It has been nearly a month since my last post. Time goes by very quickly! I am here though with a new thought in mind.
The other day we went to a friend's house. While we were all sitting around talking the host told us he would be speaking at a Junior/Senior banquet and asked us to give him some input. He asked us to tell him things we would have wished we'd known around 16, 17, 18 years of age that we would have done differently had we just known. With my being only 19 I did not give much of an input because I am not really out of that age range just yet but it was very interesting to listen to everybody else give their input. I was truly amazed at some of the things people said. Now before I go on let me say this- I do not agree or disagree with any of their thoughts. I merely have my own opion on how they apply in my own life because I believe depending on a certain individual's life some, all, or none of these ideas will apply.
Here are some of the things people said:
1) Listen to your parents more
2) Don't think you have to find that one person to spend the rest of your life with right out of HS
3) Don't use credit cards
4) Give time to learn who you are before you start dating and bring someone else into your life
5) Don't have sex before you are married
6) Do what you set out to do in life before you get married and have kids because you may not get the chance to do what you wanted.
7) Don't stop going to college until you are finished because there is a big chance you won't go back and finish what you started.
8) Be content with where you are in life and don't think you have to live like your parents right when you get married.
9) Don't settle for the first person who comes along. Be sure he/she is everything you wanted
10) Continue to be moldable. Your life will not always turn out the way you planned for it to.
There were many more ideas and thoughts but those were just a few. Many people wished they would have done things differently. As I sat there listening to what everyone said and began looking back on my highschool/beginning college years I thought to myself, "I don't really regret anything that I did." Now, maybe it's because I really haven't hit that point in life yet where I really begin wishing I would have done something differently. The only thing I maybe wish I would have done more of is listened to my parents more. In doing that I would have saved myself alot of trouble.
People say all things happen for a reason and God is in control of everything. I agree with that statement but I also believe there is a type of 'loop hole' for lack of a better word. You reap what you sow. If you do wrong things in life it will eventually come back to haunt you. Now, if you do something wrong, whatever wrong it is, it did not happen because God intended for you to do it. It happened because you took it upon yourself to make the wrong decision. He is not in complete control of the decisions you make because He gave each and every one of us a free will. Now, you will bear the consequences of your actions. At the same time I believe God can use the decisions you made -no matter what they were- for his good and for his glory. When things happen for a reason it is not always because God allowed it to happen and He has a reason for it. Things also happen for reasons because we took it upon ourselves to make those things come to pass. Does that make any sense at all? It does in my mind but sometimes my words get jumbled together and end up becoming incoherent.
Anyway, the day after spending time at this friend's house I was talking to my mom about how I felt about it. I said, "Looking back, I don't regret anything I did. Is that wrong?" I continued by saying," Maybe because I am not completely out of that age range yet but I think everything that happened was a type of learing experience. Without those things happening in my life I would not be the person I am today and I am content with the person I am and continue to become."
I know who I am. I knew who I was my Junior year of highschool. I realize that I will continue to change and God may not want me to do everything in life that I set out and plan to do but why would I regret the things that made me the person I am today? I know I am not perfect and God still deals with my heart when it comes to the things I fail him in but just the fact of knowing that He is there and He is guiding my footsteps gives me reassurance.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Sameness or Choice
Another month and another thought in mind....
I just recently read a fictional book about a community of people who were not given choices in matters. Everything about their life was regimented and controlled. From who they were going to marry, how many kids they were allowed to have, the names of their children, all the way to the occupation for their life. By the time a child was 12 years old he went with all other 12 year olds to the Elders of the community to be told their occupation and to begin training in the occupation chosen for them. Everyone was happy because no one knew anything else. This life was all they knew and it was believed anything beyond their known life and community was simply 'Elsewhere' and frowned upon. The thirty 12 year olds each went before the head Elder to receive his occupation in life. One child in particular -Jonas- was given the most honored and revered position. His position was the Receiver. The Receiver's job was to be sure memories from generations past never entered the community. Memories of birthdays, holidays, feelings of Love, Hatred, Sunshine, Snow, Wind...etc. The Community knew nothing of these things because they became part of the Sameness movement. Everything in their lives were bland. Everything was gray with no colors in life. Everything was the same.
