Faithfulness

It was a stormy night in Birmingham, England, and the famous missionary, Hudson Taylor, was to speak at a meeting at the Seven Street schoolroom. His hostess assured him that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. “I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper.” As it turned out, less than a dozen people showed up, but the meeting was marked with unusual spiritual power. Half of those present either became missionaries or gave their children as missionaries; and the rest were faithful supporters of the China Inland Mission for years to come. Hudson Taylor was committed to serving the Savior regardless of names (who showed up) or numbers (how many showed) or the nature of the situation (stormy conditions) and God honored his faithfulness.

If Hudson Taylor had been like, "Dude, I don't want to get my head wet," or, "I'll probably get struck by lightning," or, "It's just not worth braving the storm for nothing," he would have missed out on this opportunity for God to use Him and bless the mission he would go on to become the founder of. Those weren't the only people that ever supported him or volunteered as missionaries, but if Hudson hadn't gone to the meeting, they probably would never have gotten involved. And who knows, maybe if that group hadn't gotten involved, then the China Inland Mission would never have had quite the same impact it did in changing people's lives for eternity. You never can know how your commitment to be faithful (or your lack of commitment) might affect others. So, it's important to always be faithful no matter what. Even though it may not seem important, it probably is. Don't make commitments you aren't sure you can keep. If you've ever had someone back out on something they said they would do, you know it's not at all a good experience. So we need to try our best to not be the kind of person that would do that ourselves.

One example of where we especially need faithfulness would be with our family and friends. A true friend is worthy of trust and completely reliable. Nobody wants a friend or family member who's just out for themselves and doesn't really care about anybody else. You're not being a trustworthy person if you go and spread secrets or gossip about your friends or family members to your other friends. The best friends are those you know you can trust completely that would never talk about you behind your back. Friends that you know will stick with you through everything. And since we know those friends are the best to have, we all need to be that kind of a friend as well.

Proverbs 25:26 "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked."

This verse can relate to peer pressure. When you give in to doing something you know is wrong just because everyone else is doing it and you don't want to seem weird, you aren't being a very faithful Christian. Probably all of us have done this before at some point, because we're still human and mess up. But just remember, we need to be faithful to the standards in the Bible that God has given us, even if no one else understands.

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

This is talking about being faithful in your work. It could be whatever you're given to do, a job or school. If you don't do your school, and expect to get good grades, you're going to be sadly disappointed. If you're lazy at work, but expect to get rich at the same time, you're not going to find much fulfillment in that and it probably won't work out very well for you.

When I think of faithfulness, I often think of marriage. That, of course, is an immensely important area where faithfulness is so vital. It seems like marriage means so little in our country anymore, and couples don't take their vows seriously at all. They're promising there at the altar to be faithful to each other until death separates them. And yet, so often, one of them is unfaithful and destroys that commitment, which could likely lead to divorce. And a lot of divorces don't even have to do with that though. It could be a bunch of stupid disagreements that lead to ending their marriage or they'll claim they "fell out of love" and it just didn't work out. And so, most people have no problem with backing out on this immense binding commitment. 

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 "To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife."

Divorce is all around us, and it's really sad to see the lack of loyalty in so many broken marriages. And what's really sad is that the divorce rate for couples claiming to be be Christians is about the same or maybe even a little higher than the divorce rate for couples that don't profess faith in Christ. We, as Christians have been given so much, and have such an incredible example of unconditional love in our Savior, and yet, because so few Christians understand what it means to truly love someone, they give up because the feelings seem to be gone, and/or their husband or wife doesn't "deserve" their love anymore. Guess what? The feelings aren't all that counts. Of course, that's where love often starts, with that attraction, and that's ok. That's the way God designed it to be. But if that's all your love is based on, sooner or later that relationship is likely to fail. And this could go for a dating relationship too. True love, the same love Christ has for us, is a choice. A commitment to never give up. If you don't love someone anymore, that means you're choosing to stop loving them, or you never really chose to love them in the first place.

Proverbs 20:6 "Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?" 

This verse could go for men or women, of course. But it kinda sounds like a guy that tells his girlfriend or fiance how much he loves her, but then leaves her for someone else because he was just playing with her heart and didn't really love her after all. And it's not as serious when two people are dating or engaged to break off the relationship as when they're married, obviously. But it's not wise to get involved in any type of relationship too quickly if you're not sure about it, or aren't sure the other person is completely honest about their love. And for those that aren't dating, engaged, or married, it's like the Bible says, "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." So, it's something you should be developing now in all the friendships and relationships you have as Proverbs 3:3 demonstrates: "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."

