Life...What Is Defined As Having A 'Life'?

Have you ever been told by someone, "You have no life"?  Or, have you ever told yourself that YOU don't have a life?

I've told myself that a lot before.  School was pretty much my 'life'...I know, how inconvenient, right?  But then I got involved in an 'Air Cadet' thing I guess you could call it, I got promoted in a group to second command and have lots of 'responsibilities'.  So now I'd say I have a 'life' because I'm involved in different things with more people then just myself and my imaginary friends...(Oops, sorry guys xD  I forgot you wanted to remain secret...)...ANYWAY, but really I'm starting to think I'm so busy that I actually DON'T have a life.  Odd, huh?  But then if you take it the other way, I may be quitting a couple things and getting a job.  Money in my pocket and bank account WOULD definitely be nice...then I could start paying for things and actually 'have' a life.  Of course if I get a job, and being the hard worker that I am, I might not actually have a 'life'.

Interesting in contrast, isn't it?  I guess you could say, that in order to have a 'life', you must lose it.  Whoa...that sounds Biblical, doesn't it?  John 11: 25-26 says: Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life.  Whoever Believes in ME, though he die, yet he shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"

I really love the paradox in that:  Though he die, yet he shall live.  We must die to ourselves, and live in Christ to live.  It's a very interesting thing to think about indeed.

Leadership...What Is True Leadership?

That's a good question. What on earth IS 'True Leadership'? Well, I'm going to try to answer that question in a series of thoughts and facts. I will bring in what I have learned from life, Scripture, and what a few of my friends have to say about that.

But why did I have a thought on 'Leadership' in the first place? Well, I'll try to answer that question as well. I may have iterated before on the fact that I'm in a swordfighting organization (WOTS [Way Of The Sword], which is Kendo basically). Anyway, WOTS stretches all over FL and grabs into the southern lands of Georgia in clans having different areas. I am in one of the better clans. But it truly depends what you mean by 'better'. Are we the best fighters? Eh...probably far from it. But the thing is, we've had great leadership, we've always fought on the basics and the actual techniques. We have respect for each other, others, and the thing we do. The other clans? They simply don't. At all. And it reminded me of the 'leadership' exhibited at the event today.

If a 'leader' needs to swear and curse at his 'subordinates' to get them to do stuff...uh...doesn't that say something? Anyway, back to the point, the former 'leaders' of my clan have stepped down. In their places they elected me and my friend Cary as the new 'leaders'. Unfortunately Cary is the actual 'leader'...but that's fine by me. Why? Because he is a true leader, and I'm really interested in seeing where he goes in life. Gah, I need to stop babbling on in nonsense, and get back to the point.

What does the Scripture say about 'Leadership'?

First off, Hosea 11:4 has this to say: "I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love,and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them." Another translation says (human) kindness. Basically, common human decency: What you want done for you, do for others. A leader takes this command in the Bible to heart. He eases the yoke on his 'subordinates'. He doesn't let them become 'sit-back-and-do-nothing' people though...he does everything in his power to help them get what they're supposed to done. Sound familiar? Yeah, it oughta. Jesus did just that when He took Flesh upon Himself, lived perfectly and died the most painful way for us. So hey, what do ya know? Yup, Jesus, (like being such a good model for us to be like in many different ways) is the model for Leadership. And that doesn't come as a surprise, does it?

Nelson Mandella had this to say about Leadership: "It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.".

At a second's glance, the first thing Mandella said seems a little false. But he's not saying to lead from behind people during war. What he's really getting at is to put others before your own desires. A leader looks at what his people need (not what they want), but what they need, (such as rights to things and such) and then does everything in his power to advance that.

Collin Powel, one of our most beloved war Generals, had this to say: "Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."

I really love what this guy is saying here. Leadership deals with solving problems. If your people can't come to you with pleas and problems...there's something wrong. Either they don't trust your sense of judgment and wisdom to solve the problem, or they don't care, then you have a failure of Leadership. Being a leader means you care about your people, and have wisdom as about to go solving the issues.

Bringing my friend Cary back into the picture, he has a few things to say on the matter, and they're right on.

