Stop...and Think

It's been over a week since my last blog post, so I have to start off by saying, Hi!  How are you?  I missed you guys.  I've had a bunch of different issues entire into my noggin, however, there has been one that has seemingly been etched into my brain.  It's an issue that we all have.  It's a body part (kinda) that we all have, both male and female.  If you guess the tongue, why don't you give yourself a 5 second pat on the bat! *smiles*.

But seriously people, what we say, or as the bible eloquently puts it, the "power of the tongue" is a dangerous tool that we have.  What you say impacts how people view you on the surface and how you view yourself under the surface.  One thing that the bible continually states, both in the NT and OT is that we need to watch.what.we.say.  Whether is lyin or over-truthin', we need to get to the point where we stop....and think to oneself, "Hmmm...is what I'm saying reallllllly necessary? Am I "speaking the truth in love? (Eph 4:15)."  If the answer to that question is questionable (see what I did there?), then you should probably refrain from saying it in that manner.

Solomon, who was a king over Israel was known as the wisest man that ever lived.  The majority of the sayings found in Proverbs are by him.  Most of the Proverbs speak to laziness or wickedness, but there's one shining one found in the 18th chapter, 21st verse, that says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."  You have the opportunity to help someone or absolutely crush someone with what you say.  I don't believe that we fully grasp the weapon that we have.  

He doesn't stop there though, he continues "And those who love it will eat its fruit."  Those that love the power of the tongue, those of us that love to hurt other people by words.  Those of us that need to tear other people down just to lift oneself up, will "eat its fruit."  What does that phrase mean?  It essentially means that you will use it.  What you say can have some HUGE consequences for not only others, but yourself.

Lets fast forward to the New Testament and hit the ever friendly book of James, where he devotes almost an entire chapter on the tongue (3:1-12).  No verse is more prevalent that the 8th verse where the author reminds us that, "no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."  Whoa. Restless Evil. Full of Deadly Poison.  Next time you just blurt out an in-the-moment-extremity, be reminded how powerful your words are...

James, as he often does, leaves us slightly depressed.  I mean, he clearly states that the tongue is untameable.  So why even try?  What's the point?  All of our work is futile right?  Welllll, we do we abstain from sin?  We will never ever ever be able to fully control our humanly sinful nature right?  Oh wait, because the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).  Because when I'm in Christ, I'm a new creation (2 Corith. 5:17). Those seem like great reasons to at least try to tame this muscle.

What do we do?  What do you do when that person that knows how to get under your skin just catches you on a bad day?  What do you do when you feel like the only way your significant other will understand the gravity of their actions is if you curse them out?  Is there another way to discipline your kids without yelling at them?  It's hard...it's hard to control our emotions sometimes.  I'm guilty of saying the wrong thing often.  I've also been on the other side of a loose tongue.  And I can honestly tell you that they both are sucky.

Paul has an answer, he urges us to, "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. (Eph 4:29)"  What is Paul saying her?  Basically, if the motivation for what you saying to to destroy, rather than building; to degrade, rather than uplift. Then, don't say it!  What's the age old phrase: "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Stop. And THINK. I'm not telling you to only say positive things. I'm not telling you to only paint the rosy picture of life because to be honest, we need to be knocked on our backs every once ina while (Especially men!) What Paul is telling you however is to stop what you are about to say and do a double check and determine if what you are saying is out of love or out of spite. There are plenty of different ways to tell your boo-boo s/he needs to relax. This method leaves room for "tough love." Just lay of the spite. There's enough spite and hate and Sphate (spite+hate) in this world.  But not enough building and loving and Buloving (I think you got that one!).

Let's go people. Lets work on controlling our tongues. Lets be responsible for what we say. Lets take this responsibility over our words seriously. No one deserves to get hurt over your words. Besides, it's less work in the long run when you don't have to take your foot out of your you-know-what.

So before you say anything (especially out of an emotional state):

Stop.....

And

Think.

