Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Or would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Stained Glass Masquerade – Casting Crowns
I suppose that I am finding more and more that this blog is beginning to show my friends the real me. It is a good thing though, you all deserve to know the truth. As an introduction to talking about this song I'd like to say that it is what truly changed my heart. It was..... February I believe, or late January that I saw the real meaning in this song, and realized that I needed to clear some stuff up with my family. So I wrote a long letter and read it to the family, the ending of which were these lyrics. I had to share it too with the parents of that young lady that I had cheated. If you don't know that story simply read my previous post. But let's get down the music knowing how touching, and personal this song is to me...
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
This song is quite literally dripping with my past thoughts and ideas. It was really my whole view of life just a couple of months ago. “Is there anyone that fails?” I asked myself that exact question even before I had heard those lyrics. “Is there anyone that falls?” I was positive that I was the only one in my church that was a sinner, the only one that was so small compared to God that I couldn't be saved from the pit I was in.
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong
I saw my friends, worshiping God, their parents, doing the same. I saw my family so into the worship that it was always almost making me cry. They all seemed to incredibly strong, so, perfect if you will. “I know they'll soon discover, that I don't belong.” This was my greatest worry. I knew I was living a lie, actually, now I think about it, my brothers did too. The only real reason I turned was because one of my greatest mentors, my brother David came to me one day and said that if I didn't stop chatting behind my parent's back he would tell them himself. This freaked me out of course, and it broke me. I knew that my brothers knew I was doing it, but they restrained from telling my parents because I think that they knew I would come around. They had faith in me. My greatest fear though, was that my friends and family would soon discover that I shouldn't be there with them. But of course, this is a lie isn't it? We all belong in the church, worshiping God, for He will accept everyone.
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
“I tuck it all away, like everything's okay.” That, my friends, is called a mask. One of the most dangerous props on the stage of life. They believed me, my parents did at least. My sisters did. My friends did. They thought I was just fine, doing well, had a strong relationship with Christ. I love these next lines so much! “ If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too. So with a painted grin, I play the part again So everyone will see me the way that I see them.” It's so true! It's like the old quote from Hitler that goes something like this, “You tell a lie long enough soon everyone will believe it.” That's not a direct quote but that's the main idea. I was living a lie, telling a lie long enough, and people believed it to be truth. And at times I saw it as truth too. Because of this, I grabbed my paint brush, put on that goofy grin and a nice suit and headed off to church. Just so they could see the strong person that I really wasn't.
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
This, the chorus of the song truly makes me tear up as I read it. It explains so much the idea of masks, and faking it through life. It asks, “Are we happy plastic people?” Portraying our sad natures as dolls performing on a dimly lit stage. It portrays the church with a “plastic steeple” which asks the question, “How many of us are acting?” It goes on to say, “With walls around our weakness, and smiles to hide our pain” This is what I lived with. If someone asked me what was wrong I just said, “Nothing” if someone asked me how I was doing I just said, “I'm ok, a little tired with school and all”. What a lie people. When someone is truly asking you how you are doing, why is it so easy to give the expected answer? Can't we be honest with each other?
“But if the invitation's open, to every heart that has been broken, maybe then we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade” This is where repentance, sanctification, atonement, they all come down in these couple of lines. What does, “if the invitation's open, to ever heart that has been broken” mean? It means, if God has called us to Him, (which He has) and has given us the opportunity to repent of our sins, come clean before Him, “Maybe then we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade.” The lyrics take us back to the magnificent churches of old, with stained glass windows. And showing how it's all a masquerade, that word taking us to opera, and acting on a stage. We don't have to act! We can repent, God will forgive us. He has forgiven me. Yes, I still make mistakes, but God won't give up on me.
Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage
I believe what this part is trying to say, and give the listener a picture of an alter call. Alter calls can sometimes be a showing of raised hands for people who want to repent, who want their lives back. So the singer asks, “Are there any hands raised?” Is she the only one who has failed. Then she asks, “Am I the only one who's traded in the alter for a stage?” This is the only part that solos a woman's voice, which for some unknown reason affected me more than the guy's voice in the rest of the song. It was sweeter, higher, and seemed to affect me more than it would have had it been a guy. I don't know if this is just me or not, but when I hear a woman asking me if she's the only person who is acting, it touches me deeply.
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
This is where I fall apart. Or used to when I knew the trouble I was in. “The performance is convincing
and we know every line by heart” It's so true... my performance was, for the most part, pretty convincing. I knew what to say, when to say it. I knew how to pray, how to sing. But I wasn't doing it with my whole heart. “Only when no one is watching can we really fall apart” I would tend to hide in my room, or go on a walk, put the music on a simply cry. I would lay in bed, and cry, just cry. When I came back to the real world, I'd have a smile on my face, I'd be what everyone thought was me.
