What are you looking for?

Everyone is searching for something. Even atheists, evolutionists, and others are still searching. They fight to explain why and how we are here, trying to scientifically validate the lack of God through the "intelligent soup" idea. Historically the  searching has drastically changed, yet we as humans are still searching, searching to find the easy way to God, the get there as quick as possible with as little work as possible, developing new theories, religions, lifestyles, and ultimately EXCUSES. So what exactly are we searching for? In biblical times, when the presence of God was never doubted, they searched for "their own" God, building their own idols to worship, imagining that a piece of wood or other material they had just created would some how have a divine power over all who bowed before it. 

"16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!"

17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"

They searched, we searched, we place things in front of our God, things that make us happy, give us pleasure at that very moment, yet aren't completely satisfying, so we move on to the next thing that will fill our satisfaction for fun, for life, for whatever it is we are seeking. What is your God? That's easy to answer you say? You're right, we may not physically build things in place of God but not so fast, take a deeper look at the question, I'll rephrase it. What things do you put in front of God? Is it the search of wealth, drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, FUN, personal satisfaction and etc? What are you seeking? What fills your day-to-day life? Is it Godly? Though we search through different venues, the searching is still there, whether through science or through satisfactions, we as humans have the desire to figure it out, to explain, to understand... is it that hard to understand? "in the beginning was... GOD." The accepting part is what we struggle with, living a christian life isn't "Sexy", but it is right... "I came so that you might have life... more ABUNDANTLY." A full life is what I am seeking, and apart from God there will never be true content. Live it, learn it, love it and through that CHANGE OTHERS, it becomes infectious, after-all its in the framework of this very nation, the Pursuit of Happiness, everyone wants to be happy, and true happiness comes only through Jesus Christ. But the charge doesn't stop there does it, once we get there, once we get it, what do you do with it? Do you bury it in the field to save, or do you invest? Invest in God's kingdom and the rewards of your labor will be multiplied, store up your treasures in heaven, they won't rust, or fail, or go broke... THEY ARE ETERNAL. The search for what exactly I was searching for may be over, but the seeking of God will never end. Today's challenge, be a doer of the word and not just a hearer....

Home

Standing atop a mountain overlooking what seems like just about the whole world, my mind began to drift. No it wasn't a day dream or some random ideas bouncing around my head with no purpose, rather it was much more than that. I began to contemplate the idea of home. There are the countless cliche' sayings.... "home is where the heart is" and many like that but that still didn't and doesn't seem to define home to me. When do you get to a place, set down, stretch out and in ultimate relaxation think "Now this is home"? Though the whole world may mock and scoff at your destination you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are home. Standing in awe in the presence of the things that God created I felt the slightest hint of this feeling. With the sun completely hidden, the coolness of night bestowed fully upon me, I looked to the sky, I saw the stars dancing their lights on the mountains below, heard the faint noises of animals off in the distance and thought "my heart is at ease here god." yet somehow that was weird to me... maybe it was just the beauty or serenity, momentarily blinding my judgement. How can home be so far away from the ones you love? Yet again it happened, climbing to the top of a snow covered mountain, making my way to a rock overlooking a frozen lake, standing below peaks of mountains thrusting themselves upwards toward the sun, I sat staring at a background only God himself could have painted... and I was home. What I realized though, it wasn't the setting, the place, or the beauty. It was something much more than that, something so completely obvious that I looked right past it. Each time, scratch that, every time I had that feeling of "home" there remained a constant, the setting was different each time, the season, and even the emotion, but something was always there. FAMILY. I was once asked a question on a church trip to a Third Day concert, a college leader began to question me about my family size, the typical, "WoW there are 11( at the time, now its 12) kids in your family?" "No WAY!" and etc., after answering the typical awe filled question she asked a more serious even alarming question. She simply said, "With a family that large, do you feel like your parents aren't able to give you the attention you need, I mean how can two people give that many kids all of the attention they need to grow up correctly..?"  I was shocked... mad! Being the smart aleck 7th grader I was, the snotty answer I replied with was, "obviously you're parents didn't have enough attention to give you because if they did they would have taught you to not ask such rude questions." She knew she had obviously struck a nerve and turned away to again watch the concert. But it didn't end there for me, I was so upset it ruined my night, I even told my oldest brother about it... LOL. But what did come out of that exchange was something that at the time I thought was upsetting but now I realize is so importantly positive. I realized that my family was different. (duh stupid there are 11 of you) I had always known the size caused us to be different, but I figured myself to be a normal kid in a different sized family, boy was I wrong. To prove how wrong I came up with a list.... 1. My dad is a pastor (thats different) 2. My Mom is superwoman (not everyone has a super-hero as their mother) 3. Christ was always at the center of my family, not always by us kids choice, but mandated by superwoman and My dad. 4. We all basically loved each other.... that's different. 5. the first 9 of us were boys... ok I'll stop the list because obviously you can see that my family is, lets say "unique". You can see why I was upset at the time, a 7th grade boy, going through some weird change had just been told basically he was weird, again BOY WAS I WRONG. The "differentness" of my family is something I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world, it's something I wish every person in this world could have experienced.... the "differentness" is home. No matter where it is, my heart is at ease when I am with my family. It could be in North Dakota, Colorado, Oklahoma, Michigan, or the ends of the earth, but if one of my siblings or my parents are there, then I am home. Home is where my family is, and that college leader couldn't have been more wrong, the love that came out of my home was more than abundant, after all my mom is SUPERWOMAN...

