Things on My Mind

There are many things on my mind lately. So here goes...

God's Sovreignty - How much does God intervene...when and how. If He intervenes or speaks to us, how do we know it's not our own voices or the devil attempting to fool us?

Unconditional Love - How do I make sure that the people I love and care about always know they're loved. Particularly, my family members. Do I do enough and am I demonstrative enough in my acts, to show them that I love them.

Encouragement - How do I make sure that the words that I say and the things that I do are always building people up, rather than tearing them down. Am I playing nicely and safely (safely pertains to emotions as well as physical safety) with the people that surround me.

Investment of My Time - Have I been investing enough time and energy into the things I care about? That answer is probably no right now. Since that's the case, what are the things that I need to change in my behavior and attitude to make sure that I spend my time wisely.

The Past and the Future - No one's past is perfect. How do I make sure that the past isn't defining me and determing what I do in the future. Thta the future really is something I and my Maker determine.

Personal Growth - Am I growing in the manner and methods that are required of me for following Christ? Have I done the necessary things to always be changing and growing...becomming a better person.

My Talents - Am I using the gifts that were given to me for the Glory of God? If I'm not, then what's wrong with me and why haven't I been more disciplined. It must be laziness on my part. How can I change this

There are even more things on my mind right now, but this is the short list.

Genealogy...

...Is overrated in my humble opinion. I decided this after small group last night. We were reading Hebrews 7 and 8 and it's all about this priest who has no family. He kind of just shows up out of nowhere. Now, back in the day...you became a priest based on your family history. The tribe of Levi were all priests and that was passed from generation to generation. but this other guy...wasn't in the family in the way. He was of a different kind of "family."

Coming to my overall point...I like that there are stories in the Bible that pretty much state that it doesn't matter who you are...or where you're from (your family) in order to be a blessing and to bless those areound you. How cool is that? I don't have to be of royal blood to be someone who's important and significant to God. I just have to be me to inherit His blessings that were planned long before I was born.

Small Group has been a great blessing. I'm sad to think that I just started going just as the year is ending. Three more weeks of wondeful discussions, of heart-wrenching pain and of community that supports you when those dismal events happen. I don't think I have ever experienced community like this and it's mind-boggling. It's freeing. It's love. It's not perfect, but it's a glimpse of a beautiful story that is un-ending.

Wow, I sound sappy. The timing of this group couldn't have come at a better time in my life. This is a happy post and if I'm too sappy then I apologize. Go look at my pictures on Flickr instead.

Life is good. For the first time in years, I can truly say I am happy and enjoying life.

Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

Have you ever known that you were supposed to do it and then not? What were your reasons? Mine are mostly out of fear...I don't want to change. I don't want to admit that things aren't going as well as they could. I don't like to admit that I have no control over some situations. I don't like the feeling of being vulnerable.

I want to fix everything myself. I want to feel accomplished and I do when I complete something on my own. I want to be someone who's strong. I want to have courage and to be someone that people admire. I want to do good. All of these things conflict with the things I don't like.

Being someone who's strong and courageous also means that I need to be someone who's vulnerable...someone who can adjust to change and someone who can readily ask for help when they need it. There is no shame in asking. There is only shame when you don't speak up and don't seek what is needed in order to get better.

Why is it then, that it's so hard to ask for help? To see a counselor...to admit that there's something wrong takes a lot of courage. Why is there such a social stigma? I have always felt the need though, that if I have a problem that I need to fix it. This is the expectation I have come to have of myself and of those around me. This is the expectation that everyone else has of me. It's frustrating when you ask for help and get shot down. That when you need it, it doesn't come in the way you expect it to appear. It's frustrating when you feel like you're not meeting expectations; your own or those of everyone surrounding you. I know why I don't ask God for help when I should. I need to get over it and I need to grow up.

Why is religion seen as a crutch? Just like seeing a counselor is like having a crutch. We call people weak if they can't do it on their own. Isn't that an unfair expectation? That everyone can handle each and every situation without assistance from someone or something? How do those who make that claim, get by? I wonder. I wonder if they have the same problems. If they ever feel like they don't know what to do. Or if they ever feel like they're in over their heads and need help. Where does their help from from? They're not on crutches are they? Maybe we all have an inherent need for a crutch...or for someone to carry us through the difficult moments in life. Is that really a crutch then? Are we really weak when we say we need help? Help comes in many different forms. Does the help that you choose determine whether or not you're weak or strong?

I lift my eyes up to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from You, Maker of Heaven; Creator of the Earth.

Credit or Kwedit?

The idea of credit has gotten many people in trouble. Buy now, pay later. As my mom would say...I should only buy credit when I have the money. On most days I follow her advice and have stayed out of trouble.