The Receiver was to live a life of solitude because all the memories of the world was on his shoulders. He dealt with all feelings and all memories both good and bad. Warfare was unheard of in the community, Love was a foreign word. People who did not fit in with the community, or were too old, or a 'newchild' who was not developing properly were simply 'released' from the community. 'Released', Jonas soon learned from the Receiver before him, was the killing of the individual by lethal injection. All his life he had heard being released was something pleasant and not to be feared. Watching it with his own eyes and having the memory of death in his mind he knew it was killing and nothing else. He learned also of colors. The colors of the rainbow were not known because with Sameness everything was gray, literally. Through his year of training with the old man he learned so much and wanted to change things in his community. He realized nothing was right without the freedom of choice. He and the Receiver soon devised a plan to get memories and feeling back into the community; allowing each individual the freedom of choice.
As I was reading this book I found it very very weird. That is the only word I can find to describe it. I knew it was fictional but at the same time it sounded familiar. The more I read the more I realized many of those same things go on in our world today. Abortion, Euthanizing, China has a rule with the number of children a couple are allowed to have, other communist countries choose the occupations of their citizens; this book, however fictional it was, spoke volumes of truth. So many people around the world and many in our own country don't have the freedom of choice. The new born does not choose to live or die, just as the old, slow, or retarded. Many people are going through life not seeing the colors and vibrancy life has to offer. They are too caught up in other things while life passes them by taking the joys, sorrows, love, hatred, and everything we take for granted with it.
Here is the thought I want to bring you today: Life is before you, whether you are old or young. It is there and it is waiting for you. On the other hand... Sameness is also waiting for you. You can keep going through the motions of life with sameness as your guide. You can make a choice. It is our God given right to choose. Those who are trying to play God and choose life and death for others will be judged on Judgement Day. Here and now though, you do have a choice. Choose life, choose color, choose choice, choose all the things we sometimes take for granted. Make the choice while you still have it.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
I just recently read a fictional book about a community of people who were not given choices in matters. Everything about their life was regimented and controlled. From who they were going to marry, how many kids they were allowed to have, the names of their children, all the way to the occupation for their life. By the time a child was 12 years old he went with all other 12 year olds to the Elders of the community to be told their occupation and to begin training in the occupation chosen for them. Everyone was happy because no one knew anything else. This life was all they knew and it was believed anything beyond their known life and community was simply 'Elsewhere' and frowned upon. The thirty 12 year olds each went before the head Elder to receive his occupation in life. One child in particular -Jonas- was given the most honored and revered position. His position was the Receiver. The Receiver's job was to be sure memories from generations past never entered the community. Memories of birthdays, holidays, feelings of Love, Hatred, Sunshine, Snow, Wind...etc. The Community knew nothing of these things because they became part of the Sameness movement. Everything in their lives were bland. Everything was gray with no colors in life. Everything was the same.
The Receiver was to live a life of solitude because all the memories of the world was on his shoulders. He dealt with all feelings and all memories both good and bad. Warfare was unheard of in the community, Love was a foreign word. People who did not fit in with the community, or were too old, or a 'newchild' who was not developing properly were simply 'released' from the community. 'Released', Jonas soon learned from the Receiver before him, was the killing of the individual by lethal injection. All his life he had heard being released was something pleasant and not to be feared. Watching it with his own eyes and having the memory of death in his mind he knew it was killing and nothing else. He learned also of colors. The colors of the rainbow were not known because with Sameness everything was gray, literally. Through his year of training with the old man he learned so much and wanted to change things in his community. He realized nothing was right without the freedom of choice. He and the Receiver soon devised a plan to get memories and feeling back into the community; allowing each individual the freedom of choice.
As I was reading this book I found it very very weird. That is the only word I can find to describe it. I knew it was fictional but at the same time it sounded familiar. The more I read the more I realized many of those same things go on in our world today. Abortion, Euthanizing, China has a rule with the number of children a couple are allowed to have, other communist countries choose the occupations of their citizens; this book, however fictional it was, spoke volumes of truth. So many people around the world and many in our own country don't have the freedom of choice. The new born does not choose to live or die, just as the old, slow, or retarded. Many people are going through life not seeing the colors and vibrancy life has to offer. They are too caught up in other things while life passes them by taking the joys, sorrows, love, hatred, and everything we take for granted with it.
Here is the thought I want to bring you today: Life is before you, whether you are old or young. It is there and it is waiting for you. On the other hand... Sameness is also waiting for you. You can keep going through the motions of life with sameness as your guide. You can make a choice. It is our God given right to choose. Those who are trying to play God and choose life and death for others will be judged on Judgement Day. Here and now though, you do have a choice. Choose life, choose color, choose choice, choose all the things we sometimes take for granted. Make the choice while you still have it.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What if....
