Thanksgiving

Today I am thankful for each of my friends for all that you teach, share with me and give of yourselves to our relationship. A true heartfelt thanks for being a part of my life. May you find peace in knowing that being connected to each other matters more than we know.

I’m convinced being generous is a better way to live.

I’m convinced forgiving people and not carrying around bitterness is a better way to live.

I’m convinced having compassion is a better way to live.

I’m convinced pursuing peace in every situation is a better way to live.

I’m convinced listening to the wisdom of others is a better way to live.

I’m convinced being honest with people is a better way to live.

- Rob Bell from his book Velvet Elvis

Cultural Beating

This past week I had realization as to the effect that our culture has on young men. The effect I am referring too is young men's inability to be able to connect, share, and express their fears, worries, joys, pains, loses, and feelings to their friends, parents, girl friends and siblings. What is it in our culture which encourages young men and men in general to suppress these innate human feelings?

I discovered this first hand about 12 years ago when a guy friend of mine told me over the phone he loved me. My first reaction was to say nothing (for years) because no man has every told me he loves me. Further thoughts ran threw my head like only gay men say that to other men. What a sick feeling that is to take a honest communication of love and turn it into a sick feeling. After a few years of my friend telling me that I finally gave in and told him as we hung up the phone I loved him too. What a freeing experience to really know that another man can tell me he loves me and I can do the same.

No wonder most marriages are in difficulty. Culture has bread into men this inability to know how to connect to others and our spouses get the direct effect of this lack of ability to connect emotionally. Women must know this and spend time helping men learn how to connect. Teach us, hold our hands, get us to focus, and reward us for connecting to you.

When it gets down to it all we really have in this physical life is our connection to one another. Heaven is probably a place where our sole lives forever amongst the connections to others for eternity. What a joy it will be to live amongst a realm of love and emotional connection.

Black Button - Short Film

So true the temptations we face are so powerful. This video is in your face and mine. What are your temptations and can you be bought? I think we all have been bought at times. New bike, white lye, in anger, cheated a little. There is a cost and our debts will all be repaid.

Rezlife Sermon Series - Under the Influence

Great message from Jason Gant youth minister at United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Jason's message talks about our influencer's in our daily lives and it doesn't stop after we are teenagers. Some of the same people have hold over our actions throughout our lives. Take a few minutes and listen to Jason's word.

Under the Influence Part 1

Under the Influence Part 2

Under the Influence Part 3

Special shout out to Jason Watson for his incredible graphics. Jason's Blog

Gripping Realization

So well put by Oswald Chambers;



If you can tell where you got the call of God and all about it, I question whether you have ever had a call. The call of God does not come like that, it is much more supernatural. The realization of it in a man's life may come with a sudden thunder-clap or with a gradual dawning, but in whatever way it comes, it comes with the undercurrent of the supernatural, something that cannot be put into words, it is always accompanied with a glow.





For me it was a dawning and a gripping realization of a gift that has always been with me. I have tried to follow the call in my life thinking it was about me and what I could extract from life. What I have realized was it(the Call of God) has always been there in my spirit and ways this strange love he breaths into us to serve those around us and not of ourselves.



God gave us the ability to self actualize without Him. Why would he give us a path to follow if he knew some people would choice to leave Him out? Without the ability to choose it would lead us to be robotic and nothing in God's creation is robotic. I just think it would bore Him. By giving us the ability to choose he knew some would not. I think he wants us to Choose Him at some point in our lives. Those who choose Him will enjoy their supernatural gifts to a level not fully understandable until we die physically.