Passing Away, Moving On

Last Wednesday my Grandfather passed away. 
He was the one who accepted Christ earlier this year that I mentioned in a previous blog post-so for that I rejoice. 

I was able to attend his funeral this weekend. Overall, it was a good experience. A funeral is one of those things that helps put things into perspective. The service at the funeral was pretty much the service I believe that my grandfather would have given. The main point of the message was that being a "good person" doesn't necessarily mean you're going to Heaven. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save you from an eternity in Hell. I was glad that I was able to present a couple paragraphs in the service about his life. (I had the pastor read them, I wouldn't have been able to. Even with all of my complaints about lack of emotion- I'm not as emotionless as I thought.)
Most of my emotion came from viewing my grandfather's body the day before the funeral. It really wasn't so much because of his loss that I wept (although- I would've liked to hear more of his stories); it was because of how beautiful his life was. This was a man who loved his wife probably more than any man could. He served his country in the second World War, provided for his family, and instilled a work ethic in those who worked for him.
Short story time: My grandfather worked on a farm and logged woods part time. One day while logging woods, a log fell off of the truck and  severely broke his leg about halfway through the work day. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to work for the next couple months, he finished his logging job for the day and then went to the hospital. Yeah. Tougher than nails is a good description. 
Anyway, the man had done it all and seen it all. (Being a radioman on blimps in the navy, he traveled nearly everywhere in the world.)  Near the end of his life, he realized that life has nothing permanent to offer and he trusted Christ as his Savior. It was thinking on the beauty and grace of how God had spared his life so many times so that he would come to salvation that got me. The more I thought about how excited he would be to be in Heaven and to see Jesus, the more the emotion came. Also, singing "In the Sweet By and By" got to me because I could picture him and I belting it out together loud and proud for the Lord.

I heard a quote on the radio as I was driving to his house, "It is better to look back on a well-spent life than to look forward to an unlived one."

I miss him, but I know I'll see him again. Now it's time to make sure I'm living a well-spent life. 

Ride And Prejudice

Disclaimer! 
This is going to be one of those preaching to myself type of posts, so this may not be what you want to hear. And, as always, if I say something out of line- let me know. 

I enjoy longboarding. There is a greenway near where I live that is smooth and has hills. It's pretty ideal for riding. There's something about the cool rushing of the air over my face (also blowing my hair if it's long enough), the feeling of effortlessly gliding over a smooth surface, and listening to some great tunes. It makes me very glad that God made physics the way He did. (I wouldn't mind if he turned off gravity, but I'm sure he has reasons for that force's existence.) Anyway, it's a great experience. And since we don't get very much snow for snowboarding or skiing where I live- it's a good substitute. 

However, one thing I don't enjoy about longboarding, is the stares. No matter how large your smile is, how much eye contact you give, or how much you wave and say "hi"- other pedestrians  look at you like you are the lowest form of axe murderer in existence.
I know why. The skateboarding community hasn't made the best reputation for itself. There are some skaters who are angsty teenagers that vandalize things and purposefully aggravate law enforcement, BUT not all skaters are like that. I would say that I have been discriminated against the most just for carrying or riding a skateboard. And, to be honest, it doesn't feel very good. 

(Here comes the preaching to myself.) 

How many times do I do that to others? 
How many times have I "assumed" because of the way that people look or dress?
How many times have I avoided others because of my assumptions?

If I do this, I am being the same person that I just described. These people that I discriminate against might have a lot in common with myself. Even if they don't, and they are angsty teen vandals- don't they need the Gospel of Jesus Christ as much as the next person?

I'll let God's Word end this post:

Titus 3:3-7
³ At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

"I've been thinking." " A dangerous pastime." "I know." 
I just borrowed that line from Beauty and the Beast, but it's true. 

I can get lost in thought sometimes. Especially as of late, I find myself spacing out a lot. A lot is on my mind. I'm making decisions, figuring plans, and contemplating information. I've been reading a lot lately so there's plenty of information circulating around my brain alongside my college studies. 

Over break, I had the opportunity to see the movie "Les Miserables" twice. I'm not usually the type of person that sees movies twice, but it was with two different groups of people. I definitely liked it better the second time through since I had watched the 1935 version before seeing the musical. The older version ends where the musical still has about 45 minutes of singing left- so, you can probably understand why it seemed to drag on the first time I saw it. I was glad that I saw it the second time; I could notice much more that I had missed and appreciate the beauty of it. I thought it was a wonderful movie with very powerful emotions in it. (No, I did not cry, but I was as close to as I had ever been before in a movie.) It also displays Christ's work of redemption in a practical way- not a perfect example, but a glimpse nonetheless. The movie shows the grip that legalism can have on an individual and I could somewhat relate to Javert. I have an inner pharisee mentality that looks down on others, even though I know I am the exact same as the people I am looking down upon. It's an area that God is working with me.The movie is not for everyone since there is a gratuitous amount of singing in it, but some people that I did not think would like it have told me that they have loved it. My favorite quote from the 1935 version of the film was not included in the musical. 
Bishop Bienvenu: "Long ago, Jean, I learned that life is to give, not to take. Let me give. And in return, promise me that you will give, also." 
I have been very challenged by the Holy Spirit to give that which God has first given to me. I've been realizing that God has given me sooooooo much, and that I need to be sharing what I have with others. I've also been challenged to be reading much more of God's Word than I have in the past. I've been wanting to want God and I feel that this desire has finally grown to some fruition. I don't always desire God, but it has been a more recurring desire recently. Yay!
I've also been reading from men of God and older men. I know they're not perfect and sinners just like me and I have to run whatever they say through the filter of God's Word, but they offer a lot of insight into what God says and show different perspectives on certain issues that I am nowhere near understanding. 