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
This once again is where the writer of these lyrics hit the proverbial nail on the head. It is this question that I struggled with, and struggled with, and it tore at me with a vengeance. I would say to myself, “Oh Justin, it won't help, they won't understand. You can't talk to them!” But these thoughts, these lies, they weren't my thoughts, they were our little friend, satan. (Excuse the non-capitalization but I can't come to give him that much credit.) :-) He would put those ideas into my head, and fill my mind with lies. “If I dared to let you see, the truth behind the person that you imagine me to be.” Here we go back to the original idea of a convincing performance. Everyone imagined me to be the deacons kid! I was perfect! If only...
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Or would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Please my friends, it's true. If you come to me with the truth, and you tell me of a mask you've worn, don't listen to the devil, don't buy into those lies. I will understand. You're parents WILL understand. Please, for your own sake, don't allow yourself to be fooled. It's a hard path, but it's a path that we have all taken, and I'm sure I will take again. But you know what? God is on our side. We have loving family and friends, that no matter what we do will still take us back in. You can't get rid of them. I know that my arms would be opened, just like my family's arms were open, just like my parents arms were open. I once again encourage you, if you are hiding something, anything, get it out in the open.
Thank you again for reading these long thoughts, and rabbit trails, I pray that I have helped or encouraged you in some way or another. I would ask you to feel free to give this to anyone that you feel might need it. You needn't give him or her my name, all I want is a generation that seeks God to our full potential. Thank you, and may God bless you all!
- Your brother in Christ
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Anatomy of Music Part 1......
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Does Anybody Hear Her? - Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns happens to be my favorite Christian band to listen to. I have always had this thing with music that I won't listen to a song (that is a piece with lyrics) unless I know what he or she is saying. I love to study what I listen to and not necessarily look at what it sounds like, but rather look at the message that is being set forth. Over the next couple of posts I will be analyzing some of Casting Crown's pieces for you all to see, and tell me what you thing about what I have said.
Let's work through, “Does Anybody Hear her?”.
I feel that this song rings true with thoughts as to what society is like today. I personally believe that this song is to portray the life of a young Christian girl. And all I see is a teen girl going through what many, many young men and women a like are suffering today.
Alright, the first part:
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
“She's running in the wrong direction.” This I see happening SO much in this day and age! We're all rebels! It's a sad complex to be sure but teens these days seem to think that they know better than the adults do in every circumstance. It says, “She is trying, but the canyon's ever widening, in the depths of her cold heart.” What does this mean? I believe that is means that she's trying to pull herself out of the pit that she's in, but that canyon, (her sin) keeps getting bigger, and bigger. “So she sets out on another misadventure just to find, she's another two years older, and she's three more steps behind.” Here we go again. More truth. It seems to me that so many young people today are trying to do everything on their own. They step forth, and try to do things that they think will help, without consulting someone who is much wiser. Then, in the end, they all find that they are now two years older, but haven't gone anywhere in life. Instead they have fallen back.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
This is the chorus of the song. With the singer asking the question, “Does anybody hear her?” Meaning, she's crying out for help but no one is listening. Therefore, she has to do it all herself -- and fail. The reason being, she's asking the wrong people for help. “Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people.” I found this phrase quite intriguing. At first I didn't know what it meant, and I still believe I do not know the full extent of it but I'll give it a shot. I believe what's meant by this is that there have been, and are fakes in the church today. And because of this the young girl feels that there aren't very many people she feels she can trust to be true Christians. I can be a personal example of what that looks like too. Being a fake for the past couple of years and finally finding God really just a couple months ago I know what it looks like. I had so much hidden sin that when I was looking for help I would see all the faces at church, I would look around. Yet, each face I saw I didn't trust, because they saw me and thought I was a true repentant young man. And so my thought was, “Maybe their in the same mess I am!” Putting myself in a position where the only way out was to talk to my own parents.
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
Here is my most favorite part of the entire song! It is so sad, and so true, and so utterly scary that it cannot be ignored. “She is yearning, For shelter and affection, That she never found at home.” Now, either my idea that she is saved, just in serious personal trouble is either blow to pieces by this, OR it's because I'm right. I do not really know. You could say that what is meant by this is that she's in an abusive family, or she only has one parent. Or, her family simply isn't a good source of encouragement and light. It's either that or my idea rings true in that the reason she never found it at home was because she wasn't ever brave enough to ask for it. It's a scary thing trying to confess things to your parents, and family. I've actually found that it's harder to say things to your siblings than your parents. The reason being rather humerus in my opinion. It's harder in my view because my parents have always punished me. And being punished by them is, well, in essence, “normal”. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. It's harder to say it to my siblings because, well, they are my brothers and sisters! The see my every day, and think I'm all fine and dandy. Then when they know the true it's a shocker to them. That being said this girl is afraid to ask for help, because she feels that she will be shut down.
