one last brick.

Have you ever played that game with the little wooden bricks? You build them into a tower, and then slowly you take turns pulling bricks out – the goal of the game is to take as many bricks out as you can without knocking the tower over...

I feel like I’m standing on that tower, really high up. One minute everything is solid and the next you feel as if the whole thing is about to collapse. Life has its ups and downs, but after awhile you get tired of the game. You get tired of people coming along and pulling the ground out from underneath you, you get tired of circumstances taking away your stability. You get tired of the fear that one move will cause your tower to collapse.

I hate to sound so depressing... but that’s how it is. I really honestly feel as if I’m standing at the top of that tower and so many bricks have been taken out – any moment the whole thing is going to come tumbling down.

That feeling is very real... very real. However; no matter how strong that feeling becomes I know for certain that my God is that very last brick... let me explain.

No matter how shaky things become, no matter how dark – I know God is there. No matter how hurt I am, no matter how many wrongs are done to me – I know God is there. No matter how many mistakes I make, no matter how lost I am – I know God is there. No matter how confused I am, no matter how desperate I become – I know God is there. Even if every brick is taken out from under me, and all I’m standing on rests on one little brick – I will not be shaken. That final brick that holds me up is my God – and he is always there, always listening, always watching, always loving, always forgiving, always helping, always supporting, always rejoicing. He will never fail me. He is the rock on which I stand. He is the only thing on which I stand.

worship. random thoughts.

Who are you watching?

I've grown up in a reformed church. I've attended a pentacostle youth group since highschool. I currently attend a Baptist church... I enjoy variety.

Anyways, the point is, after seeing a little bit of everything and experiencing it all for myself... my main struggle as I went from one denomination to the next was keeping MY eyes on my KING and not the people around me. We all know that people express their worship in different ways. Don't get me wrong - I think there are times when people do things that are not biblical and there are times when people like to just make more rules to add to their never ending list.. but I think its sad when people are afraid to just WORSHIP because they're too concerned about what is going on around them.

'i cant raise my hands because no one does that here'
'i cant sit down because everyone is standing'
'i cant stand still because everyone is dancing'
'i cant not sing because we were told to sing louder'
blah blah blah, you get the point... it's almost as if people like to pressure others into worshiping a certain way. why? I dont know, maybe because those who are more 'expressive' of their worship seem to be more passionate about God... which isnt true at all.

Keep your eyes focused on God. You're worshiping Him and Him alone. Dont try to please those around you. Don't try to fit in.  Don't try to follow the crowd. Don't pressure others into what you think is the 'better way to worship'. Just WORSHIP FREELY.

Worship is a lifestyle -  worship is not defined by the ways it is expressed...
dont allow worship to become 'standing or sitting, raising hands or kneeling, being quiet or shouting'... do you get my point. that is an expression of your worship.. that is NOT what worship is.

keep your eyes focused on God. On Jesus. Worship Him Freely.

ooooh jersey shore ;)

Lately, I’ve been kind of annoyed by all the ‘arguing’ that happens over Christians boundaries. When it comes to things like music, movies, TV, social events and other stuff – there’s always different perspectives and opinions on what is right and what is wrong; what’s okay and what isn’t? I guess the reason I mention TV/movies/music is because I hear them talked about the most. For example; jersey shore... some say its wrong as a Christian to watch it, some say it’s no big deal. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not writing this to say I have an answer to what IS okay and what ISN’T, cause frankly – I just have yet another opinion to add this debate... I’d rather mention the fact that our view of sin should be GREATLY affected by our view of God.

The reason we don’t really get sin is because we have shrunk God. Sin has become an ‘ooops!’ rather than realizing that when we sin – we sin FIRST (on the deepest level) against God! That is a pretty big deal I’d say.  --- this thought was mentioned in church a week or so ago and as usual, it caught my attention.

It’s SO easy to disrespect our parents, the elderly and those around us because we’ve forgotten that by disrespecting them – we disrespect God. DISRESPECT GOD! If we were really aware of how big, great, holy, righteous, powerful etc. God is... we would shiver at the thought of disrespecting him. But we forget that by disrespecting those around us (gossip, lies, disobedience, rudeness), we disrespect God on a much deeper level...

