The Music of a DJ

Read this slowly:
Job. Family. Friends. Bills. Work. Events. Paper Work. Schedules. Agenda. Relationships. Church. Working Out. Social Events. Car Checkups. To Do Lists. News. Politics. Sports. Websites. Blogs. Music. Traveling. Eating. Shopping. Helping Out. Movies. Television Shows.

It’s easy to get caught up in so many different things. Most of them aren’t bad. Some of these are very important to me. Some of them are important in theory but when push comes to shove, my actions say something else.

Regardless, these activities keep me very busy. It’s easy for me to put my head down and try to plow through everything I need slash want to do.

I tend to get so caught up in my world. Trying to do what’s right to those close to me and to God. I sometimes get so me-centered in this noble quest. I was reminded today that:

God is at work all around me. What he wants to do is bigger than me and my small vision. It’s not all dependent on me. I do need, however, to be alert, see and hear how he’s moving and join in.

God is at work all around. Will you be a part of it?

I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.
I am blessed to be a blessing.

Youversion.com is a website that has many different versions and languages of the Bible on it. (I highly recommend it. I’ll explain it more in a later post). They are offering a “Read the Bible in a year” plan. They even have apps for the iphone and blackberry. They also have a mobile-based site.

Link here for youversion.com’s Read the Bible in a Year.

Another option is found at ESV’s site in the Bible Reading Plans section. The English Standard Version (my preferred translation) is offering many different reading plans including: a six-month plan and a chronological plan (one I might partake in). You can have these Scriptures waiting for you at the site, emailed you, RSSed to you (REALLY!!!), and/or accessed on a mobile phone.

Both youversion.com and ESV are offering RSS feeds, which is incredible. I’m going to try them both out, and see what happens. I hope you give a reading plan a try. Let me know if you do.

I don’t always feel like I’m a good 21st century Christian.

I don’t always get emotional when I’m suppose to. I don’t always say the right words–spiritual ones or not–when I’m suppose to. I don’t respond the way that Christians today are expected to respond. And this paragraph is just talking about Sunday morning church services.

I question too much. I don’t always feel reverent enough. I make too many mistakes. I elevate other moments to be just as spiritual as Sunday morning church services. The sin management that’s been instilled in me doesn’t seem to want to work when it should. 

I could go on and on as to why I don’t feel like a very good 21st century Christian. I don’t always do or say the things that have become a part of Christian living today. But I will say this:

More than anything else in this world, I desire to be close to God. I want to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. To be led by His Spirit is life and that to its fullest.

I don’t always say or do the Christian culture things–some by choice, some are just unnatural for me. However, I strive my hardest to follow Jesus in word and in deed. Whatever path God has for me, I plan on doing–no matter the cost. He knows best anyway. I’ve come to trust Him.

I may not always use spiritual words to explain my love for God, but I do so very much. Hopefully I communicate it in what I say and what I do. 

The thing that stands out most to me about what I wrote is that I’m not alone. Maybe it’s okay that we struggle with Christian vernacular. Maybe it’s okay that we question. Maybe it’s okay that we respond to Christian teachings with action outside of the church building rather than an altar call setting. Maybe it’s okay.

Maybe the 21st Century Christian is less of following the religion and culture of Christianity, and more of what I just described. Maybe we are the 21st Century Chrsitian.

The Sickest Compliation of Songs with Love in the title you’ll ever hear:

I was looking at a personality test I took not too long ago. To my surprise, it said I was stubborn. I told two people close to me here in Cleveland. They laughed. I waited for them to finish thinking of their extremely funny, yet off-topic joke so that I could go back to telling them that I was stubborn.

Apparently, they thought I was stubborn as well. So, I decided I’m going to work on being open. I’m going to listen to people in regards to new ideas and trying new things. I don’t know how it’ll go… I’m stubborn ya know?

I despise weakness. Weaknesses are something I have fought my entire life. I hate the weaknesses I see in me.  I sometimes dream of myself weakness-free. I long for that. God could use me so much more if I stopped letting my weaknesses out. 

You see, it’s for the glory of God that I began this war on weakness. It’s a holy war. I’m a pastor for goodness’ sake. Weakness must go in me, and I need to help other people with their struggle. Then the people of God can be the best beacon of hope they could ever be… weakness free.

But, the war on weakness is not going as planned. It’s been quite a few years and it appears little progress has been made in the targeted areas. In fact, I would say that I am just as weak as I was when I declared war. 

It’s really humbled me as of late. I found myself praying, “God, you gave me these characteristics and/or you knew I would have them. Do something! Fix it or something” Lol.  Humbled is the right word. 

I’m sure many of you have wrestled with all that you see wrong with yourself. You’re not the only one. The Apostle Paul did as well. In a letter to a church, he wrote:

But he (God) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.‘ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

There are times when I don’t pray to God. I  just do what I think I should or what I’ve always done. All along, I should have asked God for guidance, wisdom, and to act as he sees fit.

There are times when I do pray to God, but I don’t seem to trust him in the matter. For instance, I pray to God asking that he would provide finances in a matter. Yet, I live my life wondering and worrying how those finances will come about. Maybe in a moment of prayer, I trusted. Yet, in the moments of life, I worried. 

That’s one reason why prayer needs to be a constant of a person’s life. It keeps our focus on God and we rely on Him. 

My challenge to myself is to pray for certain situations and then not worry, but to trust and believe that God has it in his control. This will affect more than just what and how I pray, but it will affect how I think. 

Prayer is more than just asking God to do something; it’s believing that he will. It’s more than just a moment of surrender; it’s laying your cares and worries at his feet.

Pray that way this week. Along with my other posts, I’m going to pray for something each day for the next week on my blog. I will pray and as a result, trust.

Make sure you get the chance to look up at the sky tonight. It will be a very unique night for two reasons.

First, the moon will appear the biggest and brghtest it has in 15 years. It will be appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons. The moon orbits the earth about once a month, which means it gets this close about once a month. What makes this close visit so unique is that for the first time in 15 years, it is occurring during a phase of a full moon. The next such encounter should happen on November 14, 2016.

Secondly, the Gemind Meteor Shower will begin tonight as well. This shower happens once a year in December. It is seen by many to be the most glorious annual meteor shower we can see. It might be harder to see because of the bright moon, but if you get to see one, it will be a beautiful display of God’s creation.

I hope you get to experience this magnificent display of beauty in the sky tonight. It will appear that the sky is falling, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy every second of it!

(More info here, here, and here).