--MJA

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

Something has been brought to my attention.  Something dire. Something powerful.  Something big.  Without getting into too much specifics, I've been alarmed.  I've been slapped on the back of the head. RED ALERT RED ALERT. There's this thing that exisits.  This liar, theif, cheater, abuser.  This thing that knows every nook and cranny.  Knows how to get into people's minds and hearts. We need to be alert.  We need to be aware of this thing....

Satan is powerful ya'll.  I promise you he knows more about you than you know about yourself. Any weakness he will exploit.  Any crack in your life he will make worse.  Just picture your life as a little crack in glass.  If that crack goes untreated it will become worse and worse.  The best way to stop a crack from becoming worse is to nip it in the bud.

Unfortunately, our life isn't that simple.  It's interesting how we are all coded.  We all sin differently.  We are all born with natural weaknesses.  For example, my buddy can drink as much alcholol as he wants and not technically be an addict, but if I get a whiff of it, I can't control my inhibitations (This was only an example, not true for myself).

The interesting part is that by the time we hit our college years, most of us have discovered our weakness.  But here's the kicker, our weaknesses, although are bad for us spiriutally, are the things that make us feel the best; they give us the in-the-moment-high.  Unforutntely the things that typically make you the happiest short term, are usually the worst for you long term. It's like when Paul said in Romans,
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:15)

And these are the things that the Adversary uses.  It annoys me how much the Devil knows me.  He makes the argument in your head that he is your friend.  That God has all these restrictions to kill your fun. He places lies in your head that tell you that you aren't good enough.  That you aren't pretty enough, that you all around suck!  It's a sad but true reality that sometimes he wins.  There are those nights, those days that the lies placed in mine head feel like a reality.  It's at those moments where I, the creation, begin questioning the Creator.  Who the heck am I?  Or even worse, I get angry at God for the itrocious things that happen in my life or in the world in general.  I start to blame God for 9/11 or the Natural Disasters that hit the earth or Sandy Hove Elementary School.

I am by no means claiming to know why bad things happen to bad people.  But I do know this, evil and God are complete opposites.  Maybe if we spent as much energy combating Satan as we do God we would become much stronger.  Maybe if we refocused (I love that word) our attention on the positive things in life rather than When the World is going to end we would become much more powerful.  Maybe if we strapped on our armor and shield and realized who the REAL enemy was we wouldn't be as miserable as we are.

But nooo, of course not.  That's too practical.

Yes, I'm angry.  I have a very focused anger pointed to the Devil.  No, not a red thing with horns onto of his head.  Nooo, I'm talking about a Fallen Angel.  An angel that wanted to be greater than God and has been continuously trying by making our lives miserable (by making it feel good). (2 Corth. 11:5-15)

I say this phrase alot, but my brothers and sisters, we are at a War.  I was listening to the song called Mr. Pretender by KB who is a Christian Rapper.  That song opened mine eyes.  I've heard the song a bunch of times, but I only recently looked at the lyrics.  It's amazing how many times you can hear a song and not completly understand it.  But this song basically talks about the Pretender (Satan), and the verses are what he's saying to us.  Now I may not agree with everything KB says, but the point is soo crystal clear.  No matter what we do, Mr. Pretender will just keep calling us.  The times where we feel the safest, we are actually the most vulnerable.  The times we feel the most secure are actually the times we are in the most insecure.

That's why I'm proclaiming a RED ALERT. All hands on deck!  We need to believe that Jesus conquered Death by dying on the cross, ascended into Sheol and was Resurrected.  When it all comes down to it, we have the Victory.  We just have to try to keep straight.  We will all fail.  We will all fall, we have all fallen.  But gotta get back up! We just have to believe: "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)  We don't know when the Lord is coming back.  Most of us have never seen his face to know that he exists   But I have Faith in the Lord.

My Hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' Blood and Righteousness

----------------------------

On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand

All Other Ground is sinking sand

Our best bet is to build our foundation on the solid rock and to be aware.  Be aware of Mr. Pretender.  Be aware of Da Liar. As a matter of fact, I'm going to post the rap at the end of this blog.  I warn you again that it's Rap, but it's Christian Rap.

Be on Alert People!

The Christian Lovers' Dilemma

One day, when I die and go to heaven, I'm going to ask God, why did you make men and women soo different?  We are soo different and yet, for the most part, we can't stay away from each other.  Now whether that's a good thing or bad thing is TBD but this blog is about relationships.  I'm not in a relationship.  In fact I'm nowhere close to a relationship, but I've read a ton about relationships and I was told I give good advice, so I'm going to give this a try.

This blog right here, is dedicated to all my Christian Lovers.

Ya know, as a Christian it's tough.  We have to "deal" with all the things that a normal person has to deal with but we also have to "deal" with a spiriutal aspect.  We have to constantly make sure that we and the Man Upstairs are on the same wave length.  We have to consistently check to make sure that it's our Father's will that we do X or Y and sometimes we don't even recieve an audible answer so we go around blind hoping that we are making the right decision.

This is especially tough in the dating/relationship realm.  What's the proper way for a Christian to date? (Yeaaa...I'm not gonna go there) However, one problem that I've had in the past is the mindset.  Too many Christians, especially younger ones have this non-biblical principle that says that: "God has this perfect person out there that is perfect for me, all I have to do is meet her/him and everything will go smoothly."  Am I bowling down your alley?  My peeps, our concept of The One is.NOT.biblical.  If you go through your life turning down he's and she's looking for your Mr. Perfect, you are going on a wild goose chase.

Yes, I do believe that God has a plan for your life and every once ina while God does seem to pull you in one direction or another but I do not believe that God tells John Doe that he will meet Jane Doe on December 21, 2012 (when the world ends).  Noooooooooo.  We have free will.  God knows ultimately what we are going to do, and there are some people more compatiable than others for us, but there isn't that one person.  We need to get out that mindset.  Let's consider the compaitable beings as little tugs from God that this person is a possibility.

Once you get locked out of that mindset, you my friends are liberated.  I know I was!  You no longer look into ever person and think: OMG is this The ONE.  Getting to know people is about having fun.  We Christians are guilty of stressifying the dating period soo much that we lose sight of the true meaning of dating.  Everyone you go on a date with shouldn't feel like they are filling out a husband/wife application.  Nein! In the get-to-know phase you do exactly that: you _________________.  Find out their interests.  Find our their passions.  If you look at this phase as having fun, you're en route to living a less stressful life!

But wait there's more!  Actually, I held back on ya'll a little.  The concept of The One is biblical.  The One I'm talking about is Jesus. God is supposed to be first in foremost in our lives.  And logically if God is first, then maybe, just maybe, we need to start looking for Number Two.

Whoa.  Number two?  That's radical and yes, you can slap me later on.  But think about it.  Let it marinate in your noggin.  You can't have two number ones can ya?  Just a thought...

But seriously people, we need to revamp our thoughts.  If you are in a relationship and you are thinking about getting out of it because the person isn't you're Mr. Perfect but you are crazy about the person nonetheless, don't be naive and do that to yourself.

I'm going to let everyone in on a secret.  No matter who you date.  No matter who you marry. No matter...you are going to have arguments.  They are going to drive you crazy?  Why?  Because you are two different people with two different opinions/interest/livelihood.

I'm going to take off my Perfect-Christian Mask and say that I get angry at God.  Me and God bicker quite often. Sooooooo, if I disagree and question the LORD, why would I think that my relationship with another sinner like me will go smooth?  Stop having this expectation my brethren.  You are ruining chances with great people and you are ruining great relationships.