I know it has been a while since my last post but here I am again with a new thought in mind. Every person in this world has asked one common question at one time or another; "What if...?"
Those moments in life when we begin to wonder if that one decision we made was the right one... "If I had said something different would it have brought on a different response? What if I had said that one kind word? What if I had smiled when I frowned instead? What if I had put that extra dollar in the offering plate that I felt led to give Sunday morning but did not? What if I turned left instead of right? What if I said 'yes' instead of 'no'?" What if.... What if.... What if.... right? We always look back at these 'what ifs' with some regret. We think had we acted on the decision set before us differently it would have brought about a different/greater result.
Sometimes these 'what if...?' questions can be looked at in a different light and we do not have to look back on our decisions with regret or wonder. "What if I had never gone to church? What if I had never heard of Christ? What if I had never accepted Jesus as my Savior?" Can't we look back on these 'what ifs...' and not regret? If we imagined where our lives would be without God and His peace that passes all understanding our 'what ifs...' we sometimes have can turn into a prayer of thanks for not making the other decision; for not turning away; for not saying 'no'.
Let me go a little deeper now and get into something kind of bigger.
Think of this... "What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if the world was perfect? What if we never needed that blood sacrifice? What if Jesus never had to come as the Lamb who was sent to the slaughter?" I am sure these thoughts have crossed our mind at some point in time. Here is something I find amazing I want to share with you. These 'what ifs...' I believe led an even greater purpose than we could ever realize. What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? The world would be perfect. We wouldn't need that blood sacrifice. We wouldn't need Jesus to come to Earth to die for our sins. We could just be perfect and live in our perfect little world.
Although I do not believe it was God's will for man to sin in the garden I do know He knew they would sin and He was going to use that to fulfill something greater than man would ever have expected. The day man sinned turned the whole world upside down. Everything, because of that one choice, was forever changed. We all know the story... in the end "He sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."- John 3:16 Did you notice, I left out a very important part of that verse? "For God so loved the world..." I believe God's plan was for us to see what true love really is. If we lived in a world with no sin, we would need no Savior. If we lived in a perfect world, we would not know pain? We would not know hurt? We would not know of a love that surpasses any love ever known.
When Jesus Christ was dying on the cross his Father had to turn away when the sins of the world were placed upon his Son because He was Holy and could not know sin. While the Roman soldiers were beating Christ and were nailing him on the cross God looked down and saw the greater price He was paying. Jesus died to show us a love we would never have known.
I have a shirt that says "Beauty is in the death of the Beholder" I love this shirt because it has brought about many questions that have led to greater discussions. I explain like this God saw the death of his Son and in his eyes the death was beautiful. He knew there was a greater purpose, God knew the death of his one and only Son would save the souls of countless people.It was this our Heavenly Father found so beautiful. Hell was meant for Lucifer and the fallen angels, not for the people of the world.
So, what if? What if God never sent his Son? What if we never knew true love? I mean real true love...not what you hear in the movies.
Sometimes we have these 'What if...?' questions that come in our head and we just have to ask ourselves. Try to remember 'what if...' questions can be something good for us too. Don't always see them as a negative but as a good thing as well.
Romans 5:10 "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
God never thought twice or asked "What if...?" when He sent his Son as the final sacrifice.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Those moments in life when we begin to wonder if that one decision we made was the right one... "If I had said something different would it have brought on a different response? What if I had said that one kind word? What if I had smiled when I frowned instead? What if I had put that extra dollar in the offering plate that I felt led to give Sunday morning but did not? What if I turned left instead of right? What if I said 'yes' instead of 'no'?" What if.... What if.... What if.... right? We always look back at these 'what ifs' with some regret. We think had we acted on the decision set before us differently it would have brought about a different/greater result.
Sometimes these 'what if...?' questions can be looked at in a different light and we do not have to look back on our decisions with regret or wonder. "What if I had never gone to church? What if I had never heard of Christ? What if I had never accepted Jesus as my Savior?" Can't we look back on these 'what ifs...' and not regret? If we imagined where our lives would be without God and His peace that passes all understanding our 'what ifs...' we sometimes have can turn into a prayer of thanks for not making the other decision; for not turning away; for not saying 'no'.
Let me go a little deeper now and get into something kind of bigger.
Think of this... "What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? What if the world was perfect? What if we never needed that blood sacrifice? What if Jesus never had to come as the Lamb who was sent to the slaughter?" I am sure these thoughts have crossed our mind at some point in time. Here is something I find amazing I want to share with you. These 'what ifs...' I believe led an even greater purpose than we could ever realize. What if Adam and Eve had never sinned? The world would be perfect. We wouldn't need that blood sacrifice. We wouldn't need Jesus to come to Earth to die for our sins. We could just be perfect and live in our perfect little world.
