We are all Snitchers!

We as a generation are far more alike than many people would like to imagine. There are individuals that strive to be "different", individuals that will claim "originality", and even the radicals who will do anything to prove their disconnection from the culture. However, despite their efforts to not be main stream we as a generation have one thing in common and that is we are all chasing our own "Golden Snitch".

For all those who are not Harry Potter fans the "Golden Snitch" is the smallest and most illusive object in play during a Quidditch match. This "Snitch" is the most prized possession in the entire game because if caught by the "Seeker" the match immediately ends and counts as win for the team who obtained it.

Our lives are no different than that of a Quidditch match. What is your "Golden Snitch"? Money? A Girl? Big house, alot of cars? What is it that you are relentlessly pursuing that you believe will give you "true" happiness?

We so often fall into the trap that if we finally got what we were pursuing we would be happy but how many times has that worked out? Today forget about your pursuits of things that will pass away, things that are trivial and momentary; and begin to set your sights on the one true source of happiness!Christ came to give us all life and life abundantly(John 10:10), fix your eyes on the one who promises to satisfy(John 6:35).

Turn or Burn is All they Hear

"Christian evangelists" screaming Turn or Burn and God Hates Fags seems to be the only interaction todays society has with so called "Christians". So can you blame society for not wanting anything to do with this so called religion? I certainly dont. The example that has been set is that of condemnation, which is ironically preached about so much that those in Christ Jesus recieve no condemnation because Christ has set free those chained down by the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). This generation, myself included; has found it easier to condemn those who do not walk with the Lord rather than condone them and show them the love that we as followers have recieved. As Christians we so often forget the two greatest commandments Jesus spoke of 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and 2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 37-39). Jesus also commanded us to love another as he has loved us (John 15:12), so with Christ as our roadmap to how we should live should condemning be at all part of our daily lives? Christ never condemned so why should we. We are all sinners and that will never change but what can change is the love shown to those who havent yet found that condoning Christian. Christians are the only bibles some individuals will ever read so therefore we must always seek first the love and grace that was given to us by the one who died so that we may never face condemnation."Turn or Burn" is the of the past now and with our generation growing full of condemners, myself included; let us make steps toward becoming a revived generation of condoners.

The never ending search for more

Each of us have our own idea of the "Good Life", whether it be a big house, nice cars, alot of money, or a good job the one thing that all these have in common is that they will never last. We all have a void in our heart that is etched out in such a way that no other idea/possesion may take its spot yet we endlessly pursue to fill that hole with meaningless possession/actions. Our idea in todays society is as soon as i get that ______ (Fill in the Blank) i will be happy. But is that true? If it was than wouldn't Tiger Woods be satisfied with his mounds of money he possess or how about the man who has the well paying job and nice cars but a rapidly failing marriage. The point is with all our attempts to fill the void in our hearts we become less and less aware of what the shape truly is. Does money truly buy happiness, can a big house and nice cars really bring a sense of peace, is having an affair with that woman finally going to quench that thirst for something more? The answer is simply no. Without a doubt, many people walk around daily wondering what they can do to be happy some resort to partying and drounding out their problems that they are so good at covering up, some lay wondering if life is more than the porn addiction that never satisfies, or some sit and pondering if there is anything worth living for and the answer to their problem is simply what fits in that void of their heart. We all have a God shaped hole the we so tirelessly pursue to fill with anything but Christ. We seek after the lies of darkness that are like a mirage in the desert or the well that yields no water yet we endlessly pursue them. Our lives have become consumed by these pursuits whether they be at the party, on the computer, in the bedroom, or lay in the wallet. But one thing is for sure no matter how tired you have become of pursuing the void that lay in your heart God has never given up on you. That hole is the door to happiness and Jesus Christ holds the key allow him to unlock the door and step into the void meant for him.

A Generation of Sighteers

In a world set on live by sight not by faith , have we lost sight of what it truly means to have faith? In a conversation early today i encountered 2 individuals who have lost sight of faith entirely. They believed that they must be able to physically touch something or be able to see something to know that it is really there. Well what about the wind?Is it there? Obviuosly that is a bad example but thats what it has come down to for many people. Believing that God truly exists for many people is a challenging thing to do because the "facts" aren't all in place. But thats where things can get a little sticky for most conversations when you present the facts to an unbeliever because:

1. This galaxy and all the other millions of galaxies could not have been created by molecules accidently crashing together.

2. The Laminin Cell that holds are body together could not just be a random phenomenon

3. The millions of true life "turn arounds" that all have God as the source

4. The coutless numbers of miracle stories that have no other orgin than from God

These are just a few "signs" of a loving God and these havent even touched the number of facts that lay "hidden" to some in the Bible. True unbelief is an epidemic in today's society because if it doesnt come easy it must not be true but once you open your heart up to allowing God to show you what you looking for, he will open the gates of heaven and begin to blow your mind with the realization that a Holy and loving God exists and wants to know you!

Lately, ive been taking the time to reminisce on countless numbers of blessings that i have encountered in my life. Without a doubt i deserved none of them but God was so gracious and loving to bless me despite my sinful nature and eagerness to live for myself. My goal for this blog is not to have you read my blessings but for you to reminisce on the many blessings you have in your own lives, we take so much for granted but yet when you take a step back you realize how truly blessed you are. I have thought of many times i have been blessed and have come down to a "top 5" list not taking anything away from any other blessings.

