line of encouragement, "You have all the weapons you need. Now fight." While this is not meant to have any sort of Christian theme in it, It really shows this idea of trusting God. It's kind of far out but this girl is able to defeat these giant samurai when she has the faith to do it. The beginning of the battle, you see her as extremely tentative, but by the end she's a strong warrior, capable of just about anything. God wants the same thing for us! I love movies where you see the main character ride out into battle for their kings; When there is no hope for victory, but they still run forward to face their enemies one last time - laying everything on the line.
God wants that same thing for us. A lot of times we get wrapped up in sin and it seems like there is no way out - like no matter what we do we can't escape from it. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." It's that final resistance that gives us hope to win the battle against sin; that one time of resisting and overcoming your sin. I firmly believe that when you have the courage and strength to confront sin, God is right there waiting to push the devil away.
A great picture of this comes from Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers. The scene is called Forth Eorlingas and is set up where King Theoden and the fellowship are barricaded in the last stronghold of Helm's Deep, simply waiting for their enemies to break down the door and slaughter them, when Aragorn speaks up and tells the king to ride out and meet them one last time. From that, we get an epic scene with the king and Aragorn along with a portion of the Rohirrim riding out of the keep and trampling and killing all the orcs in their path and just when the situation seems to get the worst, Aragorn looks up to the horizon and sees gandalf ready to ride in and take on the orcs with the rest of Rohan's army. I think God wants the same thing for us. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons we fight with are not of this world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds." God has given you every weapon you need to vanquish sin. Resist the devil; Resist SIN and the devil will flee from you. You have the power to win the battle! While each battle doesn't win you the war, recurring victory does. You have all the weapons you need - Now fight.
Forth Eorlingas Scene
(for those of you who haven't seen the movie, they do win the battle for Helm's Deep because of Gandalf's flanking attack)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
God's Not Dead - A Narnian Principle
The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the most well-known Christian-based mainstream film series on the market. I remember walking through high school and hearing everybody talking about how much they loved The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I heard the same thing when Prince Caspian came out. It has a major theme of the sacrifice of God for us to claim victory over evil, but there are a lot of other more underlying themes that you don't always see.
One of the biggest themes is the fact that God's not dead. In the beginning of the movie we find out that there has been winter for a hundred years and that the whole time, Aslan (God) has not been seen the whole time. When we meet the beavers, there is this sense of urgency because God has returned to Narnia and is preparing for battle.
A lot of times it can seem the same way in our own lives. We settle down into the "Routine of life" and it seems like life is just coasting along. I've struggled often with just knowing that God is working in my life and even present with me! But then it seems we find a place where we get a sense of Spiritual urgency and we get excited because we see God moving in lives. For me, that's always been at Dare 2 Share conferences and Maranatha Bible camp. I leave those places pumped up to see God working in my life and the lives of countless others but within a month, I'm back to the normal routine, forgetting that I have this God inside me working miracles every day. It's easy to lose track of the fact that we serve the LIVING God, not just god.
The God we serve calls us to fight every day. Just like the four characters from Narnia, we have a duty to fullfill! But we aren'r always ready for that duty.Think about the timeline used for the battle of Narnia. When the four children show up, do they simply march into battle? NO! They take a long journey just to find Aslan, a metaphor for the journey we take to find God. Then, even when they find Aslan, they don't just march out and take on the White Witch - they practice with their weapons, just like we practice with ours! We learn how to overcome sin and we get materials to help us do that!
Peter is a perfect example here. Before he gets the courage to fight for Aslan, he fights Maugrim to save his sisters. It's a short fight, but it still gives him the courage to stand up to the mountainous task of defeating the white witch. Then, he has to get suited up in his armor to fight. Ephesians 6:10-17 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. " God has equipped us for battle! We have everything we need to march out and take on the armies of evil!
