so, this has been kinda near the forefront of my mind the last week or so...
Genesis 1:26 "And then God said, let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..."
So, when the issue of the Father heart of God come up, this verse usually comes up. Rightfully so. But what about the other 2?
If the trinity is true, which i fully believe, then it must also be true that God, if indeed eternal, never beginning, never ending, has always been Father, Son and Spirit. So, in Genesis 1, when it says that man was made in "Our image"...it's talking all 3, the complete trinity.
Sure, you may have noticed this and this is nothing new for you, but for me, my friends, this is something i didn't think about until last week. That i was created, in the image of not only my Father God, but my Saviour, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
And i heads it over to dictionary.com (probably one of my favourite websites ever.)
and it defines likeness as:
1. The state, quality, or fact of being like; resemblance.
The fact of being like.
God created us in the 'fact of being like' Him and His 2 counterparts...or...Him and Himself and Himself....however you want to look at it...
i don't even want to pretend i know what this means...
but it does blow my mind. that when God thought Rob...he thought God...
God looked in the mirror and was like "i look good...i really like myself....let's make Rob like Me."
i don't know if that's exactly how it happened..don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to presume i understand how God things up creating someone, or bringings someone into existence...
but as i sit here, i can't help but think. God can create anything, destroy anything, and deffinitely NOT create anything...so why did He create me?....why did He create you?!?
There HAS to be a purpose....so much higher than just living....
so much higher than just existence....higher than just wandering around aimlessly.
How dare i wander around aimlessly... when there's such a HUGE God to get to know...
and yet, as i sit here. I realize how tired i am. the fact that i was up at 5:40am this morning, that i'm absolutely wrecked and that all i really want to do is sleep...
But there's such a HUGE God to get to know...it blows my mind...and i want to get to know Him, oh man do i ever. everything in me begs or it....my body is just asking for sleep.
so tonight, i gotta go to bed earlier, sure...
i gotta eat healthier, because if you eat bad food you get more tired...
i need to focus on what's important and not on the everyday mundain of life, the useless things that come and go and don't mean a hill-o-shit...
i really want to do what's important...think about it...if i go home, sit on my ass and do nothing, i've gained what?....nothing....if i go home and watch tv, what have i done?...well, i've excercised my 'god-given-right' to relax?!?....bleh...come on now..i've waisted another hour of my time...
So, i'm probably going to get off my lazy ass and walk over to the healthy eating section of the starbucks/chapters i'm sitting in right now and look over some books that might get me from point A (where i am now) to point B....cause if you aren't moving...you're dying...or sleeping..
self improvement?..i dunno....
self preservation? ..i dunno....
self explination? ..even worse...
although, there is this girl that's sitting at a table near me..and by looking at her, i'm not really thinking she's short or anything....but..and this is the kicker...she just got up to go get another drink.....she's gotta be 4'2"...i swear....shortest little thing i've ever seen....hilarious..
it's only hilarious cause in my head (not that i was thinking about her)...but ya know, you notice something out of the corner of your eye, or even stare at it blankly...and then something happens with that object or person or whatever it is that you were looking at, and it's completely different than you thought in your mind?!?!...
*cricket* *cricket*
ok...no one else has that.....sweet...
i wish somedays i thought less...and enjoyed more.
like...how many days go by that i don't at some point get that nagging "hey, you're still single" thing fly through my head...
or "hey, why'd you mess up earlier, last night, again, right now, later on?!? you always mess up"
or "gonna read or veg tonight"
or "do you even have ANY clue what you are talking about?"
or "you really need to spend more time with God" "you really need to eat less" "you really need to sleep more" "you really need to read more" "you really need to........"
OH SHUT UP.........
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
5 times, 5x, 5 strings...plus 1
so,
this week was a monumental week for me.
I started at the gym on monday. talk about a shift in my daily routine...my goodness.
Even managed to get there 5 times...one of those times on saturday even. i tell ya, talk about a shift in the lifestyle...wow..
so, the meals still need work. i'm having a harder time sticking to the healthy than just eating whatever i want...but i have been able to push snacks and stuff away, which is a start i guess.
hense the 5 times...
finally got the Shaun Alexander jersey i ordered in january this past week. unfortunately it's a 5x, and slightly to small. i know i know... 5x should be good, but it's not unfortunately. refer back to the first paragraph if you need an explination.
hense the 5x...
led worship at church this morning, from the guitar, accoustic guitar, for the first time ever. talk about a difference. man, not only are my fingers incredibly sore (something i'm not all together foreign to, as i've been playing bass for 16 years...) but i loved it....i really did, it was great fun. I also realized that the callouses (sp) on my fingers from playing bass for so many years, are slightly in a different spot that i would play guitar on...obvious due to the raging pain and blisters currently situated on the tips of my 4 fingers on the left hand.
hense the 5 strings....plus 1
see....all of those you could plus 1 to:
gym - 5 times in 6 days (should've gone 6)
jersey - 5x ...need a 6x (not for long hopefully)
guitar - 5 strings ...plus 1 (and a whole lotta pain)
---------------
Why is it that when you try to change your life in certain area's the other area's you have trouble / problems with, tend to get stepped up a notch?
example. I started going to the gym this week and watching what i'm eating etc... taking a proactive stance on my body getting bettter. but, my constant want and need for getting closer to God takes a back seat due to the onslaught of "oh my goodiness my life just changed so damn much and i'm sooooo tired i could sleep at 12noon let alone be practically passed out by 9pm." that you end up not doing what you need to do most. Do i need to change my body? yes, sure do, with furry and haste. but does that take the place of God...no way. He's still my source for change and help, comfort. so, instead of taking the time i've promised and said i would take to be with my saviour, i end up being way to tired (in my opinion) and do foolish things...taking on other addictions to make up for the loss of the first one.
(Life - Addiction001) + Addiction002 = no better off.
(Life - Addiction001) + God = Renewed Life...life more abudant. the life we're supposed to live.
