Have a little Spurgeon in the morning?

Well now... that's quite engaging.

I've started reading Charles' Spurgeon's Morning and Evening for my daily devotionals... and boy does he have a heavy word to speak today.
"There can hardly be any goodness in a man if he be not angry at sin; he who loves truth must hate every false way." That's for sure. We are to imitate Christ, for He is the perfect man, and he calls us to be perfect, which we can only strive for through His strength, and will never accomplish until the day we step out of this world.

"He [Jesus] hated wickedness, so much so that He bled to wound it to the heart; He died that it might die; He was buried that He might bury it in His tomb; and He rose that He might forever trample it beneath His feet. Christ is in the Gospel, and that Gospel is opposed to wickedness in every shape." Well, that's just great. So God hates wickedness, we know this... what does it mean for me? That because I am wicked, I am also hated by God? No.

"As warm as is His love to sinners, so hot is His hatred of sin; as perfect as is His righteousness, so complete shall be the destruction of every form of wickedness."
Amen! May God's name be praised! I feel a little like a charasmatic preacher... but it is glorious that the Holy God, who has every right to punish us fully, sent His son as a substitute for all of mankind, and for me, that I might not know God's full wrath. Life may still suck sometimes, but it's nowhere near what we deserve, and even in the hard times, God is closer to us than anything else.

-Gilligan(Cleansed in Christ)

Na08

Incredible, amazing, and awesome.

Just three of the many many words I'd use to describe the New Attitude conference I just got back from... It was awe-FULL!

God really grabbed my heart and tugged it ever so gently but firmly back to Him. I've now got a passion to read the Word and delve ever deeper into the wonders of His grace and majesty. Each and every message spoke to me in some way, and showed me things for myself and others that were incredibly poignant and relevant to what I was (am?) going through. When God speaks, you better listen, because it is good. I'm currently going through the messages again, listening to them and taking more detailed notes this time around. (There's only so much you can fit in the little booklet they give you, especially when some of the speakers speak quickly!)

Also, I'll be starting to read Spurgeon's Morning & Evening tomorrow, the idea is to read it both in the morning and the evening. (Who'dathunkit?) Here's to God!

-Gilligan(All I have is Christ)

People Suck

Well, this week is turning out to be one filled with drama and applicable advice and satire. I suppose it's in preparation for the conference I'm going to this weekend, and thus will not be blogging. I'll be sure to post more once I get back. A friend of mine had some choice words for another this morning, and I felt that they were adequately appropriate to, well, everyone. She has graciously allowed me to use her words on this blog that no one reads.
Thanks Dori.
I'll let her take it from here:

People suck. God said so himself, just not in that way. Every person on this earth is dishonest, and they will be until they die. No matter how many people say they don't lie, they're lying right there. People will hurt you, people will let you down. People are awful. We're ALL awful. Even you, [even me].

Just know that God is the One that makes us all better. It depends on who actually takes God's offer of eternal life and starts to use it and listen to it. The key word there is listen. People don't listen to God. People just go about and do their own thing, and most don't think they need God. Actually, all people usually think they don't need God. Well, they do. We do. You do.

Like I said, people suck. But God is the only One that makes us better. People just need to stop, look, and listen.

--Dori

Still kinda weird...

I'm not sure if there has ever been this much application to my life from other sources, or if I've just been particularly attuned to them lately, but these came this morning in a daily quote and joke email I get.

"No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether irreclaimably bad."

--Unknown

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

--Elizabeth Kubler Ross

"Troubles in marriage often start when one gets too busy earning the salt that they forget their sugar."

--Unknown


And this is the cartoon:


Not directly applicable, except for the break-up and subsequent distance created by one of the parties.

Well Golly Day!

Is EVERYONE on the internet trying to read my mind/mock my life lately? First Lolcats... TWICE, and now XKCD. Gosh. I wonder what apropos meme tomorrow will bring.

New Design

Wait, I might hesitate
Am I a minute too late?
Please Lord, I need to know,
This pressure's got me letting go
If I'm wrong, will I still carry on
And end up where I belong?
I've never felt this way, before

I've never come so close
I've never worn so thin
I'm stepping out, instead of closing in
I left myself behind
When I made up my mind
No turning back this time
This is my new design

Sometimes, I feel so alone
It feels like I'm standing on my own
And I've never, felt so far from home
it's coming on, it hits me when I step
outside my zone

I see, what you're doing to me
Could've been you so easily
but you look the other way
Even though we were close the other day
And I'm still trying to get up this hill
I need you just like a pill
And I've never felt this way before

Do ya get the feeling, everything will be alright?
I'm moving, so pleased to meet you
But I am moving on, tried to pass it to another
But it's coming on, I can't wait to find out
Break me, I can't seem to climb out
Of this hole, I'm stuck again
If I'm not out in a minute, I'm jumping in
Let's start again
I'm sick of this

Let's just, get it out, are ya feelin' it?
Move back, ya wanna feel how real it is?

Sometimes I feel so alone!

(Thousand Foot Krutch: Phenomenon)

TFK really spoke to how I feel tonight... God had me stick their CD in and put it on random for a reason. In it it's really me talking to two people, they'll know who they are. In the explanation below, I kind of expound upon the lyrics and add my own thoughts.

