Howdy everybody. Our government is asking for our opinion on them using social networks to provide information to us. If you have some time, please stop by and take this survey http://capturagroup.com/egov-survey. One of the ways they are reaching out to the public is by writing a blog. I have found the blog govgab.com a good source of information and a good read. If you have some time you might want to stop by it and read it.
Thomas
As many of you know I plan on not voting this election. I am struggling with I am giving my loyalty to government over God. I also struggle with the ideal that I am forcing my religious beliefs onto someone who does not believe as I do when I vote by my beliefs.
I found that there is some interesting conversation about voting on a few bloggs. If you have some free time you might want to check out these three post by Shaun Groves. 1 2 3
You also might want to check out Brody’s blog when he asked who was voting and was not voting and why they are doing what the are doing. Lastly you might want to check out a post by Carol Turner. I came across her blog through Shaun’s blog.
Thomas
(picture found through usasearch.gov)
Your too short, too tall, wrong family, do not make enough money, too old, too young, red hair, blonde hair, wrong job, wrong ministry, met at church, met on the internet, too fat, too skinny, wrong race, live in the wrong country, wrong religion, and wrong life style all of these are barriers we put in front of yourselves so we do not let someone to enter into our lives.
Just think if Jesus used the same criteria when deciding on whom to love and to die for. Could you imagine yourself standing in front of Jesus and He says you are not good enough and you realize that He used the same criteria that you used to push someone away. How would you argue that your requirements for letting someone into your life to minister to and maybe even love as God loves you should not be used against you.
I am guilty of this practice. I am great at putting up barriers that pushes people away. As I sit here writing this I realize that either I am either a hypocrite or a liar. Either I refuse to obey God or I truly do not believe that there is a God. With every once of my being I believe that there is a God so that must makes me a hypocrite. As I look at it, it seems that most Christians are either hypocrites or liars that do not believe what they claim to believe.
I am thankful that there is a God who loves me. I am thankful that he came down and died for me. I just hope that someday that I can be the person who He would be proud of. Until that day comes please forgive me if I push you away because of some stupid criteria I used to judge you by.
Thomas
My life is complete now. I saw a commercial for a law firm that was advertising for clients who lost money during this economic down turn. I wonder who they plan on suing over this. Do you sue your stock broker or do you sue the government. I need that commercial to play again so I can sue someone to get back what I lost in 401K plan. Come on commercial.
Thomas
(Picture found on usasearch.gov)
I have had a couple of chances to listen to Andrew Petersons Resurrection Letters Volume II and I am hoping to get some quite time to listen to it again. I have enjoyed what I have heard and I hope that by having some quite time to listen to it that the full impact of his songs will fully impact me. Since I preordered it, they gave me a second copy for free. I promised a friend I would mail him a copy after I got it. I just need to find his address now.
I am kind of disappointed that Behold The Lamb Of God tour will not be making a stop close to where I live. I need to figure out how to catch this show. I have had this desire to see it since reading the reviews from previous years shows.
It has been three weeks since the last time I have shaved and I am beginning to look very scary.
Over the weekend my mother informed me that I have been a little cranky. She suggested that maybe I should go back to church. Then again I have been told by my co-workers that I am a little cranky in the morning. I guess that I am not a morning person.
At the end of the first quarter of this year my 401k was up 6.5% for the year. As of the end of the third quarter I was down 15.21% for the year. I am glad that I am many years for retirement. I am not sure how I would handle this change if I was close to retiring.
Lately it seems that I am being turned off to what some people are saying. It seems that some Christians are being holier than though when they talk about how to support ministries. It is like if you only give some money to the ministry and raise awareness of it you are not as good as the person who are more involved with the ministry. It is like how dare you not live on the edge of poverty. How dare you have savings. How dare you drive a nice car. How dare you have cable or a cell phone. It seems like class warfare among Christians is starting to happen. Even though I do not make a lot, I feel like some are trying to shame me by telling me that if I do not give up everything for the poor I am not a true loving Christian.
I hope that you all have a great day.
Thomas
Lately it seems that I have been reflecting about where I am and how I got here. I remember those nights long ago staring into the night time sky and dreaming how I would live out my life. I saw myself being married with children running around living on a small farm while being a history teacher who coached football.
As I sit here today I am so far away from that dream. I work a job that might just disappear in the near future. I am single with the prospect of finding the right gal diminishing with the passing of every single day.
I hear people say how God directs our lives, but I wonder about that. Am I single and working a dead end job with me at times living way beyond my means because this is how God wanted me to live. If I have no free choice, should I blame God for not being able to live the life I dreamed about when I was young a foolish. I know that God is the potter who designs us for His purpose. Does God chose the starting point and ending point of our lives and how we get to the ending point up to us?
I wonder if I should dream how the rest of my life should be. Should I just be happy for the start of a new day? If I try to live my life the way I dream it, am I going to miss the chance to serve God the way He wants me to. Is it my fear of the unknown that is preventing me to live my as I have dreamed it in the past or is my fear of the unknown that is preventing me to live the life God had hope that I would live. Or is combination of both that led me to this point in my life?
So many things unfinished and so many words not said because of fear of where they might lead or whom they might end up possibly hurting because of my inability to communicate what is in my heart and head. I wonder where I would be if it were not for this fear. Would that dream of so long ago be filled or no matter what I did I was going to be here at this point anyways.
I sit here wondering how God could love someone like me. Someone who is not sure where he is going or what he is doing. How can God love me when I do not love myself at times. Should I stop dreaming and trying to understand why God loves me and why I am at this point in life and just try to live each day to its fullest and just hope that I please God by the time I get to the end.
How I wish that I could lie on my back stare at the night time sky and just get lost in my thoughts and dreams. I wish that the fear of the unknown would lose it grip of me so I could truly enjoy the freedom that God want me to live and enjoy. I just wonder if I am going to be reflecting about this again when my life is near its ending point.
Thomas