So, God, this is where i turn to you. My addictions in life are deffinitely replaceable. That much is certain. replaceable by other addictions, but hopefully, and this is where You come in, they need to be replaced by Your presence.
God i need your presence. I need to replace what i give up with you, because if i don't, i haven't given up anything at all have i?
and there it is....ya ever realize that when you just ramble and talk and pray and let your thoughts come out, somewhere in there, at some point you're going to hit the sentance that sums it all up perfectly....and that was it
If you don't replace what you give up with something better, You haven't given up anything at all...
another thing i've realized is that as much as we realize about ourselves that we need to change, we can't expect things to go perfectly and smoothly right off the start. For instance, i did great at the gym this week, but i did miss one day, and working on the food end of things has been rough...
and because i'm having a rougher time adjusting to the schedule than i thought, i gave into the tired attitude and put less time into God and more time into other addictions....
BUT, if i beat myself up about this, and just get all over my own case, i have much higher probability of failure....we gotta keep level headed. and i think that's the most important part.
people are so easily bent out of shape due to failure and misconception of 'right / wrong' and God's viewpoint on situations.
God is for us, not against us. A good friend of mine told me one day:
"You do what you Can, and God will do what you Can't"...
no truer words can be said...we can't do more than we can do (so obvious, but we think so little about the reality of that).
To ere is human...i believe is the saying. It's true. we will ere, we will fall, we will struggle and push through our problems, and some days we will not make it as far and as well as others.
But God is good, and He is for us, not against us. Let's please not get so bent out of shape over our stumblings. Pick yourself back up and go again.
There is a time to grow up, it's called ALWAYS. Learn from your mistakes, Learn from your mishaps and your trials....and let God guide you towards the point B he has for your life.
"If joy really comes in the morning, then I'm gonna sit back and wait until the next sun rise..."
this week was a monumental week for me.
I started at the gym on monday. talk about a shift in my daily routine...my goodness.
Even managed to get there 5 times...one of those times on saturday even. i tell ya, talk about a shift in the lifestyle...wow..
so, the meals still need work. i'm having a harder time sticking to the healthy than just eating whatever i want...but i have been able to push snacks and stuff away, which is a start i guess.
hense the 5 times...
finally got the Shaun Alexander jersey i ordered in january this past week. unfortunately it's a 5x, and slightly to small. i know i know... 5x should be good, but it's not unfortunately. refer back to the first paragraph if you need an explination.
hense the 5x...
led worship at church this morning, from the guitar, accoustic guitar, for the first time ever. talk about a difference. man, not only are my fingers incredibly sore (something i'm not all together foreign to, as i've been playing bass for 16 years...) but i loved it....i really did, it was great fun. I also realized that the callouses (sp) on my fingers from playing bass for so many years, are slightly in a different spot that i would play guitar on...obvious due to the raging pain and blisters currently situated on the tips of my 4 fingers on the left hand.
hense the 5 strings....plus 1
see....all of those you could plus 1 to:
gym - 5 times in 6 days (should've gone 6)
jersey - 5x ...need a 6x (not for long hopefully)
guitar - 5 strings ...plus 1 (and a whole lotta pain)
---------------
Why is it that when you try to change your life in certain area's the other area's you have trouble / problems with, tend to get stepped up a notch?
example. I started going to the gym this week and watching what i'm eating etc... taking a proactive stance on my body getting bettter. but, my constant want and need for getting closer to God takes a back seat due to the onslaught of "oh my goodiness my life just changed so damn much and i'm sooooo tired i could sleep at 12noon let alone be practically passed out by 9pm." that you end up not doing what you need to do most. Do i need to change my body? yes, sure do, with furry and haste. but does that take the place of God...no way. He's still my source for change and help, comfort. so, instead of taking the time i've promised and said i would take to be with my saviour, i end up being way to tired (in my opinion) and do foolish things...taking on other addictions to make up for the loss of the first one.
(Life - Addiction001) + Addiction002 = no better off.
(Life - Addiction001) + God = Renewed Life...life more abudant. the life we're supposed to live.
So, God, this is where i turn to you. My addictions in life are deffinitely replaceable. That much is certain. replaceable by other addictions, but hopefully, and this is where You come in, they need to be replaced by Your presence.
God i need your presence. I need to replace what i give up with you, because if i don't, i haven't given up anything at all have i?
and there it is....ya ever realize that when you just ramble and talk and pray and let your thoughts come out, somewhere in there, at some point you're going to hit the sentance that sums it all up perfectly....and that was it
If you don't replace what you give up with something better, You haven't given up anything at all...
another thing i've realized is that as much as we realize about ourselves that we need to change, we can't expect things to go perfectly and smoothly right off the start. For instance, i did great at the gym this week, but i did miss one day, and working on the food end of things has been rough...
and because i'm having a rougher time adjusting to the schedule than i thought, i gave into the tired attitude and put less time into God and more time into other addictions....
BUT, if i beat myself up about this, and just get all over my own case, i have much higher probability of failure....we gotta keep level headed. and i think that's the most important part.
people are so easily bent out of shape due to failure and misconception of 'right / wrong' and God's viewpoint on situations.
God is for us, not against us. A good friend of mine told me one day:
"You do what you Can, and God will do what you Can't"...
no truer words can be said...we can't do more than we can do (so obvious, but we think so little about the reality of that).
To ere is human...i believe is the saying. It's true. we will ere, we will fall, we will struggle and push through our problems, and some days we will not make it as far and as well as others.
But God is good, and He is for us, not against us. Let's please not get so bent out of shape over our stumblings. Pick yourself back up and go again.
There is a time to grow up, it's called ALWAYS. Learn from your mistakes, Learn from your mishaps and your trials....and let God guide you towards the point B he has for your life.
"If joy really comes in the morning, then I'm gonna sit back and wait until the next sun rise..."