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
This part truly hit me hard the first time I heard it. I've heard stories of so man young ladies, and even young men doing this. “She is searching, For a hero to ride in, To ride in and save the day.” We all need our hero, but in this day and age the younger folks tend to find that in a friend, a friend of the opposite sex. I really, truly hate to say this but I'm one who has fallen for this trap. I won't name any names but I will say that when I was falling so fast that I couldn't stop myself, I found that friend. She was amazing! But, in order to maintain that true friendship, where she could help me, I had to hide it all from my parents. She wasn't trying to be any form of trap, she thought I was a true friend to her, really, I was the trap for her. The reason she thought this? I hid the truth from her as well. Since it is all cleared up now we're still, close, true friends, but we are for a real reason now. We're friends, so that we can encourage each other, and help each other. Not so that I can have a crutch and a reason to not confess to my parents. My parents watch over our friendship, and make sure nothing “serious” happens, but I can really have a real friend that I can trust and talk to, not a friend that I used as, for nothing better to say, “unprescribed medicine” to help me get through life.
“And in walks her prince charming, And he knows just what to say, Momentary lapse of reason, And she gives herself away.” This part almost makes me cry every time I read it. It happens to often! The girl is in need, she's yearning for affection, and then that one guy walks in. Her prince charming. As cliché as that phrase sounds it's really bursting with truth. She completely gives herself away to the wrong person. She falls for a guy that most of the time should not be trusted. I feel sick of knowing how many men have cheated young ladies out of a true happy life just because of something like this. It is one thing that I strive to do in my life. I want to be a friend that can be trusted, and that young ladies don't have to worry about themselves while around me. A guy who won't flirt with girls all day and make them give their hearts away. This may sound weird to hear but if you really think about it, isn't it the idea of “flirting” that makes people fall? I sincerely believe that it is.
If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
The band sings this part a few times in a row before ending the song with the final line. But this part is quite powerful. I know that while at church, when I was hiding under a thick mask, and not being my true self, I felt judgment. I felt that I couldn't admit to people that I wasn't perfect! I thought, “Well, their all perfect, they would hate me, they would disband me if I told them the truth!” These thoughts are SO absurd it's ridiculous! They will not condemn you for sinning people! I feel that this part of the song is really some thoughts coming from the girl herself, not really from the “narrator” of her story if you will. Thoughts saying how afraid she is to let people know the truth about her life.
Please comment and tell me what you think. I hope you have waded through these lines and lines of material and I haven't bored you too much! I would certainly hope not. My ending thought would be this. If you're hiding something, if you aren't living in the truth, or know you are doing something that isn't necessarily, “wrong” but you know if you're parents knew you were doing it you'd get in trouble. Then please, open your eyes. See the truth. I'll be the first to admit that it's not easy. And yes, you're never going to be perfect, but your parents don't expect you to be perfect. Just please, don't hide stuff from them! It's not worth it. Once you have cleared things up, life with me so much happier for you!
I do hope I have touched at least one of you in a special way with this post, and I cannot wait to hear back from you.
Smile! :-)
-JustinK
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
Does Anybody Hear Her? - Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns happens to be my favorite Christian band to listen to. I have always had this thing with music that I won't listen to a song (that is a piece with lyrics) unless I know what he or she is saying. I love to study what I listen to and not necessarily look at what it sounds like, but rather look at the message that is being set forth. Over the next couple of posts I will be analyzing some of Casting Crown's pieces for you all to see, and tell me what you thing about what I have said.
Let's work through, “Does Anybody Hear her?”.
I feel that this song rings true with thoughts as to what society is like today. I personally believe that this song is to portray the life of a young Christian girl. And all I see is a teen girl going through what many, many young men and women a like are suffering today.
Alright, the first part:
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
“She's running in the wrong direction.” This I see happening SO much in this day and age! We're all rebels! It's a sad complex to be sure but teens these days seem to think that they know better than the adults do in every circumstance. It says, “She is trying, but the canyon's ever widening, in the depths of her cold heart.” What does this mean? I believe that is means that she's trying to pull herself out of the pit that she's in, but that canyon, (her sin) keeps getting bigger, and bigger. “So she sets out on another misadventure just to find, she's another two years older, and she's three more steps behind.” Here we go again. More truth. It seems to me that so many young people today are trying to do everything on their own. They step forth, and try to do things that they think will help, without consulting someone who is much wiser. Then, in the end, they all find that they are now two years older, but haven't gone anywhere in life. Instead they have fallen back.
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
This is the chorus of the song. With the singer asking the question, “Does anybody hear her?” Meaning, she's crying out for help but no one is listening. Therefore, she has to do it all herself -- and fail. The reason being, she's asking the wrong people for help. “Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people.” I found this phrase quite intriguing. At first I didn't know what it meant, and I still believe I do not know the full extent of it but I'll give it a shot. I believe what's meant by this is that there have been, and are fakes in the church today. And because of this the young girl feels that there aren't very many people she feels she can trust to be true Christians. I can be a personal example of what that looks like too. Being a fake for the past couple of years and finally finding God really just a couple months ago I know what it looks like. I had so much hidden sin that when I was looking for help I would see all the faces at church, I would look around. Yet, each face I saw I didn't trust, because they saw me and thought I was a true repentant young man. And so my thought was, “Maybe their in the same mess I am!” Putting myself in a position where the only way out was to talk to my own parents.
