Back at it!

Hey all,

Just thought I would update anyone who is still looking in here to my life.

Things have been a-shiften, if you don’t mind me saying so in a funny manner.  I got home to not having the usual house that I stay at.  It was sold.  It has actually been a good thing.  A good motivator to get me going on from old places.  Though Tsawwassen has been my home for many years, it seems that my community there is hard to find.  I come home to find that relationships are not really re-entered, but rebuilt.  Some are lost, some are remaining.  Some are more distant.  Some are closer.  Some come out of nowhere.  Some cause joy.  Others bring back memories both good and bad.  It may seem like I’m saying some of this in a sad state, but that is not true.  It is just that feeling that many missionaries, and those that have moved a lot start to feel.  You enter what once was home, only to find that it is really just another missionary field to begin a new work.  It is like starting over in many senses.  Home, as so many have said in the past, is simply the place where you have community.  It is the place where you don’t have the constant anxiety of wondering who your friends are.  It is the place where you don’t have the constant anxiety of trying to have something good to tell others you are doing so you feel dignified in some weird way.  Home is where you have peace.  Thanks to the Lord and his Holy Spirit we are able to have peace anywhere.  Perhaps it is more fleeting in some places more than others, but the same God is everywhere.  His rules apply across the universe.

I was worshipping the other day and was blessed by peace.  It seems there is much to not be at peace about, but in the Lord’s presence I have found it.  It is sad that it lasts for such a short time, but all the more reason to go back to him and worship with all my heart.  It is where I have found my strength to remain. My strength of getting through those times where you soul just doesn’t want to be at peace. We must worship!  I have learned this the past year.  In all those times where I felt lonely or just out of passion, it was in worship that my bitterness once again was turned to thankfulness.  It is worship of him that we are made.  So it makes sense that if I am not worshipping him with all my heart in what I do that I start to go empty.  Just as a car does not run on air, my soul does not run off nothing.  But if I want to keep a heart on fire for the Lord it is going to take maintenance.  Not hard maintenance, but joyful, passionate, all-heart giving worship.

This has been some of what has been on my mind.  I hope I can encourage all out there who are empty in soul that the Lord does fill!  He will bring peace.  Perhaps it seems the farthest things from reality, but that it when seeing him come through will mean all the more.

A song that I keep on repeat right now is:  Love Came Down by Bryan Johnson.  I suggest it.  Not just once, but all day!

Blessings until next time.

Times a’ Changin

Things have begun to change here quiet a bit.  I am no longer living with a Mexican family, no longer having only Spanish to speak, and no longer have much time for anything either then the program I am involved in.  The transition has been a good one.  I have been able to connect with more people and experience more of Mexican culture.  My personal disciplines have been able to stay on their course in this transition.  It has been fun because for this short 11 day Hadime program (Short missions trip and training for Mexican youth around my age) we have to wake up early and do exercises.  I’m not quite sure if it is all Mexicans but at least this group tends to loath the mornings especially if it is for exercising.  Whereas for me it has been a good accountability event to keep my disciplines of working out in the mornings and walking around with Jesus for a while.  I wake up all ready to go and am overly excited while they are still wiping the sleep from their eyes moaning about having to do 10 mins of exercise.

After our morning exercises we get down to business of studying and worship.  We have different speakers come in every day to tell us more about Jesus and how we can follow him all the more closely.  These talks are more of a Spanish lesson for me than anything.  They are speaking in Spanish the whole time and I have to focus to hard the whole time trying to figure out what he is saying so spiritual growth from the talks is quite hard.  As well as the lectures we have times of worship where I get to play the djembe.  I love playing the djembe.  It takes no prep and sounds so good.  Haha.  Perhaps a sign of my laziness.  I don’t have to play A B G or anything, simply hit the one drum in front of me in whatever way sounds good with the song.

Just yesterday we had our first opportunity to use the more practical side of things we have been learning in doing ministry in a poor part of the city.  We went to this small church they had there and put on a big event of games, puppet show, food, and lessons in cooking (for the moms who brought their kids).  All in all it went really well.  We had somewhere around 50 – 60 people there and were able to share the story of Daniel in the lion’s den and serve the people some food that had been bought and made beforehand.

