Jeremy Casella is a stud. If you haven't heard of him you should. Voted 4th best album of 2007 by Christian Today. He's pretty much the source of calm in the storm that is my life right now.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=55134718
"Hand of God" (probably one of the best songs on piano ever unfortunately he doesn't have it up on his myspace):
She's not the kind of girl
Who lies and tells you nothing's wrong
She'll open up her hand
And heal you with her holy song
She's the long forgotten secret seldom told
She's the fire in your blood that's burning
Aching while you're growing old
She's the truth
Wrapped up in tears
She's the beauty
For all your fear
And she sings, nobody holds you like the hand of God
like the hand of God,like the hand of God.
I was cold and desperate for her love
Tossed in the storm that living brings
I didn't know my name
Until she gave me shelter in her wings
She's the long forgotten secret seldom told
She's the fire in your blood that's burning
Aching while you're growing old
She's the truth
Wrapped up in tears
She's the beauty
For all your fear
And she sings, nobody holds you like the hand of God
like the hand of God,like the hand of God.
Where are you?Where are you? Where are you now?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Back at One
I was at work today, and I was working in the dish room. I think it's one of the better jobs because you get to actually work with other people and you can play music while you work. Well, on of the songs that came on was "Back at One" by Brian McKnight which reminded me of something that I've been thinking of and wanting to write about, but one reason I didn't write about was the lack of a good title. I know it's a lame excuse, but still.
I've been thinking a lot about the foundation or fundamentals of Christianity. I guess I wasn't really thinking about them, but more about how we view them. I think so many times, especially in my own life, we want closure. We want to feel progress. We want to say that we've moved beyond the basics.This couldn't be further from the truth. As far as our faith is concerned we will never be able to move past the basics and say "I've got that down." If we do say that then we're lying to ourselves and probably missing something pretty important.
I've been thinking about this because I've gotten so far from thinking about the basics and it's not going too well. One thing in particular stuck out to me and convicted be to go back to the beginning.
Recently one of my good friends has been going through some rough times with another friend of his, and I was glad. Not because I could see how things would end up better or whatever, but because, for a myriad of different reasons, I wasn't comfortable with their relationship and what was going on. Some of you know what I'm talking about, but don't know that I'm talking about. I wish I could explain more, but this isn't the time or place to do so. I need to talk to them first, but jealousy is destructive.
You would think that if we were able to move beyond the fundamentals that jealousy would be one of the first things to go. I mean I've got Jesus what could anyone else possibly have that could compare to that, and yet here I am. I guess I'll start back at one.
Because of his grace and for his glory.
I've been thinking a lot about the foundation or fundamentals of Christianity. I guess I wasn't really thinking about them, but more about how we view them. I think so many times, especially in my own life, we want closure. We want to feel progress. We want to say that we've moved beyond the basics.This couldn't be further from the truth. As far as our faith is concerned we will never be able to move past the basics and say "I've got that down." If we do say that then we're lying to ourselves and probably missing something pretty important.
I've been thinking about this because I've gotten so far from thinking about the basics and it's not going too well. One thing in particular stuck out to me and convicted be to go back to the beginning.
Recently one of my good friends has been going through some rough times with another friend of his, and I was glad. Not because I could see how things would end up better or whatever, but because, for a myriad of different reasons, I wasn't comfortable with their relationship and what was going on. Some of you know what I'm talking about, but don't know that I'm talking about. I wish I could explain more, but this isn't the time or place to do so. I need to talk to them first, but jealousy is destructive.
You would think that if we were able to move beyond the fundamentals that jealousy would be one of the first things to go. I mean I've got Jesus what could anyone else possibly have that could compare to that, and yet here I am. I guess I'll start back at one.
Because of his grace and for his glory.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Blue, White, and Green?
I was at work today, well I guess technically it was yesterday, and I was making sandwiches. While one of the cooks was telling everything that went on the sandwiches and everything he mentioned that we had to tack off the twisty ties on the bread bags to recycle the plastic bag which we had never done before. This got me thinking about all the changes Penn State and a lot of other places have made to become more green. At work I typically have a lot of time to think because I typically work by myself especially when I'm doing something like making sandwiches, sure other people are around, but they're busy doing other things.
Anyways, I've had enough of this "going green" crap. I'm all for taking care of the environment. I mean we do live here not to mention the fact that it was created by God just as we were. Maybe not in his image, but definitely an expression of his love and who he is.
Probably the main reason I'm sick of it is because all of a sudden everyone is suddenly so conscience of environment and how we need to take care of it, but most people don't really care about it. At least not the people you yell at you from their balcony five stories above you. You're probably thinking there's a story there and there is, so I'll pause to tell it. Chase and I were taking out the garbage from our apartment, we had recently done major cleaning, and some girls were out on their balcony. They yelled down to us and we talked with them for a little then one of them say that we were throwing away an old disgusting mop, and one of them said, "Why are you throwing away a mop? Go green."