My last point is this: God is a loving God, but he is also a just God. In one of the last scenes of the great battle, Aslan attacks and kills the witch. Even for someone who read the books and knew the plot, I was still a little awestruck by it. Throughout the movie, Aslan had been this collected, majestic, loving lion and then He just attacks the witch ferociously? I lost track of the idea of what Aslan was! Aslan is a lion, just like God is described in the bible as the "Lion of Judah." The bible doesn't say things without a reason. A lot of times, we as christians tend to make God a little kitten that is there to love on us, but that's only part of what God is. God is a lion, willing and ready to fight for his beloved. The question is this: Are you ready for God to fight with you?
One of the biggest themes is the fact that God's not dead. In the beginning of the movie we find out that there has been winter for a hundred years and that the whole time, Aslan (God) has not been seen the whole time. When we meet the beavers, there is this sense of urgency because God has returned to Narnia and is preparing for battle.
A lot of times it can seem the same way in our own lives. We settle down into the "Routine of life" and it seems like life is just coasting along. I've struggled often with just knowing that God is working in my life and even present with me! But then it seems we find a place where we get a sense of Spiritual urgency and we get excited because we see God moving in lives. For me, that's always been at Dare 2 Share conferences and Maranatha Bible camp. I leave those places pumped up to see God working in my life and the lives of countless others but within a month, I'm back to the normal routine, forgetting that I have this God inside me working miracles every day. It's easy to lose track of the fact that we serve the LIVING God, not just god.
The God we serve calls us to fight every day. Just like the four characters from Narnia, we have a duty to fullfill! But we aren'r always ready for that duty.Think about the timeline used for the battle of Narnia. When the four children show up, do they simply march into battle? NO! They take a long journey just to find Aslan, a metaphor for the journey we take to find God. Then, even when they find Aslan, they don't just march out and take on the White Witch - they practice with their weapons, just like we practice with ours! We learn how to overcome sin and we get materials to help us do that!
Peter is a perfect example here. Before he gets the courage to fight for Aslan, he fights Maugrim to save his sisters. It's a short fight, but it still gives him the courage to stand up to the mountainous task of defeating the white witch. Then, he has to get suited up in his armor to fight. Ephesians 6:10-17 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. " God has equipped us for battle! We have everything we need to march out and take on the armies of evil!
My last point is this: God is a loving God, but he is also a just God. In one of the last scenes of the great battle, Aslan attacks and kills the witch. Even for someone who read the books and knew the plot, I was still a little awestruck by it. Throughout the movie, Aslan had been this collected, majestic, loving lion and then He just attacks the witch ferociously? I lost track of the idea of what Aslan was! Aslan is a lion, just like God is described in the bible as the "Lion of Judah." The bible doesn't say things without a reason. A lot of times, we as christians tend to make God a little kitten that is there to love on us, but that's only part of what God is. God is a lion, willing and ready to fight for his beloved. The question is this: Are you ready for God to fight with you?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Wilson - A Cast Away concept
I recently watched the movie Cast Away again and started thinking a little deeper about the movie and some ideas it presents. For those of you who may not have seen the movie, It's about a Fed Ex guy who gets stranded on a remote island for five years. Along the way he befriends a volleyball that was in one of the packages that washed up on the beach. He names the volleyball Wilson because it's the name of the maker and throughout the movie he clings to this ball as his only friend.
It didn't really hit me until it's towards the end of the movie and he's on his raft headed back to civilization and the volleyball falls off the raft. He immediately jumps into the water to rescue his "friend" and when he can't he apologizes for it over and over again. It made me think about how a lot of time in life we cling to things that aren't necessarily good for us. I think all of us, at some point, have our "Wilsons" that we consider to be precious beyond measure. In Matthew 6:20, it says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Everything in this earth is going to pass away. It's not going to matter what we have in life. We tend to hold onto things like this as if they were some sort of life raft and when they leave, it's like the entire world falls against us. This can come in the form of a car accident, losing a job, and so many things.
