understanding

is the gift that i have been blessed with
glimpses into how each person reflects God in their own unique way.
how he created this universe so complex and how it works perfectly with a rhythm, a pulse, a sound.

Sometimes I feel burdened? sad when people don't see how amazing they really are.
They feel like they aren't good enough because.

how they can't keep close relationships
how they are insecure
how they aren't this or that

they want to become this like blob of uniformness and thats "good"

I want to say "thats whack" your this and this and this
you have this characteristic that God has given to you
you unique in this way
he created you like this
don't let other standards determine your worth.

so what if you don't open up easily
or if don't have a person your really close with?
Everyone is different, they have different ways to connect

God created some people to be open and be able to make friends easily
but those people also get hurt easily

God created other people to be more shy and less able to open up
but when enough trust is built they are able to open up and it becomes something that is real and so much better than surface relationships.


i just wish i could just tell you everything that God has let me see about you
its so amazing all i can do is be amazed at how

COOL i dunno the word to describe it that God made you.

Child

Today I realized how much more I still have to learn
Being around younger people really makes me seem a lot more mature.
But when you look at the big picture 17 is still so young.
I had a reunion with some friends I went on a missions trip with three years back.
They're all either in their last year of university or starting their careers.
I definitely had a hard time finding my place, but at the same time I learned a lot it put things in a different perspective.

In high school we think that things are going to stay the same forever, but the reality is things change...... A LOT even in university and after.

My friends were saying how so many of their friends changed. They started going to different churches or are moving away.

Its scary, but at the same time its exciting.
Even though we wish we can keep all the relationships in high school or in life
It doesn't happen like that.
You meet people some stay for a long time some are gone just like that.
there's still so much more look ahead, think ahead,

Through it All

It gets confusing, the teenage years.
SO much drama haha SOO much
Its almost impossible to keep up with who likes who, who is going out with who, who broke up, who got back together.

Lets not forget your own feelings and emotions.
Its unpredictable worse than a roller coaster because with roller coasters at least you know what its like after one time through.
but with teenage life and drama its different every time.

I'm not an expert im still going through it and im sure the worse of it is yet to come.
but something I know is that God is good and he has plans for me.

That truth alone blows everything away because i don't have to worry about things like:

Is it gonna work out?
What if?
Maybe there's someone better?

I know my life is in God's hand and whatever happens is part of his plan.
His way is the best way, he knows me the best he CREATED ME!
He only wants the BEST for me.
I gotta let go and know that he knows whats better for me than what i think is best
He is my Sheppard


With this in mind I am FREE
Free to live without worry
Free to enjoy the good things that God has blessed me with
because i choose to walk in his Light and his way.
________________________________________________________________

Connected

I usually do my devotions with God in the mornings, since my bus gets to school 40 minutes early everyday. The night before today I stayed up late talking to a friend on msn. I tried so hard to calm down and connect to God, but for some reason i was way to tired and I couldn't concentrate. I collapsed on the floor and slept.
As i was sleeping two girls decided to talk in the loner stairwell where i do my devotions. I was sorta half awake but weirdly I heard everything they said. My first thought was "shut up I wanna sleep" but after trying for 10 minutes to tune them out I gave in and listened to their conversation..........

God spoke to me.

As I listened to the conversation I realized something, these girls underneath everything are the same as everyone else I know personally.

When they talked honestly without the extra crap
They had many of the same problems that I face
even the small things
like homework or fights between friends

As I got up to leave I recognized them. I try not to judge people by what I see but its hard. I was surprised at who I saw completely opposite of who I would expect.

I guess a lot of time we categorize and judge people in our heads knowingly or unknowingly, but the truth is people are people.
We should love them despite their flaws, masks and find the core of the person...
The person that God sees and loves.

Its amazing how even when I was too tired to seek God out
God came to me.
that makes me happy.

it destroys.

it lies in wait for the happy times
and seeps in to bring pain
no more love, but selfishness
thoughts of possession and greed
long to connect but instead we disconnect
even more
its a fight a struggle every second of our lives
to say:
"not to us but you Your name be the glory."

Its not over.

Yes TC did a lot for God
But Still a lot to do for God

Easter service
Joint Coffeehouse
Worship Showcase

I have been getting really negative thoughts about both
Skeptical ones, I'm forgetting that its all God

People are getting soo worried about Joint Coffeehouse but we haven't even prayed about it.

Not just that, my school life needs to reflect God more too
I got so angry and frustrated at my jazz combo today. --> for shame.

I can see myself improving but i also see alot more that can be done.

Only through God's grace

PTCD

after TC people feel depressed.
why? is it:

the people?
the rec?
the worship?
The media?
the cheering?
the energy?

NO

reunions are never the same
we worship every Sunday
we play games in fellowship
we do crazy stupid things out of TC too.

its God


I guess a lot of times people look for "TC" in the wrong places.
When really it starts with God.

Every day should be TC
because your connected to God.
everyday is exciting, another day for God

If we took time to meet with each other
to pray and worship



The Fellowship of the Believers - Acts 2
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

It would be TC everyday


Do you feel sad?
Do you want to feel the joy you experienced at TC?

Connect to God.

Postmodernism

Postmodern ideas sugggest that there is no truth. Everything is relative to the individual. Therefore one cannot determine a universal constant for anything.

However:

This idea is an impossibility because one must believe in the truth that there is no truth, hence proving that this idea does in fact support a truth.

Postmodernists deny the truth because they would rauther live in an illusion, one does not want to really know the truth. But rather go back to the cave...... where they think they will be happy.

Our society looks down on vitues like faith, but they fail to realize that faith is a natural part of the human form.

Science takes faith.

An atheist MUST have faith to say that there is NO GOD because he/she CANNOT prove that there is NO GOD and vice versa

Therefore there must be one absolute truth.

Many follow postmodern ideas because they have been deceived by the not truths
so they are skeptical to any claim to truth.

But we must keep looking
or we will destroy ourselves.

Postmodernists suggest that our human race has evovled to greater better heights, that we are able to learn from all of our glorious past and enjoy every aspect of it.

If that is true
Why are divorces raising?
Why do little kids kill their parents?
Why do we self destruct with our nihlistic beliefs?

We have not progressed to a better humanity but rather regressed.
We should not only learn from the faults of our predeccesors but also learned from the sucesses.

We need to take the truth from each generation and also filter out the not truths.

IN the past we have made many mistakes but we have also made great accomplishments.

If we look at the evidenece behind postmodern belief that there is not truth it is clearly false.

The truth is good. This is something that is built into us as people, not as soceity. One does not need to be taught that lying is wrong. One just knows.

no good has come from this belief.
Some say we are FREE from our belief that there is right and wrong, we can do whatever we please.

but that is not truth freedom, it is foolishness.
Do we not ultimately want happiness?
So i ask the question has the postmodern philosophy given us happiness?
or just pleasure?

IF we are truely happy, why do we still want more?