Thursday, March 16, 2006
notice something?!?
so, Genesis 1 says:
"... male and female He created them...And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day..."
so, everything that happened between creating Adam, and creating Eve, happened in the same day. Interesting ....that's either one crazy long day, or the "to God a day is like a thousand years" was in effect at the time..or something...
just a thought
"... male and female He created them...And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day..."
so, everything that happened between creating Adam, and creating Eve, happened in the same day. Interesting ....that's either one crazy long day, or the "to God a day is like a thousand years" was in effect at the time..or something...
just a thought
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Battle for your ground, it's yours...won't you take it
I am who I am...because i have not love
I believe what i believe...because i have not love
I do not understand...because i have not love
I hurt and am hurt...because i have not love
When was the last time you realized you had no idea what love was?
Probably right after someone hurt you, probably right after someone told you that they didn't like you (as a result of you telling them that you were sure you loved them). Maybe it was right after a friend left, and you don't miss them, or you left, and you don't feel missed.
Try to remember the last time you felt truly loved...
Can you explain it for me? Can you define for me what love is. What it feels like, what it tastes like, smells like, what it does for me, what it does for you, what it is so that when i see it i can grab ahold of it and never let it go...
This is what I wonder...I won't say i believe it, because i don't know...But i do wonder, right now, sitting here, i wonder... Do we even know what love is? I can with a slightness in my heart say yes, for very few situations, and with an almost assuredness in my heart, i can say no, for many situations.
My love for my family is love, i know this because it's the strongest thing i've ever felt....and it pains me when it's broken in anyways...particularly my brother...I'm not sure there is anyone i have ever loved more, and who i know beyond a shadow of a doubt, and have never doubted that he loves me... And sadly, almost every other person in the world, if not all, that i have known and have believed i've loved, and believed have loved me, there has been a time, if not more than one, that i have doubted their love for me.
So, all my fears, and all my worries and all my quiverings can rest on one fact...i must find love, i must find what love is. i must find out what this love is, because if i don't, my life is lost.
"If i speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If i have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If i give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
How many of us can, by this statement, by this set of scripture, how many can say "I am nothing"...or at least, on my way to being nothing? I can. I look at this scripture and can honestly with all my heart state that I am on my way to being nothing, because I do not have love. Why do i say this? Not to depress, not to hurt, not to pain or change ones viewpoint on their lives and the love they have. I believe that love grows, i believe that love is strong, and that we do know what love is, but we don't know fully, and that's what is our problem.
And i can say this because :
Love is Pastient
Love is Kind
Love is Not Jealous, Does Not Envy
Love is Not Arrogant
Love does not act unbecomingly, does not act rudely
Love does not seek it's own
Love is not provoked
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered
Love thinks no evil
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness / iniquity
Love rejoices in the truth
Love bears all things
Love believes all things
Love hopes all things
Love endures all things
Love never fails
So, if that is what love is, and there's sentances and statements in there i don't even understand (ie. love does not seek it's own), then i guess i better get into this thing, and figure out what love is.
IF I HAVE NOT LOVE, I AM NOTHING...
how powerful is that... Love is the base for all we are.
God is Love, and we are created in His image. The scriptures don't say God has love, or loves, or that He even has ALL the love, it says He IS love. If God IS love, then God = Love. If i am created in Loves image, i must look and be much like love... yes / no?
If i've ever seen something worth studying, this is it.
So, here at lifeandwords, i'm going to try and spend time on each of these points, what makes up love. The deffinition of Love that comes from 1 Corinthians 13. It's worth it. Because if i can learn to love, truly love, then i can learn to cast out fear...the fear in me, and the fear in you...
Today begins a new journey. A new path. A path towards what may be, a path towards what is to come and what has been promised. If there is to be life, then there must be freedom, and freedom must come, or all is lost.
God, I give you my life. As tomorrow i start to hit up the gym (yup, you heard me right, i'm scared shitless...but man, if i can learn love, then i might have a fighting chance)...as i turn towards a path i have not traveled, but taken a few steps and failed in the past. I turn to you, because you are where my help comes from, you are where my security must lie. My body does not make who i am, but my body can send me to heaven alot quicker than i want, and hold me back from completing all you have for me and all i want to do.
I have more life to live than i am currently living...
God give me grace, give me peace, let your mercy and love reign down on me, because i know this will be a battle that can take my life and drive a sword deeper into me than i've ever felt. I also know that this is a battle i can walk out of, ontop. I can walk through this valley, and come out ontop of a mountain, high and glorious, standing in the sun, standing before my maker, living the life You intended for me to live. Let my life be a sacrifice, and let my sacrifice bring glory to your name.
All the glory, all the honour, all the love in all the world and all of what i am, i lay down before You...
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done...Here...In my life, on this earth, as you have already designed and already completed in heaven, where time and space play no role...
I believe what i believe...because i have not love
I do not understand...because i have not love
I hurt and am hurt...because i have not love
When was the last time you realized you had no idea what love was?
Probably right after someone hurt you, probably right after someone told you that they didn't like you (as a result of you telling them that you were sure you loved them). Maybe it was right after a friend left, and you don't miss them, or you left, and you don't feel missed.
Try to remember the last time you felt truly loved...
Can you explain it for me? Can you define for me what love is. What it feels like, what it tastes like, smells like, what it does for me, what it does for you, what it is so that when i see it i can grab ahold of it and never let it go...
This is what I wonder...I won't say i believe it, because i don't know...But i do wonder, right now, sitting here, i wonder... Do we even know what love is? I can with a slightness in my heart say yes, for very few situations, and with an almost assuredness in my heart, i can say no, for many situations.
My love for my family is love, i know this because it's the strongest thing i've ever felt....and it pains me when it's broken in anyways...particularly my brother...I'm not sure there is anyone i have ever loved more, and who i know beyond a shadow of a doubt, and have never doubted that he loves me... And sadly, almost every other person in the world, if not all, that i have known and have believed i've loved, and believed have loved me, there has been a time, if not more than one, that i have doubted their love for me.