And then. most importantly, we need to be faithful to God. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." We have to be careful to not put anything or anyone before God. He deserves all our loyalty, and we should love Him above all else. It's something that's easy to fail at as we often take Him for granted and don't give Him enough of a place in our lives, but it's important to remember

1 Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you."

He's been completely faithful to us, and asks that we do the same for Him.

Matthew 10:22 "And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

It doesn't matter what or who gets in the way and wants to destroy our relationship with God, we need to endure. Probably none of us will never be persecuted for what we believe like Christians are in some places in the world, but there's still a lot of things that can keep us from God. Follow Jesus, not the world.

The best example of faithfulness, and all of the fruits of the Spirit, of course, is God Himself. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God is faithful to His promises. 

Psalm 89:1 "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." 

Psalm 119:89-90 "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast." 

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." 

Jesus was faithful even unto death as Galatians 2:20 brings out so clearly: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." He's our ultimate example of faithfulness, and through His power, we can be faithful too.

Thankfulness

Psalm 95:1-7 "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."

As Thanksgiving approaches, most Americans are preparing to celebrate this holiday that is intended to be a time to give thanks to God for his blessings. Often at Thanksgiving, we are reminded to give thanks always, not just on a set-aside holiday. This is true, of course, that we need to do that, but we tend to not let it sink in how massively important thankfulness is.

The writer of Psalm 100 certainly knew what it meant to be thankful. He writes, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

God deserves all of our thanks and more for all that He's done for us. He created us in His own image. He loves us completely and eternally, and He is always faithful to do what He has promised. Those few things are reason enough that we should constantly be thanking him, from a genuinely grateful heart.

The following story is called, "Eating Tasteless Food" by Kent Crockett. "My father had to undergo radiation treatments for throat cancer. The therapy damaged his taste buds so that he couldn’t taste food. His inability to enjoy a meal made eating a dreaded duty. The doctors told him his taste might return after the treatments were finished, but no one could say for certain. Weeks passed, then months. Every meal became a forced feeding to keep him alive. After eating flavorless food for over a year, he sat down for dinner one evening. Reluctantly, he forced the fork inside his mouth and discovered that his taste had returned. What most people would call a bland dinner became the best meal he had eaten in his life. Through losing his taste and then regaining it, my father learned to relish each morsel as never before. He became thankful for the ability to taste because he now had a reference point. He would never forget what it was like to eat tasteless food. You don’t have to lose something in order to be thankful. You can develop a 'taste' for your blessings by simply realizing what life would be like without them."

So, if you're tempted to complain about your circumstances as we all are at times, it's useful to try and think of all the ways God has blessed you rather than focusing on any undesirable situations in life. And then, as this story suggested, imagine what life would be like without those things. Hopefully, you'll get an eye-opening change in perspective.

And it's not just the obvious things that are important to thank the Lord for giving to us. * "Even in simple things we should be thankful. Don’t reserve your praise to God for only the big things in life. Recognize that God is the giver of all good gifts in our life, great or small" as it says in James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

There are countless more verses that demonstrate thankfulness.

Psalm 30:12 "That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"

We can thank God through song, and by worshiping Him.

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Give God thanks that He just has given you the ability to do all that He's called you to do, no matter what it is.

2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

One incredibly important thing we need to be thankful for is Jesus' death on the cross. We all know that, but so often we forget to be thankful for what He did, and take it for granted. We forget how much God sacrificed to give that inexpressible gift to us.

Something that isn't often mentioned is that we should practice being thankful for even the bad things in our lives. It seems crazy, yet 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Ephesians 5:20 adds, "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

When tragedy comes, when your dreams are crushed, your plans are destroyed, it's natural to be anything but thankful. And yet, we never know what worse thing God may be sheltering us from experiencing. He knows what He's doing, and His plans and His ways are far better than ours. Will you trust Him enough to thank Him for the pain, the struggles, the heartbreak, the difficulties? Thanking Him shows that you trust Him, and that's when He'll begin to use those "ashes" in our lives to make something truly beautiful.

JPK


*from "5 Bible Lessons About Being Thankful" by David Peach http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/5-bible-lessons-about-being-thankful/

Spiritual Anchor

In Hebrews 2:1, we read, "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."