Luke 12:28-29 says, "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it." God loves you! He's going to look after your needs no matter what. Recently I had a car accident and for a week I didn't know what I was going to do. I'm a delivery driver, so it was more than simply an accident to me - I was losing my job too. Now, knowing where I am and what became of that accident, I wouldn't take it back. I have a new car and on Monday I start a new job, still delivering, but where I'll make more money.
The accident came at a time when I was getting over an addiction that I'd been going through for nine months. I was just starting to sort my life out and reconnect with old friends and I instantly blamed God. I thought, "if I'm doing all of this, then why would you let this happen to me?" However because of that accident I got a new car that I enjoy even more than my old car. It's a car that I can cruise in rather than just feeling like I have to get from point A to point B as fast as I can.
Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, I was so quick to try my best to hold on to my Wilson, the old car I used to drive. Even though God wanted me to be able to get a different car that I would enjoy more, I didn't want it. I found myself in a place where I just wanted to get back to my addiction... and I did for about a week. In the end, it was my friends that helped me get out of it. had I not lost my car, I'd still be in the same job and while I would have had a little less hardship, I probably wouldn't have had the desire to donate plasma, something I wouldn't give up now, only two weeks into it.
In the end, letting go of Wilson helped me get to a place where God could show me just how special he was, just how much he wanted to take care of me. What's your WIlson? And would you be willing to let it go? I'm not saying you should get rid of your car or quit your job - just think about it. Are there things that you make more important than anything else in life? Things your put before God? Exodus 20:3 says, "You shall have no other gods before me." I don't think this applies simply literally. I think God wants us to put him before EVERYTHING. Before our jobs and our posessions - He did. Think about it. God gave up his son to die for us on the cross. Would you? God cares about us enough to do that... and sometimes he wants us to let go of the things we hold onto so tightly we can't see him. Sometimes he whispers in our ears, "Let it go." The next time he does.. will you listen?
It didn't really hit me until it's towards the end of the movie and he's on his raft headed back to civilization and the volleyball falls off the raft. He immediately jumps into the water to rescue his "friend" and when he can't he apologizes for it over and over again. It made me think about how a lot of time in life we cling to things that aren't necessarily good for us. I think all of us, at some point, have our "Wilsons" that we consider to be precious beyond measure. In Matthew 6:20, it says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Everything in this earth is going to pass away. It's not going to matter what we have in life. We tend to hold onto things like this as if they were some sort of life raft and when they leave, it's like the entire world falls against us. This can come in the form of a car accident, losing a job, and so many things.
Luke 12:28-29 says, "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it." God loves you! He's going to look after your needs no matter what. Recently I had a car accident and for a week I didn't know what I was going to do. I'm a delivery driver, so it was more than simply an accident to me - I was losing my job too. Now, knowing where I am and what became of that accident, I wouldn't take it back. I have a new car and on Monday I start a new job, still delivering, but where I'll make more money.
The accident came at a time when I was getting over an addiction that I'd been going through for nine months. I was just starting to sort my life out and reconnect with old friends and I instantly blamed God. I thought, "if I'm doing all of this, then why would you let this happen to me?" However because of that accident I got a new car that I enjoy even more than my old car. It's a car that I can cruise in rather than just feeling like I have to get from point A to point B as fast as I can.
Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, I was so quick to try my best to hold on to my Wilson, the old car I used to drive. Even though God wanted me to be able to get a different car that I would enjoy more, I didn't want it. I found myself in a place where I just wanted to get back to my addiction... and I did for about a week. In the end, it was my friends that helped me get out of it. had I not lost my car, I'd still be in the same job and while I would have had a little less hardship, I probably wouldn't have had the desire to donate plasma, something I wouldn't give up now, only two weeks into it.