Although I do not believe it was God's will for man to sin in the garden I do know He knew they would sin and He was going to use that to fulfill something greater than man would ever have expected. The day man sinned turned the whole world upside down. Everything, because of that one choice, was forever changed. We all know the story... in the end "He sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."- John 3:16 Did you notice, I left out a very important part of that verse? "For God so loved the world..." I believe God's plan was for us to see what true love really is. If we lived in a world with no sin, we would need no Savior. If we lived in a perfect world, we would not know pain? We would not know hurt? We would not know of a love that surpasses any love ever known.
When Jesus Christ was dying on the cross his Father had to turn away when the sins of the world were placed upon his Son because He was Holy and could not know sin. While the Roman soldiers were beating Christ and were nailing him on the cross God looked down and saw the greater price He was paying. Jesus died to show us a love we would never have known.
I have a shirt that says "Beauty is in the death of the Beholder" I love this shirt because it has brought about many questions that have led to greater discussions. I explain like this God saw the death of his Son and in his eyes the death was beautiful. He knew there was a greater purpose, God knew the death of his one and only Son would save the souls of countless people.It was this our Heavenly Father found so beautiful. Hell was meant for Lucifer and the fallen angels, not for the people of the world.
So, what if? What if God never sent his Son? What if we never knew true love? I mean real true love...not what you hear in the movies.
Sometimes we have these 'What if...?' questions that come in our head and we just have to ask ourselves. Try to remember 'what if...' questions can be something good for us too. Don't always see them as a negative but as a good thing as well.
Romans 5:10 "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
God never thought twice or asked "What if...?" when He sent his Son as the final sacrifice.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
How Big is Your God
It has been quite a long time since I last posted a blog. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with quality time with family and friends. Did everyone stay up to bring in the new year? I was not able to finish my Bible thru like I was hoping to in 2008 so it is again my goal for this year along with a few other things.
With the beginning of this new year we also have something else new coming up this year- a new president for our country. Although I was not surprised when I saw that he had won the presidency, I was still very disappointed, to say the least. I do not know what this new year will hold. A change, that is for sure but the question is what kind of changes will be happening? With all these questions running thru our minds and all the uncertainty these questions bring there is one question that can be asked and answered matter of factly. How big is your God?
Here are just a few things that shows us just how great and mighty our Heavenly Father is-
1) His enemies will be conquered.
Revelation 19:11-21 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doeth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vestrue dipped in blood: and his name was called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
I am going to skip a few verses now and get to the best part...
(verses 19 and 20)- And I saw the beast, and the kinds of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Hebrews 10:13- From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
2) He rules over all the heavens and earth
Psalm 24:1- The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein.
Joshua 4:24- That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all.
3)It doesn't matter when He comes back-
Romans 16:20a- And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly...
Matthew 5:5- Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:17-18- Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
4) He will be exalted and reign forever-
Psalm 47:1-9-
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.
Revelation 20:1-6
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in the hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
As we look to this new year remember, we have a God that is greater than we sometimes realize. His coming is eminent and his power is sure. Even though we may be faced with some hard times as Christians this year God is still on the throne and no matter what goes wrong he has the final say and will rule with righteous judgment.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
With the beginning of this new year we also have something else new coming up this year- a new president for our country. Although I was not surprised when I saw that he had won the presidency, I was still very disappointed, to say the least. I do not know what this new year will hold. A change, that is for sure but the question is what kind of changes will be happening? With all these questions running thru our minds and all the uncertainty these questions bring there is one question that can be asked and answered matter of factly. How big is your God?
Here are just a few things that shows us just how great and mighty our Heavenly Father is-
1) His enemies will be conquered.
Revelation 19:11-21 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doeth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vestrue dipped in blood: and his name was called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
I am going to skip a few verses now and get to the best part...
(verses 19 and 20)- And I saw the beast, and the kinds of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Hebrews 10:13- From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
2) He rules over all the heavens and earth
Psalm 24:1- The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein.
Joshua 4:24- That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all.
3)It doesn't matter when He comes back-
Romans 16:20a- And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly...
Matthew 5:5- Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:17-18- Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
4) He will be exalted and reign forever-
Psalm 47:1-9-
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.
