empty

eh,found it. it was interesting with fog.....

Never Fail.

Letter to God:

You hold us. That one thing has been on my heart so much, a good year. I'm amazed at Your extravagant and awesome pursuit of us. You had us in the beginning,it's Your love that pressed on. It never fails, not for an instant. I do the most rotten thing and You still love me. You never fail Lord, that is the reason You ran. We think, "why am I living this way when when I was fed with no worries in my Fathers house?"We walk back, but You run when we're still far off. You take hold of us and say, "you were lost and now your found." Lord, You blow....me...away.


......
had to change name because I don't want anyone to confuse this with another thing called "love." which I knew about before hand, I really just thought "love." was a great name. Thought I would change it so not confuse. "Basics." really is to show my belief in what we really need. We don't need this fluff in life to be happy. 

The Right Scope....

 Lord, we're all so weak. I see how much we need You. How much we've always needed You. Lord, You are so Great and Holy beyond anything I can imagine.

      Make me into that man You've always wanted me to be. Not what I think is cool. I look at the stream next to me, I look at how the water is (so glass like, smooth, flowing) and I am blown away by Your awesome wonderful design. You love me like lover. It's like a guy makes something for a girl because he thinks she'll like it. You are the stronger partner. Maybe that's why You created opposite sexes. You were trying to demonstrate ,in a very real way, what You do for us. Your bride the church made of PEOPLE who are united to love You and have answered Your calling. In the beginning all humanity was supposed to be Your bride. Since the fall, the church (being the people who answered Your call) is Your bride. I propose the "Whore" which was Israel in His word(and which IS all of us because WE stray so easily), that God loved anyways  and fought for is all of humanity. I propose Israel, being God's chosen people was the people through whom God chose to bring about redemption for all humanity (which He would not let live in eternal punishment). This was probably realized way back then...but it sure isn't taught. Answer the call.
 
 I love You Lord, with all my heart. I think what You made is beautiful.
-Matthew

Confidence (1 Samuel 17)

    It was kind of a eureka moment tonight...What  is confidence? Where does confidence come from?Really....I guess it is, that you,yourself know that you have the ability to accomplish a task.
     We're all weak, how can we ever have confidence to do anything? I get distracted sometimes by the "waves (matthew 14:22-33)." Psalms 8:2b says, "you have established strength because of Your foes, to the enemy and the avenger" The Lord has established His strength. David has confidence in God, and guess what? He had the confidence to slay a 9 ft. tall man! In 1 Samuel 17:36 he says that the "Living God" makes His enemies like one of the bear or lion he(David) struck down. David had complete confidence in the strength of the Lord and what God thinks of him.He just knows because he spends time with God. He knows God's confidence, he knows God is with him and in turn is able to have confidence in what can be achieved. Anything can be achieved if you're with God and God gives you the strength to do it. Confidence in ones self, is not the source. It's confidence in who God is and what He thinks of you. I don't mean knowing with your head, head knowledge is exterior, but knowledge with the inner most being, your heart. Yeah, you can have confidence in yourself without God but that is so much smaller. As David showed this. David's confidence in God, was Goliath's loss (Goliath's confidence in self). You win when confidence is in God. We win when confidence is on what He can do. It's partially like you think your cooler if you're on a good team. You would naturally have more pride in your team.

-Matthew

What is.... (john 14....vs. 15)

Every so often, I come back to the main topic....

 What is love? Is it just some fluffiness? It's not chocolate, or sonnets, or midnight escapes. To God it's derived down to a very basic element. For God it's not all this earthly romance (although that's nice). In some way those things are a shadow of what it is. If you love God, you obey His commands, it's the same as if you love someone. In a way you satisfy the wishes of someone you care about romantically, you buy chocolates, you go on walks with them. Doing is proof of your emotions. We truly love God  when we do what He asks us to be, to follow His commands.

Lord,
I guess I've dug myself in a pit now...I've messed up. I'm just going to put that up front. I thank You for Your forgiveness. I feel like giving up. This is so hard now. Give me the strength to go on. I need to always pursue You.  Sometimes I don't show it. I love You Lord. Take my passion as a sign for how much I care and I'm so sorry. I slip up at my weak points. You have my whole life.