In the end, letting go of Wilson helped me get to a place where God could show me just how special he was, just how much he wanted to take care of me. What's your WIlson? And would you be willing to let it go? I'm not saying you should get rid of your car or quit your job - just think about it. Are there things that you make more important than anything else in life? Things your put before God? Exodus 20:3 says, "You shall have no other gods before me." I don't think this applies simply literally. I think God wants us to put him before EVERYTHING. Before our jobs and our posessions - He did. Think about it. God gave up his son to die for us on the cross. Would you? God cares about us enough to do that... and sometimes he wants us to let go of the things we hold onto so tightly we can't see him. Sometimes he whispers in our ears, "Let it go." The next time he does.. will you listen?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Angel Beats!
So in one of my first blogs I mentioned the fact that i ADORE the anime, 'Angel Beats!' and that I would talk about it in a later post. I figured I might as well post it here now! so aside from a few issues with the show, namely some foul language and a lot of questioning God, it's a beautiful piece about getting past the problems with your life. THERE ARE GOING TO BE SPOILERS ABOUT THE SHOW HERE.
The show starts out with the main Character, Otonashi waking up in a sort of limbo where he is immediately given the opportunity to fight against the "enemy" of the world, a young girl named Angel. At first he resists fighting, but by the second episode he fights with the "Battlefront," a group dedicated to fighting against God to avoid "obliteration," where they cease to exist in that world. Throughout the show, he talks to the other members of the group and learns about their previous lives, all of which were filled with pain and sadness.
-- Spoilers --
A great example of this is the leader of the brigade, a girl named Yuri. She tells her story in the first or second episode of the show. She grew up with three siblings until burglars broke into her house and forced her to find valuable things with the threat of killing her siblings if she couldn't find anything. She is forced to watch all three of her siblings die at the hands of ruthless men and then left to wait until the police arrive a few minutes later. You never find out how she died, but some of the other characters you do. One of the characters tries drugs after a devastating baseball game and another is killed from a blow from a beer bottle during her father's drunken rage.
To make a long story short, you find out that Otonashi had a sister with cancer and was with her when she died. He spends the rest of his childhood pursuing a career as a doctor, but gets in a train wreck on the way to the university to get his degree. An episode or two later, you find out that he saved the life of almost every person on that train after it was involved in a cave-in. He himself dies just as rescuers find the group - right after he signs an ID that sets him as an organ donor.
I'm leaving a lot of details out in this, of course, but in the end you find out that the reason that the world exists is to give kids who had bad lives when they were alive a second chance to live. It gives them the opportunity to live happy, fulfilled lives and then pass on. Three episodes from the finale he finds out who was thought to be the antagonist, Kanade (Angel) is actually the girl who received his heart after the train wreck and that the one thing she wanted in life was to thank him. The show ends with everybody in the world passing on and living down their old lives. It's a beautiful story, even with the issues I mentioned earlier, and I'd recommend it to almost anyone.
--
A lot of times we can do the same thing as in the show. When God gives us a life filled with pain, we blame God for our problems. I know I have. It's funny though - in the end God wants us to live happy lives - He wants us to love him and spend Eternity in heaven, but we fight him all throughout our lives with disobedience and sin. We can mistake the pain and problems in our lives as some sort of undeserved punishment when that's not always the case. We don't think about the fact that what we look at as unfair is God's way of making us the people he wants us to be. Life isn't always happy and it's definitely not always easy, but God has a plan for life. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." God knows we will have problems and he is there for us through those problems, we just don't always see it, or even sometimes want to see it.
My last point in this is simply giving back. There are a lot of people in the world who have issues with their body - Leukemia, cancer, organ failures - literally hundreds of ailments, but there are a lot more people in this world without and we have the opportunity to give back, whether through giving blood or plasma every month or simply being an organ donor. Kanade and Otonashi's story is a beautiful picture of the effect we can have - a few pen-strokes at the end of Otonashi's life was able to extend Kanade's, even if it was just for a few days. Not everybody gets that chance, and I don't think it's really possible to understand what a blessing that chance can be. You never know how God can use what we give to Him, so why not give Him the chance to use us?