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
Here is my most favorite part of the entire song! It is so sad, and so true, and so utterly scary that it cannot be ignored. “She is yearning, For shelter and affection, That she never found at home.” Now, either my idea that she is saved, just in serious personal trouble is either blow to pieces by this, OR it's because I'm right. I do not really know. You could say that what is meant by this is that she's in an abusive family, or she only has one parent. Or, her family simply isn't a good source of encouragement and light. It's either that or my idea rings true in that the reason she never found it at home was because she wasn't ever brave enough to ask for it. It's a scary thing trying to confess things to your parents, and family. I've actually found that it's harder to say things to your siblings than your parents. The reason being rather humerus in my opinion. It's harder in my view because my parents have always punished me. And being punished by them is, well, in essence, “normal”. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. It's harder to say it to my siblings because, well, they are my brothers and sisters! The see my every day, and think I'm all fine and dandy. Then when they know the true it's a shocker to them. That being said this girl is afraid to ask for help, because she feels that she will be shut down.
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
This part truly hit me hard the first time I heard it. I've heard stories of so man young ladies, and even young men doing this. “She is searching, For a hero to ride in, To ride in and save the day.” We all need our hero, but in this day and age the younger folks tend to find that in a friend, a friend of the opposite sex. I really, truly hate to say this but I'm one who has fallen for this trap. I won't name any names but I will say that when I was falling so fast that I couldn't stop myself, I found that friend. She was amazing! But, in order to maintain that true friendship, where she could help me, I had to hide it all from my parents. She wasn't trying to be any form of trap, she thought I was a true friend to her, really, I was the trap for her. The reason she thought this? I hid the truth from her as well. Since it is all cleared up now we're still, close, true friends, but we are for a real reason now. We're friends, so that we can encourage each other, and help each other. Not so that I can have a crutch and a reason to not confess to my parents. My parents watch over our friendship, and make sure nothing “serious” happens, but I can really have a real friend that I can trust and talk to, not a friend that I used as, for nothing better to say, “unprescribed medicine” to help me get through life.
“And in walks her prince charming, And he knows just what to say, Momentary lapse of reason, And she gives herself away.” This part almost makes me cry every time I read it. It happens to often! The girl is in need, she's yearning for affection, and then that one guy walks in. Her prince charming. As cliché as that phrase sounds it's really bursting with truth. She completely gives herself away to the wrong person. She falls for a guy that most of the time should not be trusted. I feel sick of knowing how many men have cheated young ladies out of a true happy life just because of something like this. It is one thing that I strive to do in my life. I want to be a friend that can be trusted, and that young ladies don't have to worry about themselves while around me. A guy who won't flirt with girls all day and make them give their hearts away. This may sound weird to hear but if you really think about it, isn't it the idea of “flirting” that makes people fall? I sincerely believe that it is.
If judgment looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
The band sings this part a few times in a row before ending the song with the final line. But this part is quite powerful. I know that while at church, when I was hiding under a thick mask, and not being my true self, I felt judgment. I felt that I couldn't admit to people that I wasn't perfect! I thought, “Well, their all perfect, they would hate me, they would disband me if I told them the truth!” These thoughts are SO absurd it's ridiculous! They will not condemn you for sinning people! I feel that this part of the song is really some thoughts coming from the girl herself, not really from the “narrator” of her story if you will. Thoughts saying how afraid she is to let people know the truth about her life.
Please comment and tell me what you think. I hope you have waded through these lines and lines of material and I haven't bored you too much! I would certainly hope not. My ending thought would be this. If you're hiding something, if you aren't living in the truth, or know you are doing something that isn't necessarily, “wrong” but you know if you're parents knew you were doing it you'd get in trouble. Then please, open your eyes. See the truth. I'll be the first to admit that it's not easy. And yes, you're never going to be perfect, but your parents don't expect you to be perfect. Just please, don't hide stuff from them! It's not worth it. Once you have cleared things up, life with me so much happier for you!
I do hope I have touched at least one of you in a special way with this post, and I cannot wait to hear back from you.
Smile! :-)
-JustinK
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Keys to Life
Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about what your going to be doing during the week? Or about that party you will be going to? Say, you have a party and there will be dancing, and that party is six days from this day that you're sitting at your school desk, staring out the window thinking about it. You say to yourself, “This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait I can't wait, I can't wait...” Then you picture yourself there on the dance floor with friends all around you and you think, “My favorite song will start to play and I'll totally rock the dance floor and everyone will be like, 'wow dude, that's amazing! I had no idea you could dance like that!' and I'll just have so much fun.... I can't wait!”
That day comes, you get to the party, only 5 people there that you know, and then you get the news that the speakers won't work, and so there won't be any dancing. Instead, you will all be watching a movie that you just watched the day before. Did that party turn out the way you'd planned it?
I think that in this day and age we think that we can control our lives. The message given to society is that you must be the proverbial, “King of your castle”. You need to be in control and doing the things that you want, not what others want of you. Well, guess what? Were not the kings and queens of our castles! Indeed, we're the very opposite! If anything we are simply the surfs. The ruler of our domain is God. The ruler of our bodies is God. The reason I don't put us at even say, the prince or princess is this. The people around us can rule our lives more than we can. Now, you may say that this is absurd but hear me out. God puts in place all that will happen to you. He knows what you are going to do before you do it and He planned for it to be that way.