With the fact that relationships are tough in your head, I need to press you on one more issue. People give up on things wayy too quickly.  When the going gets tough, we run. We're afraid.  We give up. ESPECIALLY in relationships (I am one of the biggest culprits of this).  But somehow.  Somehow we think that we can grow.  We can grow closer to our guy. Grow closer to our girl and not work at.  Here's a question: What, if anything, can you do where you stop working on it, and still have growth?
*Insert Cricket Sounds*

So then why do we magically think that we can just go through relationships half hearted and expect them to become fruitful.  Why do we think that you are supposed to be happy evvvvery day in a relationship or else boo-boo gots to go?  Why do we think that this girl isa dime, and my girl is getting on my nerves, so I can just do a lil sumthin sumthin and it'll be ok?  Why don't we work on our re-lation-ships? If you are at the point where the grass looks greener, then you need to nurture and water your lawn!

If you aren't mature enough to handle the ups and downs of a relationship, then you probably shouldn't be in one! (Ouchie)  Relationships take commitment and growth.

So what am I trying to say?  Have fun in the getting to know phase.  Don't stress about whether that person can fill out your marriage application because who knows how much your app will change when you're ready to get married. We need to get rid of the myth of the "one"  God will order our steps using His Word (Psalm 119:133) as a map but he will never tell you that you HAVE to do X.  Remember that.

When you do find that person you want to settle down with, don't give up.  If you really lovve them, you wouldn't give up so easily.  In order to have growth you have to...have to...have to work at it!

Overall, I think we need a changing.  A shifting of the phrase.  I'm looking for Miss. Perfect.  I'm looking for The One is no acceptable.  God has placed people in your lives that are compatible to you. Not perfect, but pretty darn close.  However, He wants you to seek him first.  So, I don't know about you, but I'm excited for my Number Two.

Every Timothy needs a Paul

There's a biblical axiom that I surround my faith around.  (Well actually there are many axiom but, for this case there's one in particular.)
Every Paul needs a Timothy and every Timothy needs a Paul.

Or if you want to be gender pleasing, every Paul (or Paulina) needs a Timothy (or Timotheia) and every Timotheia (or Timothy) needs a Paul (or Paulina).

What does that mean?  I mean I kinda know that Paul was a great man.  I've heard that he was a thing called an Apsotle and wrote letters to churches.  But who the heck is Timothy?  Wait...is he the same Timothy in the bible.  Erm..as in 1 Timothy & 2 Timothy??

Why yes, yes he is.  You sir, deserve a cookie!  But Timothy is more than a book in the bible.  He was Paul mentee.  He was the person that Paul sowed into.  He met Timothy while he was a young age in Act 16:1-3 and taught him.  And then eventually sent him out into the world to start his own church.  But, Paul didn't leave good ol' Timmy alone.  He checked up on him as often as he could through at least 2 letters.  These letters are affectionately known as 1st and 2nd Timothy.

It's important to highlight here that Paul, like Jesus, recognized that we are put on this earth for a reason. One of the reasons is to speak life into others, especially those younger than us.  There are two things that are necessary for this occurrence to happen.  Firstly there has to be a willing "Paul," a man or woman that is willing to share their knowledge with someone.  And there has to be a willing "Timothy," a person willing and eager to learn.

Any well rounded Christian has the capability to be both a Paul and a Timothy.  I don't care how old you are, there is always someone watching you and you are always watching someone else.  It's about having the right attitude.

For me, I've been more than blessed with Pauls in my life.  Some of them have come seemingly for a season and some can happen a lifetime but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that I am who I am because of them.  If it wasn't for their lecturing and constant perstering and prodding I just wouldn't be me. I need to personally thank them for speaking life into my heart sometimes when I've felt like giving up (and they might not even know that they have).  It means a heck of a lot that they even dedicated 5 minutes to me because they just didn't have to.  I'm not going to give full names, but they know who they are!

Rev. Dr. Byrd, I wanna thank you for continuing to press on me for my calling in this life to be a minister of the gospel.  I don't know when and I really don't know how, but you have kept the Word of the Lord in my life.