The show starts out with the main Character, Otonashi waking up in a sort of limbo where he is immediately given the opportunity to fight against the "enemy" of the world, a young girl named Angel. At first he resists fighting, but by the second episode he fights with the "Battlefront," a group dedicated to fighting against God to avoid "obliteration," where they cease to exist in that world. Throughout the show, he talks to the other members of the group and learns about their previous lives, all of which were filled with pain and sadness.
-- Spoilers --
A great example of this is the leader of the brigade, a girl named Yuri. She tells her story in the first or second episode of the show. She grew up with three siblings until burglars broke into her house and forced her to find valuable things with the threat of killing her siblings if she couldn't find anything. She is forced to watch all three of her siblings die at the hands of ruthless men and then left to wait until the police arrive a few minutes later. You never find out how she died, but some of the other characters you do. One of the characters tries drugs after a devastating baseball game and another is killed from a blow from a beer bottle during her father's drunken rage.
To make a long story short, you find out that Otonashi had a sister with cancer and was with her when she died. He spends the rest of his childhood pursuing a career as a doctor, but gets in a train wreck on the way to the university to get his degree. An episode or two later, you find out that he saved the life of almost every person on that train after it was involved in a cave-in. He himself dies just as rescuers find the group - right after he signs an ID that sets him as an organ donor.
I'm leaving a lot of details out in this, of course, but in the end you find out that the reason that the world exists is to give kids who had bad lives when they were alive a second chance to live. It gives them the opportunity to live happy, fulfilled lives and then pass on. Three episodes from the finale he finds out who was thought to be the antagonist, Kanade (Angel) is actually the girl who received his heart after the train wreck and that the one thing she wanted in life was to thank him. The show ends with everybody in the world passing on and living down their old lives. It's a beautiful story, even with the issues I mentioned earlier, and I'd recommend it to almost anyone.
--
A lot of times we can do the same thing as in the show. When God gives us a life filled with pain, we blame God for our problems. I know I have. It's funny though - in the end God wants us to live happy lives - He wants us to love him and spend Eternity in heaven, but we fight him all throughout our lives with disobedience and sin. We can mistake the pain and problems in our lives as some sort of undeserved punishment when that's not always the case. We don't think about the fact that what we look at as unfair is God's way of making us the people he wants us to be. Life isn't always happy and it's definitely not always easy, but God has a plan for life. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." God knows we will have problems and he is there for us through those problems, we just don't always see it, or even sometimes want to see it.
My last point in this is simply giving back. There are a lot of people in the world who have issues with their body - Leukemia, cancer, organ failures - literally hundreds of ailments, but there are a lot more people in this world without and we have the opportunity to give back, whether through giving blood or plasma every month or simply being an organ donor. Kanade and Otonashi's story is a beautiful picture of the effect we can have - a few pen-strokes at the end of Otonashi's life was able to extend Kanade's, even if it was just for a few days. Not everybody gets that chance, and I don't think it's really possible to understand what a blessing that chance can be. You never know how God can use what we give to Him, so why not give Him the chance to use us?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Patriot and Freedom
I was watching the movie "the Patriot" earlier and one line really struck me. For those of you who may not have seen it, Mel Gibson plays the head of a militia during the American Revolution. A few of the militia members are talking and one of them turns to a black slave who was fighting to gain his freedom and says, "What the hell would you do with freedom?"
It really makes you wonder, What do you do with your freedom?k The bible says we are made alive through Christ and that he paid the penalty for our sins. We as Christians were dead to sins - we were slaves to our old lives and Christ paid the price to set us free. Rather than let us live a life of slavery, God sent his son, Jesus to pay the full penalty for our sins. Christ fought for us and won our freedom through his death on the cross. He died so that we would be able to live as freed slaves. While I know the situation is vastly different, the idea holds. Our slavery to sin makes us deserving of death. We as a species were committing treason against our God and deserved a traitor's death but Christ paid that for us. We have freedom! It's as simple as putting our faith and trust in Christ. The question now is this? What will you do with your freedom?