"You have to lead by example." He goes on to say, "You must be the example of what you want to see in them. If you're not displaying what you want, then how will they know what to do?"

An excellent question, if you ask me. He also had another great thing to say, but I can't remember what that is now.

So now, what are some of MY thoughts on the topic of Leadership?

Well, I'd definitely have to say some of the stuff that some of the guys up there^ have said. But I wanna add a few things. To be a leader, you must be humble and listen to those who maybe don't understand your reasoning in solving a problem. If a leader is truly in the wrong, he must have a low enough ego to realize he's wrong and correct it. A leader must be gentle and caring with his people, as God is with us. He needs to be able to clearly lay out what his aims and goals are, and then get them done in an efficient way. There's soooo much more I could say on this, but I am exhausted and hurting. But I want to know: What are some of your thoughts on who a Leader is? I'd really love to know if I'm missing something.

A Poem and A Thought

Here is a poem that I wrote about a year to two years ago (most likely in between that amount of time):

Dear Little Sister

This little sister in my lap,

Her head on my chest,

Silently taking a nap,

This feeling is the best.

My arms wrapped around her,

My chin on her hair,

Oh I really love her,

She’s forever in my care.

I fear for whoever comes near,

With an evil glint in their eye,

They’ll have to stay in E.R. for a year,

He’ll be hurt just enough to not die.

I do wonder about this:

Does she return my love?

I’d protect you from anything little sis,

You’re as beautiful as a dove.

I adore you more than you know,

You can’t fathom how much I love you,

I cannot at all say ‘no’.

I hope you love me too.

Your sweet little face,

Is hard to resist,

Your loving embrace,

Clears all the mist.

You always rest on me,

You feel safe from all fears,

Sleeping on me,

You slumber peacefully.

I miss you dearly,

Do you miss me?

You make me sing to you,

Not minding my horrible off-key voice,

But you love it too,

It is your choice.

I feel heart-broken when I don’t see you,

Do you feel the same way?

When I hear you joy fills me anew,

I’d love to see you more than every day.

I love you sweet girl,

I miss you dearly,

In my life you are a pearl,

I’d die if I see you only yearly.

This world is very, VERY cruel when it comes to girls, growth, and life. It's values teach girls to act wrongly, and wear next to nothing. They go to desperate measures to keep a guy's attraction, not realizing that she's only attracting him to her body, not the real her. When that comes about and continues, it's nothing but 'hell' for the girl when her 'boy' becomes abusive. She is very precious and special. If you find when you wear practically nothing, and you get guys' attention...that's not attention that you want, because it will only be your destruction. If you cover your body properly, the guy you attract and falls for you will take care of you, and have only your very best in mind, not what he can get out of it.

Also, girls seem to feel like they need to cover up their face with stuff that's made from the guts of sharks and other fish...destroying the natural beauty that God designed them with. Girls must be protected and cherished, not lusted for. The more you can help your guy keep respect of you, the better off it will be for you.

Friendship: The Best Supporter Or The 'Backstabbing Liar'?

I've been thinking of the concept of 'Friendship' for a couple weeks now, as I've watched friendships fall apart from several different levels. Mainly, I've been thinking my own thoughts, but it's always good to bring in a little bit of Scripture. Since it's God's words to us of Divine Authority, it must be the key to solving most (if not all) problems.

First off, put yourself into a place. Someone who has been a really good friend, helpful in times of trial seems to turn on you. Is he or she really turning on you? Or is it just a humanly mistake? (we all, as humans, have tendencies to make 'humanly errors' or mistakes). We need to truly be able to see who our friends are. And although a few of them may really be very wise and knowledgeable, we do need to give them a little bit of grace when we feel like they hurt us. There, usually, is always an explanation for things. Note: Not excuses, but explanations.

I am in a good 'Friendship Circle', and I know that because most of my friends' are really after God's own heart. They may not necessarily speak a lot about it, but even in the more dark, brooding of my friends there's yet still a passion for knowledge and truth. I suppose you could say I live by an old quote from C.S. Lewis: "The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."