I has been exciting to experience all the change and soon things will be changing again.  Tomorrow (Monday) we will be leaving for 5 days to serve in another city a few hours away.  After those 5 days, I will be living with another couple for a week to get out of the way for the Missionaries to work and relax here as the prep for the Interns coming to live with them at the Matthew Centre for the next 5 months.  Then after that week, I will be back living at the Matthew Centre for the rest of the time I have here.

If you are interested in seeing more about the Matthew Centre check out the website: (http://matthewtrainingcenter.org/)

Blessings,

Jon

 

This was a very significant quote that came up in my day:

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked God for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might endure all things.
I got nothing I asked for
But everything I had hoped for…
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.”

Month two coming in!

The first month is now over.  Things are getting much better.  I am getting used to the culture, food, and amount of sleep needed.  Though I don’t always want to I force myself to take a nap around 1 – 2 everyday.  In fact I have ignored that necessity once again in order to do some more homework and this update…  I am going to be grumpy tonight…  But it is a slow process to get things scheduled here.

Me doing some "sweet" tricks. (I left the board by the rail for syle)

I find events just come up out of nowhere.  This past week I was able to go to a skateboarding competition.  I was told that they actually signed me up and I had to compete, but thankfully once I got there I realized that it cost 10 pesos and I had to write my name down, so I was able to get out of it.  Not that I didn’t want to, but it has been 5 years of so since I was really into skateboarding.  So the level I would have been at would be at about what the 14 year old kids were at… and how cool would I feel if I had beat them being 23…  It seems success would have just been a failure.  And had I gone in the higher level with the 18 sums I would have just looked like a fool because they were actually really good.  I decided to keep my 10 pesos and just have my fun skateboarding around the park getting some of my confidence back.  It was a great place to meet new people though.  Have all the skateboarding knowledge still readily usable I was able to encourage and cheer on random guys when they did cool tricks.  I know the skate lingo and conduct.  I know when to say that was good and when it wasn’t.  Hopefully I will see those guys again, but the park is about an hour away so most likely not.

Found it interesting in a bus: Pretty much every bus here has some kind of Jesus attribute.

Where is my heart at as of late…  Actually last night I had a very encouraging time of praying and listening where the Lord seemed to be getting at some deeper questions as he likes to do.  I was complaining about some of my characteristic I would like him to rid me of.  I wanted to be different and I wanted it now.  I was frustrated with my weaknesses and my worries.  I want to be free of them for he says in scripture that the Spiritual fruits are love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, etc… yet I wasn’t experiencing some of those.  So I took him up on his promise and we began to hash it out.  It seems the biggest question that came up was “what are you afraid of…” This having to do with my frustration with being tired.  In time it came that having little energy makes me worry because when I have little energy I can’t be the person I want to be for others.  I can’t keep up my joy levels.  I can’t look like a person who has it together.  I can’t be outgoing.  I can’t be as loving…  But…  He told me to lay those down.  He reminded me that his love goes deep enough to help me with those… if I but surrender them to him…  I realize the fear behind much of it.  Fear of not looking a certain way to people.  Fear that tends to build-up if I don’t acknowledge it as irrational.  Sure that doesn’t stop me from being tired, but it takes off the anxiety off it.  It will take some time, but the Lord is at work and teaching me new and old things over again.

I am going to keep pressing in to get to know him better and what he has in store for my time.  I hope in the meantime some of my dealings with him can be of encouragement to you.  Until next time!

Blessings!

What Message I Bring

Random Pic of the Week!

In my walk with the Lord he was prodding me with the verses from Matthew 5.  The beatitudes they have come to be known.  I was pondering over actually being there among his speech.  I attempted to put myself in his shoes and say the same words.  I wanted to know why he was saying them.  What was his human mind trying to accomplish in his Father’s realm.  And what continually came to mind was the idea of encouragement.  It came to me that with every passing person for him he saw as his child.  All of them…  And what does a loving Father want for his children?  He wants to encourage them.  He saw all those poor in spirit, those who mourned, those who were meek and wanted them to know that they had a place in his heart; in his kingdom.  Just like a Father who has many children tends to them differently.  One of his children may be quite prideful in spirit and in turn he rebukes them.  Another child may be quite low in spirit and will need to be built up.  His children require different forms of love.  It is this picture of love that became more greatly instilled in my own heart as I walked.  What can I do to love God’s children?  What do they really need?

So many are afraid.  So many are consumed with themselves.  So many want something bigger to live for.  So many wonder why their life never quite seems to be purposeful if they look at the real picture of death at their door-step in every moment of each day.  Many wonder why they continue to do what they do as thought it is the only thing they could do.  What can I do to help?  For I am not one who is so far from such vises.