At times it's simple to simply turn around and live our lives and be happy with the fact that we have freedom. We fall into a place where we are comfortable with our lives. Everything is dandy and peachy. HOWEVER I firmly believe that God calls us to arms every second of every day. The fight isn't over. It never will be. Now we have to fight for Christ! I'm not saying we literally go to battle. Each person has their own unique calling. Some of us are called directly to the battlefront to fight as missionaries for Christ. Some are called to be leaders and guides for our brothers and sisters who fight with us. Some are called simply to pray and others are called to fire their two shots and give themselves as martyrs to be sacrifices for God. There are an almost infinite number of ways you can fight for Christ. You just have to have the courage to try. So I ask again - What will you do with your freedom?
The Patriot Final Battle
It really makes you wonder, What do you do with your freedom?k The bible says we are made alive through Christ and that he paid the penalty for our sins. We as Christians were dead to sins - we were slaves to our old lives and Christ paid the price to set us free. Rather than let us live a life of slavery, God sent his son, Jesus to pay the full penalty for our sins. Christ fought for us and won our freedom through his death on the cross. He died so that we would be able to live as freed slaves. While I know the situation is vastly different, the idea holds. Our slavery to sin makes us deserving of death. We as a species were committing treason against our God and deserved a traitor's death but Christ paid that for us. We have freedom! It's as simple as putting our faith and trust in Christ. The question now is this? What will you do with your freedom?
At times it's simple to simply turn around and live our lives and be happy with the fact that we have freedom. We fall into a place where we are comfortable with our lives. Everything is dandy and peachy. HOWEVER I firmly believe that God calls us to arms every second of every day. The fight isn't over. It never will be. Now we have to fight for Christ! I'm not saying we literally go to battle. Each person has their own unique calling. Some of us are called directly to the battlefront to fight as missionaries for Christ. Some are called to be leaders and guides for our brothers and sisters who fight with us. Some are called simply to pray and others are called to fire their two shots and give themselves as martyrs to be sacrifices for God. There are an almost infinite number of ways you can fight for Christ. You just have to have the courage to try. So I ask again - What will you do with your freedom?
The Patriot Final Battle
Monday, January 30, 2012
Synergy
Walk into any school in the world and one of the first things you'll notice is the groups kids form. Generally speaking, people flock to each other. They make friends and form groups to tackle life together. Sociality is something hard - wired into our very existence.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: " 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." Think about it. Whenever something really cool happens in our lives, the first thing we (generally) want to do is tell somebody about it. Whenever there's something that is really important to us, we invite everyone we know; weddings, graduations, award ceremonies, etc. But what about the bad things?
A lot of times, we walk through life and whenever something bad happens, we seem to shrink into ourselves and not tell anybody. You don't want to call all your friends and tell them you just lost your job or that you're so far into debt you don't know what you're going to do for food. That's when you need your friends the most, though. It's the moment when they can come by you to encourage you and be there to help and comfort you. Relationships are great when you can go and hang out, but they really shine when you come together to help each other.
Let's take it a step deeper though: accountability. Just about everybody wants to hide when they do something wrong. Even in television we see this: The young protagonist is playing baseball and breaks a window. What does he do? He tries to hide it; fix the glass or just pretend it didn't happen. People tend to do the same things when it comes to sin. We let ourselves think we're alone and there's nobody that does the things we do. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man." Sin is easy to fall into, and it's easier to not tell anyone and keep it a secret, but it makes it harder to get out of. Ephesians 5:11 tells us, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Let that sin out! It's hard to do, but tell your friends about your sin. I'm not saying that you walk around your town and tell everyone you meet exactly what you do with your free time when you're alone, but find a close friend and just talk to them. Let them know what you're going through. You may be surprised to find out they go through the same thing.
