Thoughts from the deepest unknown realm...my mind

Shifting Gears

2011-12-22T16:41:00.002+02:00

First off... this is NOT a use God/the Bible to get what you want out of life thing. But there will be mention of God and the Bible in this thought.

I fully believe that we have so much more potential than we are willing/able to believe... maybe it goes hand in hand with the fact that we only use a small fraction of the potential of our brain power. But very few people ever come close to reaching their full potential. Most people get stuck in the everyday rat race, living from pay day to pay day... getting through each day just so that they can face the next one.

Everyone gets stuck in a rut. We get comfortable doing things the same way over and over. There's always a reason/excuse not to change how we do things. Which is bad, but isn't. Tradition/routine is good, but it can also trap us. ESPECIALLY when it's a bad/negative routine or habit.

Sometimes in life stuff happens... and it knocks us down. They say that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, I only partially agree with that statement. I believe there is fine print that has gotten lost. Sometimes you don't get stronger, sometimes it takes you down a notch and it takes long to recover, sometimes people never recover.

Luckily when you know Jesus... like as in have a relationship with Him and not just know ABOUT Him you can handle things differently. This is where the shifting gears needs to take place. I've been retrenched, been in a bike accident, crashed my car, had stuff stolen, been single for longer than what I believed I should have been, been lonely, been desperate, felt unworthy, felt unloved, felt inferior. I've got my issues.

But God has been revealing something to me, and I've been starting to take note. It's TOUGH because my default is negativity. I like to complain and find reasons why things can't work.

The thing God is revealing to me is something along the lines of the following:
When an obstacle presents itself to you you look at it. You notice it and you have a choice. You can fixate on the obstacle which will cause you to start taking in the details of it, expanding on it and then the obstacle grows and becomes seeming insurmountable. This is how I react by default (I am trying to change it). Or you can choose to try and find a way around it.

The Bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue Proverbs 18:21. And that the overflow of the heart comes out of the mouth (Luke 6).

So what I propose is not blindly fly into situations screaming "I can do this...", but a gradual shift of mind/heart gears. A shift of bringing more "life" than "death" into a situation. We need to start believing (if Jesus is you Lord and Saviour) that God has His hand on your life and is with you in EVERY situation, promising to never leave nor forsake you. With that belief and spending time with God your heart will change. How you view situations will change. How you speak about situations will change... and strangely... the outcomes of the situations will also change.

My heart aches when I see situations where people could be so much more, but they are trapped by themselves. This is not ALWAYS the case, but I honestly believe we can achieve more if we just stand on Jesus, believe, trust and go for it.

Hell...O PETER DOT COM

2011-09-19T11:45:00.005+02:00

So there's a bit of controversy in "Christian" circles at the moment. And if the dudes advocating universalism are right I would like to place a complaint with hellopeter.com.

My complaint is "why do I get up every day and try live a 'different' life? Why do I go to church? Why do I give up my time, talent, treasure? Why?! if I can get to heaven on the free pass they are handing out?"

If they ARE right then I have no need of a Saviour because punishment may only last 3 days... or punishment may not happen... They support these ideas with saying stuff about the word "eternal" used when describing "eternal damnation/punishment" was the same word Jonah used to describe how long he was in the giant fish... which was 3 days...

So because Jonah said "I was in the fish for an eternity" they use that for one of their "facts" or "truth points" for saying eternal separation from God (hell), might only last 3 days.

The say that God can't be both loving AND condemn someone to hell... Now... I guess you could say that they are kind of right... But ONLY because it is not God who condemns someone to hell... the way you end up in "hell" is by turning your back on God and denying Him... So God doesn't do the condemning, the person's actions do the condemning.

My uneducated (in theology) mind understands Christianity as follows:

God was kicking it in the garden with Adam and Eve.
He had given them pretty much the run of the place with only ONE thing they should avoid eating.

They kinda only half listened to God (seems to be standard human practice) and ate from which they were not allowed to partake.

Sin entered the world and the need for redemption, salvation and other shins arose.

For sin to be removed or for you to attain absolution (shins everywhere...) or be clean of sin there had to be a price paid. In the old testament this was the slaughter of animals etc.

John 3:16 - God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus] so that those who believe would not perish [suffer eternal damnation, hell] but have eternal life.

The reason that a price needed to be paid for sin is because God is just and righteous. He detests sin.

Our pastor gave a really good metaphor/example of how this could be described. Say you are working on the plumbing and getting covered in muck and whatever other junk comes out of the pipes. You are stinky and stuff. You go up to your significant other and say "give us a hug then"... said significant other will tell you to clean off before she will have anything to do with you. The same way God feels about us when we get "dirty" with sin.

Now... if we don't really have to worry about going to hell...or that hell might only last 3 days... then we have no reason to clean off... we can just roll around in the mud and stay dirty. And points 3,4,5 in my little list don't really count... Then Jesus came to earth for nothing... and the old testament was written for fun because it basically sets the scene for Jesus to arrive and helps show us WHY we need Jesus.

ERROR...ERROR...CANNOT COMPUTE.

I cannot believe that God would send His Son to earth to suffer and die for world's sin for fun.

This universalism theology basically says anything goes and everyone can go to Heaven... which in a way is true... everyone DOES have the potential to spend eternity with God... but they need to choose it.

Wear your armour!!

2010-09-16T15:24:00.007+02:00

Those of you who know me will know that I unintentionally climbed off of my motorcyle while it was still moving...yes yes...

it is NOT the brightest thing one can do whilst riding a motorcycle, but accidents happen...

This blogicle (blog article) is not actually about the accident, but about what God has taught me about life through the accident. Lesson 1: tar is hard ... lol.

But seriously...if I wasn't wearing my "armour" I would have been waaaay worse off than I am... what I learnt is that life is hard and we need to have our armour on or the world, life and satan will scrape away at us.