I know what I would want.  I would want someone to show me something bigger than myself.  I would want someone to show me the real truth of why I was living.  I would want it to be proven to me not through a great amount of words, but through action.  I would want to know of something so great that I would gladly give my life for it.  You look at all those war movies of men being brave.  They go into blood filled battle with an open willingness and a times a quite assurance of death… confidently.  They go in without hesitation because they let go of their lives, knowing that what they are fighting for is greater then their small life.  Most of the time in the movies the greatest thing one could fight for is a country, a relationship, or even a certain way of life…  But as Christians we have something far bigger to fight for.  We have the creator of all to fight for.  We have people’s eternal souls to be concerned with.  So many have forgot this.  So many men are becoming bored with life because all they are seeking is an impotent means to make money.  They have let go of things like honor, truth, trustworthiness, and bravery for the sake of getting enough money to look cool.  Bravery just gets thrown aside as stupidity and never invested in.  What ever happened to those brave enough to give it all up for the sake of something great?  What ever happened to seeking the Lord with all your heart as being something honorable?  Now it is seen as a childish dream.  One that so many like to stomp upon saying, “eventually you will grow up and realize that life is about comfort and self-gain.”

It is hard for me to say these things without hesitation for I am young…  And I have much to learn.  I know I have many blind spots and am sure I will look back on some of the things I have said and realize I was wrong…  Though, if I’m not mistaken, it will be that way till the day I die…  But I want to voice the concern that the Lord just doesn’t seem to be a big as he really is in most peoples lives.  For some reason he isn’t really something big enough to give up your retirement fund for.  For some reason he isn’t really something big enough to give up marriage for…  For some reason I can’t find a lot of examples that teach me to be brave in how I live.  Bringing people to Jesus shouldn’t be this thing that we are worried about if the person will or will not accept, for it is the greatest thing you could ever offer.  Just as one with really great news will tell complete strangers if they are near him, we too have great news.

The one and only creator of everything (stars, planets, moons, universe, humans, souls, hands, feet, animals, ants, whales… all of it) loves us…  We are in his care…  In fact he loved us so much that he was willing to kill his first born son to show us?  How else could you prove your love for someone more greatly?  There is no greater act that we as humans know in our hearts than to give up our first-born son for someone.  Let alone someone who continues to harm us.  So many parents who have had suffering kids would give anything to take their place…  Just imagine giving your first born for someone completely ungrateful so they would know that you love them.  Could you tell them you love them any more strongly?  The same way God is telling us this!  We can rest in him!  We can live for him!  We can be completely surrendered to his loving care…  We can be honored to give our lives for his use because of his act of love.

Imagine if a friend of yours gave up his one and only first-born son in exchange for you to live…

Would you just ignore him the rest of your life?  How would you feel toward him?

I feel the same way with God…  I’m done man…  I’ve got nothing left for myself anymore because my life is for him now.  Not that I am in slavery, but I am so thankful that it is the least I could do…

This is the truth that so many have forgotten or never known.

I hope I can encourage you not so I can force you to be more a Christian, but I want you to know the truth and how great it is.

God loves us… It is great news.

The Battles Begin

Guedo Party before heading out to see the city

Things have continued on here.  Though it seems things are harder this week.  Perhaps I really just need a nap.  Perhaps I need more prayer.  Perhaps I am just adjusting to the culture.  Nonetheless this week I have been struggling more against being quit tired.  It’s not a tiredness of body but more so mind.  I’m sure my body could use some more exercise and in turn get my head clearer, but it just seems my thoughts have troubles being positive.  They tend to be pointed toward  myself.  I don’t quite understand why it happens but it does.  You would think that something as simple as thinking about nice things would be easy.  But it takes discipline.  So far I have found the greatest discipline is to take time for naps, time for people, and time for exercise.  You wouldn’t think those to be disciplines most of the time, but when your world becomes all about work and getting things done it actually takes more discipline to do things with people than it takes to continue doing work.