So, all my fears, and all my worries and all my quiverings can rest on one fact...i must find love, i must find what love is. i must find out what this love is, because if i don't, my life is lost.
"If i speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If i have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If i give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
How many of us can, by this statement, by this set of scripture, how many can say "I am nothing"...or at least, on my way to being nothing? I can. I look at this scripture and can honestly with all my heart state that I am on my way to being nothing, because I do not have love. Why do i say this? Not to depress, not to hurt, not to pain or change ones viewpoint on their lives and the love they have. I believe that love grows, i believe that love is strong, and that we do know what love is, but we don't know fully, and that's what is our problem.
And i can say this because :
Love is Pastient
Love is Kind
Love is Not Jealous, Does Not Envy
Love is Not Arrogant
Love does not act unbecomingly, does not act rudely
Love does not seek it's own
Love is not provoked
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered
Love thinks no evil
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness / iniquity
Love rejoices in the truth
Love bears all things
Love believes all things
Love hopes all things
Love endures all things
Love never fails
So, if that is what love is, and there's sentances and statements in there i don't even understand (ie. love does not seek it's own), then i guess i better get into this thing, and figure out what love is.
IF I HAVE NOT LOVE, I AM NOTHING...
how powerful is that... Love is the base for all we are.
God is Love, and we are created in His image. The scriptures don't say God has love, or loves, or that He even has ALL the love, it says He IS love. If God IS love, then God = Love. If i am created in Loves image, i must look and be much like love... yes / no?
If i've ever seen something worth studying, this is it.
So, here at lifeandwords, i'm going to try and spend time on each of these points, what makes up love. The deffinition of Love that comes from 1 Corinthians 13. It's worth it. Because if i can learn to love, truly love, then i can learn to cast out fear...the fear in me, and the fear in you...
Today begins a new journey. A new path. A path towards what may be, a path towards what is to come and what has been promised. If there is to be life, then there must be freedom, and freedom must come, or all is lost.
God, I give you my life. As tomorrow i start to hit up the gym (yup, you heard me right, i'm scared shitless...but man, if i can learn love, then i might have a fighting chance)...as i turn towards a path i have not traveled, but taken a few steps and failed in the past. I turn to you, because you are where my help comes from, you are where my security must lie. My body does not make who i am, but my body can send me to heaven alot quicker than i want, and hold me back from completing all you have for me and all i want to do.
I have more life to live than i am currently living...
God give me grace, give me peace, let your mercy and love reign down on me, because i know this will be a battle that can take my life and drive a sword deeper into me than i've ever felt. I also know that this is a battle i can walk out of, ontop. I can walk through this valley, and come out ontop of a mountain, high and glorious, standing in the sun, standing before my maker, living the life You intended for me to live. Let my life be a sacrifice, and let my sacrifice bring glory to your name.
All the glory, all the honour, all the love in all the world and all of what i am, i lay down before You...
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done...Here...In my life, on this earth, as you have already designed and already completed in heaven, where time and space play no role...
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Growing up doesn't always mean ...
I wanna tackle something this afternoon.
***WARNING - THIS MESSAGE GOES OUT TO ROBERT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD***
I'm sick and tired of lies affecting the people i love. And i'm even more angered by the fact that most of the lies are completely preposterous.
I've been sitting back watching people crumple to the ground for far to long. And so have you. Plain and simple. Any where from 60-99% of people reading this (and if it's just me, then congratulations i've hit 100%) have been right beside me in this respect.
I'm going to being absolutely bold and say this: "It starts with YOU..."
Here's where we've gone wrong.
Mark 12:30,31 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your stength. The second is this 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
I'm not pointing towards verse 30, i'm pointing towards verse 31. Love your neighbor as yourself. We have not been loving ourselves. Plain and simple, from the very reality of why things in this world are the way they are, we have not learned to love ourselves. It starts with YOU...
If God wanted us to love everyone else, and then deal with our issues later, he would have said "love your neighbor..." end of sentance...love your neighbor, but he didn't. I believe Jesus was trying to hit on a very serious point here of "where is your love for yourself?".
God's focus is not who He loves through you, it's that He loves YOU.
the great commandment is 3 commandments not 2.
It's - Love God, Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor
It's a known fact you can't give someone something that you yourself do not have. I can not give someone a 20bill when i haven't a 20bill in my pocket. I can't love someone, if i don't know how to love myself.
This is a harsh statement simply because if i look at my own life honestly, I will quickly see that i do NOT love myself at all. In fact, there's a very serious reality that i very much dislike myself.
Yet, I turn around and for all the things I dislike abut myself, i tell the people around me that i love, and even the people around me that i don't know, the exact opposite i believe for my own life. This covers ALL area's of my life, and i know a very large group of people this affects.
I believe no one will love me because of my weight and the fact that i think i'm ugly. plain and simple.
YET, i will look at someone, with all sincerity in my heart, with complete conviction and love and tell them that this is NOT the case for their lives, that they are NOT ugly, that there is no such thing as ugly except evil, and that they are created in the image of God, the perfect form of beauty and glory.
Trust me, i just looked this up. In the NIV, the NASB, and the Amplified versions of the Bible the world UGLY is mentioned in Genesis about the dream involving the "gaunt and UGLY cows" that represented the 7 year famin over Egypt. And in the NIV it jumps to Revelation about one of the bowls that is poured over the earth and 'UGLY sores break out all over the people'. The NASB and Amplified stick just to revelation, and the KJV doesn't have the word UGLY in it once, not even one (1) time.
So you tell me that you are ugly with a straight face....there's no such thing.
But for my own life, i will tell you very plainly with honesty and most times a tear in my eye, that i think i'm ugly. That the world's basis for beauty is in looks, and looks define a person's beauty, and the fact that overweight, and size do NOT = beauty. Yet, i can look at someone bigger than eye and see absolute beauty. How sick is that.
I have a friend, whom will remain nameless, who is incredibly attractive, beautiful and lovely in all ways, turn to me one day and say, "i caught myself say the other day 'I must just come to the terms and agreement that I am not attractive, that I am not beautiful."