-Matthew

Man and Woman (genesis 2)

I wonder why women always (not 100% but it's fairly common) tend to marry a little earlier than men? Women, when they're just children, they're are playing with dolls, dressing them up, and marrying those dolls! I remember as a child being sucked into playing barbies with my sister. I was, of course, the ken doll. Every so often I'd try to sneak my GIjoe as the dad. I'd try to get my GIjoe hitched. Poor GIjoe is still a single commando. He couldn't make it past the eyes of mean ol' sister (probably spared him). Maybe it's a male and female nature to get married when they do, just maybe. I mean, the same system happened back when there were the only two humans in existence. Is that coincidental? Crazy, but maybe, even that was passed down. Look at Genesis 2:18. God knew what Adam needed after he went through the animal inventory of the world. Adam confirms this need as he says, "THIS AT LAST..." It's the naming of what "woman" should be called. Notice He's still in the naming mode. I imagine God led Eve to Adam in a very playful, kind of "magical way." Like you would for someone you love, without the magic part. Look at this, man was created first, he was in his job and career caring for the garden, Adam waited long enough to know enough to get lonely and proclaim "at last." He was looking for someone, "at last" the woman was born and already she's led to meet the man. Things haven't changed a whole bunch. I guess it's out of God's eternal wisdom. Women for some reason need that, men need to clear their plates, it's in both their natures and it's needed. Maybe you get the point of "need."

-matthew

sun rise on evil and good

6/25/11

This just popped into my head yesterday as I was walking into the dollar store and thought of some homeless dudes and the nice old guy who asked me for 50cents yesterday. I never really realized the way God loves us.

God loves us regardless. There is nothing that we can do to get that love more, He just loves and cares as His beloved children , or in our way of putting it, He loves His kids ALOT. Like how a homeless man might hold a sign up that relates to us in someway or makes us kind of chuckle. We might be inclined to help him out, in a sense he earns it. We think, "it doesn't matter what sign you hold up, I'll give because I want to give." The sign could make me laugh or not. It's the same to God, we are (in reality) just worthless, hardly even existing, dirty, smelly, and even not caring, and God gives to us all. He makes it rain and dry with the good and evil! This verse came to mind, Matthew 5:45. We are His and He loves us. It's not what we give that we get. It's who He is that we get. We are made in His likeness and therefore special.....you are important to Him. He will go to all lengths to save you. It's His amazing, fantastic love. It's because of His love that we must love.

-matthew

last few

I see the awful,terrible devastation of the days before God comes. There will be no question whatsoever as to " are these the days?" Everyone high and low will know that these are the "days." Look at

Revelation 6:15-17,

Then the kings of the earth, the princes,

the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone

else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among

the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the

mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us

from the face of him who sits on the throne and from

the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their

wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Everyone high and low just knew it. And more than that, they were completely aware that God is real and powerful. Our wondering now for if "this is it" is all wrong, this isn't it. I know these aren't the "last days," I mean right up to the doorstep. These are the last days right after the crucifixion, but they aren't the last few.

Oceans of wisdom in a raindrop

"C'mon," said Jesus ,interrupting Mack's thoughts. " I know you enjoy looking at stars! Want to?" He sounded like a child full of anticipation and expectancy. (p. 110 "The Shack")

I like the purity of God's look of humility and thoughts portrayed here. He's not anything near small, by all rights God is the definition of greatness, but He lets us come close. He comes to the personal. God is so big He circled back around to simple joys in the purities of life. It's like once you get hugely big enough, you can look at the big picture and enjoy the simple things again. You can see then what's really important, like how certain ancient philosophers found true wisdom in the life observation of a single flower. So the big stuff is far to big and complicated for us,we just need to realize that. The big stuff only creates needless worries of things you can't do anything about. I think this point is well demonstrated in the "karate kid" (yes pop culture has some redemption) as the matter tells "daniel son" to focus on catching a fly with chopsticks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1gAHil89Z4. I don't want this clip to get you off track. The only point I'm trying to make is the soul focus on one thing to do can be very good. This is a bit of a humorous parallel demonstated with amercan pop-culture. But it's kind of true. For big things it's humanily impossible to have nearly enough focusing power to focus on the big stuff, but God can. It takes quite a bit more time and ability to see the big picture with big stuff, not missing deals. But with something small, it's not nearly as overwelming, we can get all the details and often times make big realiztions over a span of our lives. It's truly humbling to get big concepts out of something small. It's an accurate gague of our view point and ability to see, when compared to God. We see something small and need to spend our lives to dig concepts from it, but God digs all concepts from everything, science, philosophy, ways of life, and ways of doing things, He is infinately wise. He passes His wisdom on if we listen to His quiet voice. He speaks oceans of wisdom. We can hardly contain it.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
(psalms 46:10)

fairy tale of the rock (1 Peter 2)

