My Writings. My Thoughts.

Freedom in Christ

// May 10th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // My Thoughts

I live a very moderate and sober life and I believe that my lifestyle speaks to the commitment I have to honor God in all things… As of late I have tended to abstain from some things for the simple reason that I am growing… I am realizing that true freedom in Christ is the freedom to do what is best for others before myself… by focusing on the needs of others I have the “freedom” to do without for their sake… something that was clearly modeled by Christ. The great thing is that this provides me with a peaceful and judgement free conviction that I am obviously free to act in moderation but I choose not to, for the greater good of others… the minor inconvenience of abstaining is a small thing compared to the sacrifice of Christ

on the flip side

our society is filled with “pretending christians” that have basically morally emasculated every action that has even the slightest possibility of not being “approved by God” I think they are missing the point… actually … I know they are missing the point… this is an individual heart issue… you cannot… must not take the stance that everyone must be ruled by your evaluation of how something should be /should not be understood. This was a problem with the pharisees, they made a vast network of moral laws that protected them from ever breaking God’s laws… in doing so they sterilized their perception of God so much that their hearts could not discern what was truth and was was a made up religion… and they ended up condemning the very God that they claimed to serve to death! It is very easy to forget that Gods word is life and his grace is very real and it is meant for all of these scary subjects that we would all rather avoid… let the Holy Spirit do the convicting and you make sure YOUR heart is right when you choose to participate or not participate in something.

Tags: Christianity, freedom in christ, religion vs. relationship

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Baby…

// May 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // My Life

Little did I know that we would be here… that our lives would look like this. I can honestly say that If it were not for you backing me  up… encouraging me.. and yes sometimes dragging me along I would not be the man I am today… I would probably not be the proud owner of a new home either. I sometimes think I hold myself back more than anyone… yet you are always right there when I want to back up… pushing… just enough to make me go forward, to grow, to become more… to be creative and bless and serve others.

I remember your first Mothers Day… I spent everything I had to buy you a KitchenAid  Mixer… and you made me take it back because you wanted jewelry… I knew right then and there I bit off more than I could chew by marrying you! :)   I swore to you there that you would not get one for 5 years I was so ticked off … here we are almost eight years in and it seems the elusive KitchenAid mixer is always just out of reach… I see every time you look at the bright red”Anniversary Editions” with all of their cool features… and I promise myself that it will be the next gift you get!…. but then there is the new house… and all the things to work on there… sometimes it seems so far away… but you are always so patient…

We have a good year ahead of us… debt free… a new home(the first with enough counter space for a Kitchen Aid mixer)… 3 kiddos and we are still going strong… looks like that Kitchen Aid is not so far off after all… :)

Happy Mothers Day

Tags: Family, mothers day

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Catch The Wave!

// May 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // My Favorites

I am really excited to find this new easy to use study bible…  its called the Wave Study Bible it is for the Iphone / ipod touch and it is really neat!  The Wave Study Bible for Iphone

This little bible is fast and easy to navigate and gives you the option of reading several translations at once.  Its also really easy to adjust the text size and the size of columns you are reading  just using the familiar pinch motion on the Iphone.  If you are reading in the single column mode a simple swipe of your finger shows you the next translation and there are quite a few translations that you can buy in the in-app store to expand your library…

There is an excellent tutorial section for learning how to read your bible and  how to use the app itself.  In fact the developers of the Wave Study Bible are very committed to helping you get the most from your bible reading… providing free mini courses and an ebook .

one of the cool things that I found while exploring the app is that you can quickly zoom to an area of the bible like “NT Letters” or “NT history” or “OT Prophesy”   very nice!!!

the search function works quickly and is incredibly easy to use! and there is a share button for the verses you look up! I am totally excited about that!!! currently there is only an email option for sharing but I am pretty sure Facebook and twitter are probably in the pipes… and I cannot wait!

Another cool feature is the Bible roulette… hit the “shake button” or just shake your iphone and it randomly selects a book, chapter, and verse!

As if all of that stuff is not enough… the Wave Study Bible is Free!  so there is nothing to lose in trying it out!  I think once you try it it will definitely be one of your favorite if not THE Favorite bible app on your phone.

Guys I cannot say enough… there are many great  free Bible Apps on the Iphone  If you use one and like it please remember to support and to encourage the developers… let them know that their work is so valuable and important to the furthering of the kingdom of God!

once you use the Wave Study Bible for a few weeks come back and let me know if its everything I am raving about…

here’s the link  http://wavestudybible.com/wave-study-bible-iphone.html

Blessings,

Jasonthebaldguy

Tags: Bible, reading the bible, seeking God, Wave Study Bible

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Can you be authentic?

// May 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // My Life

Being authentic is a real catch-word lately… churches and christians, and even companies are really latching on to the idea of being “transparent” and “authentic”. So what is authenticity really? I know lots of people who claim to be authentic and yet no matter how long I spend time in a relationship with them I always feel like something is being left out. I think the real problem is that at some point they bought into the idea that by accepting that they were more worldly than they should be they automagically become authentic… not so. Accepting your current state of morality has nothing to do with authenticity and everything to do with your lack of spiritual discipline!