Big indoor flee market

The Lord has been teaching me more.  He has been talking to me about my views of life.  He has been shaping me more.  It seems this is a very different season than my last 7 month mission trip in Germany.  Germany was much time spent with the Lord for the time was given to me, but here it seems there is much time to be with people and enjoy them.  I am rediscovering how to enjoy people and ultimately how to love them.  There is a big connection for me in enjoying someone and loving someone.  Just like taking joy in the Lord is a great form of loving him, so it is the same with loving people.  What do people really want to see out of people around them?  They want people to enjoy their presence.  They want to laugh together.  They want to be comfortable with each other.  They want acceptance in strengths and more so in weaknesses.  All the same themes that run with the Lord run with people.  I am both learning how to enjoy people and to enjoy God.

The battle I am in at this moment is to not get discouraged.  Satan’s forces are more than happy to encourage my discouragement.  Weather it is my own thoughts that pull me down, or evil trying to bring me down there needs to be some change.  Not that I am looking to the Lord to take me from all trails, but that I may not fall into temptation in it.  It is much easier to let down the Lord’s kingdom when in trail.  So I pray the Lord’s prayer time and time again, “lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.”  The joy I have in this battle is knowing that the Lord will be there with me and get me through it.

Casa de Dios

 

No Comment

Well there has been much to write about.  I have been here for only 6 days now and it seems like it has been at least 4… maybe 5 months.  The first week of new seasons of life always seem to be the longest.  I’m sure soon enough it will be the last week and I’ll be wondering where all my time went (mi tiempo) and looking for the next thing the Lord has for me.

 

So far it has been the most amazing of fits for where I am.  I am with a Pastor and his family here in the poorer area of Guadalajara.  It is the section of town where you can go outside and there are just piles of youth hanging out not quite sure what to do with their time.  They would work if they could… They would go to school…  But the are happy enough to spend time with each other that the idea of their life not “meaning” much doesn’t get considered.  And by “meaning” I refer to the big idea in my head that says I need to accomplish much with my life.  The idea saying I need to be a success as something in order to be content.  It is one of the trickiest of lies.  It seeps quite deep into my heart.  It takes the Lord a great deal of reminding to keep me from once again sinking into it.  Its the funny thing about being young I find…  I spend all my time thinking that I will finally hit this day where I will be “there.”  I will have… something…  Not quite sure what it is…  I think it has to do with the feeling of contentment.  But thanks to the Lord I know contentment does not lie in something that will happen later… for the very fact that it will happen later means that contentment is not possible at this time.  And in order for contentment to be content it has to be now.  Hah…  I never thought of it that way…  But needless to say I am the part of town that is really encouraging me.  There is little time for me to do much of my homework and other worky type things because I have to spend time with people.  It is the culture… and the people are everywhere.  Youth are coming in and out of the house all day and night long.  I’m not quite sure how it works, but most of them are related.  “Uncle santana” comes over who is only 13 years old.  Maybe it is just a term of endearment that gets lost in translation… O well…

 

Guys hangin out as usual

 

This past evening we had music practice for the upcoming Sunday service.  I am playing “Everlasting God” for the church.  I’m not too sure why… but I played the song no less than 11 times.  This one lady was quite set on getting the lyrics in Spanish down.  Props to her, because I too was thinking that it needed at least 10 to get people on key and able to sing to the tempo.  It was a really joyous gong show.  At the end of most of the practicing I ended up playing a song for them in english call, “Hallelujah” from the movie Shrek (the one I always play) and they were mesmerized, the younger ones had there cell phone video recorders out recording me.  It was quite funny.  I feel a great peace about being in this community.  I would think that being alone with a bunch of people that don’t speak my language would be stressful, but it actually it quite nice.  It is amazing to learn to love people without words.  I cannot pass judgment for I know nothing to judge.  All I know is there is person in front of me that God has put on this earth that I can smile at and hope they see Jesus.  Because they don’t talk to me I get to pray all the more.  Though I don’t want them to think I am sleeping… I try to keep my eyes open most of the time.  Not being able to talk bring much more opportunity to think… In fact you are forced to think really hard before you even say the simplest of things.  For some reason I enjoy not being understood.  I have to be more creative to get my loving character across.  I have to pray instead of talk.  I have to choose my words wisely (using Google translator 🙂  ).

Anyway, it is getting quite late and tomorrow I am going to have to find my way around the city for my first time alone…  Oh boy…

Until next time,

Blessings,

Jon

Trials and Trails

This week has been an awesome time of trail and learning.  Though it has hardly hit me that I will be heading out for 7 months, I realize that things are changing.  The mood of everyone toward each other is shifting from getting to know each other to we-don’t-have-much-time-together-so-we-better-finish-strong kind of attitude.  But among this change in mood we have been having a lot of fun and enjoying each other.  It seemed just as everyone was starting to get comfortable around each other we now must head out own ways.  We will come back in time and discuss all the “goods” and the “bads” of being on team oriented missions.  I am already excited to see what debrief will be like.

