About Teddy Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

-Teddy

Happiness

"The search for Happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness" - Eric Hoffer

About "Feeling"

I've discovered something painfully true about myself.

I am someone who has lived a majority of my 23 years doing exactly whatever it is I "felt" like doing. I am starting to wonder if living that way could be synonymous with living in the "flesh". I am not positive, but I think its real close.

Now, granted, for a majority of my days I would say I have been mildly successful at resisting the temptations of every day life. I, like most people, compare my morality to Hitler and Bin Laden. But just because I didn't spend most my days drunk, high, and pillaging doesn't mean that the life I've been living is pleasing to the Lord.

I'm beginning to think the life that I so desperately want, the kind of life Jesus describes, is exactly like running. I have decided to be in a triathlon.....to be perfectly honest, this is just a sprint, 400m swim, 13 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. Having begun training, I have discovered its not every day that I feel like going for a run, but its good for me, and I need to do it to get ready.

I believe Jesus knew this principle too, and that he taught it in other ways. Ways like living it. I don't think He felt like sufferring, but he did it. I don't think he felt like being mocked, but he endured it. I don't think he even necessarily felt like waking up wicked early to be alone, but he did it. Hmmmmmm.....

A Day at the Sea

I haven't written alot or much for some time now. I have just had three cups of coffee, and have been reading and praying for the last hour or so. completely relaxed and yet filled with so much caffeine that my hands that normally have a slight tremor are now doing the electric slide.
I've begun to think about my life and how I read sitting here.

I am someone who gets lost in books. Lost enough that I could regularly escape to them if need be. Lost enough to call out of work so I could have the new release and read all 1000 pages. I think getting lost in books is wonderful. I always seem to find my favorite charachter in the story quite easily, and constantly compare myself to them, or even liken myself to them. The bible has always been the easiest book for me to do this.

My favorite charachters are Jesus, David, Paul, John, Peter, Daniel,etc....the classics.
I long to become a man with a heart like David, a man who hears God like Daniel, a man who has the faith of the centurion, a man who is strong like Peter, a man who is wise like Solomon, etc.

However, those goals in mind, I find myself all too often reading the word of God and discovering something else entirely. For example, some days I discover that I have run from God, and that I am more like the prodigal son than a David. Some days I discover I am like the oldest son, and am jealous when God blesses someone undeserving. There have been days in my life, years even, when what looked like faithfulness was really me in my sheep costume, the one where I am a wolf wearing the wool. The one where I am the man who Isaiah refers to when he says, "men who honor God with their lips, and not their lives".

I am constantly finding myself being the one you don't want to be in Jesus' parables, or worse, nothing like the one you really want to be. I have been the man who walks by the hurting and doesn't stop. I have been the man who hides his talent in the ground. I have been the worker in the field who complains about the everyone being rewarded. I have been the disciple who stands in the presence of a risen Lord and still doubts. I have run , and I have denied him. I have been someone who refuses to sell everything and follow. If I was an architect, I've built my house (life) on sand. I have been like Peter when he began to sink in the water. I have I have been blind to my pride like Sampson. This could be longer.

"I love you Son," ; "Time to end that mess Son". I'm the little kid C.S. Lewis is talking about....playing in the mud, when I could have a day at the sea, and thats what the Lord is saying.

The third great awakening in my life is at hand. The age when I do what I was created for ; the age when I follow through. No more games, no more fleeces. God's faithfulness and love and promises and enduring patience, and his longsuffering, and his message and his forgiveness and his mission have been revealed to me for a purpose. I am now more sure than ever than who I want to be in the parable.

I want to be the man who sold everything he had for the Pearl of Great Price. I want to be considered foolishly in love with my Master. I want a day at the sea.

Jesus' Words

I have been really wandering why it is that for most of my life I thought what Jesus had to say about life really wasn't so important. Its actually quite unfathomable. I, for as long as I can remember, have believed Jesus to be the Son of God. However, I have not for long thought of him as being brilliant. Only for the last year or so has that been the case. His words are so deeply meaningful to me now, that I can't really remember what I thought before. I think I was simply indifferent to them. What a strong dispositon eh? To be indifferent towards God, is truly not such a safe place to be. Nor was I really for a long time. It's a dangerous place, maybe the most dangerous of places to stand in defiance to God. To be so filled with pride, and so confident of your own abilities, that you end up making the same mistake Lucifer made. Praise be to God for mercy right? For I shutter to think how many of my total days were lived exactly like that...on my own strength, thinking whatever I want, dwelling on whatever i want, spending my resources however I wish, doing whatever I want, etc.