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Just as I need to clothe myself in my biker "armour" daily... I need to do that with Gods armour... I need to do that more. Sheesh! I haven't been doing it enough!!!!

The next part is about the body... The human body and the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12 - 31

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

Each part is designed to play it's part WELL... My right thumb is STILL being my right thumb and kinda playing it's part in my body... but it's not playing it WELL... it is suffering... and so my hand suffers, by being in a cast... and that makes my body suffer... and me suffer.. I can't type properly... I can't drive yet, so my work is getting behind. I've had to figure out how to do everything with one hand... which is tough.. just because ONE little piece of bone in my thumb is not playing it's part!!!

FAAAAAAAR too often the same happens in the body of Christ. Parts of the body don't play their parts well... we show up late and unprepared for stuff (like worship team on Sundays, having not practised) and we expect God to show up and perform miracles and get people "saved". But actually we are standing in the way cos we are unprepared and not playing our part WELL.

This extends beyond practising songs for a Sunday service. Are we walking around "topped up with Jesus", or are we running on empty until a crisis occurs? We have become far too good at "getting it right on our own", that instead of being part of a bigger picture and relying on God, we just do our "religious" duty and do what we do.

I can't wait for my thumb to stop being religious and play it's part WELL again :-P
I guess God looks at us sometimes and says the same.

Suffering from Israelitis

2010-05-24T18:15:00.002+02:00

I've been suffering from a bit of Israelitis the last while...

WHAT may you ask is that?!?!
Well think back to them israelites...aka God's chosen people...
He loved them like crazy (as He loves us ALL...even crazy Warren).
And they followed Him....

for a while...

But then, they started relying on themselves or even "other (small g) gods".
They would wander away from God. Then calamity would strike and they'd be back like a flash.

So things in life were idling along pretty smoothly most of last year...
with a little speed bump here and there... I had a reasonably stable job,
not TOO far from home...but it got boring, it became less and challenging and I began to feel "unfulfilled" there. So this job offer came along near the end of the year. They told me all cool stories about the company and such.
Sounded like an awesome opportunity and new challenges.
I prayed like crazy...
Said "God if this is from You, open the doors or close them if it isn't."...
So...It took them three months to give me an offer after the interview...
in that time I had gotten an increase...They phoned me back...I told them about the increase...they offered me the same as what I was earning, with a salary review after 3 months...the doors opened...I went for it, figured new challenges would be good and my savings would last me the three months...they did, but the company closed down and reopened under a new name...so no salary review... Things are not as cool as I thought they would be. (in short)...

So with the extra stress, travelling and cr@p that came with the change...
stuff started falling apart... spent less time with God... and less...
until a once a week quiet time was like WOW. Things were not going well in the land of Warren. My mom would periodically ask me what's wrong, my friends were worried (I have awesome godly friends). But of course... Warren, suffering from a touch of pride or in denial, would say "I got dis"...but he didn't have it did he folks. I go to a point where I was questioning the reason for my existence.

The good news is...I got to a point were I was depressed to the point of not wanting
to be an existing life form anymore...also known as "suicidal"...
But fortunately I know Jesus and I know He doesn't want that for my life. Also I couldn't do that to my family...after two previous suicides in our family
(within the last year and a half) it would not be cool and I love my family too much for that.

Driving home one night...from church or a church event of some sort...
I was like "God I've had enough, I don't want to be here ANYMORE...
either wipe me off the planet RIGHT now or help me..."...

So He did.

No I am not writing from beyond the grave.

He helped me.
Somehow.
I can't explain it...
But the next morning I woke up with an incredible sense of peace...

Life is WAAAAY better...I managed to realise I was suffering from Israelitis and went the THE Doctor Himself...
Spending more time with God lately...

So...moral of the story...try not catch Israelitis...but if you do...go to the DOCTOR!

Now I am on the road to recovery...Luckily...VERY luckily...during my time of having Israelitis, I still read my little youversion daily reading, some verse a day thing I get mailed to me...I kept going to church...so although I wasn't getting as much of God as I normally do, I had enough to just just keep me going...I am back up to spending time with God every day and having a quiet time, read, pray, journal almost every day again...

Warrior Vs. Worrier

2010-01-11T10:25:00.005+02:00

Back in the day when I was a lightie there were these "Spy Vs. Spy" comics...
One was the good guy and one was the bad guy...Good Vs. Evil, Black Vs. White (not racially). Old School...hehe

I realise that I have been way too much of a Worrier and not enough of a Warrior...
God says we gotta commit our plans to Him and then chill...but what I do is commit
them to God and then worry...and try and get stuff done MY way...FLIP...I am kind of a control freak I guess, don't know if it's a general guy attribute or what, but it's part of me. I am trying to fight it now, but it's tough, cos when stuff happens I want to step in and take control...I dunno, maybe I have a leader in me dying to lead :P

When the storms come, I try and choose a course and start rowing like crazy...USUALLY directly into the wind...then I tend to end up deeper and deeper into the storm. How stupid. And then I complain about the water splashing on me, being tossed around by the waves and also being shipwrecked when I cruise into the rocks that I would have avoided if I let GOD steer the boat.

Proverbs 16:2-4 (New International Version)

2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him,
but motives are weighed by the LORD.

3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.

All the while I was thinking "I got dis"...and just like in the movies, I DIDN'T have it... And I end up being bashed on the rocks...thinking
what the heck?!
Where is God?!
Why did this happen?!
And God stands there, patiently (as always), waiting for me to turn around and see that I was being dumb...This verse keeps coming up..

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God has plans for ME, yeah even crazy Warren, and those plans were laid out even before I was formed in my mothers womb! I am LOVED by God, the creator of the universe!

