Our Motivation

I have a question to ask: why do you do what you do?  I mean seriously, why do you do what you do? Why do you help out your family member?  Why do you help out your friend?  What's your motivation?

Recently I've had to do some serious gut-checking to realize why I do what I do.  In the 14th Chapter of Luke, Jesus is once again blowing the Pharisee's minds (aka the religious-know-it-alls) and he hit them with a challenge: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid." (12)

Lets be honest, who would you rather invite to a nice lunch with you?  People that you know that have your back?  Or people that you don't know?  Now you might stop me right there and say that the logical response is to have the meal with someone you know and I would wholeheartedly agree with your response.  But if I was to come back with the infamous one worded rebuttal of "why?" what would you say?

Overall better conversation? Ok, that's a fair response.
Overall better enjoyment? I would even accept that response.

But a response that most people would not readily admit because it may be in your subconcious is a great motivation to dine with people we are cool with is because we know that they have our backs.  Say you "forgot" your wallet and your with your girlies, I'm sure you have that one or two friends that would take care of you citing you to pay them back but you never get around to it.  I mean that's what friends do right?

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with one friend taking care of another.  In fact, as the song says, "that's what friends are for."

Let me ask you a question, when was the last time you did something for someone that you knew didn't have the means to pay you back?  This person not only didn't have the means to pay you back, but probably won't ever pay you back.  For some of the readers I know that you may not have to think too far back in your memory deposits, however for others, you may have to think too far.

Forget dinners, lunches, or meals.  This little statement that Jesus makes has huge ramifications.  The loudest yelling one being: WE SHOULD NOT GO THROUGH LIFE DOING THINGS JUST TO HARVEST A BUNCH OF KARMA CHIPS.  Sorry about the whole "caps lock" thing, but I need to get this point across [mostly to myself].  In the 13th verse Jesus tells us that when we have a gathering, to invite those peeps that can't pay us back.  Why?  The reason is simple, it's a blessing to be a blessing.

Now I'm not telling you to go out and invite every blind person you know that's not named Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder and take them out to Outback.  I am reminding you however, that we need a constant reshaping on how we treat others.  We are all living this rough path of life together and we all fall down.

So who are you going to help in this next month?

Be blessed ya'll!
--MJA

I'm Changing My Perspective

I wish I was a better singer. 

I wish I spoke without stuttering.  

I wish I had a job. 

I wish I was still a choir director. 

I wish I had a girlfriend that wasn't in Italy.

I wish I didn't live so far away from my friends.

I wish I could get closer to God without going backwards.

I wish I....

Ugh.  That was even starting to annoy me!  And there's a significant problem here.  A lot if not all of these things on my "wish" list are things that I offered up to prayer to God.  Things that I personally want.  Things that I think that I need.  And that's...the problem.  Too often we view God as a genie.  A what-have-you-done/what-can-you-do for me entity.

Why?  Why does it have to be this way.  God has done soo much for me.  Why do I have an unsatiable appetiate.  And the fact that it's unsatitable, why do I take it out on God?  For all the great things God has done for me which is capped off by the Son.

So, I'm going to take a reality check.  I'm going to take a pause.  And pardon me while I extol my Lord.  Pardon me while I thank Him for what he has done for me.  Ima thank Him for loving me.  Because when it comes down to it, I didn't come to love God for what I anticipated him doing for me in the future, I'm thanking him for everything he has done for me in the past.

So...

 I wanna thank him for giving me a voice to sing with even if it isn't as good as Michael Buble.  The fact that I can hold a pitch is good enough for what I wanna do with the rest of my life.

I wanna thank him for giving me a voice to even speak with.  He could've allowed me to be mute for the rest of my life.  Stuttering is nothing!

I wanna thank him for giving me jobs in the past. For allowing me to be secure enough in my financies that I'm able to still survive even though its not completely ideal.

I wanna thank him for showing me that I love to direct choirs.  For opening up the door, for opening up the opportunity for me to even direct a choir.

I wanna thank him for giving me a girlfriend. A girlfriend that supports me, that cares about me, that just wants to see me happy.

I wanna thank him that I have some of the greatest friends in the world.  That I was able to meet these great people that have changed my life.

I wanna thank him for loving me, for caring for me, for making the sun when I'm cold, for making the night when I'm sleepy.

I wanna thank him for just being GOD!

Yessss! Sometimes you just need to revamp your perspective.  A wise person once told me that there is an infinite amount of good and an infinite amount of bad, it's just about your perspective.

Changing Your Perspective is key to having a positive life. It's key to having a positive outlook.