Ephesians 1:11 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”
God has planned out what it is exactly that we will be doing and when we will be doing it. And it all has to do with His sovereign will. God has put people in our lives that will stop us from doing what we think we should do, or maybe make us do thinks that we think we shouldn't do. He works all things together for good, and when we try to take over it's not going to go well for us.
I heard an analogy from a friend of mine, she said this, “I guess, all in all, it's like, God has the keys to the ignition---without them, it's not gonna run! Same with our lives--God holds the key to our lives--without Him, we're just gonna sit and sputter.” In reply to this I decided to take the analogy one step further, and I said this, “God has the key, and we're the thief. We are trying to hot wire the car, turn it on without the key, but we don't know how to. So instead, we destroy the cars functionality.”
I really do like this analogy for it seems to put in place the idea that when we try to take our lives and control them, we are trying to do something that we physically, emotionally, and spiritually are incapable of doing. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if God said to you, “Alright, you don't like the way I'm doing it? Then here, take the keys, you make the decisions.” Now, at first glance I'd say, “Wow! Yes! I'm free! I get to decide how my life turns out! This is incredible, my life will be perfect from here on out!” But wait a minute, will that be true? I know from my personal history that it simply wouldn't turn out that way. From what I have done in the past I know that I would decide to take my life in the wrong direction. And, if God did this for everyone there would be a serious problem! If God handed the “keys” over to each person in the world then we would all be ruined. Mass murders would get their wish, poor people would get rich, rich people would become richer. Terrorists would take over the world, but those against terror would save the world. It would be mass hysteria. All this to say that we are seriously incapable of controlling our lives. God must be at the helm of life because He is the only One capable of steering our ship.
We have got to let God take our lives, and do with them as He pleases. And if we are faithful, and trust in His will then it will go well with us! We can trust His steadfast love.
Psalm 36:5-12 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.
God knows what He's doing my friends. My life could be better right now, I'm not as well off as I'd like to be, there are things in life, at this very moment that I wish I could change. Things that I wish had never happened, but you know what? God's picture is bigger. It's a phrase that I tend to hear a lot but do I truly know what it means? It means that God knows what He's doing. I must trust Him, and know that He is doing what He knows I need best, to shape me into the man that I will be in the future. And, if He takes my life at a young age, it will be for a purpose, whether to change the heart of an entire generation, or to change the heart of one, simple man, it will all be worth it.
I encourage you to look at your life. Ask yourself, “Am I trying to start the car without a key? Am I trying to control my life when God should be?” And if you think so, go to Him, ask His forgiveness and give Him back the keys! God loves you, and He will always love you, it's time to love Him in return.
-Your Brother in Christ
That day comes, you get to the party, only 5 people there that you know, and then you get the news that the speakers won't work, and so there won't be any dancing. Instead, you will all be watching a movie that you just watched the day before. Did that party turn out the way you'd planned it?
I think that in this day and age we think that we can control our lives. The message given to society is that you must be the proverbial, “King of your castle”. You need to be in control and doing the things that you want, not what others want of you. Well, guess what? Were not the kings and queens of our castles! Indeed, we're the very opposite! If anything we are simply the surfs. The ruler of our domain is God. The ruler of our bodies is God. The reason I don't put us at even say, the prince or princess is this. The people around us can rule our lives more than we can. Now, you may say that this is absurd but hear me out. God puts in place all that will happen to you. He knows what you are going to do before you do it and He planned for it to be that way.
Ephesians 1:11 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”
God has planned out what it is exactly that we will be doing and when we will be doing it. And it all has to do with His sovereign will. God has put people in our lives that will stop us from doing what we think we should do, or maybe make us do thinks that we think we shouldn't do. He works all things together for good, and when we try to take over it's not going to go well for us.
I heard an analogy from a friend of mine, she said this, “I guess, all in all, it's like, God has the keys to the ignition---without them, it's not gonna run! Same with our lives--God holds the key to our lives--without Him, we're just gonna sit and sputter.” In reply to this I decided to take the analogy one step further, and I said this, “God has the key, and we're the thief. We are trying to hot wire the car, turn it on without the key, but we don't know how to. So instead, we destroy the cars functionality.”
I really do like this analogy for it seems to put in place the idea that when we try to take our lives and control them, we are trying to do something that we physically, emotionally, and spiritually are incapable of doing. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if God said to you, “Alright, you don't like the way I'm doing it? Then here, take the keys, you make the decisions.” Now, at first glance I'd say, “Wow! Yes! I'm free! I get to decide how my life turns out! This is incredible, my life will be perfect from here on out!” But wait a minute, will that be true? I know from my personal history that it simply wouldn't turn out that way. From what I have done in the past I know that I would decide to take my life in the wrong direction. And, if God did this for everyone there would be a serious problem! If God handed the “keys” over to each person in the world then we would all be ruined. Mass murders would get their wish, poor people would get rich, rich people would become richer. Terrorists would take over the world, but those against terror would save the world. It would be mass hysteria. All this to say that we are seriously incapable of controlling our lives. God must be at the helm of life because He is the only One capable of steering our ship.