Psalm 139: 13 - 16
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

He is watching you...keep it real :D hehe...
Listen more, speak less.
Trust more, worry less.

Time to stand up and be a WARRIOR!!!

It's about the journey, not the destination

2009-11-19T12:05:00.002+02:00

It's been a while...

In life I often tend to freak out over small things that happen...I THINK God is trying to tell me to quit being a drama queen...To be still and wait on Him...BUT that goes against EVERY instinct I have. Being a Manly man type, when something breaks...I wanna fix it!!! But...what happens is often MY quick fix solutions are NOT what God had intended...and the situation just gets worse! Wonder why.....?

Isaiah 30

1 "Woe to the obstinate children,"
declares the LORD,
"to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh's protection,
to Egypt's shade for refuge.
.....
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

Woe to the obstinate children...that make their own plans...
Mmm... Maybe I have been a little obstinate...wait...what does that even mean...

obstinacy - stubbornness: resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires

So kind of like sticking to MY plans when God has OTHER plans...

So I've been having a tough time...work has been HECTIC...Started a new job, walked into immense pressure...So I could need a little pick me up...

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Sounds like a good plan! BUT the "consumer" in me rises up again and screams "WHY IS IT TAKING SOOOOO LONG GOD??!?!?!"...

*LIGHTBULB...

IT'S NOT SO MUCH ABOUT WHERE YOU END UP AS WHAT IT IS ABOUT HOW YOU GET THERE...
The same as life is not a destination, it's a journey...I am beginning to learn that God likes journeys...and sometimes on journeys you have to pull off the road, stretch your legs and look at the beauty around you...But we like to get where we are going NOW! I need to slow down and admire God's handiwork more...Stop and sniff the roses now and then and STOP trying to fix everything myself!

8 1/2

2009-07-29T15:11:00.002+02:00

So...I have earned myself another nickname...8 and a half...
I was trying to play the riff to a certain song at band practice on monday night...
I was failing horribly...

Shane starts on the drums...
I am tapping my foot
counting out loud
waiting...waiting...too early...
Me: "someone said come in on the 8th beat."
Ray: "What?! no...come in on 9!"
Me: "doh...ok...eish!"

Shane starts on the drums...
I am tapping my foot
counting out loud
wait...for...it....
6....7....8..8-1/2.pling...half a beat too soon! WHAT?!
Ray looks dejected...I want to throw my guitar around...

Shane starts on the drums...
I am tapping my foot
counting out loud
wait...for...it....
6....7....8..8-1/2.pling...half a beat too soon! WHAT?!AGAIN!?!
Ray looks like he wishes the earth would swallow him...I wish it would swallow me instead...we are playing the song on sunday!!!

Ok...eventually I kinda figure out how to come in on beat 9...after about 5 attempts...

But...after chatting to another buddy today...I can see a meta...parraa...correl...connection between me coming in too soon and MANY other things in life...

VERY often we are going through a season of sorts in our lives...and when it's a bad season we want it to be over ASAP! When it's plowing season, it's time to plow! And it's HARD WORK! But without plowing in the plowing season...there will be no fruit later!

Proverbs 20 vs 4:

"A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."

"BUT God!!! I want the fruit now" Is a common saying...hahahaha...I find myself saying that often! Instead of chilling indoors while it's raining and giving the fruit time to grow, I run around in the rain, getting wet and misrable, looking for fruit that isn't there yet!!!! When God all the while is saying that I should just relax, wait for the rain to pass...THEN go plant...wait...THEN harvest the fruit...the whole while just seeking Him more! And...NOT the fruit...The fruit grows by itself...

Leviticus 26 vs 3 - 5:

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

EVEN THE ANIMALS know when to do what! Why do we worry about when and how and and and and sooooo much!?

Jeremiah 8:7

Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the LORD.

God has said there's a time for everything!

Ecclesiastes 3:

"1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

But noooooooo....we want to come in on beat 8 1/2 instead of 9...Then we wonder why we are cold, wet and miserable?! LOL...There's alot of waiting involved in getting to the fruit...alot of hard work...but we ALWAYS want to exercise our consumer rights and go down to the local Spar and go pickup the fruit just like that... That's not how it works...

I am currently in a season where I am waiting for fruit...Where's that fertilizer at? hahaha...nah...bad move...trying to speed up the process just does more harm than good...Time to push into God and see what He says...

That is all for now...
8 1/2 out :P

WOMAD!!!

2009-06-23T14:57:00.002+02:00

Yes...WOMAD...not WOMAN...As in weapons of mass destruction. Random I know...connected to this post...sort of...Refer to the address of my blog if you have any questions as to WHY I would post something like this :P

When I read the Bible...I choose a book and read it through...I don't know how I choose a particular book or if it "chooses me"...I have been reading 1 Samuel...

The first part that stuck out to me was how the people disrespected God...trying to use His ark as a "lucky charm"...Flip! How often we try treat God like our genie...we sit around...ignore Him, until the paw-paw hits the fan, then all of a sudden He's our best mate again...A pet peeve of mine are when you have "friends" that you don't hear from for MONTHS or YEARS...then all of a sudden you get a call, sms, email or whatever from them "how are you doing? whats news? oh...can you please help me with XYX?"...It's like HELLO I don't only want to know you when you need something! BUT we treat God like that! And it's not cool!

1 Samuel 4

1 And Samuel's word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it [a] may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."

They were scared cos they got defeated...and instead of relying on God they wanted to use His ark...bang...defeated...God aint no lucky charm!

Later, in 1 Samuel, I was reading about how the Israelites had NO WEAPONS...they had no way to defeat the Philistines...The Philistines controlled all the weapons and blacksmiths, so that the Israelites could not make any weapons even...they were basically powerless...

How scary is this: 1 Samuel 13

"22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them."