For a lot of guys, pornography has a HUGE grip. It's so easy to get into and I would bet that 99 out of 100 guys have gotten into it, and when you get into it, it's hard to get out. It's something dirty that (most) people just don't like to talk about. Try finding a trustworthy friend to talk to about it. When you let it out, it's a lot easier afterwards to keep accountable, and you can have your friend be praying for you while you struggle. That's the cool thing about accountability. If you keep your friend informed on when you mess up with any kind of sin, it puts it on the forefront of your mind. The next time you have the urge to sin, think about having to tell them. It's not always going to work, odds are you're going to mess up. People are imperfect. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" The important thing is getting back on your feet when you do. 1 Corinthians 10:13 continues, "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Whenever you are struggling with sin, find something to distract you from it! call your accountability partner, pray about it, read your bible. There are so many options out there. you just have to find the one that works for you!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: " 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." Think about it. Whenever something really cool happens in our lives, the first thing we (generally) want to do is tell somebody about it. Whenever there's something that is really important to us, we invite everyone we know; weddings, graduations, award ceremonies, etc. But what about the bad things?
A lot of times, we walk through life and whenever something bad happens, we seem to shrink into ourselves and not tell anybody. You don't want to call all your friends and tell them you just lost your job or that you're so far into debt you don't know what you're going to do for food. That's when you need your friends the most, though. It's the moment when they can come by you to encourage you and be there to help and comfort you. Relationships are great when you can go and hang out, but they really shine when you come together to help each other.
Let's take it a step deeper though: accountability. Just about everybody wants to hide when they do something wrong. Even in television we see this: The young protagonist is playing baseball and breaks a window. What does he do? He tries to hide it; fix the glass or just pretend it didn't happen. People tend to do the same things when it comes to sin. We let ourselves think we're alone and there's nobody that does the things we do. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man." Sin is easy to fall into, and it's easier to not tell anyone and keep it a secret, but it makes it harder to get out of. Ephesians 5:11 tells us, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Let that sin out! It's hard to do, but tell your friends about your sin. I'm not saying that you walk around your town and tell everyone you meet exactly what you do with your free time when you're alone, but find a close friend and just talk to them. Let them know what you're going through. You may be surprised to find out they go through the same thing.
For a lot of guys, pornography has a HUGE grip. It's so easy to get into and I would bet that 99 out of 100 guys have gotten into it, and when you get into it, it's hard to get out. It's something dirty that (most) people just don't like to talk about. Try finding a trustworthy friend to talk to about it. When you let it out, it's a lot easier afterwards to keep accountable, and you can have your friend be praying for you while you struggle. That's the cool thing about accountability. If you keep your friend informed on when you mess up with any kind of sin, it puts it on the forefront of your mind. The next time you have the urge to sin, think about having to tell them. It's not always going to work, odds are you're going to mess up. People are imperfect. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" The important thing is getting back on your feet when you do. 1 Corinthians 10:13 continues, "And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Whenever you are struggling with sin, find something to distract you from it! call your accountability partner, pray about it, read your bible. There are so many options out there. you just have to find the one that works for you!
Pre-posting Clarifications!
I wanted to clarify a few things before I post anything in-depth or philosophical or anything like that, and the best way is to make another post so VIOLA! (or however you spell that) you have the post set before you! First of all, I'm not a pastor, a philosopher, or even super smart. I'm a normal guy who reads the bible and extrapolates his own ideas from what he reads, so there is a lot of room for error. If anyone has a comment, question, or anything about what I post, send me an email! I'm not always going to have super correct or accurate posts and ideas. Nobody is perfect, and I'm no exception. So if you find something, just leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Blogging With a Purpose
So I was thinking about my blog and I decided it should at least have something that I blog about semi often because it's SUPER LAME coming up with random stuff to blog about. Soooo I'm going to blog about GOD and STUFF! I'll pretty much blog about whatever comes to mind, but at least I'll have something that I can have to always talk about. Anyways... it's like midnight and I'm really tired so with that, Adieu! I'm going to bed!