An interesting even happened this past week.  My computer broke down.  Interestingly enough this was a bigger problem than I had expected.  The whole situation just seemed fishy.  They day my warranty ran out was the day my screen just decided to stop working.  To the day…  Perhaps the hour, if I could remember what time I bought the computer.  I arrived at the Mac store and found this out.  I also found out that it was going to be just over 500 dollars to fix it.  I took this as a test from the Lord as I have been looking for new ways to grow in my faith.  I just finished reading a biography on a man named George Muller who inspired me greatly to trust in the Lord with all finances.  He died over a hundred years ago, but his story remains.  He had over 2000 orphans to care for yet at the end of his life he had the ability to say that he never once asked any human being for money.  He only asked the Lord.  So as I found myself in a situation where I was in need I devoted myself to pray everyday, sometimes two, sometimes three times a day for my computer to get fixed without cost.  Sure enough I went back to the apple store a few days later and talked with some assistance guy on the phone that went to his supervisor, who then went to his supervisor, and I was able to have a 90 day extension on my warranty.  I got the whole thing fixed and working for free.  Though, the test did not end there.  Not only did I have to pray for the fixing, but for it to be fixed in time.  So I did.  They were never 100 percent sure if it would be ready in time.  They even phoned me two days before I had to leave saying the part had not arrived and may not be ready in time.  I prayed some more and sure enough it was all done by Thursday and I was leaving on Friday at 4am.  This has been my latest testing from the Lord.  I hope it can be an inspiration to encourage more prayer.  It seems the Lord really wants to teach me the power of it as a theme of this seven months.  We’ll see how he plays this out.

Training Close

This time of training has been of the greatest gifts the Lord could provide for me.  Not only has my peace returned, but my passion comes firing in again and again:  my desire for the world to know the miraculous, faithful, loving, and true God that I follow.  It has taken this time to remind me that I have a loving king that is in constant battle for the souls of his people.  He is gracious enough to let me try alongside him.  He is gracious enough to give me his Holy Spirit to support.  He is gracious enough to once again build me up.  He is gracious enough to show me that he is larger than all that causes anxiety.  He holds me in his arms and guides me as I listen.  And though I continue to fall and follow my own path he is caring enough to pull me back.  He doesn’t look upon his servants and treat us as we deserve, but he pulls us back in his forgiving way every time.  I, sadly enough, found myself once again in a place where I though the Lord would only guide me if I was the best and most faithful… but it is not my faithfulness that means anything.  It is his faithfulness to me that keeps me going.  It is his love that pulls me back.  I try and run off in my own strength time and time again, but it is all too soon that I realize I don’t get very far without his arms to rest in.  It is all too soon that I fall back on my face and raise my arms in hopes of his faithfulness to pick me up.  He has never left me.  Nor will he.

It is life of freedom that he calls us to (John 8:32).  It is a life with light burden (Matthew 11:30).  It is my own running that makes it a burden.  It is my own striving that takes me farther from the truth.  It is when I get back to thinking that I need so much that I fall.  It is when I get back into seeking a life that is not given to me that I trip and fall. It is resting in the vine of Christ that I find any fruit that is lasting.  It is when I look to every single weakness of mine and surrender it to the Lord and let him have his way with it that I have peace.  It is in complete surrender of everything I think I need that the Lord begins to show me just how faithful he is to me.  It is when I no longer see my gain as promise from my own efforts.  It is only by the Lord’s faithfulness that I have anything.  I have joy because I know my life is not run by me.  I have joy because the Lord calls me to wait upon him.  I have joy because I have been rescued in a world of lies.  I have joy because in my weakness the King of love came to me and traded me for his strength.