From any stand point i'm going to say "correction, not even close to being true..." and even from the worlds deffinition of beautiful this person is absoltuely gorgeous, yet somewhere deep in her heart was sitting this thought "i'm not attractive, i need to just get to that conclusion and stick with it, cause nothing good will happen."
Why have people allowed this sort of 'truth' to be just floating around in our heads. More importantly, why is the church standing by and doing oh so little about it.
I'm sick of hearing story after story of people being addicted to pornography because they don't believe there will ever be anyone that will love them, so what's the point, let's stair into the eyes of someone who the world has told me is beautiful, and bring whatever satisfaction i can out of it.
I'm tired of hearing people say they aren't beautiful, i'm tired of people being alone, i'm tired of people having so many questions in their heart based on the fact that they have suffered rejection at the hands of a person who is only acting out of their lonely and hurt behaviour.
Tell me something...how do we combat this? Other than hijacking every major radio/video station in the world and getting the 'message' out there...which won't work anyways because people are completely brainwashed into believeing the lies. Trust me, i'm sitting here speaking truth, but i don't believe it for myself.
I don't say these things to condemn those who don't have love for themselves. I say these things because there's got to be an answer, there's God to be a time when we can stand up and say " I AM GOOD".... "I am good because God made me that way, and when He made me he said 'ROB IS GOOD' and He screamed it from the top of His lungs and all of heaven has been echoing that truth since before the dawn of time..."
When will the time come when i hear the echo from behind me "you are ugly" and i turn around and look that beast in the face and stair it down, with complete confidnece in my heart and mind and scream deeply into this thing "BACK THE F***OFF, YOU KNOW WHO I AM"
When will the church get fierce...
Jesus said, "ALL authority has been given to me..."
If someone has ALL of something, then what does the other guy have?....NOTHING
there can't be ALL + 1...it's ALL and NOTHING
Jesus lives in me, and allows me to opperate in His authority because he has called me a friend, a brother, a lover... The only authority the enemy has, is the authority that we give him. ALL authority means ALL authority, not, Jesus went into hell, took all the keys back BUT one...it doesn't work like that...
Let's drop that idea of the enemy having power, he does not have his own power, he can only work through the power that we give him.
So here's the thing.
BREAK THE AGREEMENT...
I am beautiful. You know why I am beautiful? Because God made me that way, because i was made in His image, and in God is ALL beauty and ALL pleasure and ALL glory, and He lives inside of me.
I am lovely. You know why I am lovely? Because God made me that way, because God made me and said "you are lovely". He made me with a sense of humour that brings smiles to more people than i know, He gave me courage and boldness, He gave me ears that hear and eyes that see where He is so that i can bring His presence into the reality of this world.
I am powerful. You know why i am powerful? Because God made me to be powerful. Because God said "Rob, I have called you to be a powerhouse, I have called you to stand up for the people of this world, stand up and grow bigger than the world told you that you would get, grow bigger than the people around you said you would be....I've built you to bring My very Kingdom."
I am a son....I am a son because Jesus Christ died on the cross, because he turned to me in my time of need, my time of desperation and cried out of His heart "I LOVE YOU..." and then he died. And time and time again he comes to me and cries out of His heart these very words that bring me life, the very words that bring depth to my existence.
Here's the best part...
SO ARE YOU......
believe it, it's time to, because if we don't, this world keeps going downhill.
I got to much to do to be hindered by just another lie...
-Robert Moses Augi-
***WARNING - THIS MESSAGE GOES OUT TO ROBERT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD***
I'm sick and tired of lies affecting the people i love. And i'm even more angered by the fact that most of the lies are completely preposterous.
I've been sitting back watching people crumple to the ground for far to long. And so have you. Plain and simple. Any where from 60-99% of people reading this (and if it's just me, then congratulations i've hit 100%) have been right beside me in this respect.
I'm going to being absolutely bold and say this: "It starts with YOU..."
Here's where we've gone wrong.
Mark 12:30,31 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your stength. The second is this 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
I'm not pointing towards verse 30, i'm pointing towards verse 31. Love your neighbor as yourself. We have not been loving ourselves. Plain and simple, from the very reality of why things in this world are the way they are, we have not learned to love ourselves. It starts with YOU...
If God wanted us to love everyone else, and then deal with our issues later, he would have said "love your neighbor..." end of sentance...love your neighbor, but he didn't. I believe Jesus was trying to hit on a very serious point here of "where is your love for yourself?".
God's focus is not who He loves through you, it's that He loves YOU.
the great commandment is 3 commandments not 2.
It's - Love God, Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor
It's a known fact you can't give someone something that you yourself do not have. I can not give someone a 20bill when i haven't a 20bill in my pocket. I can't love someone, if i don't know how to love myself.
This is a harsh statement simply because if i look at my own life honestly, I will quickly see that i do NOT love myself at all. In fact, there's a very serious reality that i very much dislike myself.
Yet, I turn around and for all the things I dislike abut myself, i tell the people around me that i love, and even the people around me that i don't know, the exact opposite i believe for my own life. This covers ALL area's of my life, and i know a very large group of people this affects.
I believe no one will love me because of my weight and the fact that i think i'm ugly. plain and simple.
YET, i will look at someone, with all sincerity in my heart, with complete conviction and love and tell them that this is NOT the case for their lives, that they are NOT ugly, that there is no such thing as ugly except evil, and that they are created in the image of God, the perfect form of beauty and glory.
Trust me, i just looked this up. In the NIV, the NASB, and the Amplified versions of the Bible the world UGLY is mentioned in Genesis about the dream involving the "gaunt and UGLY cows" that represented the 7 year famin over Egypt. And in the NIV it jumps to Revelation about one of the bowls that is poured over the earth and 'UGLY sores break out all over the people'. The NASB and Amplified stick just to revelation, and the KJV doesn't have the word UGLY in it once, not even one (1) time.