The RIGHT time

Why does it always seem that our time, or human time, is so much different from God's timing? I want what I want, and I know that right now is the time I absolutely, positively, 100%, without a doubt NEED it.... sound familiar? Most of the time, we don't get what we think we need, and even at sometimes become absolutely frustrated, even angered with God. This may seem humorous but many times the situations are the complete opposite... financial issues, illness, job, family issues and etc, all very pressing urgent needs, needs that HAVE TO be met, but aren't... at least not on our timeline. But why? I mean we serve a merciful God, that's evident (if you don't believe me see THE CROSS) and he obviously wants what is best for us, wants for us to be content, so why would he allow this to happen? ... finishing this thought, it hit me. Selfishness. WAIT, STOP THE TRAIN, THIS GUY CAN'T BE SERIOUS... but honestly, take a few breaths look and the mirror and realize it... because it's true. God's timing is THE RIGHT timing, How can it be wrong? No matter the hurt, stress, frustration, even anger, he is right and will continue to be right (stealing a line from SANDLOT) FOR-EV-ER! 

"In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages," 

Realizing this, the "RIGHTNESS" of God is no doubt frustrating, and waiting for his timing is no doubt again frustrating, but after all it is the right thing. Take comfort in knowing we serve the only thing/person/being etc. that will ever be 100% reliable and right.

What's your reason?

Sitting in church today (a different church than usual), a thought ran through my head, the thought, as most thoughts are, was provoked by what I was hearing. Intentional or not, what I heard from the message was seeking God (aka being a christian) was about the things we received. The main point was eternal life, but thinking through this, we as christians no doubt do receive many "gifts" or things we undoubtedly do not deserve at all. But what struck the wrong chord with me was solely seeking this life or God to attain those certain things. I may be completely in the wrong, but I doubt that eternal life SOLELY, is the reason God wants us to follow him. I couldn't get passed that in my head, and even hours later the idea and concepts were still rapidly churning in my mind and led me to a conclusion or rather a challenge. How do you view your christian life, or what are you reasons? Do you simply do the church thing in order to "feel good about yourself" and the week behind/ahead of you? Is it in fear of "THE WRATH OF GOD, or hell"? and etc. You see, I feel like it HAS to be much more than that, though being a christian should and does make you feel good about yourself and the life you live, and the wrath of god and hell are REALLY real reasons, focusing solely on one thing defining your christianity has to be wrong... doesn't it? Relationship, friendship, and etc. should be your walk with God, a personal relationship, and like any friendship or relationship, if you only seek that relationship for selfish reasons then is it real? Likewise if we only seek our relationship with God for selfish desires, eternal life SOLELY, then is it real?