I was blind, now I see

I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. John 9:25

This verse hit me. It is sort of the faith that I feel like I have now. I don't trust in facts or convincing arguments. They have been tried on me but still my faith remains because there is a few things that I know in life and this is one thing that I believe I was blind (realizing how much I do not know and God is the only one who knows), now I see (or at least a little better than before) not in the physical sense but the the way Jesus talks about it verse 39. I feel that is my testemony to the world not some list of facts or convincing arguments but the truth that I was blind, now I see just like the blind man.

Funny thing

It's a funny thing we got going here. We are always reaching for the next height, the next big paycheck the next drug high, the next award, the next party, the next accomplishment, it seems we can never be pleased as humans. This works very well with our society we have every one wanting to be the best and we have the people who are the best not able to take the pressure or the life because it is designed for the super humans that no one is. I disagree with this system because it gives an idea of hope where there is no hope, it pretends to answer question when it really asks them. The problem is that humans need motivation to feed our selves, and to help others, and to survive this world. What I'm trying to say is that, the next big thing is a poor motivator, what should motivate us instead is a passion for what we do. This is harder because it leaves us open to be hurt, but i think it is really the only choice that we do have. So I will continue my journey teaching myself to have passion for every thing I do, because it is not something you can change like that.

Good Devolution

Today's devotion from Goshen College:

FEB. 14 - TO A PLACE WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE


By Bryce Bow, a junior physical education major from Muncie,
Ind.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 (NRSV)
Scroll down for complete Scripture.

DEVOTIONAL:
Imagine (Yes, I'm asking you to really focus, really use
your imagination!). Imagine, right now, you are a homeless
person, living under a bridge in, say, downtown Chicago.
It's cold out, extremely cold. Your clothes are tattered and
dirty. Your hair is nappy, you haven't showered in a long
time and your hungry because it's been days since you last
had anything to eat. You're in pain, more than physical
pain. A deep, throbbing pain circulates through your whole
body, almost as if your soul hurts. It starts to rain. A
cold wind sweeps through and blows your small fire out. All
you can feel is pain, the cold and the tears running down
your face. Stop for a second and really put yourself there.

Just then, a limo pulls up and the door opens. A man is
sitting inside and he invites you in. You accept in hopes
that whatever is in the limo is better than your current
situation. The man inside offers you a hot beverage and some
warm clothes. His smile warms the deepest parts of your
soul. You laugh together and drive; time has lost its
importance. When the limo stops, you look out the window.
There is a beautiful, sparkling lake, almost from a book.
The man hands you a set of keys.
"What's this?" you ask, with a smile.
"It's yours," he says.
"What's mine?"
"Everything," he says, with a chuckle.
You look closer at the keys: for a boat, a house, a car.
For the desires of your heart.
"Do you accept?" he asks, with a smile.
No words will come out. "Why? What did I do?" you ask
yourself. "I don't deserve this. You slowly take the keys.
"I'll be right next door if you need anything," the man
says, smiling still. You have too many emotions: confusion,
excitement, joy, love.

Grace. Our Creator loves us so much that he wants to spend
eternity, the rest of forever, with us. Yes, with us. "Me?"
some may ask. Yes, everyone; there are no exceptions. Our
God wants to take us "out of the depths," to a place words
cannot describe, a place that our minds cannot conceive.
Why? Because of love. Yes, love. It's really that simple.
It's a free gift. We cannot "earn" it, but can only accept
it. Take the keys. Accept the gift. You'll be glad you did.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 (NRSV)
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our
ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was
justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not
before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham
believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.'
Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but
as something due. But to one who without works trusts him
who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as
righteousness.

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not
come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but
through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents
of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the
promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there
is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the
promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his
descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also
to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the
father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the
father of many nations') -- in the presence of the God in
whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into
existence the things that do not exist. 

Breath this cold air

I find listening to God is allot like a cold winter day for me. The first bit is hard, you have to get used to the cold, all the fears of doing something new, all the fear of stepping off the ledge, the first few breaths catch you off guard and frozen. As you learn you get used to it, things you never thought you would, and then just when you got it licked he shows you something new and you got to step outside all over again. He makes you feel all your weakness, all that is impossible for you, and all that is possible for God. Thank you God for all this and I pray that you be with me and help me when things are tough and I can't see this change, want to turn back, force me forward what ever the cost push me to those high hill not letting the past hold me down because that is all that really matters anyways. God bless me and all those I care about. Bless everyone that follows you and give then something special from you.

shake these chains

I guess what gets me down the most of all things, is I can see how we could be doing things better but we arn't. I see people working hard at making things better and I find myself and others, not doing anything because we do not want to or we just don't have resources. There is a limit to how much we can give. I guess it is because I know of a case where the people are giving everything and it isn't enough. I guess that is why we need God, and why this earth is not the end.

There is one thing I look forward to and that is the shake these chains of this world and laugh at my attempts to do anything right and run to the lord of all.

Leaving things behind

Sometimes you got to move forward. Get ride of stuff you wanted to give up for a long time. Here is something that hit me this week in a devotional that I read.

However, when those primal desires, as good as they were created to be, begin to woo us away from God, separate us from others, or distance us from God's best intentions for us, then soul death soon awaits us (Genesis 2:17).

For me this has hit me in the area of friends. Why do I have friends and why do I hang out with the people I do? I have decided that I will hang around with people who I am not afraid to make a complete fool of myself. I have always had the desire to hang around with cool people, groups that I feel I have to keep fighting to stay in, but now I have decided that I don't really care and I'm going to ignore that urge.

One Year

wow one year is a long time, I don't even remember my first blog, or anything about when I started this. Celebrations all around. Have a good one.
This is the Author, saying God Bless.
John James Friesen.

Fits Together or Apart

I am trying to clear up what I've been getting at in my prev, blogs when I talk about robots.
I guess what I'm trying to distinguish between how we as humans do things and the way God does things.

We as humans make rules, make standards. We make things acceptable and not acceptable. I'm not saying this is right or wrong but this is the way we have to do things to keep things under control, and if we as humans want to be more powerful we make more of these things, but really has no power if we choose to not follow them.

God on the other hand accepts everyone who accepts him. Reduces all the rules we have made into 2, and reaches out to the people that don't fit in. He shows the most power when things are weak. He brings together all peoples while bringing out there uniqueness, with out forcing them to conform(even if we as Christians have(shoot even us Christians didn't conform we decided to break from allot of Jewish laws and customs that the first Christians kept)).

I guess this is part of the reason that I dislike a lot of TV shows and popular Idols. I have nothing against having hero's but I do have something against a millions of people all having the same Idol, give the rest of us a chance. There are many people we know that would be much better, maybe not in an individual skill (or maybe if we would if we would go out and have a passion for something) but maybe overall. Thank is what I am talking about being robots, all seeing the same thing, all being taught and feed the same info, all doing the same thing (even being rebellious if that is what you are feed(I'm sure that is easy to make people rebellious, but hard to make people to think)).

peace out
John James Friesen