So you tell me that you are ugly with a straight face....there's no such thing.
But for my own life, i will tell you very plainly with honesty and most times a tear in my eye, that i think i'm ugly. That the world's basis for beauty is in looks, and looks define a person's beauty, and the fact that overweight, and size do NOT = beauty. Yet, i can look at someone bigger than eye and see absolute beauty. How sick is that.
I have a friend, whom will remain nameless, who is incredibly attractive, beautiful and lovely in all ways, turn to me one day and say, "i caught myself say the other day 'I must just come to the terms and agreement that I am not attractive, that I am not beautiful."
From any stand point i'm going to say "correction, not even close to being true..." and even from the worlds deffinition of beautiful this person is absoltuely gorgeous, yet somewhere deep in her heart was sitting this thought "i'm not attractive, i need to just get to that conclusion and stick with it, cause nothing good will happen."
Why have people allowed this sort of 'truth' to be just floating around in our heads. More importantly, why is the church standing by and doing oh so little about it.
I'm sick of hearing story after story of people being addicted to pornography because they don't believe there will ever be anyone that will love them, so what's the point, let's stair into the eyes of someone who the world has told me is beautiful, and bring whatever satisfaction i can out of it.
I'm tired of hearing people say they aren't beautiful, i'm tired of people being alone, i'm tired of people having so many questions in their heart based on the fact that they have suffered rejection at the hands of a person who is only acting out of their lonely and hurt behaviour.
Tell me something...how do we combat this? Other than hijacking every major radio/video station in the world and getting the 'message' out there...which won't work anyways because people are completely brainwashed into believeing the lies. Trust me, i'm sitting here speaking truth, but i don't believe it for myself.
I don't say these things to condemn those who don't have love for themselves. I say these things because there's got to be an answer, there's God to be a time when we can stand up and say " I AM GOOD".... "I am good because God made me that way, and when He made me he said 'ROB IS GOOD' and He screamed it from the top of His lungs and all of heaven has been echoing that truth since before the dawn of time..."
When will the time come when i hear the echo from behind me "you are ugly" and i turn around and look that beast in the face and stair it down, with complete confidnece in my heart and mind and scream deeply into this thing "BACK THE F***OFF, YOU KNOW WHO I AM"
When will the church get fierce...
Jesus said, "ALL authority has been given to me..."
If someone has ALL of something, then what does the other guy have?....NOTHING
there can't be ALL + 1...it's ALL and NOTHING
Jesus lives in me, and allows me to opperate in His authority because he has called me a friend, a brother, a lover... The only authority the enemy has, is the authority that we give him. ALL authority means ALL authority, not, Jesus went into hell, took all the keys back BUT one...it doesn't work like that...
Let's drop that idea of the enemy having power, he does not have his own power, he can only work through the power that we give him.
So here's the thing.
BREAK THE AGREEMENT...
I am beautiful. You know why I am beautiful? Because God made me that way, because i was made in His image, and in God is ALL beauty and ALL pleasure and ALL glory, and He lives inside of me.
I am lovely. You know why I am lovely? Because God made me that way, because God made me and said "you are lovely". He made me with a sense of humour that brings smiles to more people than i know, He gave me courage and boldness, He gave me ears that hear and eyes that see where He is so that i can bring His presence into the reality of this world.
I am powerful. You know why i am powerful? Because God made me to be powerful. Because God said "Rob, I have called you to be a powerhouse, I have called you to stand up for the people of this world, stand up and grow bigger than the world told you that you would get, grow bigger than the people around you said you would be....I've built you to bring My very Kingdom."
I am a son....I am a son because Jesus Christ died on the cross, because he turned to me in my time of need, my time of desperation and cried out of His heart "I LOVE YOU..." and then he died. And time and time again he comes to me and cries out of His heart these very words that bring me life, the very words that bring depth to my existence.
Here's the best part...
SO ARE YOU......
believe it, it's time to, because if we don't, this world keeps going downhill.
I got to much to do to be hindered by just another lie...
-Robert Moses Augi-
Friday, March 03, 2006
time upon time...
Well, there is a good portion of you who will hate me for the fact that I’m sitting in the lobby of a cruise boat in the middle of the
I’ve recently realized that I learn a lot from verbal process of information, and at the same time God tends to give me quite a lot of revelation as I talk. It’s a wonder why I got in so much trouble when I was a young lad, and now it’s such a fabulous mechanism for God to teach me stuff…hrmmm.. hooda-thunk-it…
Oh..did I mention that I’m having a beer out of a metal bottle. Now, it’s not a beer I would choose on a regular basis, being that it’s Bud Light, but the fact that it’s incredibly cold, and going down like water, makes it one of the tastiest beverages this side of Cuba (which we are currently 13 miles north east of (I think) ). I digress, but really, you should see it…if I wasn’t so lazy I’d walk up to my room and get my camera, take a picture, put it on my laptop and post it here on this blog entry. However, the internet, being satellite isn’t the fastest… and at .35 / min I’m going to opt out of your visual needs of my story.
So, you’ll have to just imagine me sitting on deck 5 of the Star Princess, right in the middle of the promenade which is a nice hole of 3 decks, Deck 5 being the bottom and currently I’m looking up to the peoples walking out of the promenade bar on Deck 7. It really is a wonderful concept…a boat with bars and pizza and all manner of wondrous things. I wish you could all be here. Although I don’t know if anyone would ever even read this because I’m horrible at blogging, so no one checks this thing anymore, if anyone ever checked it in the first place.
Hrmm… I was saying something about verbal processing of information huh?
I swear I had a point to convey after that. I’m going to start talking, and see what happens. See, this is either an incredibly good thing, or it just means that I absolutely LOVE the sound of my own voice, which if you know me, is quite true. So here goes.
God’s been talking to me a lot about Obedience lately. What it means to be obedient and why it’s so important. Not just “it’s a good thing to be obedient” but it really is a matter of life and death. I think I’m starting to realize that when Jesus said “I’ve come to give you life and life to the full” he meant “listen to me, it will get you really far in life.”