Anyways going green will never really work. It may work in some ways especially short term, but it won't stick mainly because it's not addressing the real problem, people's wasteful attitudes. It's like our sin. Many times if we are struggling with something we just avoid that temptation at all cost instead of dealing with the heart issue that leads to that sin.
Anyways, you may say that going green is working. That people are realizing how wasteful they are and are changing. To that I would say, spend 4 hours in a Penn State dining commons dish room, or a similar dining facility and you'll see how "green" we really are.
Anyways, I've had enough of this "going green" crap. I'm all for taking care of the environment. I mean we do live here not to mention the fact that it was created by God just as we were. Maybe not in his image, but definitely an expression of his love and who he is.
Probably the main reason I'm sick of it is because all of a sudden everyone is suddenly so conscience of environment and how we need to take care of it, but most people don't really care about it. At least not the people you yell at you from their balcony five stories above you. You're probably thinking there's a story there and there is, so I'll pause to tell it. Chase and I were taking out the garbage from our apartment, we had recently done major cleaning, and some girls were out on their balcony. They yelled down to us and we talked with them for a little then one of them say that we were throwing away an old disgusting mop, and one of them said, "Why are you throwing away a mop? Go green."
Anyways going green will never really work. It may work in some ways especially short term, but it won't stick mainly because it's not addressing the real problem, people's wasteful attitudes. It's like our sin. Many times if we are struggling with something we just avoid that temptation at all cost instead of dealing with the heart issue that leads to that sin.
Anyways, you may say that going green is working. That people are realizing how wasteful they are and are changing. To that I would say, spend 4 hours in a Penn State dining commons dish room, or a similar dining facility and you'll see how "green" we really are.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Time for Plan B
I haven't taken the time to write in awhile partly because I've been really busy. The first couple weeks of school are always hard because I don't really transition well, and I've done a really poor job at keep in touch, but this year it doesn't look like things are going to get any easier.
I've been thinking a lot about an interesting conversation that was held between many of the counselors at Summer's Best. It was about whether or not God intended for man to sin. Was the fall part of God's plan?
A lot of people focused in on free will and how we screwed up and the general consensus from most of the counselors was that God had a plan for if the fall didn't happen and a plan for if the fall did (which in case you didn't know, it did, and He knew it would). I have two huge beefs with this.
First I find it hard to believe that we can thwart God. Especially in something a big as the fall. Even if there are multiple plans I don't believe we have the power to stop any of an omnipotent God's plans.
Second and probably more important: I refuse to believe that Jesus was plan b. You could argue that neither plan was better than the other, but by default because one plan involved us screwing up the other would be better (at least in our limited understanding). But I just can not accept Jesus as the safety plan for if/ when we screw up, and looking at it from God's view, if both plans are equal I still refuse to believe that there could have been an alternative to Jesus especially one as good as Him.
What everyone was saying when they decided that God had two plans was that they were afraid of being wrong. They held their own understanding and their own opinion in such high regard that they couldn't commit to one side or the other for fear of being wrong. It's good to understand things, but apart from Jesus it's almost unnecessary. Most things like this when we discuss God's reasons or plans we will never know because if we knew we would be God, and we clearly aren't. It's fun to talk about it. I enjoy it, but we shouldn't be so concerned with being right because it doesn't really matter if your right. All that matters is God's truth no matter how little of an understanding we have of it.
Because of his grace and for his glory.
I've been thinking a lot about an interesting conversation that was held between many of the counselors at Summer's Best. It was about whether or not God intended for man to sin. Was the fall part of God's plan?
A lot of people focused in on free will and how we screwed up and the general consensus from most of the counselors was that God had a plan for if the fall didn't happen and a plan for if the fall did (which in case you didn't know, it did, and He knew it would). I have two huge beefs with this.
First I find it hard to believe that we can thwart God. Especially in something a big as the fall. Even if there are multiple plans I don't believe we have the power to stop any of an omnipotent God's plans.
Second and probably more important: I refuse to believe that Jesus was plan b. You could argue that neither plan was better than the other, but by default because one plan involved us screwing up the other would be better (at least in our limited understanding). But I just can not accept Jesus as the safety plan for if/ when we screw up, and looking at it from God's view, if both plans are equal I still refuse to believe that there could have been an alternative to Jesus especially one as good as Him.
What everyone was saying when they decided that God had two plans was that they were afraid of being wrong. They held their own understanding and their own opinion in such high regard that they couldn't commit to one side or the other for fear of being wrong. It's good to understand things, but apart from Jesus it's almost unnecessary. Most things like this when we discuss God's reasons or plans we will never know because if we knew we would be God, and we clearly aren't. It's fun to talk about it. I enjoy it, but we shouldn't be so concerned with being right because it doesn't really matter if your right. All that matters is God's truth no matter how little of an understanding we have of it.
Because of his grace and for his glory.
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