THEY HAD NO WEAPONS!!!! But Saul's son Jonothan said

6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

Foolish bravado? Or Faith? BUT...He still asked God's advice/for God to guide him.

8 Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."

And it happend JUST LIKE THAT! The Philistines tuned them...come here so we can give ya'll a beat down...and Jonothan said to his amour-bearer "God has given them over into our hands"...The two of them (along with God) killed 20 philistines right there!

Then the Philistines panicked BIG TIME! WOW! A WHOLE ARMY...and they fell apart...stressed themselves to death :P...ran around like headless chickens and even started killing EACH OTHER!

"20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven."

YOH! powerful scriptures...(as they ALL are :P ) hehe...
Sometimes in life things are going down and WE run around and try to make a plan OUR way...try this try that...and then things go WORSE and we wonder why! When what we SHOULD do is listen for God...wait in expectancy...When God fights for you NOTHING is impossible!!! 2 guys climb up a cliff...whack 20 other guys (something that was quite a feat) and a whole army goes bossies and starts killing each other!

Only now after putting in down here...in a formulated thought (sort of)...does it ACTUALY hit home...WOW!!! The timing of this is AMAZING!! And it's where I am reading at the moment...God rocks!!!

Until next time...stay tuned...Climb the cliff!

P.S. Maybe I can negate the effects of my careless words by writing a book or something... hehe

P.P.S I have been wanting to take up rock climbing for a while now :P

EGADS!!!

2009-05-05T09:04:00.000+02:00

EGADS! I was sitting here thinking about how things go wrong sometimes...alot of times...and how it just gets me down. Things at work don't go well...I have a fight with my family. I drop my bike on its side (no...I didn't drop it again...just makin a point)

...BUT...

Romans 8:28 - 31 came to mind:

"And we know that in *all things* God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Frigging WOW MAN!!! God is on our side...and He works in ALL things for those that love Him (that would be US)...ALL THINGS...even the bad things...how?I don't always know...and sometimes it literally takes YEARS to find out...look back at things that didn't go the way you wanted them to...About two years ago I considered moving closer to work to make life "easier"...my plans fell through...if things had gone MY way I would never have ended up at one way! I would have never met the amazing people I have...I would have been smouldering instead of burning for God...WOW...

When tough times get you down and it feels like NOTHING is happening and you aren't getting anywhere...look to God and His word...
Luke 5:5:
"Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'"

Sometimes it seems as if life is on "pause" and you aren't getting anywhere...you fish and you fish and you fish and....nothing...not even a lil fishy...you get frustrated...you want to pull your nets in and go home...but...sometimes you just gotta try once more...when Jesus says do it...you do it...even if it goes against EVERYTHING the world or your head or other people say...you DO IT...I have been there...many times...with many things...gym, church, friendships, worship team, work, family...NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (from the message):
"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

Yikes...500+ words again...sorry guys...I really should write a book :P

On Fire?

2007-01-05T13:57:00.000+02:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I walk around and I see people that are on fire for God.
You can see the passion in their eyes ...You can feel it
when they talk .

And I want so badly to burn for God...More than anything, I want to burn bright for my Jesus. But sometimes it feels like I am trying to start a fire with wet wood.

Then I notice something else...To me, it seems as if *most*
of the people that are really on fire for God are people
that were really in a bad way/really far off the rails
before they gave their lives to Jesus.

I have heard some amazing stories of people that were hooked on drugs...Their whole lives revolved around going to clubs, getting high, getting down with someone...and then doing it all over again. People that were prostitutes, criminals, "druggies", porn actors, all around what we would sometimes call "bad" people...Then somehow they get to a point where their lives all apart completely...their pimp beats them up and they end up nearly dying, they get shot or something while committing a crime, they OD and nearly die, they get into an abusive relationship and end up almost getting killed...But the common theme seems to be that they end up getting to a point where they realise they just cannot carry on...THEY can't do it anymore, and somehow (unique in each case) they hear God calling and saying "I am here and TOGETHER WE can carry on"...And they answer that call.

But now for me...I have been a semi decent person my whole life...I grew up in a pretty mostly Christian home...I went to sunday school. Hey I even have the certificates to prove it...I never stood on no street corner...I don't break the law, much (does speeding count?). I never got into drugs...I was a "goodie two shoes" at school, you know did my home work, didn't drink, sleep around etc. Don't get me wrong I ain't no perfect person, but I still wasn't going to heaven at that point. All along..I knew about God, but I didn't know Him personally...I had no relationship with Him. I never really worried about Him...but because of His great love for me, He worried about me...and was calling me my whole life. Then there came a point where I gave it up to God and said "I wanna live for You". And I have been active in my church since then...And I can feel God working in my life, and I can see Him working. And I want to be on fire for Him I want to be passionate...But I just don't feel as passionate or on fire as I want to be and as passionate or on fire as these other, ex "bad", people are.

I dunno...Maybe I haven't gotten to the point where I fully understand and realise that I need to rely 100% on God...or maybe I need to convince myself of that still...All these things I KNOW...I believe...But as a friend told me...I think to much with my head...And therein lies part of the problem...My mind is interefering where it shouldn't.

Any thoughts?

What has this world come to?

2007-01-05T13:56:00.000+02:00

Current mood: frustrated

Category: Life

First a quick bit of background information. My best friend, that I have known since I was like 7 years old, moved to cape town a year or three ago . So I dont get to see him that much, but I fly down there sometimes, like for his wedding and stuff.

So he was up here, for training for a new job, on wednesday evening. We decided we would get together and hang out . I went through to the hotel he was staying at after work. And we figured that we would go to sandton city shopping centre (which was just down the road) ...So we went...Now...we have a longstanding tradition...We ALWAYS play arcade games when we go out. So walk around the shopping centre...

NO ARCADE!!!