Life is choices, a long string of choices that result in a long string of results. I wake up and I’m faced with the choice of wanting to live, I’m faced with the choice to follow God or follow what I want. I’m faced with the desire to live my way, but the choice to sacrifice that and lay it down for the sake of getting into the face of God and reaping benefits far greater than I could ever imagine.
What’s the severity of this? Well, I’m sitting here thinking of
Obedience = taking the land
Disobedience = 40 years in the wilderness that results in that whole generation dying (am I right, I dunno, I gotta read my Bible more… but I’m sure I’m right on this one)
OH MY GOODIE-NESS….Bill Johnson just sat down no less than 4 feet away from me…. I am so-o-o-o-o-o nervous… what if he says hi, or ….oh wow..
And I’m back…sorry… I love the sound of my voice like I said, and specially when I get to go all crazy with the emphasis and stuff…I’m a little kid, I know. Oh, I turned 24 on this past Sunday, still not sure how I feel about that. I think I’m ok with it, but then again I just don’t know. I got carded walking into the bar on the ship that we went to that night, so that’s good …. Or bad… I dunno.
And back to my verbal diarrhea, I mean processing.
I think what’s really amazing is the fact that God is so gracious. I have a really great example and here it is. Since I was 15 years old I’ve been smoking, in fact it was probably about January or early, early February of my 15th year (so right before I turned 16) that I started smoking. I wasn’t all that keen on God at the time and definitely wasn’t listening to him, I wanted to fit in and didn’t have a madd amount of friends so why not light up. There’s a choice I could’ve done without (now that I look at it 8 years later).
I quit smoking when I was 19 and moved to
Here’s where my point comes in. I get on the cruise on Sunday, my whole concept for the week is “I’m on vacation, it’s ok” and instantly God starts to talk to me about all of this smoking jazz and why I’ve started again and such.
The very first night during worship Lindell Cooley (www.gracechurchnashville.com) starts prophesying that “today is the day, don’t wait till tomorrow”. Good scripture behind that, why put off till tomorrow, what you can do today. Well, God is talking to me the whole time, the whole evening, specially at that point, the fact that He’s asking me to stop smoking. See, told ya I’d get to obedience somewhere. What’s my head saying at that moment, you may ask? “I’m on vacation, I told you this Lord.”
His response (and such a cleaver one I might add), “You don’t get vacation from me son.” Oh man, you are so correct, how incredible is that, I’ve always had that thought in my head somewhere of just being on vacation sometimes. Oh I’m going on a trip, so I don’t need to think about God cause I’m on vacation. We don’t get vacation from God. (but that’s an entirely different thought pattern I’m not going to follow right now, but I really should sometime soon cause I think I might just get some really really really really good stuff about of it). So, then I see this vision of myself, full grown man (and you all know me, I’m quite full grown…and..uhh…man) and I’m drooling…but I’m drooling cigarettes…that’s right, DROOLING cigarettes. And God says to me, “when you wipe the drool from your lips, you will see yourself grow up. Interesting huh, usually a father will wipe the drool from his son’s mouth for him. BUT, here’s the kicker, God’s taken smoking away from me, He’s already wiped that drool from my mouth, and I’m deliberately drooling. Completely at my own will, completely on my own, letting myself just sit there and dribble when I could be growing up.
Well, that was last Saturday, and as I’ve already stated I’ve gone through almost 4 packs of smokes since then. The funny part, which there is more than one, but one of them is the fact that I wasn’t really enjoying the smoking all that much. Honestly, it was just kinda like work, it was “I’m on vacation, I’m going to enjoy this cigarette. I know it’s a marb light and tastes like shit, but I’m going to enjoy it anyways” (no I don’t know what shit tastes like….grow up)
So, God’s talking to me all day everyday every moment I have a smoke in my hand, every thought pattern involves my obedience toward what God has told me. Now, before you all feel guilty for smoking, I’m not here saying having a cigarette is a sin. That’s just an argument I’ve had with too many people too many times. But when God tells you to stop, then it’s disobedience when you don’t actually stop, that’s where the sin comes in. And so I’m smoking, la la la, and it’s really great and all, I’m arguing with God so much that eventually I can tune Him out to it, and half enjoy my vomitateous cigarette.
Here’s what God has been teaching me about Obedience.
When we obey what God asks us to do, we are standing in His grace to obey, and we are walking on His path towards Him, towards the destiny He has for us. When we choose (and remember it’s all about choice, life is a pattern of choices that lead us to an end) to disobey, we are willfully stepping out of that place of grace, willfully stepping off that path that God has put us on and stepping onto a path that we are selves are hoping will lead to somewhere special and good. And then we wonder why it seems like God is against us, or that He’s got it out for us etc.. Now don’t get me wrong, God is a Father of Love and grace. But if we continually step out of that, with no intention of stepping back into it (in certain area’s of our lives) we allow ourselves the opportunity of being blindsided by a nifty attack of our enemy. God has absolutely amazing grace and I’m going to get to some of that later, but for now I’m more going for the “what path are we on?”
God puts us on a path towards Him, towards the life he has for us. And when we disobey, choosing to step off that path, we see a rabbit off to the side of the trail and follow it, and we get a little pre-occupied by something else other than what God wants for us. This is not to say we start all the way at the beginning again, but we can’t cut straight across and get onto the trail ahead of where we were, we have to go back to where we stepped off the trail. So if we are living in disobedience, we are hindering our progress on God’s path, because we’ve willfully stepped off it, choosing to believe we can run our lives better than God can advise us to.
**and my beer is empty….shooot*
so, this is a huge revelation God has been showing me in the last couple weeks, that when we step out of Obedience we step out of His will, and out of the place of grace.
Here’s an example…Say God tells you to do something, and after you do that something you will receive a gift. But you don’t do the thing God told you to do, you do something completely opposite, but you are still living in the mindset that God is going to give you the gift, because you’re sure you heard God right?