Revelation 20:1-6
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in the hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
As we look to this new year remember, we have a God that is greater than we sometimes realize. His coming is eminent and his power is sure. Even though we may be faced with some hard times as Christians this year God is still on the throne and no matter what goes wrong he has the final say and will rule with righteous judgment.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
Thank God for Thanksgiving break!! I must say Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I am especially excited about tomorrow. There are going to be alot of pies!! Banana cream pie, pumpkin pie, Apple crumble, blueberry, pecan pie! Oh man, I can't wait. Now seeing as it is Thanksgiving I have been thinking about everything I am thankful for and want to list a few of them...here we go!
First of all, I am thankful for Jesus Christ dying on the cross for me! I am saved and thank God I am on my way to heaven when I die. I am thankful for His mercy and grace. I am thankful that whenever I screw up, which is usually daily, He forgives me when I ask.
I am thankful for my family. For my parents who brought me into this world, who raised me in a Christian home, who whooped my butt whenever I needed it, who loves me and encourages me in my hopes and ambitions. I am thankful for my sister, Victoria. I can remember praying and praying for a little sister and God gave her to me! I am thankful that through thick and thin, she has always been there. Through the last year we have become alot closer. I thank God for her and her crazy personality. I am thankful for my brother, Christian. After I had my sister I wanted a brother too. I prayed and prayed and boom, he was an accident... but God knew I needed a brother. He is a crazy, insane, and funny! Without my brother I don't know what my life would be like. The way he acts, the things he says, and the things he does reminds me of myself when I was younger.
I am thankful for all of my friends! For my old friends, for my new friends, for my close friends, and my acquaintances. I am thankful for Amanda S., Leann, Mandy, Andrea, April, Brandon, David, Crystal, Gary, Rachel, Jared, Phiet, Beth......all of them! Those I forgot and those I didn't mention. As weird as it sounds, I am thankful for the ones who hurt me and turned their back, because they made me stronger! I am thankful for the ones that were there when I needed someone to talk to. The ones that were there so I could cry I on their shoulder. The ones I have inside jokes with...." Suntan lotion... dug dug dug...Iraq Man...say that to my face....cuz it's late and your mama don't know...you know I'm talking about baseball!" Yes, there are a few. I am thankful for each and every one of them!
I am thankful for being born in America! For being an American citizen. For my rights and my privileges. I am thankful for my right to pray where I want, to go to church where I want, to be able to gather and worship whenever I want, to not be in need of anything, to not be starving and wondering when I am going to eat next.
I am thankful for the hardships that have occurred in my life. I am thankful for every heartache, for every sad moment, for every time I didn't think I could go any farther, for every failure, for every mistake. Without those things in my life I would not be the person I am today. Each thing that has happened in my life has happened for a reason, whether by God allowing it or by my own stupidity and bringing it upon myself. It has made me stronger and I have found that each step was a type of building block that got me where I am today.
I have so much more to be thankful for and I have listed just a few. I can be thankful for beauty, for oxygen, for pies, for turkey, soccer, football, flowers, ocean, art- the list is never-ending! As we sit around tomorrow eating turkey, pies, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing let's remember to be thankful for all we have...and don't have. Remember to be thankful for not only the roses, but the thorns that come with them.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
First of all, I am thankful for Jesus Christ dying on the cross for me! I am saved and thank God I am on my way to heaven when I die. I am thankful for His mercy and grace. I am thankful that whenever I screw up, which is usually daily, He forgives me when I ask.
I am thankful for my family. For my parents who brought me into this world, who raised me in a Christian home, who whooped my butt whenever I needed it, who loves me and encourages me in my hopes and ambitions. I am thankful for my sister, Victoria. I can remember praying and praying for a little sister and God gave her to me! I am thankful that through thick and thin, she has always been there. Through the last year we have become alot closer. I thank God for her and her crazy personality. I am thankful for my brother, Christian. After I had my sister I wanted a brother too. I prayed and prayed and boom, he was an accident... but God knew I needed a brother. He is a crazy, insane, and funny! Without my brother I don't know what my life would be like. The way he acts, the things he says, and the things he does reminds me of myself when I was younger.
I am thankful for all of my friends! For my old friends, for my new friends, for my close friends, and my acquaintances. I am thankful for Amanda S., Leann, Mandy, Andrea, April, Brandon, David, Crystal, Gary, Rachel, Jared, Phiet, Beth......all of them! Those I forgot and those I didn't mention. As weird as it sounds, I am thankful for the ones who hurt me and turned their back, because they made me stronger! I am thankful for the ones that were there when I needed someone to talk to. The ones that were there so I could cry I on their shoulder. The ones I have inside jokes with...." Suntan lotion... dug dug dug...Iraq Man...say that to my face....cuz it's late and your mama don't know...you know I'm talking about baseball!" Yes, there are a few. I am thankful for each and every one of them!