We decided to blow that joint..."Where to next?" was the obvious question. "What about Eastgate?" was the answer...Now I don't actually live in Joburg or anywhere near it ...I live in a little dorpie about 60 - 80km south of Joburg...So I don't know Joburg all that well. Result...We didn't find Eastgate on the first attempt. LOL ...or the second ...But we eventually found it...And guess what!?!

NO ARCADE THERE EITHER!!!So by now we were terribly despondant, we were ready to go and sit in the parking lot and chew open our wrists...LOL...Joke. Next move, we tried Bedfordview shopping centre...
NO ARCADE!!!!

WHAT!!?!? DON'T THEY CARE ABOUT THE KIDS OF TOMMORROW?!?I MEAN..UH...DONT THEY CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF YESTERDAY!?!I MEAN WE GREW UP PLAYING THE LIKES OF MORTAL KOMBAT ON THE ARCADE MACHINES.

Some of my best childhood memories are of spending time in the arcades with my buddies...but sadly, the PSP and Cellphone games are killing arcades!

What are we to do?

Just a mindless rant...If you actually read this far send me a msg!

Over the top
Outta my mind

Awesome.

2006-12-27T13:56:00.000+02:00

Current mood: touched
Category: Romance and Relationships

Normally I am not one for mushy stuff like this...But I came across this in someones blog...and for me...it just stood out...well ja...anyway.

A Letter from God
Author: Unknown, but truly inspired by God

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils. But you, woman I did not create from the dirt. I made you from man as a symbol that you are "within" man, just as my bride is "within" me.

I fashioned you after I breathed the breath of life into man because you are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly form you. As a surgeon would put a patient under anesthesia, man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with my creativity. From man's one bone, I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects his very life. I chose the rib; that which protects his heart and lungs and supports him as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you... I molded you. I created you tenderly, beautifully, and perfectly.

Your characteristics are as the rib; strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ within man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The ribcage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart. I created you to support man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side closest to his heart, to stand beside him and be held close to his side and dear to his heart.

You woman are my perfect creation. You are my beautiful little girl. You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence, and my eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart. Your eyes are as beautiful as a golden sunset. Your lips; how lovely when they part in prayer. Your nose; so perfect in form. Your hands so gentle to touch. I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep. I've whispered tender words of love in your ear. I hold your heart here within mine. Of all that lives and breathes, you are most like me. Your pure heart is most like mine. You my precious angel are the climax of my creation. You are a representation of my pure and spotless bride. When man loves you, he loves me, and the more deeply he loves you, the more deeply he loves me.

Adam walked with me in the cool of the day, yet he was lonely. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with me, I fashioned in you as a physical representation of myself upon the earth. You possess my holiness, my strength, my purity, my beauty, my love, my protection and my support.

So man... treat woman well. Love her extravagantly; treasure her royally, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you only hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart; her heart, and also my heart.

Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness, show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his very life; that you the bone that shelters his very heart.

Signed,

The One Who Created and Loves You

All it took

2006-12-08T13:55:00.000+02:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

All it took was for God to speak and the Heavens and Earth were created...unformed, like a rough uncut diamond, but with the potential for so much beauty.

All it took was for God to whisper the words "Let there be light"...and there was day and night...

All it took was for God to breathe "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water"...And the sky was separated from the formless earth.

All it took was for God to utter "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear"...and the powerful, untameable seas were parted making areas of land and sea. The most majestic mountain ranges , the deepest ravines were formed...All created by our mighty God speaking a few words.

All it took was for God to say "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds"...and the earth was covered with beautiful plants...all bearing fruit...imagine how amazing that must look...and smell...never before had there been trees or bushes or anything...

All it took was for God to say "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth" and the glorious son and moon were formed...Giving day time, where we can labour...and night time where we can rest and reflect. He also created the stars...every single one of the millions and millions...all formed just by God speaking them into existance.

All it took was for God to say "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky" and every living bird, fish and sea creature was created ...How marvellous are the creatures of the sea, how beautiful the birds! All created just by God speaking!

All it took was for God to say "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind" and all the creatures on the land were created...yes...even the creepy crawlies...Every living animal from the tiniest little mouse to the large majestic lion was created by those words...every creature unique...special.

All it took was for God to say "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" and...that's right... Human beings were created...They were created man and woman...oh boy!...did God ever get it right when He created woman ...well...that's my opinion anyway ....
God gave the world to us humans to look after and care for...And awesomely awesome home, wouldn't you say?

All it takes now...is for you to say "God I am Yours...use me please"...And with just those words (and actually meaning them) God will take you to places you could never believe.

So powerful and awesome is our God that He created everything just by speaking...I battle to get other people to do stuff for me by telling them...but He just spoke and everything was created...WOW!

All it took...

Amazing

2006-12-01T13:55:00.000+02:00

Current mood: jubilant
Category: Life

I feel like I am living in a movie or something ...But I know it is completely real.....

This morning I woke up...
went about my routine as normal...
until I stepped out the front door...
It was like one of those moments in the movies where the camera spins around the person so you can see them and their surroundings...
Cos I walked out and the beauty of nature just struck me...
The grass was greener
The flowers were brighter
The air smelled sweeter
I felt ALIVE!

At first I thought it was only because it had rained last night ...but then as I drove on the highway it seemed as if all the colours of everything were bright and amazing . Even the mine dumps had a sort of forlorn beauty to them...weird . So I figured I must be tripping on something, but I had only had one cup of coffee so far, so it wasn't a caffeine rush or anything like that.

And then it hit me

It was GOD...I have been struggling this whole year with so many issues that I started focussing on them instead of on God...But in the last while I have come to realise that God is the only thing that counts...He is all that is important...all else is just well....less important...

I had reached a point where I was just killing time until time killed me ...I was despondant ...I was down in the dumps, dispare had me ...I was at the mercy of my emotions and feelings and all the things going on in my life ...They had control...and I had let them take control...

