We are still in Beta.

Forgiveness. How does it work for you? Or does it?

For me Forgiveness is not so hard, but saying sorry is. With forgiveness it’s hard to let it go. You shouldn’t forget though. I think that’s wrong. Just forgetting it and acting like it never happened is a lie and it doesn’t work. You will always think about it. You have to be able to live with what you did and learn from it. You have to be able to learn from what others did. Forgetting will not get you as far.

Personally I find it harder to ask forgiveness than give it. This is because I have a problem with looking good to others. My “Self Image” if you will. I want to be viewed as perfect even though I am not. I mean I have huge problems just like everyone else. The difference though (or I hope) is that I will try my hardest to ask forgiveness and make up for the mistake. Rather than just blow it off. I find it extremely hard though to ask forgiveness because then people get to see me in the “wrong” and I struggle with that. My “Self Image” is not so perfect than, and I want to be perfect.
Whenver I have a preblem with something I pray about it. So I always end up praying about the situation for a while and asking God for forgiveness first then going to the person and saying “Hey I’m really sorry about what happened”. I don’t ever want to destroy a friendship or anything over any argument or something I’ve done wrong. I know it can happen if you don’t ask forgiveness.

So remember to ask forgiveness. As the Bible says in Ephesians 4:25-27 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

So don’t let the sun go down without asking forgiveness. Don’t be angry with someone else or yourself for anything. Ask forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

So tonight I went to a concert. It was Revolve and Jason Ackerman.
Jason Ackerman, has some cool and some funny songs but isnt the best vocalist. Revolve on the other hand, well Micah and Kristin for this show, just them are amazing. Kristin has great vocals and Micah sure can rock on the guitar, they have talent. Anyway after listening to them I always wonder, How do they manage to write such good songs? I mean I can hardly write a piano piece, let alont vocals for it. So I was wondering. Then Jason played and he had one song I really liked. He also talked about how he went to a song writing class, and how they said never lose an inspiration. So how do I do that. What if I have a great inspiration and I don’t know how to actually do it? You know? I don’t know how to write other than by improv and then writing down what I like. So is there and easier way? If so I would like to know? Thanks!

So Wednesday the 19th was very good. It was our Church’s first Youth Group Preview Event. In other wods our first actuall youth group. The talk by Brian Kilde was amazing. He did awesome. Talking about identity and his son Skylar who thought he was Spiderman. Haha. Anyway the game went awesome I lead that, and we had lot’s of people. I was very amazed, Praise God! I can’t wait until our next! Brian Kilde is such a talented guy. I hope everyone who came had a great time, I think most people did. God sure is amazing. Anyway, Core team meetings will still be going on weekly every Tuesday from 7-8:30. So we will be thinking about the next one. Wow.

I forgot to post this when I got the chance. I wrote it at about 11:30pm in Spokane. I couldn’t post it then because the server was down. So I’m posting it now.

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we may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against Him while we use His weapons.
-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest-

Earlier today I was sitting and reading my devotions while listening to “Clocks” by Coldplay. While listening I heard the line “Am I part of the Cure, or am I part of the disease?” I started thinking and then read in My Utmost for His Highest this “We may become amateur providences of God to someone else, working against Him while we use His weapons.” This made me wonder, am I part of the cure? Or am I just another Christian hypocrite? Do I go to church every Sunday and youth group on Tuesdays and not live it? Am I really helping further the kingdom of God? I then read this

“We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.”

Now I know that I am not always a hypocrite. Yes sometimes I am, sometimes I make mistakes but what I try to do to make myself different and not a hypocrite is apologize. I don’t just make the mistake I then use that for God’s will. I show that I am the wrong one rather than avoid it. I realize though that I am an amateur. I realize that I actually do prevent God’s will sometimes because I say I’m sorry for what your going through, rather than I pray that they will experience 10 times more difficulties.

“When you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ.”
-Oswald Chambers-

So I conclude from reading all of this that I need to strive to not be an amateur. I need to pray that people will be brought to their knees from theses hard times. That they will struggle and through their struggles see God. I need to pray that I will fall to my knees and praise God for my struggles. That I will see God through my struggles and grow stronger in him.

Hey my youth group is having a movie night on April 4th. We haven’t decided what movie yet but it will be fun. You should all come. It will be awesome. Most likely there will be very few people there. Probably 7 at the most plus whoever else we get to come. So you are all invited and should come.

Ok that was crazy cool. I went almost 2 whole weeks without touching the computer. I started Monday the 9th and just got on today. I did have to check my email once, because someone from church was emailing me a script and Saturday I made an exception when trying to contact people to go to Golden Skate. Other than that I didn’t touch it and the extra day was because I of those times. It was pretty crazy not using it, but it really was rewarding. I would challenge everyone to try it. If you don’t have a problem with using the computer to much though then I would challenge it to be someting else. TV, Video Games, The Telephone. Whatever it is, just try it it’s really rewarding.

Some interesting thoughts.

-”I am a cheap person living in an expensive world.”
This is true about me, I thought it up a few nights ago. We were shopping in downtown Portland and everything was so much money. Seriously a shirt for $150? That is crazy, I think it’s a lot if I spend more than $5 on a shirt. I am always out to get a bargain.
Then there is the aspect of the world. God’s world, nature etc. The world is so rich and we are all cheap. None of us deserve to be here. We all sin. Period. That is that, and here God created this whole world for us. Look around you! It is beautiful! Study a blade of grass, or a tree leaf. Watch a waterfall for an hour. Take a walk in the rain. It is amazing! We don’t deserve it, Cheap people in an expensive world. It kinda makes our life look small and unworthy when compared. Have a nice day!