Speaking of learning, we learned a story to share in my Bible study tonight. And since this is my blog, I figured I'd like to share it with some people. (If anyone still reads this. I'd like to apologize for this being my first post of 2013. :/ ) 
It comes from Luke 7:36-50, so you can check it out for yourself if you'd like to.
Jesus was invited to a pharisee named Simon's house for dinner. He was a very religious type of person that I picture being similar to Javert, but Jewish. At this dinner, a woman comes in with a jar of perfume that is worth a year's salary. She weeps, pours it on Jesus' feet, kisses His feet, and wipes them with her hair. 
Wow. That's what I would call humility. 
Simon's friends that are over for dinner, as well as Simon, know that this lady is a big-time sinner and start to mumble to themselves. 
Jesus sees this misplaced pride in their own goodness and decides to tell Simon a story. 
He tells a story of a man who was owed 50 denarii (their currency) by one man and 500 denarii by another man. This man forgives both of them and Jesus asks Simon which man will love this man more. Simon says the man who was forgiven more and Jesus says that he has judged correctly. 
I believe the relation was made clear in Simon's mind, but Jesus points it out to him still. He states that Simon had not washed His feet, greeted Him with a kiss, or given Him oil for His head (customary things for the time period); however, this woman had gone above and beyond the traditional greeting and humbled herself to worship at Jesus feet. Jesus saw her faith and repentance and told her that her sins are forgiven. At this point, the pharisees began to grumble because by claiming to be able to forgive sins- Jesus was claiming to be God. (I'll take this opportunity to point out the fact that you cannot state that Jesus was just a good moral teacher. He claimed to be God- a lot. So He was either God in the flesh, an insane person who thought He was God, or a great liar. He cannot be just a good moral teacher.) Jesus then tells the woman to go in peace. 

There are a lot of takeaways from this story, but I think one of the biggest ones is- don't judge others as being below yourself. See that you are human just like everyone else- a sinner. (I am preaching largely to myself at this point. It's something I struggle with, even as a believer.) But, if you realize that you are a sinner, know that Jesus died for those sins and that He stands offering eternal life and forgiveness for your sins. You just have to ask for forgiveness and repent of those sins. 

Some people say that a life lived for God is boring, but believe me- a life lived for God will not disappoint. 

Imagination

I have an overactive imagination. 
I mostly attribute it to the ridiculous amounts of cartoons that I watched as a kid. (I also am 90% sure that I have ADD and that it's linked to the incessant tv watching- but that's just my theory.) 
It can be a pain sometimes- mainly when I'm trying to pay attention to speakers or am having conversations with people. It's also why I don't really like scary movies, especially black and white ones. Zombies jumping out at random times isn't what scares me in these movies though. It's the lingering feelings and concepts that they plant in your mind. They come back to haunt me at random times when I'm by myself. Black and white movies make it worse for me because the lower quality leaves more to the imagination. When I watch a movie or read a book, it's difficult to tell myself that it's just a story. My mind gets involved in the story. 
It can be a blessing in someways though. I can keep myself entertained with just about anything.  Also, I believe that I enjoy books and movies more because my mind is so involved in the story.
In other news, the Lord brought me through this semester. The courses were difficult and I didn't think that I would do as well as I did, but God's obviously got a plan for me. 
I am so very thankful to be on break. I get to hang out with friends and family, and I am able to do lots of reading and exploring! YAY! 
Merry Christmas! I'll leave you with one of my favorite Christmas passages: 
Luke 2:8-15

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 

Boldness and Arrogance

I've been reading through Acts lately and God has been teaching me many things, such as: the power of prayer, how incredibly fearless the believers in the early church were, relying on God's timing, and how I should behave as a New Testament believer. 
One thing in particular that stood out to me was in Acts chapter 16 where Paul and Silas were going to pray and- long story somewhat shorter- they cast a demon out of a fortune telling slave girl. A seemingly good thing right?
Not for the owners of the slave girl. They were more concerned with losing the money that they made off of her fortune telling than the well-being of the girl. (This right here reminded me how incredibly depraved man is in his thinking and how wicked I am.) Regardless, the men proceeded to lie about Paul and Silas, give them a severe beating, and throw them in jail. Later that night, these men were not sulking over the days events, but rather praying and singing to God- until midnight. (I personally would've wanted some rest considering the days events.) By the working of the Holy Spirit, they are able to lead one of the jailers to Christ during the night. Evangelism would definitely not be what I would be thinking about past midnight, I should be however. The next day, the officials decided to let Paul and Silas go. And this is the part that stuck out to me:

Acts 16:36-40

"And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed."

God really taught me that while we should "turn the other cheek" and "go the extra mile", we should also stand up for ourselves and for others when injustice is committed. 

One of my favorite quotes is by Elie Wiesel-

"The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference."

I generally lack boldness and am in need of it- especially when it pertains to sharing the Gospel and initiating conversations with other.

I suppose a reason I lack boldness is because I associate boldness with arrogance. I will try to explain why. It is due to the fact that I love quiet and solitude. The way I view things is unless you're going to say something important, don't speak. When everything is quiet and peaceful the fastest way to get under my skin is to make abrupt loud noises- I might just snap. I assume that I equate loudness with being bold- and the loud, bold people I've met are generally arrogant and obnoxious.
I also need to learn that talking is not a bad thing, in fact, its rather beneficial. 

That's my best guess, but we obviously are called to boldness as followers of Christ so I guess I need to separate the two. Boldness does not equal arrogance. 


Also, if you read my favorite foods blog post earlier- I forgot to mention french onion soup and any form of bread, they're in that list somewhere. 

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