1. God's forgiveness and willingness to offer me a second chance
2. My beautiful Girlfriend/Bestfriend- who has been such an inspiration and a light in my life
3. My High School Cross Country/Track Coach- who is an amazing mentor
4. My Family- who has taught me to be content and how to love
5. My gift of running- the gift i may return the blessing that God has given me by running 100% for him


These are just a few of many but i hope that you can think of a list just like this and begin to thank God for his amazing timing, his love, his graciousness, his uncanny ability to always pull through, and his willingness to offer anyone a second chance.

Signs that he will always hold us together!

So we all have those things that just seem to blow our minds and i just found one! Its what is called the Laminin Cell, a cell adhesion molecule. It sounds pretty complicated and it most definately is to me. But what it does is simply EVERYTHING!! It holds our whole body together, holds our skin on, allows us to simply function. I saw a picture of this beautiful creation and it just about made me fall out of my seat. God promises to hold us together no matter what and the band "Fee" puts his promise best with the lyrics, "When everything falls apart your arms hold me together when everything falls apart your the only hope for this heart". Hearing these lyrics and seeing a picture of the Laminin molecule it all came full circle. He truly will hold us together no matter what, his unfailing love is just that unfailing! Psalms 62:6 "He only is my rock, my salvation, my fortress" God will not let you down and he certainly didnt when he created you in his image (Genesis 1:27). It is only fitting that this molecule that simply holds us all together is in the shape of the cross that our Lord and Savior died on for us.

This is a actual microscopic picture of a Laminin molecule!

But, i know many people have had the same questions as me before: How do you know God is real?, What signs are there of a God? Well over the past months i have been shown many signs and they have left me speechless. It's almost hard to grasp that the God of the entire universe loves me enough to create me perfectly, let alone send his son to die for me because i am a sinner. It's hard to grasp, but just sit back and see all the amazing wonders in the world that have no explanation but, God.

Hope

Have you ever looked in the mirror and realized that you aren't becoming who you intended to be? Imagine putting that mirror in front of the United States (what do you think would be shown); what about the world? Have we become what God intended us to be? Are we following Gods law over the law of man? To be honest, that question is quite easy to answer and it is no.

With wars seemingly happening everywhere, famines in too many countries, young woman being sold in human trafficking, children dying of starvation every day, $97 billion used for pornography every year, the list can go on and on but what i concluded is that I'm sure God didn't quite have this in his plan for us. But why dont we take the world by storm and change things? We all have a secret ambition to be a rebel; well why dont we rebel against lust, greed, hatred, etc and show the world what Jesus Christ can bring them: HOPE!

Jesus Christ is the only man in history who can restore lives, who provides forgiveness for our sins, who loves unconditionally, who will never leave or forsake us, and who is the way, the truth, and the life. He gave his life so that we may gain ours. The cross is more than just a religious symbol most see it as, it is much more than that; it is a showing of Gods unconditional love that he would send his only son to die for us, so that we may experience a new life free of bondage and pain.

Have you become enslaved to this worlds illusions that it can bring you happiness? Are you searching for hope and a meaning for your life? Well its best said in Fee's song "Everything Falls", "When everything falls apart your arms hold me together, when everything falls apart your the only hope for this heart, when everything falls apart and my strength is gone i find you mighty and strong". Jesus Christ wants to hold you together, he wants you just as you are, come to him and let him set you free and let his peace come over your life. Email me if you have any questions because your life is meaningful and God wants to offer you what the world cant:Freedom!

Lets make a change in all our lives; imagine if we all started loving like Christ. So i challenge you to take the blinders off from over your eyes that the world has put on and see that world for what it truly is; a large round dust ball filled with Billions of hurting people. Lets take it one step at a time and make a difference in this world by being those rebels who love unconditionally!

Today i was sitting in class and being the wonderful student i am; i was surfing the internet and came across many world hunger videos that just broke my heart. Many of us have come across these many times before in our lifetime but think nothing of them other than ," thats sad wish we could stop that" ; well to many it seems like a lofty irreversible challenge but what if it wasn't such a challenge would we actually do something about it? According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) it would take $30 Billion a year to launch agricultural programs to completely solve the world hunger puzzle that many cant seem to put together. Although that grand sum of money seems to be alot put it into Wall Street terms, we as Americans bailed out Wall Street for 23 times that amount.

Many may say well where would we get this money from since we as a nation are already broke? Well great question, but; EcoSalon did some digging on what we spend our money on and how much we infact do spend and the findings were astonishing.$1 trillion a year is spent on military expenditures globally and roughly $540 billion is from the US alone, $23.4 Billion goes to The United States Department of Energy to develop and maintain nuclear warheads, but its not all Americas fault; the United Kingdoms wastes $31.7 billion US dollars worth of food every year. Can we stop world hunger if globally we all got on board? I think it is certainly attainable.

Put aside religion, race, nationality, status, etc and see people for who they really are HUMAN!! We all have one thing in common and that is we are all in this world together and people need our help. Will we rises to the call? Lets be a generation that brings change!