We have got to let God take our lives, and do with them as He pleases. And if we are faithful, and trust in His will then it will go well with us! We can trust His steadfast love.
Psalm 36:5-12 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.
God knows what He's doing my friends. My life could be better right now, I'm not as well off as I'd like to be, there are things in life, at this very moment that I wish I could change. Things that I wish had never happened, but you know what? God's picture is bigger. It's a phrase that I tend to hear a lot but do I truly know what it means? It means that God knows what He's doing. I must trust Him, and know that He is doing what He knows I need best, to shape me into the man that I will be in the future. And, if He takes my life at a young age, it will be for a purpose, whether to change the heart of an entire generation, or to change the heart of one, simple man, it will all be worth it.
I encourage you to look at your life. Ask yourself, “Am I trying to start the car without a key? Am I trying to control my life when God should be?” And if you think so, go to Him, ask His forgiveness and give Him back the keys! God loves you, and He will always love you, it's time to love Him in return.
-Your Brother in Christ
Monday, March 2, 2009
Let Us Be Thankful....
I wake up in the morning at six to my glorious electric alarm, I press the snooze button, sleep for five more minutes then get out of bed. I'm freezing cold standing there on the hard wood floor in my t-shirt and pajama pants so I whine to myself about it and go to my closet. Open up the two-doored wooden wonder and see two suits, a tuxedo, a whole rack of t-shirts, pants, tennis shoes, dress shoes, military boots, dress shirts, kaki pants and my beautiful robe for specially cold mornings. If it's not specially cold I can choose between two hoodies. I take the robe, walk to the kitchen while putting it on and go to the sink. All I do is push up the handle, grab a glass and relieve my throat with the cool drought. I then continue to the stair well where I turn on the light so I don't walk in darkness. Descending the steps I think of what I will do next. As I reach the bottom I flip the switch at the bottom to off and there goes the light. Then I wander into the family room to see three desktop computers, an upright piano, a TV and many, many books. I take the phone, my headset, and sit down at the computer. As the screen lights up from screen saver mode all I have to do is click the little icon on the bottom left and there, I am now officially connected with the world. I then dial in the number for my bi-weekly Latin class and begin my day at 6:15 sharp with the voice of my Latin instructor. After this, (on Tuesdays and Thursdays that is) I do my Bible study, of which I have two computerized resources, five Bibles, three Bible study books, and Google to help me along.
Why do I begin my post this way? To show how extremely pampered I am! What are my thoughts during this twice a week escapade?
“It's cold!”
“It's so early I'm a morning guy but I have to do Latin this early and it just plain stinks.”
“Computer! Why are you so slow!”
“I wish I had hi-speed internet...”
Is this right? What should I be saying? How about this-
Why do I begin my post this way? To show how extremely pampered I am! What are my thoughts during this twice a week escapade?
“It's cold!”
“It's so early I'm a morning guy but I have to do Latin this early and it just plain stinks.”
“Computer! Why are you so slow!”
“I wish I had hi-speed internet...”
Is this right? What should I be saying? How about this-
“Wow God, I don't have to miss class because I have an alarm. Thank you so much!”
“Lord, I have running water this morning and a nice warm robe to wear.”
“Thank you God for allowing my parents to let me have a computer and internet that works amazing for what I need!”
But do I? Indeed I find it extremely difficult to find what it is in life that I can be thankful for. I have so much, even just compared to some of my friends. Not to mention those young men my age in Africa, or China, or even just as close as Downtown Portland. What did they do last night and this morning? Did they get into a nice warm bed, plug in their iPod and loose themselves to music and peaceful slumber? To them, my world would be heaven. My world is what they wish and hope for each and every day. Yet, I sit back and complain. We want more, we think it's not fair when other people have the game you want, or other people have the schedule you want, when other people have things that we want. But let me ask you this, who is happier? I don't know about you but I am a pretty happy person a lot, yet at the same time I'm not too happy when just the slightest thing happens in my life. I see pictures of young men in Africa, they have barely any clothes on their backs, they don't know if they will get even the smallest morsel of food for dinner, yet in the pictures don't they look so happy! Their smiles are so radiant!