"Before the days of GPS--the Global Positioning System--the greatest danger for anyone on the ocean was drifting out of sight of land or losing sight of a landmark. A fisherman just off shore might decide to shut his eyes for a nap and several hours later wake up and see nothing but water all around him."

"The strong currents that cause drifting on the ocean or in rivers are also found in the spiritual realm. The writer to the Hebrews warns his readers about drifting away from the truth and commitments they had made. What serves as an anchor in the spiritual realm?" The Word of God. As it says in Hebrews, it's imperative to pay close attention to the things we have heard. And the Bible is where we hear truth to guide us in our lives.

Proverbs lends us some insight: "21 My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." (Proverbs 3:21-24 ESV) God is the source of all wisdom and he filled the Scripture with wisdom to keep us secure. The Word of God "serves as a landmark [and an anchor] to keep us from drifting."

"The scariest part of drifting is how subtly it happens." It's almost impossible to notice at first, and if you aren't paying attention, you'll one day wake up and find yourself far from where you need to be. If God's Word isn't your spiritual anchor, there's virtually nothing to keep you from being deceived by the Father of Lies. He loves to twist the truth for his own evil purposes, and gradually pull us far away from God where he can influence us to the point where we can't really discern truth anymore.

That's why God's Word needs to be our anchor. But the currents of sin are so strong, an anchor alone isn't enough. We need something immovable to anchor our lives to. We need a rock. And there are many passages in the Bible referring to God as our rock.

Psalm 18:2 says, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Acts 4:11 adds, "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone."

An anchor gives support and security for a ship, but if the ship was anchored to a rock, there's no way it would go anywhere. The Lord is our Rock. Jesus is our Cornerstone. If we are are firmly anchored to God, letting Him keep us secure, we can avoid drifting from truth.

Let the unchangeable Word of God, the solid anchor for your faith, keep you from drifting. Anchor yourself to the Lord, the immovable rock of your salvation. And place all your hope and trust in Jesus, the never-failing Cornerstone of your faith, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

JPK

*the quoted passages are either from God's Word, or from a devotional entitled "Spiritual Anchor" in Dr. David Jeremiah's July 2012 edition of Turning Points.

Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3 (read by Josiah) 

What are some highlights of Proverbs 3? Here's a few summing up this wisdom-filled Proverb.

Undying love and faithfulness are a vital key to success. If love is the foundation of all you do, you will gain so much more out of life and be able to give so much more of yourself to others.

Trusting in God cannot be a low priority. It's something that needs to be done with all of your heart, or you will find yourself with fears and doubts constantly weighing you down. And if you decide to go it alone, instead of relying on God and His grace, you will find that you are unable to find your way on your own.

Although being disciplined by God is never fun, it's actually a good sign if He is trying to correct you. It means He loves you far too much to let you keep going your own stubborn way. God wants what's best for you, and His best means listening to Him and obeying Him, so He does what it takes to get your attention and focus back on Him were it belongs.

Wisdom is a better treasure than any amount of money or any kind of expensive jewel. You can gain so much more from wisdom than from wealth. It may seem crazy, but it's true. Wealth and possessions can only do so much for a person. They can never guide a person to make good choices, to seek God for the guidance he/she needs, or to live completely for Christ like godly wisdom can.

It is pointless to be afraid of what might happen in the future. God is in control. Trust in Him. He won't let anything happen to you that's outside of His perfect plan.

When you are able to help someone, don't ignore the opportunity. God may have a very good reason to send them your way. You could miss out on the biggest potential blessings of your life if you live as if you're in a bubble, only concerned about your own problems and needs.

Arguing with someone about pointless and trivial things will only damage relationships. Even if it seems like you have a good reason to get upset, it's not worth the hurt you could end up inflicting on those you care about. Calm down first. Then realize you could be wrong. And then... let God guide your words.

Don't envy people who seem to always get their way. Don't try to be like them. God is looking for those people who will be dedicated to His way, not focused on their own happiness.

Humility is wisdom in disguise. As it says in the Bible, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. It's those people who know how weak and helpless they are on their own, that God can use for His glory.


JPK

Supreme Savior

If anyone still stalks this blog, I apologize for my absence. I have been writing a lot lately, just not for this. But I realize that I haven't posted in a whole month. So, we'll see what happens now.