Mr. Frank, who would've thought that the man that I met in High School, whom I at times had an issue with would become someone I could call a mentor and a friend.  You have influenced me in more ways that one which is including but not limited to my trek to Messiah College where I became a History Major!

Now that I'm at Messiah, I might as well mention Dr. Fea.  I had no idea that you would've helped me in the ways that you have.  I never thought I would get this close to a History professor let alone an intimidating giant such as yourself!

Staying at Messiah I have to mention Dr. T!  This man has literally been like a second father to me.  We've hit every topic from music (most importantly) to relationships to ministry.  I wouldn't have survived my last two years with you!

If it wasn't for Dr. T, I wouldn't have met Pastor Woody.  Even though are time was relatively brief you have sown sooo much into me.  I just want to thank you for that and hopefully we can do a better job at staying in contact.

DKP, you have sown into me like no other Lawyer have.  This journey in my life is a new one for me but I am glad that you are willing to embark on it along with moi.

Finally, Min. Tucker.  Yes, you aren't that much older than me but you have spoken life in me from time and time again!  I am proud to call you my real brother and I love that despite the difference, we've kept in touch with each other.

Well, that's it!  I'm sorry this was soo long haha but I had to get out my sense of gratitude.  On a final note, I do realize that I have a bunch of Timothys and no Timotheias but that's ok.  I grew up in a household of mostly older women so I have PLENTY of those to hold me accountable! :)

--MJA

You Are So Beautiful!

I've realized that I've gotten away from my blogging roots.  The reason that I started to write blogs is to mostly encourage people.  To help boost people's self-esteem by telling them that they are better than they think.  Recently I've caught myself talking more about little 'c' christians and instead of uplifting people, I've been putting challenging them.  At the face of it, it's fine.  But, I'm the type of guy that needs balance and it's been far too long since I posted a truly uplifting blog (June was the last one).

I feel a need to speak life into someone's life.  I feel the inherited need to help someone out there.  I feel the need to tell someone something that they already knew: you are beautiful.

You are sooo beautiful.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You are created in the image of God. I need someone out there to believe that right now.

Maybe I'm ina extra lovey dovey mood.  Maybe I'm dealing with my own issues, but I need to tell all my readers/nonreaders, believers/nonbelievers, friends/enemies (jk), groupies/haterz...You are loved.

I don't feel weird saying this as a man, because as a man, I've realized that I need to get better at expressing myself.  I need to get better at becoming vulnerable.  I need to be open and honest about my feelings.  However, as a man, I also realize my boundary of mushiness and I do believe that I have reached my threshold. So this first half was my gender friendly blog.

*Insert Woman Friendly Line Here*

This second half is dedicated to my ladies.  I know I've said this before but ya'll amaze me.  The essence of your being; your ladiness perplexes me.  Ya'll aren't just beautiful, ya;ll are gorgeous.  One of the things that I hope never ever ever ever happens is if I make a woman feel less than she's worth.  I don't know, maybe I have in the past and if that's the case I'm sorry.  I really am!

I'm not gonna lie, you women drive me up the walls Day N Nite (Kid Cudi Song).  Somedays I wanna yell at you.  Somedays I wanna curse you out (the Christian in me stops me), but when it alllll comes down to it: I love ya'll.

I don't care what other men say.  I don't care what your parents told you.  I don't care what other men say.  You are precious. You are sooooo beautiful.  (Borderline hot but only because I loathe that phrase).

*INSERT GENDER FRIENDLY LINE*

Don't ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever. EVER (did I say ever enough) let someone tell you different.  Don't ever let someone bring your self esteem down.  I used to let other people affect me (and I still do from time to time).  But once you realize who you are in God.  How amazing of a person you are in Christ.  You establish your identity in your Maker.  You realize that you are a privilege.

So I'm glad that I've had the privilege to know the men and (especially) women.  I don't always see eye-to-eye with them.  But I do see their beauty (once again especially women) coming from their eye.