If you are blessed, which everyone is.  You need to act like you are blessed.  If you are loved, you need to act like it.  If you are a child of god, then you need to act like it.

I'm going to sing like the psalmist David sang:

"I will bless the Lord at ALL times: his Praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Ps. 34:1)

It's all about Changing your Perspective.

I Will Bless the Lord - Byron Cage

"No Condemnation"

I'm reading a book along with my pastor as part of my spiritual development called: "A Good and Beautiful God."  In this book, the author addresses talks about the different aspects of God and how we, as a culture have produced false narratives.  The author's task is to combat those false narratives with biblical references.  Along with the practical theological arguments, there are exercises called "Spiritual Disciplines" which are every day tasks which can get us closer to understanding and gaining knowledge of God.  Some of those disciplines are just practical.  A lot of them have to do with our workaholic culture where we always have to be busy and the author is just challenging the readers to slow down.  To be still "and know I am God" type of thing.

Welllll, I've recently gotten finished reading a chapter entitled: "God is self-sacrificing"  Where is addresses the fact that Jesus died the most humiliating death known to man at that time and for what?  To save us!  The question arises whether or not it really needed to be done.  Why couldn't God just snap his fingers and humanity be saved?  Nowww that question may be answered in another blog post, but for this one I have an entirely different agenda.

Moving forward..at the end of this chapter, the Spiritual Discipline that the author challenged me to do was to read the entire book of John in 3 days.  Now, I have to admit, I failed that challenge.  I only got half-way through the book because I, like every other American, fail to make time for God.  But, reading through the first 12 or so chapters of John I came across something that Jesus repeatedly said: I came not to condemn the world, but save it (or some variation of that).  He said that repeatedly (I'm too lazy to count the exact amount).  The importance of it is that he kept hitting that hammer on the nail for emphasis.

I mean what does condemnation mean?  According to the KJV Bible Dictionary, it means: "to prononunce to be utterly wrong; to utter a sense of disapprobation against; to censure; to blame..."  Sooo, you are telling me, that the Lamb of God.  The one that did no evil.  That had no blemishes on his coat.  The one that DIED for a wicked humanity.  The one that would have every right in the world to comdemn and to judge, didn't come to condemn us.  He came so that the blind would see. He came so that the sick would be healed.  He came so that they that didn't believe, believed.

Wow, that just hit me.  I always hear the phrase (which 2Pac is always quoted saying): "Only God can judge me."  And I gotta be honest, I'm always quoting that phrase because honestly, who wants to be judged?  Especially if you are being judged by another sinner!  Buttttt reading/listening to the book of John, I've come to realize that Jesus doesn't WANT to condemn us.  He's not here to look down on us. He wants all of us to be saved.  He wants all of us to not hurt.  He wants ALL of us to be Loved!

I mean seriouslyyyy!  Jesus....the ONE that literally has every right to look down at us, the fallen creation, humbled himself, was known as the meek one and still didn't condemn us.  People ask me why is there a Hell.  If God loved us so much, why does Hell exist.  Well let me tell you something, God doesn't send people to Hell per say.  People send people to Hell.   The decisions we make, the most important decision we make of whether or not we allow the Gospel to enter into our hearts and penetrate our souls...That's what sends people to Hell. 

Once you fully believe in the Gospel and the Holy Ghost dwells in you, you aren't going to Hell.  Hell isn't a punishment.  Hell is a choice!  I'm not here to condemn anyone.  I'm here to love everyone.  I'm not here to judge anyone.  I'm here to understand everyone!  For we ALL have sinned and fall short to the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, Jesus. ~ Romans 8:1

Praise the Lord!  Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins.  For dying FOR ME.  This is something I'll never understand.  I'll never comprehend the vastness of what you did.  But all I can say is: I'm glad you did.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Here's a fact:

I've been blessed.  I have people in my life that care about me, and want to see me prosper.  But most importantly, challenge me and place high (sometimes unbearable) expectations on me.

I am a believer in the phrase, "to much is given, much is expected" (mostly because it is in the Bible Luke 12:48).  I've been given alot, so I need to be a blessing in someone else's life.  I hope people have seen the Jesus in me whether its through my ministry, through this blog, through interactions with me, or just watching me.  I take this mission very seriously so I mean it when I say: if anyone EVER needs me, even if its just for me to pray for them, I'm here.  Send me I'll Go!

I love you guys even if I don't know you.  May the Lord continue to places barriers and obstacles in your life because it will only make you stronger!  God Bless You All!