I was watching the Colbert Report for March 2nd and came across and interesting segment about Kwedit. Apparently, this is an online site for kids who can play games and pay later. It's just like in the real world that if you can't pay someone else is asked to pay for you...and of course, your score goes down. I can't really say that there's much incentive for a child to keep a high Kwedit score. Mommy and Daddy will just bail them out. Haven't we heard this story before? Oh yeah...

As of Feb. 22, some of the most prevalent predatory tactics credit card companies use to lure in college students were banned, at least in their current forms.

Last May, President Obama signed into law the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. This act contains new credit card rules and regulations intended to protect college students. It became enforceable Monday for most major banks.

I guess this means that it's still okay for kwedit to target children (13+ according to Kwedit) because they're not quite in college yet. If we as adults and college students have trouble understanding/managing credit, how will promises change that with a 13 year old?

Fiscal responsibility is spending what you have, not what you're going to make. Because you may not have a job next month or you may have other expenditures that you didn't count on next month so you can't pay on time. It happens to the best of us and the worst of us. There are no guarantees that the income you have today won't ever change.

Granted, there are times when a line of credit is necessary - student loans, car loans, mortgages...but in my opinion purchasing clothes, going to the movies, paying off your regular bills and buying food are things that shouldn't be done on credit. Spend what you've earned and save a little for those emergencies or fun things you'd like to do in the future...like vacations. Don't push it to the line or go in the red on a regular basis, you will be bitten. Mommy and Daddy won't always be able to bail you out...even if a promise was made to help you.

Ah Kwedit...to buy or not to buy...that is the question. Make sure you check out Kwedit.com sometime and let me know what you make of the idea and the company.

Wanted: Intelligent Individual

What makes a person intelligent? I've been mulling this question over lately trying to figure out what standard is out there. If there is a standard, who decides what it is? Are intelligent people just people who are ahead of the curve? Do their brains develop at an earlier age? Do they accomplish more in life? Does street smarts have anything to do with it? What about grades? What about job occupation? Are those all factored into some mathematical equation that tells us whether or not something is intelligent? Or maybe we're all a brain. We're just so bent on comparing ourselves to one another that we don't see the "intelligence" that is inside each person.

Is intelligent going to become one of those throwaway words...you know those words. The ones we use in every day speech. We use them so often that the sigificance of the word becomes lost over time. It's quite similar to when we say we LOVE something or that another thing is AMAZING or AWESOME! After awhile, everything is amazing and awesome. After awhile, I love everything so when I say I love you, does it mean anything?

Now, I can't write a symphony, but I can play the piano and flute. I didn't get a 4.0 in school, but I graduated from college. I work on computers and teach people about technology, but I can't code well. Does that still make me intelligent? Does my occupation automatically bump me up on some list you're calculating in your head? Or did I go down because I didn't have a 4.0? Would you still consider me accomplished? Why? Because I have a steady job? Am I accomplished because I graduated? Because there are times where I don't feel like I'm an accomplished individual.

So many people list "intelligent" as an attractive quality in a member of the opposite sex. Is that kind of intelligence only in the eye of the beholder? If we for ourselves determine what makes a person intelligent and nothing else, why do we still compare ourselves to each other and at times feel inferior when we can't do something as well as the other?

Does having a career in the technology and science side of things automatically elevate me above a career in another field? It must be because society is willing to pay more, therefore those people are smarter. But society pays athletes and actors/actresses millions of dollars annually...does that mean they're more intelligent than the rest of us? I doubt it. Based on the fact that their lives at times are more messed up than the average person you know in your school or work place. We'd almost call them dumb at times for the things they do on camera. On the other hand...who doesn't do something dumb on or off camera?

There must be many kinds/versions of intelligence out there in the world today. Because none of us are alike. Therefore, it seems to me that there can't really be a standard...a bar that people need to pass in order to be labelled properly. Someone with a phsycial disability may have the brightest mind you've never heard speak. Is that person any less intelligent because they can't say their name much less write it? Would we dare call someone stupid because their social skills aren't up to our own level?

Intelligence is derived from a Latin word that means to understand. Maybe this means we've been using the wrong word in our labelling. Maybe we should all use the word smart but that just means a person is capable of adapting to their own environment. So really...what word do we use to define what we're looking for in a member of the opposite sex? What word should we use to describe our friends or family members?

At the end of the day, I suppose this all means that inside each person there's a brain. Inside each of us we have the ability to understand and comprehend as well as adapt to our environment. We're all intelligent and smart. We're all capable of different talents...none of which make us any better or less than the person sitting next to us. It's how we use our talents...for good or for bad. And don't get me started who what's good and what's bad...who defines what's right and wrong. That's a post or pondering for another night.