sunday.

the decalogue contains no commandments to work, but there is a commandment to rest from work... the Sabbath rest is the visible sign that human beings live by the grace of God and not by works.


our sunday is the day on which we let Jesus Christ act for us and for all humankind. of course, that should happen every day, but on sunday we rest from our work so that it may happen in a special way.


~bonhoeffer

Isaiah 40

The other day I was reading my El Bibleo and got to Isaiah 40: 17&18...."Before him all the nations are as nothing, they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. To whom then will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?"

This got me thinking. I take God for granted, I compare him and his power to the extent of how much or how completely he meets my needs. This is not ok, in verse 26 it says, "lift your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength not one of them are missing."

I hiked this butte called spencers last night and was able to get away from the city noise and lights and when I got to the top I looked up and saw the starry host. It was amazing, so clear, and to many to imagine or count. I remembered these verses and realized that even though all the nations in comparison to God are less than nothing. I mean everything to him and need to not compare God based on how much I feel that he is providing for me. Just like Isaiah 55 says..."your ways are not my ways."

father greg boyle.

right now go to itunes, search "azusa pacific university greg boyle". click on the left icon for the "morning chapels 2011-2012" and go to the bottom to download the episode of "greg boyle". watch and feel moved. i was sitting there listening to father boyle and legitimately felt the presence of God exuding from him.  please watch it and be encouraged.

friends with benefits.

i will give full credit to my friend kaitlin schluter for this concept. but now i'm running with it.

christmas break was so great for many different reasons. for possibly the first time ever, i can honestly say that being with my family was the greatest part about the break. i mean don't get me wrong, i've always loved that part of breaks but i don't think i ever appreciated them above friends and the time off like i did this break.
but as i rode the plane back down to apu, i reflected on the break for a bit.  i have tried to be more self conscious of my feelings / emotions / touchy feely stuff this past year as a sort of emotional intelligence.  and when i take inventory for those emotions, i try to determine what brought it about.  honestly an incredibly telling project about what fills me up and gives me more hp (to put it in pokemon terms).
but i realized that the friends i have in portland, including but not limited to my besties, are friends with benefits.  i came into break tired and worn out from an academically and even emotionally taxing semester. i'm not going for the pity party because i was obviously still functioning but i was just tired.  but hanging out with friends from home and having intimate conversations gave me more energy and life than all of the nights of sleep combined.
so if i have any encouragement, it is this: that you find what and who gives you life so that you may turn and pour that life into others.  i know that you have allowed me to come back to apu and be ready to pour my life into academics, young life and my friends here.

tebow.

so i read this article about tim tebow and it was so well written!  obviously tebow is a polarizing figure in american society right now and i think the author of this article is wise in seeing the cause for that polarization. so check it out. and then go do some tebowing.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Tim-Tebow-why-the-heck-do-we-hate-him-110211

mistletoe.

love me some j-biebs. 

though the rest of this cd is weird.

drummer boy + busta rhymes = really?

#ineedchristmasbreak

Married young.

I came across this the other day. It's from one of my fav rappers (trip lee) that i saw posted on his facebook page. (btw aust, you should check out his music videos bc he has some sick styles of clothes that are right up your alley)......... anyway back to Jesus.

It's from his blog and he talks about why he got married so young. (he's 23 and married at 21) He kept on getting asked that question and I can see why. I mean I feel like I have questioned those who have gotten married early in life by asking, "didn't you wanna live a little before you got married?" He's got a sick answers to all those questions, which really made me stop and think.

I won't steal his thunder by reiterating what he says in his blog, but the idea that stuck out to me was that being a single (and very available) man isn't the most fun I'm gonna have in my life. (which is hard to believe bc what could be better than bromance?) Our culture says that you gotta get your thrill in now bc once the you put a ring on it's game over. Women need Godly men to step up and say, "Girl, I want to take on responsibility and own it. I want to love you the way Christ loves the church, and I want to be a leader." There's pretty much nothing more manly than that.

Disclaimer: In no way am I thinking about tying the knot anytime soon, because i know i need to mature a WHOLE lot more for me to be ready for that responsibility. But I don't want to live in fear of the idea. Hopefully, God's got this totally sexy and sweet girl picked out for me. (please let it be true) and I pray when the time comes I'm man enough to get ready for the most fun I will have with her rather than just me and my friends.

check it: http://bragonmylord.com/post/11958265429/why-did-i-get-married-so-young