In Philippians 2:9, we read, "9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This passage brings out the supreme authority and sovereignty of our Savior. On the day this world ends, everyone will be compelled to bow before Him at just the mention of His name. You can see from this how all-powerful and deserving of our complete surrender Jesus really is. His name will be reason enough for every person, believers and un-believers alike, to give Him their complete respect and adoration.

But in our day to day lives, "sometimes it's easier for us to take just a piece of Jesus, rather than become a full-fledged Christ follower" willing to do anything for the One Who died in our place. "Our Christ-less society demeans His deity and entreats people to adopt a more "comfortable" approach to Jesus: They claim He was a humanitarian and a good teacher," but not really God.

"Isn't it interesting that even religious people will rationalize and adjust theology to let them 'have' Jesus, without letting Jesus 'have' them? It's in fact a centuries-old problem. The writer of Hebrews appealed to first-century sects within Judaism who venerated angels instead of giving precedence to Jesus. Acceptance into their synagogues required the Jews to diminish Jesus to the status of a powerful angel--much less intimidating than the holy, righteous Son of God." But listen to how He is described in Colossians 1:15-20:

"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

On this earth, Jesus was no ordinary man, He was our Creator come to save us in human form so we could identify with Him. He Himself said that anyone that saw Him had seen the Father, referring to the fact that He indeed was God the Son. He is eternal, existing before this world ever began. Through Him, all the laws of our universe work seamlessly together to create order in our world and to point undeniably to His masterful design. He's not the founder of some religion, He is the one and only Way to eternal life. He's still the head of the true body of believers today, because death could not conquer Him, and He will always be alive for all eternity. He surpasses everyone and everything else there ever was or will be, because He was here before any of that ever began or was conceived. Even as a man, He was fully God; one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through the sinless life He lived, and His atoning death on the cross, He forever paid the price for our sins, so anyone that accepts His sacrifice will be eternally saved. His glory cannot be diminished, His power cannot be overcome, His wisdom cannot be surpassed, His perfection cannot be matched, His authority cannot be challenged, His sovereignty cannot be denied.

John 5:23 (ESV)

"23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him."

Jesus can't just have an important place in our lives, He must be supreme over every detail of our lives. And to disobey Jesus, is to disobey God the Father.

"How do you respond to the pressure of making people feel comfortable with the person of Jesus? Are you in danger of compromising His superiority? Or do you unequivocally give Jesus His rightful place as supreme ruler of heaven, earth, and your life?" You can't water down the Gospel. You can't shrink the importance of His sacrificial death. You can't make Him seem like the founder of every other religion, because He is the only one that ever died and rose again to live eternally in the heart of everyone that believes. He paid for the sins of not only His future followers, but also for the sins of everyone else in the whole world that would reject Him their entire life. The people you come into contact with need to realize Who Jesus really is. And they must be brought to understand their eternal destiny hinges on whether or not they accept Him as personal Lord and Savior. There's no halfway point between heaven and hell. "What you believe about Christ determines your destiny for all eternity. It's a deal breaker. You either believe 100% in the supremacy of Jesus, or you don't. Give Him His rightful place in your life."

Revelation 5:11-13 (ESV)

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

JPK

*the quoted passages are either from God's Word, or from a devotional entitled "Supreme Savior" in Dr. David Jeremiah's July 2012 edition of Turning Points.

God Hears Your Cry

God Hears Your Cry - Nick Vujicic

So where do you go when you've lost hope? When you're trapped in all the wreckage of life? Who do you turn to for help? Satan likes to try and distract us. Bog us down with so many different things that we forget Who we belong to. Get in our face so we'll feel like our cries for help are unheeded.

But don't give up. Keep crying out. Keep hoping in the One Who knows the end from the beginning.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Believe. God will hear you. He's ready to rescue you. He'll break through a lot more than layers of concrete, steel, and a ton of debris just to make sure you're safe.

And He's never going to give up on us. He's like the mother who just knew her son still has a small chance to live. He never leaves us helpless, even when we turn away and lose sight of Him.

So seek Him with your whole heart. Don't give up. You'll find Him... or maybe... just maybe, since you may be the one who's lost... He'll find you.

Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart"

JPK

By Your Side

By Your Side

Sometimes we try so hard as Christians. Is there a point to all of it? Why do we seem to get nowhere?