Well, if A + B = C, we can’t really expect A + X = C can we? (where X is opposite to B J)
So, God tells (A) me that he wants to bless me with a new job (C), but He’s also asking (B) me to not tell anyone about it. Well I turn around and tell (X) everyone about it, that God is going to give me that job I wanted…
A = God’s promise to me
B = the path to get to God’s promise
C = the pot of Gold at the end of the path
X = the rabbit trail that puts me off the path
Do you really think I’m going to make it to C?
Remember, life is a series of choices. So, I’m sitting there, I’ve told everyone and I’m now wondering why I don’t have my new job, what’s going on, I’m sure God told me he was going to give me that new job, why is it that I can never hear from God properly?!? Why do I have such a hard time hearing God’s voice?!?...
This is where the enemy really takes the opportunity to have his way with our minds.
Here’s the truth. I heard God, loud and clear, and He wasn’t lying, His heart is to give me this great job. He’s also asked me to walk the path to get that job, but I chose to try and get there a different way. But I don’t have the road map, God does. So I take a step in the wrong direction and run with it, and God is sitting there “oh son, just come this way…” and I’m like “no no, don’t worry dad, I got this one…”
Good call doofus (that’s me saying that, not God)
I gotta own up and take responsibility for my actions, realize that indeed God wants to give me a gift, but if I don’t listen to him, if I don’t obey, I take things into my own hands, step out of grace, step out of that place of obedience where blessing and abundance and fullness of life flow freely and I jump into the lake of uncharted waters that I think I can navigate myself. It just doesn’t work.
Here’s where grace comes in.
God told me a long time ago that He wanted to be close to me, He also said that one of the ways that would happen was to stop smoking. I knew that smoking was getting in the way of my relationship with God. I was foolish, made more excuses than I care to think of. “Smoking isn’t a sin…” “God = Grace = Forgiveness” “you’re just religious, get off my back and quit telling me how to live…” ..blah blah blah, I argued till I was blue in the face and it got me nowhere, except asking constantly why I wasn’t closer to God that I wanted to be. And as I mentioned earlier, we don’t get vacation from God. So, if God has asked me to stop smoking, and the other side of that is going to be a life that has less in the way between me and God, I should listen right? Oh, there are going to be other things that God asks me to give up that get in the way of our relationship, that goes hand in hand with how much He’s been talking to me about sacrifice, which is pretty close to obedience…or almost the exact same thing huh?
So all week I’ve been arguing with God that I’m on vacation, that I’ll quit next week etc…and God has been relentlessly pursuing me, going to the max on getting my heart, getting me to give up what gets in the way of our relationship. He’s a good friend like that, always wanting to be closer than we currently are.
I find myself today standing on the deck of this ship looking out over the water having a cigarette and yet again God starts to talk to my heart, “give this up…” and my heart gets heavy, man does it get heavy, just feeling so “I don’t want to, I don’t want to, I don’t want to…. I want to…but I don’t want to”.
And then God said the most simple, but incredibly profound thing I’ve heard all day. He said, “If obedience can bring such blessing, how much torment can disobedience bring?”
I looked out over the water and remembered Jonah being eaten by a whale because of his disobedience….talk about a bad day and/or 3. think about that, think of being swallowed by a whale, that’s not even possible is it? Well it happened, and if you see Jonah in heaven before I do, tell him I says “sorry man, that’s just shitty”…
This is the thing….God doesn’t just punish His children left and right, but what His children often do is step out of the place of obedience, dragging us out of the grace and favour of God leaving us susceptible to what is really due our actions.
After saying this, I see very clearly in my Spirit man (another long conversation I need to have at some point with myself….man I love the sound of my own voice/thoughts/typings). I see 2 angels standing behind me and they have both of their hands on my chest and lungs, and I hear very clearly God say, “I have been protecting you…”
I was sitting at lunch with a friend yesterday and we were talking about the amount of times I’ve been in the hospital in the last month (7 times in a period of 12 days) and how I got incredibly sick, and all the tests came back clean and clear.
I’ve put a solid 24 years into ruining my body. Seriously, it’s hard to admit somedays, but I’ve in no way looked after my body, I’ve been smoking for the last 8 years, and I’ve been eating more and more and more and all the wrong things time and time again. I’ve put my body in last place, right behind the trash can. I walk out of my doctors office and he says, “well, your blood work comes back good. You’re healthy, your cholesterol is normal, your blood pressure is normal, your blood sugar levels are normal, your breathing is normal, your ___insert body function of any sort here___ is normal.”
How’s that possible? I have not looked after myself at all, and I’m fine, I haven’t ruined anything yet….Thank you God.
God has been protecting me. But I realized, how long can disobedience go on before I step to far out of God’s grace and something happens? God doesn’t remove grace in my opinion, He’s so good that he’s always wanting to pour grace, love, joy, etc… over our lives, but He has also given us free will, so my choices affect what He is able to do.
As I realized all of this I flicked the cigarette that I was smoking over the balcony of the deck I was standing on, reached into my pocket, pulled out the remainder of the pack of smokes I had and bent them in every which direction, making the conscious effort to be obedient.
Here’s my point, Obedience breeds blessing, breeds closeness to God. Disobedience, if it doesn’t bring us backwards, it will at least hinder us moving forward in our relationship with God, our destiny in Him and our lives that we are living here on this earth.
When God asks you to be Obedient, for your own sake, for God’s sake, for the sake of the
God’s constant desire is to bring us closer and closer and closer to Himself, and only we can hinder that process. It’s a walk, it’s learning, I got lots more things to give up and lots more avenues of obedience to walk down, but if you can make that one step towards being obedient where He’s asking today, the next time will be easier, because you will be doing it from a stronger relationship with Him.
Here’s to living a life of good choices…24 might just be a good year ;)
p.s. - i'm gonna try and blog every week...just to verbal process if nothing more
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