You are all amazing!  To the women in my life, I love ya'll. To the women not in my life as much as you used to be, I love ya'll. To the women soon to be in my life, 1. What's taking soo long & 2. I love ya'll.  To the brothas in my life, you are beautiful (I say that in my deepest manliess voice possible).

Much love to God's Creation.  Always remember to smile!

Never underestimate the power of your smile. Smiles have the ability to light up the room. Even when skies are dark sometimes if you just smile, your day becomes better! Smiles are beautiful. Smiles are great! Why don't you go ahead and smile right now!

it vs. HE

Stop it!

I'm tired of it.  I'm tired of it trying to take over my life.  I'm tired of it actually suceeding in me.  I want to do right, but there's this urge in me to do wrong.  I want to proclaim victory over it, but defeat keeps ringing.  It just has so much control over me.  I...I just can't take it.

Thank you Adam and Eve for this.  Thank you Adam and Eve for exhibiting a lack of self-control.  A lack of reverence, a lack of humility.  Why did you have to listen to that serpant.  Why did you have to have the yearning to be more knowledgable...more greater than you needed to be? Are you happy now?  Are you happy that you thrusted future generations into turnmoil because of your decision.  Are you happy that you let it win.  Are you happy now?

Was it worth it? Is it worth gaining the whole world, yet losing my soul?  The answer to the question is obvious, but yet, the answer is never reality.  I think with my dream, yet my limbs do otherwise.  I think things with my mind, yet my tongue speaks otherwise.  Is there any hope for me?  Will I ever be able to conquer it? Will it continue to rule over my life?  Dictate my thoughts, my actions, my words, my dreams, my everything.  This control over my life..it's just...not good.

I hear the statements running over my head.  You will fail.  It's too deep inside of you.  Stop trying. It's futile.  What do I do?  Who do I turn to?  No one can really understand what I'm going through.  IT...IT...IT is just to strong.

I can't be like the faithful servants in the Bible.  I can't be like Moses who saved the nations of Israel by standing up to Pharaoh   I can't be like the prophets Micah or Elijah, or Amos, or Nathan who stood up to kings who had the power to kill them at a snap.  I can't be like the Apostle Paul who endured various beatings and imprisonment.  I'm not strong enough.  I'm just little ol' Michael.  It has it's grasp on me.

I just need to release the vices that the serpent has on my soul.  I need to be emptied.  I need to be filled with something greater than myself.  They say that we are yearning for something greater than we.  Well I'm looking...I'm looking..and I think I found him.  But now that I found him, what do I do?  What should I do?

This thing...this person inside of me wants to do wrong.  This person inside of me is nasty.  This person inside of me is cantankerous and vile and just wrong.

But I, I've heard about this man.  This man that came into the world and conquered It.  It thought that this man was dead.  Victory was obtained by it.  But just merely 72 hours later, this man rose with all power in his hand.  This man was the only man that lived a perfect sinless life.  All others before him sinned and fell at one point, but he failed to fail.

He wants to tell me that I can conquer it.  That my mind, my soul, my heart is not greater than he.  All I have to do is ask, trust, and believe.

But Lord, it's just too strong.  I'm a young man.  I have thoughts, pressures, doubts, fears..What the heck am I supposed to do when it comes like a thief in the night and wakes me, and shakes me, and just drives me up the wall.  How am I supposed to control it.

I am weak.  But he are strong.  He conquered it and he promised to keep me close.  Help me believe that he is strong than me; stronger than it.  Even when times are rough, even when my nights are long, Help me believe.  Lord, help my unbelief!  I know that he went into Sheol, knocked it in its place but how is that power transferred to me?  Where can I get his boxing gloves?

Sometimes I think I'm going crazy.  Sometimes I think I'm going to lose my mind.  Often times I think...I know that it is going to win.  But it's those moments where he causes my foundations to quake (like when he was crucified) and give me a slap on the face.  He gives me that wake up call.  The cockadoodledoo of the rooster.