Could it be that we weren't meant to do this alone? That we don't have what it takes in and of ourselves? Don't turn away from God. Don't run from the only One Who can make something worthwhile out of our  broken lives. He wants to help us. He waiting for us to want His guidance bad enough that we'll humble ourselves and ask.

There is no one else to turn to for strength. Sure, people can help, listen, and encourage. We do need each other, more than we sometimes realize. But God alone will always be there for us. He's the only One Who will always be by our side whenever we desperately need someone to care.

The same hands that created the world will hold us when we're weak and pick us back up when we fall. Don't fight the One Who cares the absolute most about you.

He loves you. More than you can fathom. And He'll never let you go.

JPK

Proclaiming His Glory

I don't know about you, but I think this is pretty cool. Like, what was God thinking when He flung these two galaxies out into space? I'm thinking it ended with an exclamation point. Something like, "Whoala!"

Ok. So, I'm crazy. But, still. It's mind-blowing. ...I think God positioned some of the galaxies the way He did for no other reason than they look really amazing from our viewpoint.

Like the Sombrero Galaxy. Not only is it beautiful, but it also contains 800 billion suns. Yet it just sits there looking pretty. It's not coincidence; it's design.

And don't forget the Horsehead Nebula. Who knew you could make a dust sculpture? Well, God knew if He put it out in space in the right conditions, this one could be preserved fairly well.

And then there's the Christmas Tree star cluster. Yep. I think I want one for my room. :P

King David, who couldn't even see all of this amazing creativity, said in Psalm 8:3, 4, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

He's basically saying, "God is so powerful, so beyond us humans, why does He even pay attention to little me?"

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

He put it all out there for us to enjoy, and so it would give glory to Him, proclaiming His unquestionable magnificence.

And yet so many people choose to believe it all just happened. By chance. On accident. ...No. Just no. Don't tell me that beauty and order can evolve from basically nothing given enough time. It's impossible. It's crazier than thinking that maybe the Taj Mahal  was formed by a bunch of random accidents over a long period of time.

Anyone who looks at it knows it had to be designed. There's no possible way it somehow evolved.

Ummm... the human body is way more complex than any man-made building. And we evolved? Without anything but a bunch of random mistakes? ...How can anyone logically believe that?

Look at the stars. Hold a baby. Marvel at God's creation. And believe.


JPK

Olympic Events That I Would Dominate IF They Were Olympic Events

Here's the link-up if you want to participate in the fun.

Ok, so the Olympics are well underway and the USA seems to be doing well so far. Now, we all know that the only Olympic event that would be remotely possible for me to join is... soccer, of course! But I'm sure even that is never going to happen. ... -sigh-


However, now is not the time to bemoan my sadly lacking skills, but to celebrate the ones that I do posses. This idea from
http://www.25inmy25th.blogspot.com/ sounded like quite a lot of fun, so I linked up.


Here they are. My list of the Olympic events that I would totally dominate... if only they were Olympic events. And who knows? Maybe someday... they will be. :P

Making the Leaning Tower of Pisa... out of supper dishes

I'm not sure if this was my work, or if it was one of my sister's.
She's pretty good too jsyk. But it gives you an idea...

Yep, they should totally make this an Olympic event. Because I would win! I have a huge family and I don't like stopping my dish washing to put away dishes, so I just carefully stack according to the laws of physics and leave an epic masterpiece. Of course, if the person who comes along to put the dishes away has never had the blessing of understanding the laws of physics... uhmm... well anyway... It was good while it lasted.

Drinking way too much milk

Yummmmm...

I'll admit it. I drink a lot of milk. Like, we'll be out for a few days, and when we finally get more... I go crazy. I open it, and start drinking away. Then in the evening, I usually notice that about half of a gallon is gone and I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one who's touched it so far. ...Ooops. And I could do much worse. Hey, cut me some slack, that's what happens when I'm restraining myself.

Winnie the Pooh impressions

Oh bother...

What a classic :P

Don't laugh. I'm a natural. I could beat Sterling Holloway any day. Oh wait... He was the original... Well, I'm not too bad at it if I do say so myself. A little work, and I might be able to pull it off. Maybe. If not, there's always Eeyore... "Thanks for noticing..." 

Accidentally breaking sunglasses

I love wearing sunglasses :)

Who knew that this could be a talent? But I've sure got it. ...Now, I realize that this couldn't be judged fairly at all. I mean, how could you tell if it was accidental or accidentally on purpose? Nevertheless, I'm constantly having to buy a new pair of sunglasses because I broke my latest ones. Oh well...