If one studies up on the well known Baroque composer J.S. Bach he or she would find that his life was truly one that was harsh. I was talking to my piano teacher about his life and she told me some very interesting facts. First and foremost (part of this I knew) he had from 20-23 children in his family. It ranged because no historian can agree on a number. So we will say 21. Now, one might say, “My word that's a lot of kids!” Well, it wasn't. Here's why, all but three or four of them died before the age of 5! We think that we have it bad. Imagine being a father and seeing 18 of your children die before your very eyes! Not only this but his first wife died as well. At one point in his life he was the music writer for three churches, taught piano, and directed the church choirs. Today this might seem like a lot, but not near as much as it really was. You see, in today's society someone who is well-versed enough could lead worship on decently short notice, just grab the hymn book or worship chorus notebook and read it through a few times. Is that what Bach could do? No! He had to compose, by hand, every single note that was played, or sung for EACH church service. HE had to write out EACH part for the choir, EACH part for the orchestra. And he only had a week to do it in. While taking care of a family and teaching piano to many students. I teach piano and I think it hard to look for music for my students. But Bach, what did he have to do? He had to write music for his students! We really do have it so easy!
Job 2:3-8 And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
That sounds really nice doesn't it? To have sores from the bottom of your feet to the top of you head. I thought growing pains were too much! Not only this but Job had his entire family taken from him, all but his wife. But what did his wife do? His wife told him to curse God so that he could die. Real encourager she was to be sure. Job had his entire stock of cattle taken from him, and his house destroyed. I was hearing from an elder of our church not to long ago talk about Job. He said that Job had worms living in his body. He was like an old tossed out piece of sailors bread! Yet did he curse God? No! He would not, he could not curse his Maker. How many of us curse God when we stub our toe? Or hit our hands on the wall when we're frustrated? How many of us would be strong enough to have our body eaten up by maggots and still not curse God? The truth is, I know I wouldn't.
So, what is the point of all that I have said? The point I want to make to you is this: We have so much to be thankful and grateful for that if we aren't thankful we should be ashamed. Why is it so hard to count your blessings? We all have wonderful lives compared to many and should thank the Lord daily, even hourly for all that He has provided for us. Yes, we have hard times, we have less than desirable things happen to us each day, but still, that's not he point. We must choose to see the good in all that happens. See what God is doing in our lives and how He is taking care of us. God is with us, so let's thank Him for it.
-Justin
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Let No One Despise Thy Youth
1Tim 4:12 "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
Allow me if you will to propose this question. Do today’s adults despise the youth?
Here's my answer. I would say for the most part, yes. The “normal” adult today has little if any respect for youth. Youth being, for the sake of argument, anyone who is of the age of 12-18. I believe also that the youth do not deserve to be respected. We have come so far from anything pure, and gracious that the adults simply shouldn't respect us.
I could list countless times when I have seen this very idea put to action. Not too long ago, I was at Subway. There behind me in line was this mother, her young daughter, and obviously her daughter’s boyfriend. (I say this because he was of different nationality than the other two, and because there was no ring on his finger). The two of them were “teasing” each other and the young girl's mom was in obvious distress about this. She kept hinting at it, and telling them to stop, which they did not do. At times I have been in buildings and see the teens just walk in instead of opening the door for the elderly or for their parents. One time I saw an elderly man at a door with his wheelchair struggling to open the door. As he did this I saw three, yes three young men walk right past him open and door walk in and not even keep it open for him. These are the types of things that I see and it simply saddens me. My generation is falling apart. We have no respect for those in authority, or even just those who are older than us.
It is because of this that I feel we must act. We must take that verse from 1 Timothy and put it to heart. Fully live out the idea that we should be not despised. Rather that we would be respected, and known for things the way Christ commands us to do them.
But, we mustn't take this verse and say that it is simply geared to young men and women being respected by the older generations. No indeed. We must strive to be a mature example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity for God, and earn the respect of adults. We should do all of this for God's glory. As it says in, Exodus 9:16 - “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
“That my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” It states it right there! We must do all these things For God's glory, not for our own glory and fame, and not to make us look good, but rather because we are called to do this by God Himself.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Once again, God shows His awesome mighty power and tells us that we were born for a purpose. In today's youth that purpose has been destroyed. The general public has no idea that this is what we are supposed to be doing. We aren't supposed to be playing video games, reading trashy books, and disobeying our parents. We are supposed to be honoring God, honoring our parents, loving our neighbors and doing God's work!
Now, one might say, “But, I can't do this! I can't go out and teach the nations. I can't help other Christians Strengthen their faith! I'm not strong enough, or good enough!” This simply isn't true people! Take this quote for example from Paul Little in his book Know What You Believe - “If there is no power strong enough to change human nature, then there is no hope for man. But the good news of the gospel is that there IS such a power -- in Christ!”
Fine, I'll give it to you, you are right. You're not strong enough, nor are you wise or good enough, and neither am I. The Bible confirms this to be true. But that's not the point! We have Christ on our side. He will be with us and He will give us the strength, and the wisdom and the power. He will keep us under His wing of protection.
Psalm 16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Don't you see? It's right there, God will be our refuge and strength. David puts it so well when He says, “I bless the Lord who give me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” It is so true, God will be with us. If this isn't enough for you what about Psalm 23? We all know this one all too well but do we take the time to see what it is really saying?
Psalm 23 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
I only put in bold the parts that really touched me. Once again David truthfully says, “He restores my soul” And, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me”. What does this mean? This means that God will truly be there for us, He will not let us down.