Wow.  I am in awe of his might.  Great is Your Mercy.  Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.  I'm Not Afraid like Eminem.  I'll Trust You like Donnie McClurkin.  I know that he'll Roll Up like Wiz Khalifa whenever I need him.  He loves me.  He Wraps me in his arms.  And I just want to say Thank You.

it wants me to believe that it has the final say.  The devil wants me to believe that its over.  That there's no hope in me.  But "faith is substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1).  I KNOW that he will suceed.  I just know that JESUS will win.  I believe it.  I recieve it.  

So you know what I'll do?  I'm going to do like David does and bless the Lord at ALL times.  His praise shall continually be in mine mouth.

That...That is what I'm banking on.  it will NOT defeat he.

Struggle Well

I need to issue an apology.  I need to issue an apology for all those people, all those churchy folk, all those clergy men and women that put the lie in peoples heads that being a Christian/follower of Jesus is easy.  Yes, the steps of it is "easy," repent, accept BUT the hard part is living the life.  Now, I'm not going to get into all the semmantics of what makes the perfect Christian because when it comes down to it:

1. I am NO WHERE near the perfect Christian.

2. I am not quaified to even describe what the perfect Christian is.

3. We aren't expected to be the perfect Christian.

Besides, this blog isn't about being a perfect Christian.  This blog is about the myth.  The myth that has some christians (yup little 'c') believe that oh since I have Jesus everything is just gonna be flowers and daisys.  For anyone that believes that, you are in for a rudddeeee awakening.  If there is anyone out there that is willing to take their Halos off (like Rev. Waller would say), you would acknowledge that being a Christian is ridiculously hard.  In fact I will venture off to say that it hurts.  It can suck.  It's a rough rough non-ending-feeling journey.

There are times that I am so angry at God that I have temper tantrums in my bed (which happened a couple weeks ago).  There are times when I get in such big funks that I seem to snap at everyone for absolutely no reason.  There are times when I get so annoyed with everything and I need to a moment to "get away from God."  I have all these moments.  We all have these moments.

But I'm here to tell you that it's ok.  It is perfectly normal, rational, and understandable to get frustrated or dare I say angry at God.  There is not ONE person in the Bible (NT or OT) that questioned/was frustrated with God at least at some point.  What does that tell us?  It's part of or Christian growth.  It's part of life.  But most importantly, what happens after you have your moment with God?  A couple of things I realize is that:

• I realize that I was wrong and have to repent.
• I realize that it was nothing but the devil trying to get to me.
• I realize that God isn't angry at me for my mistake.
• I become closer to God even more because I didn't hold anything back.
• And most importantly, I fall even more crazy about God.

It's crazy.  We have to get to the point where we need to realize and believe that "all things work together for the good of those that love God, and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 KJV) We HAVE to believe that.  We NEED to recognize that.  I know this phrase is overused, but: Everything happens for a reason. Can the church say, "For a Reason."  You may not see the reason right away.  But I will promise you that for a Christian, that reason is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS for your good.

So, I going to tell you to embrace your struggling; I'm going to tell you to struggle well.  Embrace your situation.  Dare I say love your situation.  I don't know what you are going through.  I know a bunch of my people still in college are dealing with the stress of Finals Week.  But I can tell you that if you struggle well by studying and listening, the fruit of your hard work will work out.

I know some people are going through financial situations.  But, I can tell you to keep trying in God.  Keep relying on God.  I'm not going to make one of those Name It. Claim It. Obtain It. people because it's more than that.  But know...remember Romans 8:28.  Make that a verse that you commit to your memory.  You may not know why, but you know that it's for your good.

As a matter of fact, let's make that everyone's memory verse.  Romans 8:28,  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)  Just go.  Keep on trusting God.  Don't give up on him.  

Struggle Well my brethren!