Quoting movies

Megamind

I do this quite a lot, if only to myself. If I see a good movie, it's likely there's some sweet quotes I'll want to remember. And it's so much fun to randomly quote something... especially when people know what it's from, which isn't very often come to think of it.


..."What's the plan?"
"Well, it mostly involves not dying..."
"I like that plan!"

Hay Baling

Hay baling = war wounds

Why not? This year I helped bale hay for the first time ever. But... I quickly found out that I'm pretty beast at it. :P ...So, I could hold my own in this competition. Just remember, you've gotta stack it five bales high...

Rapidly growing facial hair to look scary

I think that took about a week to grow...

So call me crazy. But I can grow facial hair pretty quickly if I set my mind to it... ;P And the fact that I have dark hair and am wearing black... well, I look like I could be the bad guy in the movie. I mean, my eyes are boring through your soul right now. ...However, no one seemed to appreciate it, so I shaved. It does feel much better I'll admit. Maybe I wouldn't get the gold for this fake event, but c'mon, I think I have a fighting chance.




Alright, let's face it. I'm sure somebody would be able to beat me in each of these randomly crazy events. But, hey, I'm the best I know at each of these things, so that should count for something, right? Maybe I'd get at least one gold medal... IF ONLY...



By the way, this is officially my 50th post ever! Who else feels like celebrating?!


JPK

Adopted Orphans

Ever heard of Mephibosheth? This guy didn't have it so good. For starters, both of his feet were crippled. His babysitter tried to save him from being killed when he was a kid, but dropped him in her haste, crippling him for life.


You see, he was the grandson of Saul, a disgraced and dethroned king, whom God rejected. Some overzealous followers of the new ruler, King David, thought they were doing the king a favor by killing Mephibosheth's uncle, causing all of Saul's relatives to panic.


And then, as if that isn't enough, after Mephibosheth grows up, King David suddenly and mysteriously orders him to appear before him. Doesn't sound like his life is going so well...


By the looks of things, Mephibosheth was already disgraced (because of his grandfather) and destitute (because he was lame), and now he seems to be doomed (because of the royal summons). But that was before he met the king.


What Mephibosheth didn't know, is that King David was actually best friends with Mephibosheth's father, Jonathan, son of the de-throned King Saul. Unfortunately, Jonathan had died in battle along with his father years ago, leaving Mephibosheth an orphan. But, before he died, he and David made a covenant that they wouldn't ever harm the other's descendants.


So, after David became king, he wanted to show kindness to Saul's family for Jonathan's sake. And Mephibosheth was the perfect candidate for a huge surprise.


David sent for the Mephibosheth. When he arrived, the scared man fell on his face before the king. Then, to Mephibosheth's amazement, David told him that all of the land that belonged to Saul (his grandfather) would be restored to him, and he would always eat at the king's table (an honor reserved for the king's sons).


It's almost like King David adopted Mephibosheth as his own son -- he certainly was treated like royalty. Despite Mephibosheth's disability, despite the fact that most people would view him as a pathetic outcast, the king suddenly changed his future and transformed his life.


Aren't each of us a little bit like Mephibosheth? Spiritually, we are disgraced (born as sinners serving Satan), destitute (incapable of saving ourselves from the mess we're in), and doomed (on our way to spend eternity in hell because we can't stand before a holy God). But remember, "when the King comes everything changes."


God came down to live among us and traded places with us, dying for our sins. Now He offers to transform our lives and forever change our eternal future. We just have to believe in Jesus and accept the free gift.


Does it make sense? No. We don't deserve it. We're pathetic, helpless, and incapable of doing anything good in and of ourselves. But don't question the King. It was His choice. Just don't throw away His selfless offer. He wants to adopt you as His own child. You don't need to be on your own any more.




"God looked through all the 'orphanage' and He choose me--the one orphan who was least deserving."


JPK

The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-20 (ESV)

^"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"


The Holy Spirit is God's own Spirit sent to help Christians in their walk with God.


Think about the ramifications of the above passage. We are to be so completely filled with God's Spirit that it controls us, almost like alcohol can influence a person's whole personalty. The difference is, the Holy Spirit has only positive influence on your life. And the more filled you are with God's Spirit, the better equipped you are to serve Him and witness to others.