I may add that if you don't have a circle of wise Christian friends, it's better to be alone in your quest for truth then in the company of those who seek ill-gotten things. This idea of mine is backed up by Proverbs 13:20: "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm". Now ultimately, no one is really 'wise'. You know, unless if they are'wise' but you can generally tell. In the same way, not everyone is really foolish, and you can generally tell if someone is. Of course, in my understanding, it's easier to tell a true fool then to say if someone is really 'wise' or not. I think I'm straying off-topic a little.

Let me really share what a 'true friend' (even despite our sinful natures) really is. And I've had a few of them in my life already, and I will have more along the road of my life. A friend truly loves his or her friend. And I'm not talking about the love between one man and one woman here, I'm meaning in sibling affection (that doesn't have to be through 'blood family') and why is that? Because under Jesus' sacrifice for us, we're all daughters and sons of the Heavenly Father...so generally we are siblings in that respect anyway. When a friend either makes a couple really big mistakes, or is on the path to insanity (whatever that may be, it comes differently to different people) being a true friend means not letting them keep on this path that will eventually lead to death or Hell, no matter what the friend in trouble says or thinks he has it right. But it shouldn't be done in judgment, it should be done in love. As 'true friends' we need to appeal and plea for this friend of ours to listen. They need to know they're cared for, above all else. Besides that, we have to be strong in our prayer to God to bring them back to Him, and we earnestly need to tell the Devil, "No. You can't have my friend. So stop trying."...and we need to pray that God will get him to back off as well. The Bible usually says that friends oughta act to one another how Jesus acted towards us.

It really comes from John 15: 12- 15, so read that if you will. Jesus is speaking right here. He said to love your friends as HE has loved you. Now ultimately, we can't atone for any of their sins because we're not perfect; however, we can lay down our lives for them. But what does that look like exactly? Well, pushing hard to get through, for one, despite what the friend says. Second, we must bring our friend back to the Light of The Gospel, for that is the place where every heart is again made new, mended from its torn veins.

In the instance of someone you thought you could trust, and broke that trust....before you throw that friend away, you need to ask yourself several questions. What did my friend really do? Was there another thing at play? Does this friend actually care? You could probably think of a few more to answer. Another thing is that you need to be forgiving. Jesus also says to forgive others as he has forgiven you.

And if you're the person that someone is trying to reach out to, be a little bit more open. Life is precious...and if we look at ourselves again and find ourselves weak...well the only way to become stronger is to admit we're weak to others. Have you really felt Jesus' affection for you before? Have you gone on a route that shouldn't have been tread upon? If so, that doesn't matter...no mistake, no matter how far away you get, He's always chasing after you, always trying to draw your heart back to Him. And don't resist that pulling...it won't end well for you if you continue to resist. Strength is found in wise friends, in the Word too, but sometimes we can't really interpret things on our own, and we need help with it. The first step to coming clean and walking in the ways of Light is to admit that you're empty, broken, and trying to run from God. The second is to ask a wise friend questions. But first and most of all, you must realize that you can't make it on your own. I've tried that before, and to tell you the truth it never really worked. People care for you. Even if they make a mistake that seems that they really don't care for you. Remember, you always need to look outside of your own perspective. When things are only looked on from one side, that'll always lead to trouble and pain.

Think about that. BLS out.

A BlogPost on Thoughts Surrounding Worship

Yes, it has been awhile since I last posted. (I know, I'm SOOO horrible DX). I just wanted to do a small post on the Sermon preached at my church yesterday, but only about the idea of it, because I want to go into more thoughts then usual, on the sermon, but also on a couple other things. (I think). The goal of the sermon was to show that God works in special ways during the corporate meeting to increase our worship in Christ.

Now logically, before we go on to speak about this, we must define worship. And the definition of worship is sometimes very broad. If you ask a non-Christian what worship in a Church setting is, they may say "Worship is singing songs to God in Church". A few really young Christians may say the same thing...but as you grow more in spirituality, the definition seems to change. The pastor who was preaching said you may define it this way: "Worship is the heart's dependence, gratitude, and delight in God Alone through Jesus Christ".