--MJA

When Enough...Is Enough

Have you ever gotten to the point where you've felt like you've compromised, and compromised, and comprised just to make the other person happy?  Compromise at the heart of it, is a great thing to keep the peace.  It's a great thing to do when you have a relationship that you deem is "worth-it."  But when is too much compromising too much?  Now I know that phrase might've been a little confusing but think about it.  At what point in your life are you willing to absolutely say: No, I cannot do that.  I like/love you, but theres just somethings I cannot accept, there are certain things I cannot compromise to.  Where do you draw the line?

I'm writing this blog entry to challenge someone out there.  Not to over-compromise...no, something deeper, something more important than that...

What is your bottom line?  Ya know in marketing, companies have a bottom-line which is the least amount of money they can make and still survive, and still be successful   If the line is too low, they will certainly struggle through the life of the business, but if the line is too high, they'll push away too many people and ultimately lose money in our capitalistic system.  So the bottom-line is the happy medium between too much and too little.  Just the right amount to keep the right amount of people around.  Just the right amount to know who's their real friend.  Just the right amount to know who really supports them and...oooh...I kinda went off topic there a little bit.  But we, as humans, need to have a bottom line.

Unlike companies, our bottom line isn't necessarily to keep people or keep away from people, but our bottom line (or standard) is what makes us, us!  I'm looking around at my generation, seeing the things that people are doing and while I don't hate them for what they are doing, I can still fundamentally disagree with them and choose not to participate in that practice.  I have a standard.  I have a bottom-line that I will never cross again.  Unfortunately, in my short life span I've broken my bottom-line.  I've done things I said I would never do and in the end, it hurt me.  In the end it hurt those around me. You have to have a bottom line my brothers and sisters.

Here's the thing though, in order to have a bottom-line that's worthy of being broken, you have to have a bottom-line to begin with!  No (mature) person genuinely wants to hang around a "yes-man."  Someone that you know is down for whateva.  Someone that will never disagree with you.  Someone that just goes with the flow at all times.  That interpersonal relationship at the heart of it is shallow, it's a mile wide but only an inch deep.  We need to get to the point where we have a set values that we treasure and will not budge on.  Everything else in our life is disputable and open for discussion but these 3 or 4 things are not.  They are on the DO NOT DISTURB LIST.

Yes, I am a Christian and I will love you for who you are.  But my man, I gotta be honest with you, I don't agree with you sexin' up all those ladies like they are your property.  My lady, you are more than your body, don't let any ol guy be able to pick you up and steal your jewels.  When is enough...enough?

Yes you are going to lose friends, yes you may lose some cred for doing that but lets be honest, it's better to keep (gain) your soul than gain the whole world.  And I can tell you this, if you make your DO NOT DISTURB list now, people might not like you initially.  In fact there's a great chance you'll lose relationships.  However, in the long run, you will gain more respect for yourself and ultimately gain more respect from others.  How many people know that life is a marathon not a sprint.  We have to stop living in the moment with losing sight to our future.  I know that our culture tells us YOLO which at the heart of it is true.  But the things you YOLO can turn you into a HOBO down the line.  Yeahhh I know that was really rough.

I'm going to end it like this: God has a standard.  It's all written out for us in His Word right? When we choose not to agree or follow his standard he doesn't go chasing after us.  Overall he protects us, but when we are rebellious he doesn't protect us from "all hurt harm and danger."  He gives us his bottom line, and if we don't like it, we can (and often do) hit the road.  But, when we come around and understand why He had his standards don't we appreciate him more?  Don't we respect him more? (Check out the Prodigal Son story and imagine the father is God --Luke 15:11-32)   It's not unChristian to dislike what a friend of yours is doing.  It's not unChristian to tell someone that you don't agree with what they are doing.  It's not unChristian to just let people go if you don't agree with them.  It IS unChristian to hate people for what they do.  It IS unChristian to keep everything in.  And ultimately, it IS unChristian to just let people walk all over your bottom line like they own it.

When do you say that enough is just enough.  You have crossed the line and I can't do it anymore.  What is your Bottom Line?

--MJA