Friendship

Hey, have you ever had a wonderful day that was made great not by the events that happened but the memories you created? I hope you think how true this really is. Especially when you put it in a relationship perspective.

I am close to God. Being "saved" kinda helps in that. It's an instant thing: Relationship with God is eternal life. yay! But the memories I have with Jesus are unique to me. How we relate to each other is specific, intimate and special. I enjoy knowing God in a way that makes me feel loved.

Then I think of Ken! My best friend!! And here's a huge picture of him below :)


He would dive into a vat of acid if I dropped my car keys in there if he thought I'd have to walk home without them. He reminds me of Christ. Christ DIED FOR YOU so you might have an abundant life and Ken would do the same if given the chance. He wants you to be happy and he will even be detrimental to himself to fulfill those goals. Goals like giving you the best, comforting you, and making you happy. Those of you who don't know him are missing out on a person who always puts others in front of himself and wants the very best for your life.

I'm friends with lots of people, acquaintances with tons, and public enemies of few. Yet there are some, I can count them on one hand, that have really impacted my life and inspired me to live and Ken's one of those people. There's other people that I see so much in that I get super excited thinking about their futures. Best friends like Abbie and Laura, my little cousin whom I love yet barely know, and some others who are just learning that God is good and loving and just wants relationship with them.

When someone gets ahold of that: Jesus is super cool and wants to know you better, so what does that make you?! If you feel less than super cool, then you're saying Jesus isn't super cool either, cuz who wants to hang out with losers? I don't think you're a loser. I think God loves you with every breath, with every piece of matter in existence and there is nothing that can change that. No one can separate you from how cool you really are because no one can be cooler or more important than God. His opinion really matters: It's the only one that does.

Thinking on these things and sitting at work talking with God is amazing. I really love the guy and I felt like blogging to say that I usually think of Jesus and Ken at the same time. lol. He probably wouldn't believe me even if he read this, but it's true. Ken is pure of heart and a role model for Christ. And I want to know the both of them better so I can have more memories with each of them.

So that's what I want you guys and gals to meditate on after you read this blog. What memories do you want to have in 5 years from now? Do you want to look back on this time in your life and pass over it quickly because of the horrible things that happen in life? Or do you want to think back to this day, and remember that it was another day with Jesus? Another opportunity to create a memory that would last forever? So create some memories you'll be glad to have down the road. If you can't do it with some friends close by, you'll always have Jesus. (And he's more fun to hang out with anyways!)

Dive deep

If I had a pen that would write about the love of Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

To paraphrase from a good author Ted Dekker: How deep would you dive to explore God's love?

No matter my day, I find myself eager to breath the mysteries of God's love; to run through a field a endless joy; to bathe in the rays of God's mercy.

So I ask you again: How deep?

How deep is God's love? How deep are you able to dive?

If I could plunge the depths of His Word for the next 40 years before ever preaching behind a pulpit, or meditate on His greatness until my hairs turn gray, I wouldn't have enough understanding of His love.

A God so much bigger, so much better than anything I'm able to imagine, wants to swim with me. He wants to dive with me, giggle with me, and play tag with me.

This is GOD I'm talking about. The I AM! Alpha & Omega! The big cheese! And He wants to spend time with me. Have you ever thought that God created time just so He could spend it with you? Have you ever thought, that He wanted to be with you so much, that all the time in the universe doesn't come close to express His love? Why else would He create eternal life for us if He didn't want to give His life to us?

Well, I tried to give you a snapshot in words what is going through my thoughts right now. And mind you, I can think much faster than I type. I am blown away by God and I won't be able to capture His greatness in a few keystrokes. But I pray you do Him justice, and make it a point to think on His glory for a little while. He thinks about you all the time. And I mean ALL the time. Every single second.

If you have forgotten that, hopefully my blog will have done some good. "Jesus loves you" are three insignificant words unless you find the Lord behind the words. He loves you more than words express. I pray this truth I know becomes an experience we can share. God bless.

Self conversations

Now, I hope I'm not the only one who relates to inner conversations I have with myself. Who doesn't talk to themselves anyways? I asked myself if this was normal and I agree, there's nothing to it!

Anyways, I was thinking in my head and I came to the conclusion that I was sad and lonely. I know! What kind of self reflection is that? So I was quick to bring up what the word says about how STRONG God is and how He gives me joy: And I rebutted with, "I have joy, I'm just not very smiley or happy"...Hmm, okay. I'll talk about this on another blog :D

Well then, what's with this lonely talk? I couldn't figure myself out! I mean, I was thinking about what my wife would be like, how we'll connect etc., my children, inlaws, how I'd meet a "best" friend and where in the world I'd be and...then I had a reality check and canned all that mushy day dream stuff. So, I asked God. What's the deal, Daddy? Why am I lonely? He said it's probably because I haven't been spending any time with him...Ouch.
Well, I know that no amount of time with people can substitute time with the Lord, and that He's a really cool and interesting God to talk to about all issues of life. So what have I been doing neglecting such a cool guy?

What could possibly be causing this? Why don't I "feel" more into the Word and connected to the spirit?

Some of my friends are across the ocean. In England (and I wish I was there with them), others are always international now days and I can never keep up with them, yet still, some are just a few states away. Or even closer, a few miles. Yet God Himself is so close that He's literally inside me in the spirit and He has never even left! Yet, I find it easier to stay in contact with someone out of sight and out of mind than I do my dad!

I had a stern finger pointing in my mind's eye of how I could be acting so ridiculously and I let me have it! Lol, I wasn't too hard on myself. God has a way of saying something that is like a pinch on the arm or someone snapping their fingers in front of your face. No, it's more like a bucket of ice water in your face. It gets your attention.

Oh my goodness! I've been writing how many inches now down the page, and I haven't directly quoted scripture or wrote some sermon on my rarely seen blog! Wow, I had hoped to get better at this personal jibe talk, but I didn't realize I was getting this good!

That is what we call a side-paragraph: Back to all about me! I guess my point is that I encouraged myself in the Lord. I didn't let anyone know about my sadness, or express my isolation. I just listened to God, and did a little self reflecting. (And when you know what the Word says about who you are, and how mighty and wonderful and beautiful God created you, your self reflecting turns out pretty positive). And you find peace. It's simply bliss.

So, I hope you are doing wonderful, and if you don't know what God thinks about you, I'd encourage you to open the bible and take a look: Colossians 1:12 says, Giving thanks to God, which hath made us acceptable: to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

I can smile big knowing that regardless of my feelings, Christ looks at me and says I'm worth it. I'm worth His attention, I'm worth being His child. That I haven't screwed up my life. I see so much in Him that I forget to look at myself... And I love every moment I have with Jesus.