Sounds like a good definition to me, so let's run with it. So basically, the matter of worshiping is different for each individual. It could be a raising of the hands, or one hand, swaying back in forth...it all doesn't matter on a person's 'style' of worship as put...it's about where their heart is. As long as it's dependent upon God for strength, and it has gratitude and delight in Him, especially by treasuring Christ...that's all that matters.

Now here's another twist on things. As humans living life, there are challenges to everything. And yes, there are challenges to worship. When you ask, "Well what are those challenges?"...Most will answer sin. Yeah, that sounds like a good answer. How about the World and it's values? What about Satan? What about humans in the first place? Well, by that last one, I really just mean human weakness. Right? Yeah, as humans we're all basically weak.

Let's take a look at the World first. I can't find the actual verse, but a verse was quoted that basically said, "Live simple lives."...that's what God wants us to do. For the most part, it may seem a little bit easy. But what if you're walking out to the parking lot after the sermon, headed for your car. On either side of the car are two nice 'brand new' cars. Maybe they're sports cars, maybe they're not, but either way they're new. Sure, your car may drive fine, but it has two hundred thousand miles on it. Or maybe there's a car across from yours that you know has better gas mileage, and maybe fine leather seats. Just then you're desiring a world value. The world wants, (as my pastor said) 'new', or 'stylish', and 'leather'. While I MYSELF have no issue with new or stylish (because come on, stylish is for the annoying peoples! [I apologize if you're one of them xD]). On the other hand, the other description comes to my mind...leather. This one is REALLY tough for me because I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with leather: Jackets, gloves...not jeans though, but I do have a friend who is obsessed with them. (you know who you are!!! :). Just because 'leather' is a 'world value' though doesn't mean I'm sinning. It just means I have to watch out for those boundary lines that I shouldn't cross. Sin is the thing that tries to separate you from God and give or make you take action to nab those 'world values'. Satan and his evil forces do everything in their power to get you to focus on empty things instead of the fullness of God.

The final part of the sermon dealt with several questions. What do Pastors do the night before (or even days before) to prepare for Church on Sunday? (Or whenever your church meets). What does the congregation do to prepare?

Let's start with the first one.

1. The pastors will honor the Word of God.

They understand that it's not really anything they say that has any meaning, but the Bible has the authority.

2. They pray for miracles.

They earnestly seek God beforehand to help them speak the truth, and they pray that God will show Himself through the text to their congregation, that He would move through the congregation with his power.

3. They endeavor to remove distractions.

One thing that our church is now thinking of doing is removing the break. Which break is that? Well, generally we have a break between worship and the sermon. What it's for is to allow the parents to take their kids to Children's Ministry...but usually they gab, as well. The issue is that this breaks the flow of the Spirit and emotions in the service. In the break, usually people speak of stuff that are worrying them, and it really destroys the movement. So what we'll be doing now is having the children immediately go to their appropriate rooms, and then we'll start worship. As soon as worship is finished, the pastor who is preaching will come up and preach. I like the idea of it...but I'm sure I wouldn't if I were still young.

Okay, the other question. What can YOU do to prepare for church the night before?

1. Ask God for a new heart.

I can't exactly remember what the passage in Ezekiel was. But it said to call out for God for a new heart, a heart to worship and treasure Him above all else. If you ask Him to give you a heart for worship the next morning, earnestly, He will.

2. Meditate on Scripture.

This is a good idea. It gets you in the mood to be able to receive immediately from the moment you walk into your church.

3. Allow enough time to rest BEFORE Sunday.

Have you ever had someone (or yourself) walk into church sleepy? Or maybe they stood awake for worship, but as soon as the preaching starts, they fall asleep? Isn't it sad? I don't care if you're some sports' player who had an important game, or some businessman that had an important meeting to go to...The hour or two that you spend with your church, worshiping and receiving God...it's the most important hour of your week. Wouldn't you agree? You should be awake, attentive, and ready to listen to what God has to say to you.

4. Avoid activities the night before that are harming to your spirit.

Don't get involved with a party that steps over the line on Saturday night! Well...you really shouldn't be in that area anyway, but how much worse is it for you to come into church in the morning tired and not being in a right stance? Maybe you should abstain from uh...let's say 'visual' movies as well. Probably.