I personally think it’s kind of similar when it comes to the music I listen to, what I watch on TV or in movies... I personally think jersey shore is straight up stupidity (I don’t understand how it can possibly be entertaining), but I also really believe that by watching that – I support what it is on some level. I support partying, swearing, immorality, drunkenness... I think you get the point... the bible is pretty clear on those topics... it IS sin. How can watching other’s sin like that become our entertainment... that stuff IS offensive to God, and if I support it – wouldn’t I be offending God? I don’t want to be offending God... do you? I guess I think people need to re-evaluate how they view God, who they think He is, what he stands for... that should affect HOW you live, what you watch and listen to, where you go to hangout; it should affect every aspect of who you are. Live wisely – and wisdom begins with God.

I know it’s complicated because to be honest, most TV shows have something in the that wouldn’t be pleasing to God, most movies and music as well. In the end, everyone does have their own boundaries and limits... but I think sometimes, those boundaries are pushed pretty far. There are some shows I see, movies and music too, and I wonder why the Christians around me aren’t completely disgusted by these things...

In the end, I think we need to be reminded of who our God is. Read the word, go to church, pursue your relationship with God – push yourself. Tune out all the noise of everything else and just focus on God – re-evaluate how you see Him. This will completely change your view of how you should live... we realize whether or not we are making WISE choices – is how we live really how God intended? Or have we allowed ourselves to dip our feet into the ways of the world... just something to think about...

lazy?... fail.

Laziness is like the ultimate way to destroy yourself. That might seem a little bit over the top – but I think it’s true. Sit on the couch all day, every day and your health declines. Expect your parents to always give you money because you’re not willing to get a job - slack on your school work because it’s not as important as watching TV or updating your facebook status – give up on trying to accomplish anything because it’s just ‘too hard’ – don’t work at keeping a relationship with a family member or friend alive because it’s just ‘too much work’ – I think you get what I’m saying... in the end, laziness results in failure.

Laziness allows for something good to fall into a bad state and fall apart.

Proverbs 24:30-34

“I went past the field of the sluggard,

Past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgement;

Thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds,

And the stone wall was in ruins.

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest –

And poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man”

Being lazy in your faith – I guess to me would be if I stopped reading the bible regularly and stopped spending time with God through prayer. If I stopped ‘learning’, I would fail to apply things to my daily life – I wouldn’t put my faith into action as well. If I started ‘pushing the boundaries’ of what is considered ‘wrong’ and started to act like the world... failing to stand apart for Christ. If I stopped completely living for God and just added ‘the Christian religion’ to my life without taking it seriously – I would be lazy in my faith; lazy in building the kingdom; lazy in growing in God.

Reading that proverb, it shows that the person who is lazy and does not work – will have their ‘field’/’vineyard’ come to ruin. When you start to act ‘lazy’, things go downhill! I think it is the same when it comes to faith – when we stop working, trying, pushing ourselves and our knowledge; when we stop moving and stand still – our relationship with God is no longer at the front of our lives – something else has taken our focus... or maybe you just have no focus and have given up – either way, laziness = failure.

This passage was spoken about the other week in church – and yeah, it got me thinking. Of course the Pastor went into more detail – and probably made more sense than I am – but I’m just sharing my thoughts with you. I guess I just really can see the importance of opening the bible and reading it and studying it to better understand its meaning. I see the need for prayer in our daily lives – the need for movement in our faith. Don’t stand still – walk forward – run forward... grow, learn, apply and all the work is more than worth it in the end. We hear stuff like this all the time, it’s become more of a ‘Sunday school lesson’... but yet there are so many people who easily shrug it off. I’ve done it and I know for a fact that when my relationship with God starts to lose its importance, other area’s in my life start to fail as well – but when God is my main priority and focus, everything starts to piece together and grow.

I guess I don’t want to just repeat what we’ve heard so many times before – but I just wanted to stress the important of delving into God’s word and studying it – learning and reflecting – praying and spending time with God – applying all the we learn to our daily walk and really watching our lives change as a result of that – don’t be lazy! Don’t sit back – run full speed towards God.