That being said, we cannot make excuses. We cannot sit around and do nothing simply because we feel that we don't have the strength; we do have the strength. We have it in Christ.
I pray that what I have said will truly affect you, and that God would be able to touch your heart with these thoughts from God. Surely they have affected me. May God bless you, and thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts!
-Justin
Allow me if you will to propose this question. Do today’s adults despise the youth?
Here's my answer. I would say for the most part, yes. The “normal” adult today has little if any respect for youth. Youth being, for the sake of argument, anyone who is of the age of 12-18. I believe also that the youth do not deserve to be respected. We have come so far from anything pure, and gracious that the adults simply shouldn't respect us.
I could list countless times when I have seen this very idea put to action. Not too long ago, I was at Subway. There behind me in line was this mother, her young daughter, and obviously her daughter’s boyfriend. (I say this because he was of different nationality than the other two, and because there was no ring on his finger). The two of them were “teasing” each other and the young girl's mom was in obvious distress about this. She kept hinting at it, and telling them to stop, which they did not do. At times I have been in buildings and see the teens just walk in instead of opening the door for the elderly or for their parents. One time I saw an elderly man at a door with his wheelchair struggling to open the door. As he did this I saw three, yes three young men walk right past him open and door walk in and not even keep it open for him. These are the types of things that I see and it simply saddens me. My generation is falling apart. We have no respect for those in authority, or even just those who are older than us.
It is because of this that I feel we must act. We must take that verse from 1 Timothy and put it to heart. Fully live out the idea that we should be not despised. Rather that we would be respected, and known for things the way Christ commands us to do them.
But, we mustn't take this verse and say that it is simply geared to young men and women being respected by the older generations. No indeed. We must strive to be a mature example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity for God, and earn the respect of adults. We should do all of this for God's glory. As it says in, Exodus 9:16 - “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
“That my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” It states it right there! We must do all these things For God's glory, not for our own glory and fame, and not to make us look good, but rather because we are called to do this by God Himself.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Once again, God shows His awesome mighty power and tells us that we were born for a purpose. In today's youth that purpose has been destroyed. The general public has no idea that this is what we are supposed to be doing. We aren't supposed to be playing video games, reading trashy books, and disobeying our parents. We are supposed to be honoring God, honoring our parents, loving our neighbors and doing God's work!
Now, one might say, “But, I can't do this! I can't go out and teach the nations. I can't help other Christians Strengthen their faith! I'm not strong enough, or good enough!” This simply isn't true people! Take this quote for example from Paul Little in his book Know What You Believe - “If there is no power strong enough to change human nature, then there is no hope for man. But the good news of the gospel is that there IS such a power -- in Christ!”
Fine, I'll give it to you, you are right. You're not strong enough, nor are you wise or good enough, and neither am I. The Bible confirms this to be true. But that's not the point! We have Christ on our side. He will be with us and He will give us the strength, and the wisdom and the power. He will keep us under His wing of protection.
Psalm 16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Don't you see? It's right there, God will be our refuge and strength. David puts it so well when He says, “I bless the Lord who give me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” It is so true, God will be with us. If this isn't enough for you what about Psalm 23? We all know this one all too well but do we take the time to see what it is really saying?
Psalm 23 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
I only put in bold the parts that really touched me. Once again David truthfully says, “He restores my soul” And, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me”. What does this mean? This means that God will truly be there for us, He will not let us down.
That being said, we cannot make excuses. We cannot sit around and do nothing simply because we feel that we don't have the strength; we do have the strength. We have it in Christ.
I pray that what I have said will truly affect you, and that God would be able to touch your heart with these thoughts from God. Surely they have affected me. May God bless you, and thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts!
-Justin
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Welcome!
I am extremely eager to start this blog for many various reasons. The greatest of which is because I feel that there is a severe lack of Biblical “chit-chat” going on within the teen circle today. We are smart enough to debate, question, and think seriously about topics that are not normally spoken of in this day and age.
As I go to church, or hang out with friends there is I would truly say never the person in the crowd that says, “hey guys, let's talk about the death and resurrection of Christ!” It simply doesn't happen. It is for this reason that I feel strongly that with something as simple as a blog I can get together with my fellow young Christians and start talking about things that truly matter in the long run.
My posts will consists of thoughts about my devotions I have been having, thoughts that I come up with by simply reading the Bible, and thoughts from the church sermons. I intend to keep this blog purely for this purpose, and no other. Also, as time goes on I may think about having a few of my friends become co-authors with me so that we can deepen the talk that goes on.
Now, it may be obvious, or you may be wondering about first of all the “psalm24.blogspot.com” or the title of, “Who Shall Ascend”. Well, here's my grounding for this project:
Psalm 24:3-6 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
We must as young men and women in today's society start looking into what we were meant to do here on earth. We have lost our focus, we have lost our grounding and we have got to get it back! So, here we begin. I would greatly appreciate it if you would comment with your thoughts on my thoughts, whether you agree or don't agree. I am so excited about this and cannot wait to hear from you!
God bless you all and may your day be rich in the Lord!
-Justin
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