5. Arrive church earlier, before it starts.

Again, this is your important hour of the week! Say if you were going to a big football game or a concert by one of your favorite musicians? Would you want to walk in just as it starts? I think not. You'd probably be there much earlier to get good seats, and you don't want to miss anything. How much more is the hour where the Spirit of God works in you?

6. Pray for Spiritual Endurance and less distractions for you and your fellow believers.

Pray that you are fully able to focus on God throughout the whole thing. It's just terrible to think of something awful, especially when you're giving praise to Christ for saving you from sin. Maybe if you pray before hand, God will keep you from that thought.

7. Pray for Him to help you draw near to Him...and ask Him to draw near to you!

Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in your service. Pray for Him to touch hearts and heal those which are broken. There isn't a better feeling for someone then to have their troubled, broken hearts mended by a loving Father.

8. Discern what the Holy Spirit is doing.

You should do this in everything, not just your church meeting. Try to see what He's telling you to do, or wanting you to do when you have the chance to do so!

9. Confess sins to your Heavenly Father before you walk in.

Sure, sometimes at the end of the sermon you want to confess and have prayer for that sin...but if you walk into church with a guilty and sinful conscience, won't that be harder on you to experience Him?

And finally, 10. Act, don't watch.

No, I don't really like what the pastor originally said. He said be the actor, not the audience. I wouldn't want to put it that way. Think about it. An actor is ACTING a part. He isn't BEING the part. So you don't need to be the actor, but you need to be active in praising and praying. You need to pray for others when they need prayer.

Well, honestly, I tied in a lot more of my thoughts then I had originally hoped to do, so I don't need to add anything here, and besides that, this post is feeling long. Let me just say that I make a stand to do what I've said in preparing for church services. Won't you come and join me?

Sincerely, BLS signing off.

Confessing Or Denying Christ?

I just have to do a post on the sermon from Church yesterday...it was very thought provoking. It comes from Luke 12: 4-12. I ask that you read the passage really quickly, and I'll quote the verses when they become important.

The Passage mainly deals with the idea of Hypocrisy. In this case, Hypocrisy is when you have lived for Christ, but because of some fear you deny Him as being your Lord and Savior (Basically...it definitely goes more in-depth then that...but I'm too lazy to get that far into that piece. I apologize.) Basically, there's two points. Let's start with the first:

I. We Must Beware Of The Sin Of Hypocrisy Because Hypocrites Will Face God's Judgment.

I must say, this selection of text is really interesting. Jesus says some very serious things in here. This Hypocrisy thing occurs as a direct result from fearing the thoughts or actions of man against us if we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. As seen from Jesus' speech, there is danger in it...Eternal Judgment from God. But why is this? This happens when we are more fearful of men who can only destroy the body (To us humans the body and our physical well-being seems to be of greater importance, understandably so) then the One who can A. Destroy body anyway B. but can also send you to a place where all Evil is enclosed: Hell.

We can sometimes fear man's judgment more then God's. In our own minds, we bring up the opinions of man more then God's opinions. When we do that, we're throwing our allegiance at men instead of our God, who can really do something about us. We must always take into account of how God will judge us then men will. The judgment of this issue from God is really severe. Even the idea of severity seems a little down-played when trying to express this 'judgment'. This leads us into our Second point:

II. We Must Confess Christ, Even Unto Death, Because We Will Stand Before God For Eternal Judgment.

And I practically already declared that, so let's dig a little bit deeper. I've said we have to confess Jesus. But what does Confessing our Lord and Savior actually MEAN? Is it by words? By actions? Perhaps both? We need to show that through our lives and our words, we openly acknowledge that we follow Jesus Christ. As I already said, in order to confess Christ more effectively, we MUST (I can't stress it enough) take in and fear the judgment of God MORE then we fear the Judgment of man. I've said that several times already...and that only shows how important it is.