My other thought about Jesus' words is that its so funny how some of them we hold so dearly too, and others we don't. For example, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." is almost universally agreed by all denominations to be exactly what we should do. So must denominations have "missionaries" and such right. However, in Matthew 10 Jesus sends off the discples for what appears to be the first time, in twos, to go preach that the kingdom is near, to cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Why is it then, that never in a church setting have I heard we should do this? Why have i never gotten Casting Out Demons 101, and Raising the Dead 102, and How to Heal the Sick 210, and more importantly what in the world does the "kingdom near". I think in all my church life I have heard three messages on the "kingdom now" message that was Jesus' main point throughout his ministry. Craziness

My last thought for now is how I love how Jesus talks to people. He seems to always speak to the heart. He really seems to me anyways, to be quite sarcastic and probing at times. I love that. I love that throughout the gospels he doesn't give a flying flip what anyone thinks about him or who he hangs out with. He cares about his Father in Heaven's approval, and not much else. He does what the Father is doing, and He knows because he spends time with the Father. Brilliant huh. I wonder if we would know what the Father is doing, if we spent time with Him?

Being

The beautiful thing about being 23 and out of school is ....just that. The question now is what am I going to do now! The question everyone asks in our culture, because most of our perspectives on life (worldview) is that life is about what you do. I think like so many other things we are told throughout life....its a half truth. If history really is a pendulum swing than my hope is that the next swing is an emphasis on who you plan to become.

I can't say that I am an expert at much. Nor am I very accomplished, wealthy, wise, and my GPA wasn't exactly something to write home about. However, I can say this. I know exactly who I want to be. How freaking glorious is that! I've worried days, weeks, months, years even about what I would do "when I grow up", and the Lord brought it around full-circle. He has revealed to me exactly who he wants me to become.

I know now beyond any shadow of a doubt that I was born to be an apprentice/understudy/co-laborer/disciple/friend/son/servant of Jesus. He has been calling me all along into a life filled with his fragrance and love. He has been wooing me with his word, his creation, and with people in my life. He wants nothing short of the best kind of life for me, and he knows that can only come if my heart changes, my thinking changes, and my actions change. Only then do I take him up on his offer. The offer is salvation. Salvation from living a life run by me. A life based on performance and approval of others. I can say that I truly, more than ever before, care very little of the approval and praise of men.

The beatiful thing about deciding to follow Jesus. Is this point of decison you must come to? We choose. We choose whether or not its good for us, salvation and eternal life now with God, we choose it moment by moment, with every person we come in contact with, with every conversation we have, with every thought we think. Amazing. We choose whether or not to submit all those things to him, and here to me is what truly is incredible about God. He is not forcing us. He gives us the choice. He's brilliant.

Think for a second of something you really, really love to do. Something you are passionate about. Maybe its shopping, basketball, football, drawing, painting,etc. I guarantee you that you love these things because of your own choice. Others may have led you to it, but you ultimately decided to let that thing cost you time, energy, money, tears, and your love. This is why the Father is so magnificent. There is nothing better than him! He is so great that when he invites us to himself, he invites us into eternal life now. A better life right now! He knows that if we choose him, than we will be free to love him uniquely,passionately, and unashamedly. Amazing isn't it?

Lessons

It ıs an amazing thing to be in another country. Its awfully romantıc and sincerely beautiful. The people are beautiful and kind and refreshing as all get out. They are wonderfully different. Cyprus and the Cypriot people have once again demanded my attention, time, energy, money, and prayers. For some reason though this place has had such a weighing affect on me that its difficult to breathe almost let alone smile. As weird as this sounds ; I believe the Lord has allowed this for me to feel the spiritual condition of this place. A place that knows nothing about the quality of life Jesus offers each of us.
However, there is this other thing going on. The thing I really don't want to share. That is the wretchedness that is in me. The sinful man that I am and the battle that is always raging for my heart. This place has brings to surface the condition of your heart, your deepest sin, and your greatest longings. I was blessed just two days ago to read Psalm 38 and discovered my brother David felt just as I did in this last week. "Why my soul are you downcast" he would say over and over again, and I found myself pleading with God as David did to "REMEMBER NOT THE SINS OF MY YOUTH AND TO RELEASE MY FROM THE GUILT OF MY SIN". It was at this moment that it dawned on me. This weeks toughness and the hardship and struggle its been to pray and be alone with God and for others. Though I felt useless and my prayers felt unheard, He was with me! The Lord gives grace to the humble, and he is close to the downtrodden, and empowers the weak.
I began to meditate on Jesus being my shepherd, and he reminded me of the verse in Psalm 51 that says, "May the bones you have crushed rejoice!". For shepherds when they discovered their sheep had broken a bone, would break it the rest of the way, set it straight, and then carry them. So though I didn't see it, God was breaking me, so He could set me straight, and make not mistake about it He is carry me in this place!

Cypriot Proverb

Free vinegar ıs sweeter than honey

Women preaching??

You be the judge if we should allow it...click here