I am thankful for being born in America! For being an American citizen. For my rights and my privileges. I am thankful for my right to pray where I want, to go to church where I want, to be able to gather and worship whenever I want, to not be in need of anything, to not be starving and wondering when I am going to eat next.
I am thankful for the hardships that have occurred in my life. I am thankful for every heartache, for every sad moment, for every time I didn't think I could go any farther, for every failure, for every mistake. Without those things in my life I would not be the person I am today. Each thing that has happened in my life has happened for a reason, whether by God allowing it or by my own stupidity and bringing it upon myself. It has made me stronger and I have found that each step was a type of building block that got me where I am today.
I have so much more to be thankful for and I have listed just a few. I can be thankful for beauty, for oxygen, for pies, for turkey, soccer, football, flowers, ocean, art- the list is never-ending! As we sit around tomorrow eating turkey, pies, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing let's remember to be thankful for all we have...and don't have. Remember to be thankful for not only the roses, but the thorns that come with them.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Death by Fire
It has been a while since my last post and I thought now would be a perfect time for another one.
Before I get into the main topic of my blog I will just give you an overview of what has been going on with me lately.
School has been driving me crazy. One class in particular I am having a lot of trouble with and the teacher is horrible. I have made new friends along the way though and that always helps! I am kind of at that place people get to sometimes -especially now, when the winter cold is coming on and you are not ready for it to get here. Where you just feel like you are in a rut, waiting for something big to happen and it doesn't. When you begin wondering just what it is you are doing in life, waiting for the unexpected, just waiting for something exciting to come along and peak your interest. Right now I seem to just be going through the motions of life and I hate getting in that kind of mind set.
These last few days I have had fall break. A friend from Missouri came down and we were able to spend about about 4 days together. I really enjoyed it. While she was here we went to the late night showing of Fireproof. I was not looking forward to seeing that movie. I wanted to see another one but after some going back and forth we decided on Fireproof. Many people told me the acting was horrible and that I would not enjoy it because of the acting. That's what I was going on when I walked into the theatre. The movie was actually really good! Now don't get me wrong, the acting really could have been way better than it was, but the message was astounding!! And I am not even married!!! Many of you probably already know the plot to the story but for those of you who don't here is a quick run-down. There is this married couple who have seemingly fallen out of love and want out of their marriage. The husband's father asks his son if he is willing to give it 40 more days. Upon the husband's answering 'yes' his father sends him a journal to use as a guideline for each day. Through this journal, his parents prayers, and his fathers wisdom he accepts Jesus and saving his marriage is no longer just a dare given to him by his father but rather something he is willing to fight for.
This is where I can get into the point of my blog. :-)
Fireproof showed how the little things in life that bother people will start accumulating and begin growing into bigger things that lead to more trouble. which will eventually escalate into something catastrophic. It showed how life itself is not fireproof. If we do not have God in our lives, our lives are not worth living. If we start allowing evil to come into our lives-and maybe it's not all at one time; but slowly- we begin playing with fire and eventually get burned. When we get to a point where we feel like we don't need God and we can do it on our own; that is when we might as well be asking for death by fire because, not just this world, but even our very own minds, can burn us to the ground. They played a song in the movie called "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. I am going to write the lyrics out and I want you to really think about them as you read them.
"Slow Fade"-(1) Be careful little eyes what you see, It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings. Be careful little feet where you go. For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow.
(chorus) It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day It's a slow fade.
(2) Be careful little ears what you hear When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near. Be careful little lips what you say, For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray. (Chorus)
(3)-The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid. When you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day.Daddies never crumble in a day, Families never crumble in a day.
Oh be careful little eyes what see, Oh be careful little eyes what you see, For the Father up above is looking down in love Oh be careful little eyes what you see.-
The song has so much truth to it! If we are not vigilant in our lives and keep Christ as our focal point, everything we thought to be important will begin to fade away. We will one day look around and wonder what happened. How our lives became the way they are, how our families fell apart, how a marriage fell apart, how we became so distant from the One who loves us so much. If you have not seen this movie I suggest it highly, not just for the married people either. If you are single, go see it. It will help you watch for pitfalls when you do get married.
If God has knocked on a heart's door so many times with no answer, if He is no longer present in a life, if the little things grow into big things and cause great heartache, it is as if death by fire is being asked for.