So here we have it, Jesus going on about God's Judgment...and that can sound like he's a pretty...mean being. But he switches tracks. Verses 6 through 7 are REALLY comforting. Here they are: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. "

What is he REALLY getting at here? Well, we must also trust in the loving, providential care of the Father in order to confess Jesus. Two pennies...now that's not much. It shows of how much value five sparrows are...and that's VERY little. But yet, God doesn't forget them. How much more will He not forget you, a creation made in His own image and crafted by His own marvelous hands? Exactly. You are more valuable then sparrows for sure, so you won't be forgotten.

In order to confess Christ as well, we must count on His faithful promises. Jesus makes some promises in the following verses. Read verse 8 to the end of verse 12 again. He says some more interesting things here. It seems like He is hinting at the 'Unpardonable' Sin. What were the Pharisees doing? Well...they were speaking against Jesus. But Jesus said that anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Okay...so they could be forgiven from that...so that's not necessarily where they have it all wrong. But what do they have wrong, then? Well, in Chapter 11 the Pharisees attribute Jesus' Power to the work of the Devil...now that's a serious matter.

You may be able to speculate that the Holy Spirit of God is where Jesus' Power is. Well, maybe that's not exactly right, because Jesus is God so He is all powerful...and yet, he's also 'Man'. Either way, the Holy Spirit does the tugging of the heart to the right direction. But the Pharisees didn't give in. They didn't let the Holy Spirit bring them to the only one who could actually save them. So maybe you've Denied Christ at some point. Maybe in a fit of anger, you've even spoken out against Him. But He says that He will forgive you for that...but at all times, you have to let the Holy Spirit move you to Him. You must know that you've done wrong, but if you have a heart and you really WANT to come to Him, then I believe you're on the right track. We must also rely on the instruction of the Holy Spirit to confess Christ when we are right there under attack for Our Faith. Also, the way to be ready to Confess Christ under pressure is to start Confessing Him now when you don't have any persecution going on. Well, we may have social 'persecution' today in America, but we don't have any real means of 'persecution' here to worry about...at least for awhile.

I think this is running a bit long. I had more thoughts to communicate (I think, because I always do) it's just a matter of remembering to say them in posts on here...which quite frankly I ALWAYS seem to forget.

On that note, see ya later.

My Thoughts On This Year And Next

Hidi-ho! Sorry for the long disappearance...as it happens, since I switched laptops...I forgot my password DX Anyway, I shouldn't have that problem anymore, because my password is so simple it may not even be possible to forget it...but hopefully that doesn't give anyone hints to my um, account. Wouldn't want a hacker coming in here and putting up anything embarrassing now, would I?

Anyway, I'm going to stop that train of thought and get to the point of this post: It could be summed in a couple of ideas...my thoughts on this previous year and what I'm thinking as I look at this one heading towards me.

First off, let's talk a bit about this past year...let's just say I've grown up...A LOT. It brings tears to my eyes to think of how meaningful this year has been to me. I almost lost everything, and in almost losing, God saved me and gave me new things to think about. I learned just how...psychotically insane I can be sometimes. Hm...Maybe that wasn't put well. Let's just say that I learned how useless I am sometimes...and how wretched of a person I am. God's Grace and Love has been written all over the days of this year, that much is for certain. Although it was painful and full of sin, for me, this year has been really life-changing...I wouldn't take anything back. Just comes to show me that God is God and I am not.

Now...as far as accomplishments have gone this year...well, I didn't really succeed at any of my New Years' Resolutions. I did do quite well with my novels though...but none of them are even close to being ready for publishing. Even the one that is pretty much publishable (However incomplete) is still really far from being satisfying.

Let me turn my focus to the year 2012. What are my Resolutions? My main one for the moment is to pick back up my Bible...more then I ever have before. It's really important, life-changing in fact. Also, I would like to finish the first draft (maybe several) of my new book idea. Then I'd also like to be able to get pretty far into my other novel ideas. I feel like there's more I should say, but I am now mind-blocked.

Happy New Year's! What does everyone do for New Years DAY? People usually celebrate the Eve. In this case, I shall be spending my whole First Day of 2012 doing yard work.

ON THAT NOTE, BLS out.

P.S. I shall do more to blog...on several different things. Not just sermons, but maybe stuff from scripture or just opinions on things...I don't know. We'll see.