Here it is:

Wait, I might hesitate
(To do the right thing)
Am I a minute too late?
(To save the relationship before it's too late)
Please Lord, I need to know,
(What can I do now?)
This pressure's got me letting go
(Too much stress, what's the cause? Is it me?)
If I'm wrong, will I still carry on
(Will you carry me on?)
And end up where I belong?
(Where do I belong?)
I've never felt this way before
(Why have you told me to let go and give You the one I love?)

I've never come so close
(To breaking down)
I've never worn so thin
(I'm on my last threads)
I'm stepping out, instead of closing in
(Stepping out to You in faith, rather than closing everyone else out)
I left myself behind
(I really don't want it to be this way)
When I made up my mind
(You made it so clear it has to be)
No turning back this time
(I'm going forward in You, please bring her along too)
This is my new design
(I am a new creature, being formed into Your image daily)

Sometimes, I feel so alone
(It seems you've left me all alone?)
It feels like I'm standing on my own
(Why was I ignoring You)
And I've never, felt so far from home
(Home is where the heart is, and mine's in Texas)
it's coming on, it hits me when I step
(You stopped me in my tracks)
outside my zone
(And guided me to a different path)

I see, what you're doing to me
(Change object: I was pulling my hair out)
Could've been you so easily
(I want you to be the one)
but you look the other way
(Why, except that I'm so far away?)
Even though we were close the other day
(A few months ago)
And I'm still trying to get up this hill
(It's hard going uphill when it feels like you're not pushing too)
I need you just like a pill
(I was addicted to you, couldn't get off you)
And I've never felt this way before
(It's weird listening to God and still not knowing where we're going)

Do ya get the feeling, everything will be alright?
(I pray you do)
I'm moving, so pleased to meet you
(May God bless you)
But I am moving on, tried to pass it to another
(This doesn't particularly apply)
But it's coming on, I can't wait to find out
(God's leading me, I don't know where)
Break me, I can't seem to climb out
(From myself, I can't do it by myself)
Of this hole, I'm stuck again
(I fall back away from God)
If I'm not out in a minute, I'm jumping in
(I'm so eager to trust myself)
Let's start again
(God, and you if He leads us)
I'm sick of this
(I need loyalty and reliability and trust... God can provide)

Let's just, get it out, are ya feelin' it?
(Can you let go of yourself)
Move back, ya wanna feel how real it is?
(Can you trust God fully for your strength?)

Sometimes... I... feel... so... alone!
(Without God, life pretty much sucks)

I just wish I could have...

But I will when I come back.

Flavr... Where is it?

Hey God, I'd like an order of life, with a heaping of flavor. Thanks very much.
And can you make it snappy?
No? Oh, ok.
Drive around where??? For how long?
Oh, I guess I don't get those details... of course.
Gee, thanks a lot.
*sigh*

Gilligan (1 month)

Relief

It comes in many forms, but generally follows a pattern, or so I've noticed.

First, there is calm, peace, things are moving along well. Then, a bit of pressure builds up, stress. Over a long time or a little while, but it's there. It may be there all along, just too small to notice until it stacks and stacks so high you can't help but trip over it.

Then at some point, the pressure becomes so great that there is an explosion, a release of the pressure build-up, or, possibly, a steady stream of pressure release as if from a valve channeled properly. It is after the pressure is released that the relief sets in, and things can continue. Things are different, something has changed, but life goes on in light of, or in spite of, the change.

In the form of school, the pressure is homework and projects and tests... they don't seem that bad until the week before, when you have little time to work on them and have to cram it all into a small amount of time. The same goes for exams.


In the form of relationships, which are much more fluid and generally more rugged, it is like a stream with rocks tossed in every once and a while, and some of them are small and roll along, while others are big and cause a huge splash for a moment, and then the stream winds its way around the obstacle. Sometimes a huge boulder is dropped in, and if the river is wide enough, or the relationship deep enough, it will move around or over the obstacle without much difficulty.

But, if the relationship hasn't been fed in a while, or if there have been many smaller rocks tossed in and rolling along the bottom for a while, or worse: both, the river will stop. A dam will have been formed, and the relationship must deepen or widen in order to continue in the same way.

It will remain cut off if it is not fed and nurtured, but if it grows even a little after this damming, it will eventually wear away at the boulder, and the smaller rocks and pebbles will seem to shrink as well. Eventually, the boulder will be worked around, provided the river is given fresh water and a chance to change. This will take a long time, and to the observers it may seem an unbearable amount of time.

It can happen, on the other hand, that an outside force, we'll say a stonemason, comes in and chips away at the boulder, helping the river by giving it some of it's strength. This also takes a long time, but it generally leaves the boulder a smaller rock than if the river were to simply weave it's way around it by itself. The stonemason can even take the large boulder and turn it into a sculpture that the river could never create by itself. This also takes time, but if the river resists, since I'm personifying it, the stonemason will not work on the boulder, and it will not be as good as it could be.

I hope you enjoyed my metaphor for life. I hope it made sense too. Please comment and let me know what you think.