I close with this thought. Remember life is not fireproof. Without God, life will amount to nothing and burn in the flames. Life is like a fading leaf (Isaiah 64:6), here one minute and gone then next. Our lives might not be fireproof but God gave us a guidebook to live by- the Bible. We must make sure we have God in our lives and are trying our best to live by His guidelines or we begin asking for death by fire.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Before I get into the main topic of my blog I will just give you an overview of what has been going on with me lately.
School has been driving me crazy. One class in particular I am having a lot of trouble with and the teacher is horrible. I have made new friends along the way though and that always helps! I am kind of at that place people get to sometimes -especially now, when the winter cold is coming on and you are not ready for it to get here. Where you just feel like you are in a rut, waiting for something big to happen and it doesn't. When you begin wondering just what it is you are doing in life, waiting for the unexpected, just waiting for something exciting to come along and peak your interest. Right now I seem to just be going through the motions of life and I hate getting in that kind of mind set.
These last few days I have had fall break. A friend from Missouri came down and we were able to spend about about 4 days together. I really enjoyed it. While she was here we went to the late night showing of Fireproof. I was not looking forward to seeing that movie. I wanted to see another one but after some going back and forth we decided on Fireproof. Many people told me the acting was horrible and that I would not enjoy it because of the acting. That's what I was going on when I walked into the theatre. The movie was actually really good! Now don't get me wrong, the acting really could have been way better than it was, but the message was astounding!! And I am not even married!!! Many of you probably already know the plot to the story but for those of you who don't here is a quick run-down. There is this married couple who have seemingly fallen out of love and want out of their marriage. The husband's father asks his son if he is willing to give it 40 more days. Upon the husband's answering 'yes' his father sends him a journal to use as a guideline for each day. Through this journal, his parents prayers, and his fathers wisdom he accepts Jesus and saving his marriage is no longer just a dare given to him by his father but rather something he is willing to fight for.
This is where I can get into the point of my blog. :-)
Fireproof showed how the little things in life that bother people will start accumulating and begin growing into bigger things that lead to more trouble. which will eventually escalate into something catastrophic. It showed how life itself is not fireproof. If we do not have God in our lives, our lives are not worth living. If we start allowing evil to come into our lives-and maybe it's not all at one time; but slowly- we begin playing with fire and eventually get burned. When we get to a point where we feel like we don't need God and we can do it on our own; that is when we might as well be asking for death by fire because, not just this world, but even our very own minds, can burn us to the ground. They played a song in the movie called "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. I am going to write the lyrics out and I want you to really think about them as you read them.
"Slow Fade"-(1) Be careful little eyes what you see, It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings. Be careful little feet where you go. For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow.
(chorus) It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day It's a slow fade.
(2) Be careful little ears what you hear When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near. Be careful little lips what you say, For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray. (Chorus)
(3)-The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking.
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid. When you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day.Daddies never crumble in a day, Families never crumble in a day.
Oh be careful little eyes what see, Oh be careful little eyes what you see, For the Father up above is looking down in love Oh be careful little eyes what you see.-
The song has so much truth to it! If we are not vigilant in our lives and keep Christ as our focal point, everything we thought to be important will begin to fade away. We will one day look around and wonder what happened. How our lives became the way they are, how our families fell apart, how a marriage fell apart, how we became so distant from the One who loves us so much. If you have not seen this movie I suggest it highly, not just for the married people either. If you are single, go see it. It will help you watch for pitfalls when you do get married.
If God has knocked on a heart's door so many times with no answer, if He is no longer present in a life, if the little things grow into big things and cause great heartache, it is as if death by fire is being asked for.
I close with this thought. Remember life is not fireproof. Without God, life will amount to nothing and burn in the flames. Life is like a fading leaf (Isaiah 64:6), here one minute and gone then next. Our lives might not be fireproof but God gave us a guidebook to live by- the Bible. We must make sure we have God in our lives and are trying our best to live by His guidelines or we begin asking for death by fire.
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A Eulogy
Hello again everyone! This idea came to me from my cousin, Amber and I thought it would be a great blog to write about. Here it goes!
Have you ever wondered what you want written on your gravestone when you die? Or have you ever wondered what people will say about you as you are lying in the casket, dead to the world and, if you are saved, in Heaven with the Creator? What would people say about you?! What would you want them to say? Would you want eeryone to know that you were a good wife, mother, friend, soul-winner, servant, husband, brother, daughter, son...etc? What would you want to be said? Would you want anything to be said at all? Would you rather have someone just bury you in a box and put you 6 feet under?