Friday, January 27, 2012
On Titling
The question is most likely come up, so I might as well explain it now. You know what I'm talking about. You're sitting there, scratching your head, wondering, "Is this.. Kyle.... a Soldier?" The answer: No. I'm not in the Army, the Military, or anything like that. I believe that life is a battlefront on one level or another. Whether that battle is trying to find the money to pay bills, trying to get ahead in life, or trying to think of a way that your life could not simply be quite so awesome, everybody has a battle at some point in the span of their life. If you haven't, I would highly recommend examining your body for charging and exhaust ports because you are, doubtlessly, a terminator robot.
You're probably wondering, "Why a terminator robot? Why not something nicer, like WallE?" The answer is this: The only robot that people on this earth would put forth the effort to make as lifelike as possible either has no purpose or is made for killing stuff. Think about it - why go to the effort of making a robot lifelike if all it does is take out trash? It doesn't make sense! Thus, the only logical explanation for your perfect form of existence is the fact that you are a form of organic life with a robotic infrastructure.
BACK ON TOPIC!
The second reason I decided to go with this title is because of my set of beliefs. I believe very strongly in God and believe that war goes on on a spiritual level every minute of every day. I'm not talking the kind of battle where an angel and a devil appear on each shoulder and you decide between the three of you whether or not to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. That's not a battle. The answer is yes, take it. I'm talking about more in-depth things, like the claiming of souls and things like that. I'll get into more of that later.
Since I'm being honest in this whole thing, the last reason for the title is a show I watch from time to time, an Anime called "Angel Beats!" If you haven't seen it, you should! It's like thirteen 30 minute episodes, so it'll only take you what... six hours to watch? I'll probably talk more about it later on.
So yeah... that's why I named my blog something cool. I was thinking of going with "Blog" for the title... but somehow I thought "Kyle of the Battlefront" would be better... .and cooler... so there!
You're probably wondering, "Why a terminator robot? Why not something nicer, like WallE?" The answer is this: The only robot that people on this earth would put forth the effort to make as lifelike as possible either has no purpose or is made for killing stuff. Think about it - why go to the effort of making a robot lifelike if all it does is take out trash? It doesn't make sense! Thus, the only logical explanation for your perfect form of existence is the fact that you are a form of organic life with a robotic infrastructure.
BACK ON TOPIC!
The second reason I decided to go with this title is because of my set of beliefs. I believe very strongly in God and believe that war goes on on a spiritual level every minute of every day. I'm not talking the kind of battle where an angel and a devil appear on each shoulder and you decide between the three of you whether or not to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. That's not a battle. The answer is yes, take it. I'm talking about more in-depth things, like the claiming of souls and things like that. I'll get into more of that later.
Since I'm being honest in this whole thing, the last reason for the title is a show I watch from time to time, an Anime called "Angel Beats!" If you haven't seen it, you should! It's like thirteen 30 minute episodes, so it'll only take you what... six hours to watch? I'll probably talk more about it later on.
So yeah... that's why I named my blog something cool. I was thinking of going with "Blog" for the title... but somehow I thought "Kyle of the Battlefront" would be better... .and cooler... so there!
Introductions
This is a blog.
I've thought a little bit (a few minutes) about starting a blog and thought, "What the heck?" So now.. you have the webpage set before you. I'm not a good cook. I'm not working my way through a cook book. I'm not going to teach you how to be a better, more romantic individual. I'm not going to tell you how to deal with kids and bad hair days, or even how to beat Halo. I, rather, am going to talk about whatever holds my interest long enough for me to type out a semi well-written paragraph about said subject matter. Sooooo have fun and happy reading!
I've thought a little bit (a few minutes) about starting a blog and thought, "What the heck?" So now.. you have the webpage set before you. I'm not a good cook. I'm not working my way through a cook book. I'm not going to teach you how to be a better, more romantic individual. I'm not going to tell you how to deal with kids and bad hair days, or even how to beat Halo. I, rather, am going to talk about whatever holds my interest long enough for me to type out a semi well-written paragraph about said subject matter. Sooooo have fun and happy reading!
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