You know, it's like we live in a fairy tale where impossible things happen. They do. I've had this view for quite a while now. All around us something is put together that was nothing to become something else. A baby grows (it grows!!) into the most complicated thing that can never even be completely understood! It grows inside another human naturally, being fed by taking apart other organisms (the body does the work for it). The thought itself is "magic" but we're so accustomed to it, we just take it as ordinary. We dumb things like that down, through inventions, to make what we copy in nature, to look amazing (like planes are just non-organic birds)....what the heck, how can we do that? We live in a fairy tale where what was said actually happens. In Isaiah 28:16, God says that He will lay down a stone foundation, that is sure, that we can hope in. If you believe now, it's not believing to fast! You chase the sure path. He is the only One you don't need to walk down to see if it's ok to walk down. He is secure. "Give all your hope, it won't be a waste," He says. In this world of uncertainty, He is the exception, He's always been that. In this world where "impossible" things happen, it's not impossible when we stand on our rock. We can brave the journey, He gives us strength to do His will.

faith and actual action (James 2:14-26)

Works are the evidence of what I believe, It’s the clear full knowledge in action. A concept or theory like “relativity” remains just a thought until proven in the physical world. Words are just thoughts unless proved by action. It’s not enough that you just have “faith” in God. That doesn’t make you holy. It’s a life style change. It’s a life concept change. God does grab our hearts for His purposes. The way I see it, the only way we could be new for in God is in our mental state. That’s only thing that held us the strongest. Even that is weak, in “the Fall” it was easier for non-thinking matter (gen. 3:17-19) to be changed (thorns, sickness, all those things that came through “the Fall”) ,but for our minds, we have a fighting chance. Yes, we still “sin naturally,” we naturally are born with a pre-set mind to lie, this is an example of sin (which is why a little child will tell his/her “first lie”) but we have a fighting chance and more so now, God knows the one place that the destruction of sin isn’t as strong, our ability to have faith that something will happen Don’t get me wrong, even that was damaged, we could have had it stronger before. Our faith in Christ holds us from hell. Faith takes the greater portion of weight. We still need to try, but if we faulter and come back to our senses to what is right, God forgives us, and our faith holds what we couldn’t. Like if you say “ I have faith the mail man will bring the mail today” you believe on faith. You faulter by going to the post office and trying to get it yourself. But if you went down to the post office and came back, then sat down on your coach and thought, “why did I do that? of course the mail man will come!” God forgives us. We sin , come to our senses and ask for forgiveness, God forgives us. But we need to at least try to follow through with action. Our belief is not enough, it’s our heart change and predisposition to want to do more. It’s like naturally wanting to steal vs. naturally wanting to buy. Accepting Christ is like changing our natural urge to do wrong. Instead with Christ, we naturally want to do good.

Father, this is so amazing . Our minds must have had amazing strength before. I think it's that strength that hurt us. Eve's pure intention to be wise for You (Gen. 3:5), but in doing so, she didn't have faith in you're good intention that You had a good reason for why not to eat from the tree. Anyways, I love You Father, I believe in Your intentions for my life.

-matthew

Justice,Love, and Truth

KEY:

Justice=The follow through action of a truth stated

Love=Design so perfect, that it is an absolute of forgiveness,willingness to give everything and is based on the reality of truth and justice.

Truth=Reality that is

You know this debate all through the Christian community about Rob Bell and his book "Love Wins." I read an entire article in "Time" magazine . I've been thinking about this alot, alot, alot. If hell has been destroyed or will be someday, if it doesn't matter if you accept Christ or not, then there is no purpose for Christ to be set here. I can see why this would stir up controversy. Jesus when praying says, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless , not as I will, but as You will"-Matthew 26:39. That means , that if He didn't need to die for our sins, for us to go to heaven , He wouldn't die. But He did die. His real love is demonstrated through justice. Justice makes life function, that's what it is, the basis of true reality (the truth that paper can't pass through a table, is the truth of reality. Justice is that or the follow through with this true statement is ,paper can't pass through it). If God allows a lie (God not being life), to continue on, there is not justice. His forgiveness is based in justice that needs to be done. Everything God is and stands for is ruined. God forgives us because the punishment for pain,suffering and sin was paid for through Christ's perfect sacrifice on the cross for us. Love and truth (what is) can not be without each other. I wish that this would be understood by us.