But I have been trying really hard to focus on God and make Him my anchor and the cornerstone of my life the last while...and...I now realise that I am in fact tripping...I am tripping on Jesus. It's a trip I never want to end. ever.

Wow...the world is a beautiful place...everything...everyone...perfectly created by the most perfect One.

"You oh Lord made the sunshine
and the moonlight in the night sky
You give me breath and all of Your love
I give my heart to You
because....
I can't stop falling in love with You
I'll never stop falling in love with You"

So...It turns out...it is love...
God's neverending love for me
The love that died to set me free
And because of that I now can see
Just how beautiful the world can be.

Light of the world

2006-11-30T13:54:00.000+02:00

Current mood: thoughtful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

What does it mean when we say that Jesus is the "Light of the world"? . I know that technically speaking, the sun is the light of the world, but I am talking about a different Son.

Firstly it isn't something that I made up or even someone made up cos it sounds cool. Jesus Himself said it …. John 8:12 "Jesus said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Good news ain't it?

Let's face it, the world is a pretty dark place spiritually, these days . When it comes to the one true God anyway, because there are also all of these supposedly "enlightened", "new age" or whatever else people around these days.

Even though the world is such a dark place lately there is good news … Jesus is a powerfully bright light that can shine throughout the world if we'll only let Him. John 1:4 "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." This means that the darkness of evil has never and can never ever extinguish God's light. When we follow Jesus, the true light, we can avoid stumbling around in the darkness of sin. He lights our way for us, so we can see the way and follow it. You know the song… Your Word is lamp to my feet and a light unto my path…

Now previously I said "Jesus is a powerfully bright light that can shine throughout the world if we'll only let Him." What I meant by this is that we have the light of Jesus inside of us and we need to show it to the world. John 1:8 "There came a man who was sent from God, his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he only came as a witness, to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world"…

Now you might say WHOA!? What now? He just said that we have the light of Jesus in us, but now he says we aren't the light. Yes that is right. We aren't the light, but we have it in us if we have Jesus in our hearts, makes sense doesn't it? If you have a glass bowl and put a torch in it, the glass bowl is not the torch, but the torch's light shines out of the bowl. Just as the bowl is not the source of the light, we are not the source of God's light, we merely reflect and direct it.

Now since God's light shines through us, we need to be directing and taking it to where it needs to be. Sometimes that is a really dark place or it may be to a place where only a little more light is needed to see the way clearly… There are a couple of things that we do, knowingly or unknowingly, that dim God's light inside of us:

Being quiet when we should be speaking
Going along with the crowd
Denying the light
Letting sin dim our light
Not telling others about the light
Ignoring the needs of others

How many of you have ever played a tv game or a playstation game or a computer game? The game usually has some sort of point/goal/destination to reach, doesn't? Whether it is getting all the cards out in solitaire, or reaching the final boss. Now think about life for a moment…it has many goals/destinations that we should be striving for. Spend a minute and think of a couple. One of my main goals in life is to do the whole "living for Jesus" thing – you know trying to serve Him, getting to know Him more and learning to love Him more. I hope that it is one of the main goals in your lives too.

But back to the game idea of a second ago… Have you ever noticed that, even in the games it gets harder and harder to complete the tasks as you get closer to the goal/destination or end of the game. Look at even a simple game like solitaire, the more cards you get packed out, the more cards you need to shift around to get a bottom one out…The bosses in other games get harder and harder as you get closer to the final boss/rescuing the maiden etc.

Now while I have been trying to do what I call "the Christian thing" I have noticed that the more of my life I devote to God, the harder it gets to stay devoted. Sounds pretty wacked doesn't it. Now after much battling and discussion with other Christians, some more and some less spiritually mature than me; I think I have found the answer, or at least a good version of it.

I reckon it goes a little like this, for me personally anyway…While I was kind of lukewarm and kinda just going with the flow. I was just a regular guy, I wasn't really that bad a person, I even knew a little about God. I figured since I read my Bible now and then and didn't rape/murder/steal etc that I would be going to heaven one day.

Well now I know that knowing about God inside you head doesn't mean that you are going to heaven…It might be hard to hear that, but while you can still hear that, you still have a chance to change it.

So here comes the rest of my theory… I figure that as long as you are not FULLY on God's team, i.e. you are lukewarm and don't really pose any sort of threat to satan. I mean there isn't much chance of you witnessing/being God's light to anyone and causing them to decide to accept Jesus as their saviour. So satan doesn't really have to fight for your soul, cos you almost belong to him anyway.

But…On the other hand as you get more involved at your church, doing stuff like outreach, or any other ministry, you start to worry satan. You know why? Because when you are sold out for God, satan can't buy a piece of you, and satan always wants to get a piece of whatever God has, I mean that's why he ended up in hell anyway. So the more you live for God, the more you upset satan, and the harder he tries to take you away from God…So like the song says, "blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place, though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your name. Blessed be Your name on this road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, Blessed be Your name." So you should actually even continue to praise God when you go through times in this world that is such a wilderness…(looks like you were right friend) Now I am not saying you should worry yourself to death if things are going well, that same song also says "Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful, where streams of abundance flow…Blessed be Your name."

Choose to be a light...Shine bright.

--footnote--

Wow...I actually wrote this at the beginning of this year for a talk at a camp...Now...fortunately/unfortunately I have the opportunity to live it out.

--footnote--

The Matrix is real...

2006-10-17T12:53:00.000+02:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

No...I am not crazy...well actually I am..a little. But thus far I have managed to evade the men in white coats.

But back to the issue at hand...The Matrix is real, yes real and we are living in it everyday.

According to the plot of the movie "The Matrix", we are all mindless drones, being fed false ideas and images that lull us into a false sense of security. Look around you, what do you see? I see the world...The Matrix.

