We are still in Beta.

God is a creative being, right? That’s what my youth pastor was telling us tonight.

Creativity comes from habit. Meaning, you can streamline creativity. This is what our current school theme is all about.

If God is creative, and creativity comes from habit… what does that mean about him?

Another thought…… If God is a creative God and he created the world creatively, was it hard for him to do it? As in, I find it hard to be creative sometimes, I have to work at a good idea, so, does God have this problem.

Last, if God created us out of creativity doesn’t that mean there should be mess ups, since creativity can be messy?

Ponder…..

My life is like a boat in the wind.

As I go through my days I will be swept sideways. A mllion different turns and spins will be happening. The wind will be totally unpredictable. Another day it will blow a steady fast pace all in one direction. I can either be helped in one way, or almost forced another. Then at other times the winds completely die and I feel all alone, with no power and no way to get anywhere. This just leaves me to stop and think about everything. Sometimes the forecast will say that there will be a steady 10 mph of wind the next day, but when that day comes… BAM!… There is gusts of 30 mph winds and then it drops to no wind. One minute it’s coming from the South, the next it’s from the Northwest, then the East and all I can do is drop the sails and try and keep the boat from capsizing.

My life is this boat. I’m trying to keep my life from flipping upside down. I get thrown left and right or forced one direction. When the wind really picks up and I can’t control my life I have to drop everything I’m doing and focus on what’s most important (keeping my life from capsizing). One thing though is always for certain, when I have wind I’m moving, even if it’s the wrong direction, but at least I’m moving.

Miracles, what are they?

I think that miracles aren’t as “amazing” as we sometimes think. I mean, they are amazing but it’s not like God is changing something into anything new, or making something into something it shouldn’t be. See I realized the other day that when God does a miracle all he is doing is returning that thing to it’s natural order. He is fixing it. What I mean is that the world was created perfect and only because of sin do we have disease, death, disfigurations etc. So when God performs a miracle it is really just him fixing the person or situation and restoring it to the way it was created.

This is the same thing that people do whenever they fix a computer and return it to it’s natural state, or fix a broken garment, or repair a car. These items were created working and when we fix them we are doing “miracles”.

Now all of what I said doesn’t mean God’s miracles are any less amazing. It’s still awesome to think that he raises people from the dead, heals the sick, finds the lost, and loves us, even though we are sinners. Plus there are the miracles like walking on water and turning water to wine and splitting the red sea in half, and I don’t think those miracles are exactly returning something to the natural order. In fact they would be what I said miracles aren’t earlier God changing something into something new.
So I, for one,  am still in awe and fear of God. His miracles are still amazing to me!

I’ve recently been amazed by some of what I’ve read in the Bible. Last night I started reading and couldn’t stop and today I read and wow. I just, I don’t see how America and the world has come to view possessions so highly, and come to be so … just opposite Jesus message. This doesn’t even count me out, I am in the same category, but.. just listen to some of these verses.

Matthew 10:38-39

“and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Mark 8:34-38
“then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Luke 9:23

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Luke 17:33

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Mark 8:35

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 16:15-18

>”He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”"

Matthew 10:7-10

“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. “

Mark 6:8-13

“These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

Luke 9:1-6

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. ”
They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

Luke 18:22

“Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Luke 16:9

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Now a lot of these are saying basically the same things. I think that only re-emphasizes the point. Lose Your Life, Carry Your Cross, Take Nothing, Give everything. Why do we find it so hard? Well because it’s so simple, and so basic, that we almost don’t believe it. Jesus tells us he will take care of us and provide for us, but we just can’t accept that. He has a plan for us. It is so hard for us, especially Americans to give up our possessions and everything because we have known no different. I think we all need to reevaluate our lives and our possessions. We need to ask ourselves what is most important, Jesus and eternal life, or the here and now?

I have no idea what to do after my senior year. I don’t feel like going to college and incurring debt. I don’t feel like going to college and doing “the norm”. I don’t feel like going to college and “learning” stuff I don’t care about. I just want to get on with my life… Whatever that means. Since I don’t know what I want to do with my life, I will ponder it all through the year until I hit graduation. Hopefully by then I will have come to a conclusion, but, if not, I plan on living all the same.

Being a few days from my 18th birthday I guess it is time for the wish list post. Now I know I haven’t updated in a while, so I’m sorry that this has to be what the post is, but maybe with my 18th birthday will come experience in the area of blogging, and thus create some brilliant posts to come, but I doubt it. Anyway, ON WITH THE LIST!!

-Cash that will go towards licensing my sailboat, parts I need for it, materials for the repair, and towards my membership at the club

-An Mp3 player with 4GBs or more of space (Sansa E260?)

-A Dry Bag for my sailboat (available at boating stores, or sports stores like Joes)

-Disc Golf Discs, or a new bag

-Something creative and original, maybe handmade?

-Fun card games and board games

-A Car

-Lifejackets Adult Universal size

-Time with friends, as in you take me to a movie, or go to coffee, or on a hike. I’d love just hang out time with friends and family if you don’t have cash.

-Other?

My current mood seems to be presenting itself as a wonderfuly mind numbing moment of brilliance. Of course this means that I have to move to my ever faithful blog of which I use the blank pages (or blank screen) of imagination to write my intellect and wit for all the world to see.

Unfortunately just because my mood feels brilliant, or like writing something smart, I really have nothing quite thoughtful to say. Those yearbooks really sucked it out of me.

So instead, I think I shall let you all know that currently I am having a wonderful summer and the highlights are when I get to go sailing. It really is an amazing experience having the breeze in your face and water below, blue sky above, the sun beating down, and your abs getting a workout that is harder than my crazy dance teachers crunch series. I think that the only thing that will make sailing better is when I have my own boat and when I have my friends or family with me on the boat. That will be awesome.

Speaking of me getting a boat, if anyone happens to have any leads on a smaller sailboat I could purchase, or have any spare cash they would willingly donate to my cause, please, let me know! Otherwise, contact me when I get my sailboat to bum a ride! Actually I would love to take you so don’t be shy. Anyway, if I don’t write for a while….I’m probably sailing!

I read this today in a daily email I get from this site. I thought it was really good and had to share it.

“If there is any secret to this life I live, this is it: the sound of what cannot be seen sings within everything that can. & there is nothing more to it than that.”

In other words, though you might not know all my secrets, my whole life is spewing them into the world and can be seen in all the other things I do.