-Matthew

(I don't currently have the book yet, I can't make a proper judgement of the assertion of the TIME article, I'm currently buying the book. I'll confirm this or deny this when I get it)

Out of Camp (Hebrews 13)

Isn't it strange, the Israelites went outside the camp to burn the sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 13:12) I'm personally drawn away to be alone with God, outside the comfortable places. Sometimes for me (not everyone), in the comfortable places, I just don't get as much done and it's easier to sin. Could "going outside the camp" be some sort of symbol of "apart?" Like you become apart from God and the whole of unity that God always intended for humanity? Now that I think of it, it probably is. God has this way of making alot that He commanded the Israelites to do, to be symbols. Just think about it, did sacrificing animals ever really take away sins? No, it was all just foretelling what needs to happen, we're all a bit "thick."Either way, isn't it just more proper to mess with stuff that just grosses you out, to do outside the area you're living in? We are being cleansed, washed and coming back in. A good point is made, Christ was "outside the camp" when He was crucified. It was a filthy thing to do, but God really must love us. Think of someone you truly love, what would you do for him/her? What do we do outside the camp? Well, (forgive this) we poop, discard of radio activity, dump our garbage, and we do things in secret. Funny how they're all proper to do out-side the focus of our daily lives. Life is not meant to be lived in sin. Christ makes us clean and walks us back in.

-matthew

forgiveness

I came to this realization. Jesus loves us so much that His love is greater than our amount of sinning and continuing trip over the same old stumbling block of sin. That is great love beyond what I can imagine. If someone said sorry to me and later kept doing it, I wouldn’t really forgive them. I would say it on the outside but to protect myself, I wouldn't really believe it.

Lament of an Older Son

I was giving my lament to God tonight. I had a bad day. I don't know why exactly I need to work so hard and have long tired days. I don't feel like I get any reward for my work! About that time I was reminded of "the prodigal son" story. You know how everyone wants to be the younger son because the party at the end is about him? Well, I'm not that, I'm the older son. I was always a bit hyper and risky, but I'm also very responsible. It's a strange mix, yes. I feel like I have it bad,and others, not as dedicated for as long a time as I have,(prepare for the "pity party") been able to hear God better. Maybe what I'm hearing is God (I've thought He would be more clear though). What the heck do I have to complain about then? I'm pretty sure He speaks to me, just not the way I assumed. I just need to refine my ears. I guess I am at fault then! About this time I read Luke 15:25-32 "son you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found." God will give me what I need when I ask. He has everything. I have faith and am believing. God will provide for me to get through school. I need my car. Lord, you will provide all things. I need the ability to finish my assignment (and hey You just did,hence the reason I have time to type this up). You will provide.I love You Lord.

Your older son,

Matthew

(success update....I got the money to use my car! The army finally paid me!)

thoughts....

When I woke up from my coma, this was surprisingly the thing I was thinking and it brought me to a renewed passion for God. Not that I didn't know it, but I just never saw the boldness of this truth. So obvious, why didn't the reality of this hit me before?

"There is no law that disorder comes to order...The second law of thermodynamics says that entropy naturally increases,NOT the opposite...

How exactly, can order come from disorder? If i you found a computer in the desert, would you say it just came together over millions of years?No,but the organic brain is a thousand times more complicated ( i don't know factually how many times more complicated,but i think it's safe to say "alot"). Can anyone really stake their life on a contradiction?

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics"

....I don't know how relevant the evolution/creationism debates are these days, but I think the 2nd law puts it to rest. Regardless, I've found that as a true witness, we can have is love, and service. People don't really take notice if confronted with fact, at least I become very sensitive of that as of late. Or it's to hard to process at that time. They will either think of some thing else or use a made up excuse to divorce the idea. We all do that though.

Aggressive Mercy

I learned today something I never really knew the meaning of. Do you know what "grace" really is? It's aggressive mercy. It's forgiving, going the extra mile and helping to heal the issue in their life. It's what God freely gives. He gave us forgiveness, then invites us to live with Him in His royal kingdom. That's what I love about my Father and I totally don't deserve what He gives. It's like if someone stole my car then they were caught and the police said, "here's 1000 bucks and you can go on your way." It's grace, it's aggressive love that pays for all, even the persons the persons own wrong choices. This concept can change peoples lives. It's so amazing. For so long it's been portrayed itself as just "mercy" by itself, to me. I love You so much Lord.

