Teachings of our faith

I got wrapped into a conversation that made me question whether I understood what I believe in. It's easy to sit back and say "I believe in such and such" But its not as easy to explain your belief to someone.. Or is it?

Its one thing to have blind faith, it's another thing to truly believe in what you believe in. You know you believe in it, truly believe in something, when you can explain it. Not just the theological mumbo jumbo, but in a way in which someone can understand. You know you truly believe when you can bring it to someone on their level.

This does bring up the question: Why is it that we only question our belief when we someone is questioning it themselves?

So here's the question I pose to you: What do you believe? What teachings of your faith don't you understand? What teachings have you not taken to heart enough to be able to teach someone else?

Learning to wait - Patience

Sometimes you get started on things and it doesn't always pan out to finish them the way you started. This post has been trying to write itself for almost 2 weeks with no avail. Guess the timing wasn't right....

God puts us in situations to test where we are at that particular moment. It reminds me of my favorite story. The story is about a lump of clay that turns into a gorgeous teacup. Throughout the story, the clay complains about the heat from the stove, it complains about the fumes from the paint etc... But after going through all of that it finally looks in the mirror and sees what it has become. It's not by accident that that lump of clay became that teacup, but if the process had stopped at any point, the teacup would not have happened. This is where the patience comes in. We are positioned for where we need to be, when we need to be. Yes, our choices do play a part, but a very small part. All things are for the good of those who love the Lord. He can take a wrong choice and use it to helps us learn a lesson to get where we need to be to serve him and fulfill our purpose.

Be careful and mindful that you don't rush things. Just because you've been anointed King, doesn't mean you may not have to wait 40 years to assume the throne. The time between being assigned and fulfilling your assignment is the preparation time for your assignment. It is however, our responsibility to walk with and talk with God in the midst of it so we don't miss what it is we need to know.....

Take the time to learn all you can. Live like there's no tomorrow, and don't be afraid to hurry up and wait.

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15

Do you find that despite your best efforts this doesn't always happen... Life gets in the way, family gets in the way. There are many things that get in the way of us serving the Lord. We even sabotage ourselves in our serving of the Lord. Being apart of things gets in the way. While it is great to get involved in things of the Church, we forget, and lose the real reason for us being there - Worshiping, Fellowshipping, and Praising God. I have found myself as of late getting away from serving the Lord and in not serving him I find that I don't hear his voice as clear as I used to. I've wondered on a few occasions why it is that I've gotten away from him. I was listening to a Preacher's Sermon and the thing I realized was that when we think we can do it on our own we stop talking to God and rely on our own understanding of things... I have also noticed that when you are his, he makes it so that what used to work for you no longer works and you have to go back to him. Not necessarily crawling with your tail between your legs, but humbled and with the clear acknowledgment that he is Lord, ruler of all, and deserves undying loyalty from his people....

I am at the point of return.. Where are You?

When did we forget?...

I'm having an issue with being an Adult. It's so much running around with never any time to enjoy things... I remember as a kid it was so easy to go on a road-trip and watch the scenery. Now, I go on a road trip, and I'm doing 90 on the highway to get from point A to point B... This apparently has become my new thrill... Weird isn't it? I know there are many, like me, who are searching for the days of our youth. We get told that it's just us being nostalgic, but is it really? Or do we know what they don't.

My favorite Scripture says "When I was a child I thought like a child. But now that I am a man, I have put childish ways behind me." Now it boggles the mind when Christ tells us to be childlike... But I guess that's where the difference comes in. Being childlike is remembering what it was like to be a child, not thinking like a child, but running through sprinklers.... it's playing Flag football with your cousins, it's learning not to be so stuffy.. It's remembering what it was like to walk through your favorite city at your favorite time of day or night, with your favorite person knowing that there is no where else you need to be... No where else your thoughts need to be. It's remembering that change is OK. It's about remembering that when you fall off the bike, you shake the dirt off, and get back on cause that's the only way you'll learn how to ride.....