1John 1:7 says ” But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Also Read Ephesians 5

I believe that these passages perfectly describes authenticity… “walking in the light”  If we walk in the light our failures and shortcomings are exposed and we walk “as children of light”  loving the fruits of the spirit… in other words we embrace the exposure of our sins and transgression on one hand accepting our humanity and on the other hand we reach towards the saving grace of God and reject our human nature to be self serving.

Simply living a morally lax lifestyle and doing it publicly is no different from what the rest of the world does… calling it authenticity is a slap in the face to everything that Jesus sacrificed his life for… he did not die so that we could live as we pleased comfortably and flaunt it in the face of the world as “freedom in Christ” … but so that we could see that his sacrifice was in its purest form an example for us to live… or more accurately… die… by.

So in your quest to be… “transparent”… “authentic”…”relevant”… remember to honor the sacrifice that paid for your freedom… and be sure to read Ephesians 5!

so… what do you think?  lets talk about real authenticity!   are you brave enough to expose your life to the light and be set free… can you walk in the light?  lets hear what you got!

Tags: authenticity, Christianity, freedom in christ, modern religion, Religion, religion vs. relationship, transparent

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Playing The Victim

// May 4th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // My Life, My Thoughts

Lets face it… all of us are whiners sometimes… everybody is to some extent given some grace when they complain about how things are going for them… in fact, its better to be honest about your feelings that to pretend that everything is going fine. I spent years whining about my divorce and how bad it was… and how much I was paying for it… call it the stages of grief or whatever you want… at some point everyone gets tired of you playing the victim. There is some kind of dysfunctional human mechanism that feeds on attention and sympathy and it can really sabotage our lives! Constantly playing the victim wears on friendships and sometimes exhausts them completely… There has to be some point when you recognize the problem for what it is… Your perspective is skewed! If your life is constantly a train-wreck then you should be taking a look at what is going on.

If you are in debt up to your eyeballs then get drastic… get rid of credit cars…get a much smaller house… or sell a car… get rid of your “stuff” live more simply… Last Christmas I can’t count how many people were complaining about how they couldn’t afford Christmas gifts… but almost without exception each of them bought a 40″ or larger flat panel TV… sorry but I do not understand the logic there! No wonder you are miserable!

I see so many people walking around complaining about health problems… yet the single solitary thing that they should do they simply ignore…. eating unhealthy, living lives filled with stress… drinking alcohol… popping prescription drugs like candy…smoking…

One simple word…. QUIT! just quit quit quit! I am sorry but it is just that easy… if you are fat because you over eat… quit! your life will be better for it… if your job is stressful figure out a way to do something different! God gave us free will for a reason… we can choose to make a difference in our lives…

and if you think I should practice what I preach… here is what I have done in the last few years..

  • I was suffering from anxiety attacks and decided to quit a stressful job and found a new one… and accepted a cut in pay and benefits including a company vehicle to reduce my stress
  • I realized that I was very unhealthy and began eating healthier and smaller portions… consequently I lost 60 lbs, and several health problems completely went away!
  • I realized that being in debt was making me miserable and frustrated so we decided to rent the cheapest apartment we could find so that we could get out of debt.  and we are only 4000 away from being debt free (waiting on the income tax check)
  • I realized many things that I never had time to do was because I was addicted to video games … so I sold my Xbox 360 and now I spend  lots more time with my family
  • I realized that my relationship with my wife had become strained so I decided to be more responsible and helpful… things are much more on track now.

The point I am trying to make is that the sum total of your life is affected by the actions  you take on a daily basis… the bible says… “do not be deceived, God is not mocked whatever a man sows that he shall reap” Gal 6:7   if you continue to wallow in self pity you will end up years from now wondering where your friends have gone… and why you feel so abandoned…when the reality is that you abandoned yourself a long time ago…  Take hold of your life and live it to the fullest… Make bold and righteous choices… live radically and do something about your problems… exhaust all options,  find your joy in simplicity and wholesome-ness  step away from the world that you have created for yourself and ask yourself… what are these things adding to my life…if the answer is nothing… well then you know what to do… whatever you decide… stop playing the victim…

Tags: debt, depression, Faith, life, stress, struggle, victim mentality

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When to Say

// May 2nd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // My Thoughts

Do you ever struggle with saying things that need to be said? I know I do… It is the absolute hardest thing to do… to say what needs to be said…at the right time… and with the right heart… There is always the chance that you will be misunderstood or your motives will be questioned… no matter how or why you say it…

like…

  • Yes… what you are doing is stupid… sorry… but its true.
  • Yes… you are wrong and they are right… quit being so selfish.
  • I fail to understand how you think that manipulating your spouse into doing what you want will make your marriage better… you are truly an idiot.
  • No it is not OK to do whatever you want just because you are “Free in Christ”  Freedom is the ability to choose to do the right thing for the right reasons… your selfishness is what you are a slave to… that what takes away your freedom.
  • God’s will is not a needle in a haystack… if you would do something instead of standing around waiting for him to “smack you with an answer” you would actually experience his will interacting with your life on a moment by moment basis… just a hunch but you are probably missing out on a lot by waiting around until the last minute to see if God will make the choice for you.

I guess my point is actually that if you never say the things you should say… then the things that need to be said may never be spoken… so what if you suffer for it?  speak the truth in love… even if it is painful… let the people you love decide what they want to do with it.

Tags: friends, God's will, Love, truth

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