Now here is the bigger question I pose to you- Regardless of what you want someone to say about you when you die or what you may want your gravestone to have written on it, what will God say? Does that ever scare you in the least bit?!
I know it does me! I can think back to many days and occurrences when I have failed God in the greatest ways and all I can think about is the day I will stand before him in judgement and having to watch as my works are put through the fire and God shows me all the wrong I have done in my life. It is a scary thought. I can only hope that there was some good in my life that He can look at me and say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." What will his Eulogy be for each of us? Of course, if we are saved we will never have a true eulogy where He will be bidding us farewell, but rather a welcoming where he will be welcoming us into the pearly gates! A welcoming into heaven. Will his welcoming be one of great excitement that we are finally able to join Him or will it be one that will not be as exciting because of how we served Him here on earth?
Then there are the ones who are on their way to hell and really will have a eulogy. One here on earth and the one that will be given when they stand before the Great Judge on Judgement Day.
Unfortunately, the eulogy the Lord will give to the lost souls is not one of niceties. He instead will be giving eulogies for people He does not know for He will only say, "Depart, I never knew you."
Now, here is my biggest question of the post....are you living your life the way you want your eulogy to be given? Not just the one here on earth, but the one we will be given in heaven. I realize we are all human, we all make mistakes, none of us are perfect, and none of us will have a perfect record. Thank God though, if we are saved He will look in the Lamb's Book of Life, see our name written, and all He will see of us is the blood of his Son that was shed for us on the cross. Now do not get me wrong we will be judged, but we will have our record cleared because we have Jesus as our Advocate!
I am not here to place judgement. It is not my place to judge. I just wanted to put the questions out there as a reminder. Not only you but me as well. Sometimes being reminded that our life will be judged one day, that we will all have our own eulogies to listen to, and we will be standing before an All-Righteous God during this time is a humbling thought.
I leave with this. You are writing your eulogy. Is your life writing the type of eulogy you want to have after you have taken your last breath here on earth and wake up in the light of God's glory?
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
Have you ever wondered what you want written on your gravestone when you die? Or have you ever wondered what people will say about you as you are lying in the casket, dead to the world and, if you are saved, in Heaven with the Creator? What would people say about you?! What would you want them to say? Would you want eeryone to know that you were a good wife, mother, friend, soul-winner, servant, husband, brother, daughter, son...etc? What would you want to be said? Would you want anything to be said at all? Would you rather have someone just bury you in a box and put you 6 feet under?
Now here is the bigger question I pose to you- Regardless of what you want someone to say about you when you die or what you may want your gravestone to have written on it, what will God say? Does that ever scare you in the least bit?!
I know it does me! I can think back to many days and occurrences when I have failed God in the greatest ways and all I can think about is the day I will stand before him in judgement and having to watch as my works are put through the fire and God shows me all the wrong I have done in my life. It is a scary thought. I can only hope that there was some good in my life that He can look at me and say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." What will his Eulogy be for each of us? Of course, if we are saved we will never have a true eulogy where He will be bidding us farewell, but rather a welcoming where he will be welcoming us into the pearly gates! A welcoming into heaven. Will his welcoming be one of great excitement that we are finally able to join Him or will it be one that will not be as exciting because of how we served Him here on earth?
Then there are the ones who are on their way to hell and really will have a eulogy. One here on earth and the one that will be given when they stand before the Great Judge on Judgement Day.
Unfortunately, the eulogy the Lord will give to the lost souls is not one of niceties. He instead will be giving eulogies for people He does not know for He will only say, "Depart, I never knew you."
Now, here is my biggest question of the post....are you living your life the way you want your eulogy to be given? Not just the one here on earth, but the one we will be given in heaven. I realize we are all human, we all make mistakes, none of us are perfect, and none of us will have a perfect record. Thank God though, if we are saved He will look in the Lamb's Book of Life, see our name written, and all He will see of us is the blood of his Son that was shed for us on the cross. Now do not get me wrong we will be judged, but we will have our record cleared because we have Jesus as our Advocate!
I am not here to place judgement. It is not my place to judge. I just wanted to put the questions out there as a reminder. Not only you but me as well. Sometimes being reminded that our life will be judged one day, that we will all have our own eulogies to listen to, and we will be standing before an All-Righteous God during this time is a humbling thought.
I leave with this. You are writing your eulogy. Is your life writing the type of eulogy you want to have after you have taken your last breath here on earth and wake up in the light of God's glory?
Until next time,
ActionJacksontheAngloSaxon
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