The Promise of Peace

We have got ourselves in one big pickle haven’t we? We go in circles countlessly…

As I was worshiping I noticed a theme in my words.  The theme of purpose.  I remember it o so well, the time in my life where purpose always seemed to evade me.  Why couldn’t I just accept the way everyone told me to go…  Well, there really wasn’t many who told me where to go, but through their actions and reactions to my own ideas and suggestions I would, in a round about way, know what direction would satisfy their ideas.  I mean what did I know…  All I knew was what I like to do.  All I knew was some of the things I was fairly good at.  Apparently you get to an age where life is to all the sudden get really important and every life direction will mean either complete poverty or right riches.  Apparently life is supposed to be really hard or else you are not working hard enough.  Apparently life at a certain point is supposed to be something you don’t even really want to live anymore, but because you have a certain standard set you must press on to meet that standard.  If you don’t make that standard it seems the only options will be that your spouse will leave you, you will have it hard, your house will fall apart, your children wont get everything you want, you wont be what you need to be…  Now to much extent that is true.  If your standard is what you value above everything else (standard being how life should look and be in your mind) then when you don’t get your way your life will fall apart.  For all your hope is in something you have made up in your head.  You’ve done everything…  You made the plan… you made the job… you made the money… you got the wife… you got the right size car, house, yard, muscles, you name it… When those all align, life is right… right?  Life is good once your ideas finally line up with reality?  I wonder what would happen if you asked all those whose ideas in their head lined up with reality what they would say about life being right.  It never seems to be that way in my experience.  It seems you can look to any age, any wealth, any position, any job, and people will want more in some way shape or form.  Yet, looking back to the source, where did this standard come from?  What does this standard really mean?  Who made it… and what will it actually accomplish?  Who says you need to save your whole life so you could reach a certain point and never have to rely on anyone for help?  Who said that if you don’t have a certain standing by a certain point that you wont succeed?  Who said this whole life was to be about gaining things for yourself so you could “have it easy…?”  Who even told you that ease/right living would be found in having much, having retirement, having a house, having a car, having the right job, having x amount of kids?

Is this something God has said?

Is God sitting there telling you, “if you don’t get this amount of money I can’t use you?” “If you don’t have this amount of comfort you will be too stressed for me to muster anything up in your life…”  “If you don’t get set on the right path I will never be gracious to you and give you what I actually promise…”  I wonder if it is God who has set this standard…

It strikes me as rather funny how so many people desire for peace and relaxation.  People desire a life of joy.  People desire a life with purpose… yet they keep choosing the path that does not bring that.  This is God’s promise from his Holy Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  Now a promise is interesting… especially when God makes it.  Because if God makes it then you know it is true… always… for he cannot lie…  So if you are not experiencing any amount of those fruits then does that make God a lair?  Or is it something on your part?  Are you living with his Spirit?  Are you following his Spirit?  Or have you followed something else?  Have you began to follow something else because your standard wasn’t being met through the Holy Spirit’s provision…  Have you sold your soul’s contentment for the sake of following that standard?  Have you sold out your soul to money so you could get that standard?  Have you sold your convictions to comfort so you could get a better position that pays more even though it took messy situations?  People give up the Lord’s promised fruits so they can meet that standard that the Lord has not promised.  The Lord has not promised a nice house, a wife, kids, a car, a good life, a comfortable life, a 9 – 5 job…  But he has promised peace…  Do you have peace… So what have you sold your soul for?  Have you sold it so you can pridefully get those things you think you need because everyone else around you has them?  Have you sold your peace so you could be better than those around you?

The Lord graciously gives…  But you also can pridefully take.  It’s the benefits of free will…  So which will you choose?  Will you choose to continue to press harder and harder so you can meet that standard that was made up by a concoction of your pride and the culture around you?  Or will you humble yourself under God’s mighty hand so he may lift you up in due time?  The Lord will give you what you need…  He guarantees it.  But have you let go of it all and let the Holy Spirit’s peace lead your life.  For where you have no peace… the Lord has something to say.  For where you have no joy… the Lord has a promise to offer you.  All it takes is humility to wait upon him and your life will never be the same.  Keep pushing in pride and you will fall, if not in this life then when you see him face to face in his throne room as he is asking you, “What did you do with what I gave you…”

I write this not because I am trying to be some young hot-shot who is trying to be a rebel to society.  I’m not trying to make you think like me so I can get more people on this blog.  I’m not trying to pull you into my ideas…  But out of love I desire for you to know the peace the Lord offers.  I myself fall from it in many occasions.  But from each fall I find myself closer to leaning on his provision and guidance.  With each fall I put my hand up in humility for him to pick me up and he has answered every time. I want you to know the same joy that I have found.  I have no agenda for the Lord takes care of everything I will ever need.

I hope I can encourage you…

Blessings!