That's right, our world is full of false ideas and false images and false people. We are bombarded daily by the media,
"Conform, conform, conform...
you must be so skinny, if you raise your arms you fall through your own backside...
you must wear this...
you must smoke this...
you must drink this...
you must speak like this...
you must sleep around...
you must do everything that makes you feel good, no matter the consequences...
you must take God out of the schools...
beat your wife, it makes you a strong man...
beat your kids, they deserve it...
beat anyone, they are idiots anyway...
ANARCHY YEAH!!!"

I say no!!!

Why conform to the norm...

Why be just like the rest of the world? We can be different...

We can stand out...

Jesus calls us to be different. He calls us to respect authority, to love our neighbours as we love ourselves... Read your Bible, you'll find it in there...don't know where? Message me.

I AM TIRED

Tired of the world going down the drain...
Tired of all the people giving up their lives just for a quick bit of "fun".
Tired of people who just lie down and take it.
Tired of people who don't do anything about it.

Wake up. Look around
Stand your ground
Choose to be all you can be
stand up for what
you believe in!

The choice is yours

Take the blue pill and continue to be brainwashed and guided by the media and the rest of the world.

Take the red pill and learn the truth. The truth is Jesus..The truth is living the life He wants you to.

To find the truth read Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. That's the Bible kids.

Running into walls

2006-05-26T12:52:00.000+02:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Ever noticed in life, sometimes it's like you have one foot nailed to the floor and it feels like you are going round in circles. Sometimes it is as if you were merrily walking along, and all of a sunnden there was a huge wall in the way, and smack you walked right into...*ow* my nose hurts...

This is not something I made up, I heard it somewhere. This is good and bad.
Good->because if you think it is stupid, you can't really blame me.
Bad->because if you think it is cool I can't take credit.

Now one day a man was walking along and he came to a wall that was blocking his path. He stopped dead in his tracks, the wall was so high he couldn't climb it, so wide he couldn't walk round it. This thing was like the great wall of China. So he stood there for a minute, pondering his next move. He could go back the way he came and try find another way around, or he could try something else.

So he stood there and looked up to heaven, like they do in the movies, and said "what now, God?".
Then, just like in the movies, a loud booming voice comes from the heavens...
"Push the wall over, my son"
The man looked up into the sky and said "but God, look how wide and tall and thick the wall is".
God says to the man again "Push the wall over".
The man goes "But God...I can't".
God says "How will you know, if you never try...Remember I am with you".

So the man walks up to the wall and puts his hands against it...And pretends to push...
God says "do it like you mean it."
So the man does.

He pushes

And pushes

And pushes

And guess what!

No...the wall doesn't miraculously fall over.

But after a really long time of pushing against the wall, God once again comes to the man.
God says "ok, you can stop pushing the wall now".
The man steps back, defeated, and says "Sorry Lord, but I have failed You".
God says "Look at your arms, back and legs. See how strong you have become".
And just then with a mighty bang the wall falls over.

Many times in life we end up walking smack into a wall. We have no idea of how to get around/past that wall, only we know we need to be on the other side. That wall could be anything from learning a new theory in calculus to learning to play an instrument to trying to get a buff body. You gotta just push that wall, and eventually something will happen...
You will get the calculus theory.
You will be able to ripp it up on the guitar.
You will look like arnold.

They say, "Hardship builds character". This is true is most cases, but in other cases the hardship just creates more resentment. You will often need the strength you gained struggling with some or other "WALL" to help someone else out, or yourself...

But...You can't do it alone, it is impossible, just ask me, I know.

That darn hard choice

2006-05-25T12:52:00.000+02:00

Current mood: thoughtful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

No I am not talking about choosing between a large milkshake or a regular size...

I am talking to the way we react to life. I have basically noticed there are pretty much 2 camps when it comes to reacting to what happens in life. There are the people who just explode, and there are other people that kind of seem like they have been smoking weed. I reckon that you should try avoid belonging exclusively to either of these camps. If you are one of the angry people, you will upset the people around you by flying off the handle for the smallest of things. If you are the laid back person, you will get used, often...

Someone once said "Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans". So true. The choice you make on how to react to what happens determines what type of person you are (duh). Another real challenge is to stop being a human being and start being a human doing...Don't just be a lame duck floating downstream, going with the crowd...Do something with your life, swim upstream.

Me, I try to do just that...Sometimes it gets tiring though. Especially when I have had a long day at work and my little sister is pestering me...I just wanna snap and give her a smack. Then I think of something, though a little corny, that helps me not to do that... WWJD, yes we all know what it means, "WHY WAIT, JUST DO" it.... no, kidding, means "what would Jesus do?". Well He had patience...

He still has patience...

He will always have patience...

Forever...

Try it out, you owe it to yourself and
those you love

Who am I?

2006-05-24T12:51:00.000+02:00

Current mood: disappointed
Category: Life

The eternal question rings in my mind once again:

WHO AM I

Sometimes I sit and wonder, what I am? Then I look around at all the people around me and see something interesting...They are also sitting around going "who am I?"

I can hear you screaming it now: "I know who I am", "I am a big strong bloke" or "I am a sexy vixen" or .....

But do all these people actually know who they are...Yes and no.

What??!?
Sure they know other people think they are "I am a big strong bloke" or "I am a sexy vixen" or .....
But who are they really? How do they define themselves?

People post pictures of their butts, their boobs, their sixpacks, their biceps...Whatever, and they define themselves by this...It's sad, because who the person actually is, is not what they look like. I know too many pretty girls/good looking guys that are so shallow, and they suck as people, then I know other people who are good looking or not who are awesome people. People these days define themselves by what other people think of them, what the media says they should look like (frigging stick insects!)...