-Matthew

homework: watch "Les Misérables" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oni72Fl7xaw

beautiful humility (Philippians 2)

Nothing selfishly, we are for each other. This is something very hard. To live as such a family that even your own welfare is second. Even God of this universe considered made Himself small (Jesus). Jesus the Christ is separate yet One with the Father. The Spirit form of God. I guess there is a logical reason why God had to make Himself one of us. The only way to truly know us, is to be one of us. God is Spirit, He can go anywhere. He can do anything but He limits Himself in human form. It's amazing to me that He made Himself into one of us. What kind of God do we serve now!? I serve and am proud to serve the God with a pure and ultimately beautiful heart. I humble myself.

Lord, You are beautiful. It is amazing to me that You would do that. You've let me know how humble I should be now. I was wrong Father, use me....

-Matthew

Burden Bear (play on words, oh yes) Galatians 6

O' Lord You love us so much. It gives me passion to press on. I'm easy to drive on, I love to love, and I love Your love. It's unrelenting. It's so unlike in life, how I learned to love. My love fails, constantly. But Your love never fails. Your well goes on for eternity. Who are we to You? We're the object of Your love. You are my purpose at all. There really is no purpose without You. You are new everyday. How can that be? I know this is something I've said before but it's so true. Our Father calls to bare each others burdens, and help them along. Lord teach me to bare the burdens others have. I pray that just talking to me would release a little. But by now means, I don't want to take the glory from You. I would like to help though. Teach me how to help the best way I can. I love You for taking our weight.

-Matthew

love begot life

I've been thinking alot about community. I've never really understood that God was always making us into community. It's how we were meant to live, it's not natural to be alone, and want to be alone. Even God Himself is a community, Himself. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. As three they are One. The smallest unit is two. A husband and a wife. Together they make one. Your wife or husband is you. You operate with her, as one. Humanity was created out of love. God truly loves us. His love begot humanity. We are alive because He loves us. However evil is self-destructive, not only to everything,but even to itself. It will not last forever. It will die alone,useless,with nothing to show, and pathetic with nothing else to destroy. But love creates Life. We can see that even now. Not only life but hope, and even strength. There across the street was a torn, and broken young man. Abused and tossed out of his home,but then you come along,give him a meal, a smile, and make him your friend. The young man gains hope that he's going to be alright. He then goes about through life. He sees a beautiful young woman about his age. He's instantly attracted to her. The two fall in love. They do sweet things for each other. He, one day, surprises her with a marriage ring. Of course she says yes. They get married. The young man gets a job with a house building company, because out of love, he wants to provide for his new wife,whom he loves more than anyone. Later the two decide they want a child. The husband and wife,out of love, had a baby. Love begot life. Out of love, God created humanity. Out of love, Christ died for us, giving us an eternity with Him. Love begot love. Love really is the most powerful force out there. In the end, love always wins the war. Good wins over evil. I LOVE YOU LORD.

-matthew

"you shall surely die"

hear me out.....

I'm going to be a cliche Christian and get excited for this...I usually hate cliche stereotypes but in this case, it's right. That's why every so often, it's good to get excited for the unoriginal ideas. It's like someone thinking, because there is a cowboy there, he must ride a horse and wear spurs. It's like because a guy eats all the time, he must be overweight. It's like, you're a male so you must like meat or like outside. We all carry these stereotypes. Annoying when wrong? Yes. It's a stereotype. Just be aware to know that stereotypes are nnnever right all the time. Just be careful with the few stereotypes that are indeed correct. Now to the stereotype I'm proud of...I'm a Christian and excited for heaven.

I finally get it! "You will surely die." God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, not because they'll die automatically. To God the end result is the now. It wasn't that the tree was poison or something, but the tree opens your eyes to see evil. Before, it wasn't even a concept. It's the disobedience to God, conjoined with the knowledge of sin in the world that was deadly, it still is. Let's say it's a sin if you eat. Now it's only a "sin" to your body to not eat. If you continue restraining from something your body needs, you will die. In the same way if we restrain from God we will die in a very literal sense. God made everything. So in a sense, if you lie about everything, that may cause your destruction hence a sin to yourself and others leading them the wrong way. A life of sin destroys God's perfect work. He meant us to live forever, as crazy as it sounds. That's how God created us, to live forever. I know....nuts, but it makes sense with Genesis 2:17. I mean, wouldn't you just think if God told you, "You will surely die," no kiddin' God. But God means you weren't going to die NOW, you will someday. We weren't created for an end. Death, the last great evil. It's finally been conquered. So 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 is right, death has no sting. We can have life through our conquerer. No more saying goodbye. We get to live with Jesus and our family forever. You are good, Father. I love You.