Battle Ready

When we hear battle we think war. What we fail to realize is that life is like war. We have our battles. We have our marching orders and we have our General...

But before we can even get into the war, we have to go through basic training or boot-camp... Now in the army of life, basic-training can take anywhere from 3 months to 10 years. We have to trust that our commanding officer knows when we are ready. He may put us out there, let us fail, but with failure comes the lesson and could very well be the thing that keeps us alive later. With failure comes the struggle, and with the struggle comes the refining.

The struggle sucks though. I'm not going to lie to you.. It sucks... It does not feel good. It does feel like you failed... But the thing you learn from the struggle is that there is always a reason for it.

A butterfly struggles to get it's wings. If it doesn't struggle to get out of the cocoon then it will never fly.... Our struggle is what helps us get our wings. It's what helps us soar...

 Are you taking your struggles and giving up or are you using them to become battle ready?

1Corinthians 14:8
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

Little Things in life

A clear min accomplishes much. We spend all of our time running. Running from left to right. Running around, doing stuff for other people. But when do we run to do things for ourselves? When do we take time to appreciate the little things in life? When do we take time to think about the things that we are running from. Silence is a deadly thing, but Loudness, excessive loudness is just as bad. Stopping to smell the roses is not a bad thing. It means that we are finally taking the time out to take care of ourselves.

My mind has been on a song lately: Leave This morning by Nappy Roots. It talks of how the group has to keep working to make money, to keep money and to stay relevant. There is this one part that sticks out.. The rapper says: I'm sorry there's hardly enough time for loving.. But baby the times coming... (2:05-2:09) Something as simple as spending time with our significant others and even our families get pushed to the back burner for the Grind...

I can say with the next few days- I'm going to enjoy the little things in life... Get my head clear to get back to the Grind. But this time... This time it's all for me. 

Check out the song here: Leave this Morning

Motivation

Have you ever had a day when you know there were things to gt done and no matter how hard you try you can't get started?

OR

Has there ever been a day when you start but don't know how to keep going?

It's funny because as I sit here and write this I feel myself answering yes to the second question. I always thought the hardest thing was getting started. Seems as if the the hardest part at times is staying started. Staying started on a task, on a path... Why does procrastination seem so appealing? What is it about putting things off to the last minute that has us so excited? Is it exciting to have to scramble to get things done or is it the idea of I can do it later..... and since I can do it later, I will do it later.

What happens when later comes? This is probably when we start scrambling....

Personally, to be honest, depending on the circumstance, I either answer number 2, number 1 or any of the other questions in the post. Later to me feels more appealing. I now have to get it done or suffer the consequences. But then I hate the consequences when they come up.. Guess you can't have it both ways...

It does make me wonder. I wonder what would happen if every starter of every religion put off until tomorrow what they could do today.... Would we have all the troubles that we are having?

Think about it, if they put off until tomorrow... There probably would be one less religion, one less belief for people to go to war over... One less....

Maybe that's just wishful thinking...

Can you hear me?

Can you hear me? I found myself asking that question the other day. I had made a phone call and couldn't hear the person on the other end... I wanted to know if they could hear me. They could, then I could hear them, and then we were able to talk.

This is what God has to do for us at times. We can get so busy with life and the cares of the world that we forget to sit down and talk to God. We don't stop and listen. When we don't stop and listen, just like little children, we walk off and head into a direction that we are not supposed to go in. Just like any parent, I bet, God is saying "If they had only taken the time to sit down and talk to me and to listen".

I find myself doing that. Getting so busy don't stop to listen. Where I used to talk with him all the time, I fell into not listening, not talking. I find myself making moves where I wonder if God is saying if only they were listening.... I wonder if they can hear me...

My goal for today is to sit and listen. To take time to not only talk to God, but to listen to him as well. Will you join me?

If today ye hear his voice, harden not your heart... Psalm 95:7-8