That big strong bloke could get in a car accident and end up being a weeny after being in hospital, the sexy chick will get older...Then who are they?

Think about this
The more you worry about what others think of you, the less you know who you are...

SO stop worrying about who others think you are, and trying to be that person....Don't be a copy, be somebody!

BE WHO YOU ARE...EVEN IF IT IS A LITTLE CRAZY...IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, FIND OUT BY NOT CONFORMING TO THE FRIGGING MEDIA...IT SAYS WE SHOULD ALL CARRY LITTLE DOGGIES IN HANDBAGS AND WEAR TIGHT LITTLE T's...

DEEP WITHIN YOU MUST LOOK, THE PERSON WHO YOU ARE, TO FIND

What is commitment?

2006-05-12T12:50:00.000+02:00

What is commitment?
Current mood: working
Category: Life

Commitment....Something many guys are very afraid to hear about. It is a trap, a cage, a prison sentence for them. Here is the literal meaning:

commitment

The act or an instance of committing, putting in charge, keeping, or trust, especially:
- The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review
- Official consignment sending a person to prison or a mental health institution
Promise or agreement to do something in the future, especially:
- Assuming a financial obligation at a future date
Being bound emotionally/intellectually to a course of action or to another person(s)
Perpetration, in a negative manner, as in a crime or mistake
State of being pledged or engaged
The trait of sincerity and focused purpose

But commitment is so much more than that. I am talking about commitment in all aspects of your life. These days commitment is something that is sadly not seen very often. People just won't commit to anything anymore. They won't commit to relationships, diets, excercise regimes etc. How many people do you know that are divorced? That right there is breaking a commitment you made to your partner and to God. (Now before you want to shoot me, I know that there are sometimes valid reasons for a divorce). What I mean is people who give up on their marriage as soon as things get tough, and they always get tough. There are so many young people that have a different girlfriend/boyfriend every week, I know some people that will go to a club/bar to find a new boyfriend/girlfriend and within a few days you no longer hear about this new "love" of theirs.

Besides relationships, commitment is lacking elsewhere in the world. People change religions like I change my socks....About once a month (Joking) . Check out the celebs, one week the latest religion is kaballa, next it's scientology or whatever is *new*. People base their lives on these flaky people. Then there are soccer,cricket,rugby,chess,drama,band and every other type of practices out there. How ofter does everyone pitch for the practice? Again I know people who won't pitch at practice if their friend isn't there.....(I am beginning to think I need to find other people in my life). Because sadly they aren't committed to the whatever they are practising for.

In fact commitment is at such an all time low, that even the media has caught onto it. There are adverts about "people change their minds, their friends.....". The gossip mags have endless stories about, "who is so and so with this week?"

Man this sucks...So here is a challenge, when you commit to something this week, stick with it.

2006-05-11T12:50:00.000+02:00

Local musican support
Current mood: sad
Category: Quiz/Survey

Man my town sucks.

I have noticed there are quite a few musos or people who would like to be musos on myspace. Isn't it cool when you waltz out on stage with your guitar in your hand and a quickend pulse and you see lots of people out there?

Well unfortunately where I come from (A little k*k dorpie, in South Africa, called Vereeniging) it isn't so....You know in the movies when someone asks a stupid question and there is dead silence, all you hear is this chirp, chirp of crickets. Well you have a good chance of that happening to you when you walk out on stage there. There seems to be a sort of mentality going around where people won't go support local bands.

I have been to a couple of shows with live bands, and the turnout was terrible. I've heard stories of bands touring the country, going to Vanderbijlpark (Neighbour of Vereeniging) and having like 30 people pitch. The same band goes to Margate (On the coast) and the main beach is packed with people.

Now I know you might be saying, maybe they were sucky bands. Well the last event I went to had the following bands : Primecircle, The Parletones, The Finklesteins, Grounded, The Waiting Room Band. Now these bands are pretty well known here in SA and they are pretty decent.

Number of tickets sold : round 400.

Tell me that doesn't suck! Now I went to another event outside of the so called "Vaal Triangle" where there were thousands of people. This event was held in Potchefstroom. Another event I went to was in Cape Town and again....Thousands of people.

Now from what I have seen, in my area, there are no bars/clubs etc. where live bands play. The only place you find live bands on a regular occasion is in church.

1. What's it like where you come from?

2. Any ideas on what we can do to improve this?

2006-05-10T12:48:00.000+02:00

Two roads diverged in a wood...
Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Have you ever stood or sat or lay somewhere thinking.....Where in the world am I going? Why on earth am I here? I have....Many times.

Some people say that life is what you make it, you determine the way you walk, where you go and who you know. Other people believe that you are on a predetermined path. They put everything down as an act of "fate", they believe that where they end up is exactly where they are meant to be, and they could have been no where else...Now I don't know about you, but I find the whole "you are on a set path where fate takes you where it wants" a little too restrictive, almost like being in a rut or one of those little slot cars that just go round and round stuck in the same slot all the time....To me that sucks, what would be the point of that type of life?

I don't see much point to being a mindless drone. That is why I believe something else. Just one thing before I continue, I am a Christian and therefore believe I was created by God and that He has given me some purpose is life. Now I see it this way...He has some purpose for you, whether it is mowing old peoples lawns or helping the needy.

BUT

This is does not mean, to me anyway, that every moment of every day is planned for you. You were given a little thing called free will, which means you can make your own choices. God will give you clues about which fork to take in every situation, through others/feelings etc. but He will mostly leave you to your own devices.

So to paraphrase the title: "many roads diverge in your life"......Which ones are you going to take? It helps to as His advice sometimes...Sometimes you can be going along in one direction, feeling ok. Suddenly something good/bad happens in your life..This can sort of build and "offramp" off of the piece of highway that you are travelling, and it is your choice whether to take it or not. You make choices all day, everyday.