The awesome thing is, "When the Holy Spirit fills you, it begins to spill out." What better way to have the power of God in your life?


So, how can you be filled with the Spirit? Well, at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. Why then do so many Christians seem to not be filled very full?


The problem is, even as Christians, we can shut out the Spirit's influence over our lives. In essence, we're blocking His rightful control, keeping it for ourselves instead. It's like we take back these sections of our heart, cramping the Holy Spirit, until there's only a tiny little area where the He still has control and free reign.

Your heart fully surrendered to the Spirit's control

Your heart when you've taken back control

You can't afford to shut out this helper given to us by the Father Himself! Don't be fooled into thinking you can handle everything that comes your way. I need God soo very much. And so do you.

JPK

Plans

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

God has a plan for the life of every person on the earth. He knows what our future holds. But "if God told us the future, we wouldn't go." Let's face it, some of the things God has us go through in this life are just plain hard. We would freak out and be too scared to keep on living our lives if we knew what was coming next. 


So often we make plans that aren't in line with God's plans. We think we know what's best. But then it all comes crashing down and we realize that we don't have it all figured out. We get scared at our helplessness. But we're not alone.


Honestly, I'm at a place where I'm unsure what to do. I had different plans and dreams, and, so far, none of them are working out. Life Action didn't happen. There's other stuff I've tried that just haven't panned out yet. I'm not sure what I "should" do with my life. I don't know what to pursue right now.


But maybe that's ok. Maybe God wants me to be where I am right now so I'll be open to His perfect plan. In the meantime, giving up on trying will get me nowhere. I know I need to keep trying doors and looking for opportunities. I can't expect that God will just drop something in my lap -- even though He is totally capable of doing that!

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Do you trust Him with all your heart? Do I?

"We can't be trusted, but God can."  If anything good is to come out of our lives, it will be all God. We can't do good in and of ourselves. It's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. Trust Him to work everything out for good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV) "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

JPK

P.S. Don't forget to keep the people of Aurora Colorado in your prayers.

No worries

You know what I've noticed? A blog's pageviews happen to have a rapid decline when posts stop being written! How interesting...


So, I'm here to tell you that I am still alive and well. I've just been traveling recently and didn't have much time or opportunity to blog.

Me in the Dunker Church at Antietam National Battlefield

See, I'm still around... You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to. :P ...Wow! I really haven't blogged in half of forever. July 9th was over a week ago. But maybe nobody even noticed...


You may have noticed by now that I don't have anything particularly amazing to say, which is kind-of true. Maybe I'll get some more inspiration tomorrow. But, for now, let me just say... Ice cream. Is. Delicious. Period. ...Ummm... Where did that one come from? I don't know. Don't ask. I guess because I had a lot of ice cream recently. Like, for supper once. But, no worries... There were some pretzels too... :) Plus, a lot of it was homemade, so it actually was pretty good for me. As if I worry too much about that...


One more thing I learned... or re-learned on my trip. Subways are very cool. Go ride on one. They're fun. Just don't get stuck in the doors... ;P


Well, I guess that's about it for now except for one question... Was anybody worried when I disappeared?


...silence... Uh-huh. Figures.


JPK

Something More

Something More - Nick Vujicic

What are you living for? Life is so empty when you're living for yourself and your own pleasure. Do you ever feel like there's got to be something more to this life that you've missed? Do you want to waste your life constantly chasing after things that won't count?


It's not like God expects us to live boring lives with no fun. It's not like we can never do anything that would be considered "unspiritual." But are you living for yourself or for others? Do you live for this life or for eternity?  Is God the One Who you are existing to please or has some impostor taken over the throne of your life? Do you truly have a desire to please your Creator or do you not really care?


Nick is a guy that has a "right" to be bitter if anyone does. He could just stay at home and mope around, feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he's living life to the fullest, doing stuff like scuba diving and surfing that I've never even tried. And more importantly, he's sharing a message of hope to the world.


I may post some of Nick Vujicic's messages later on, but, if you're interested, you can always check him out on youtube.


"If you don't get a miracle... become one."


JPK

Freedom

Stories of Freedom

Never take your freedom for granted. Countless men and women have died to make America what it is today. Let's remember and honor them, and then celebrate what God has so generously given to us.




And if you get the chance, go see some fireworks. Because they are fun. ;)

Can anybody tell that I kind-of like fireworks? :) I took those pics btw...


JPK