The Power of Prayer

I can't sleep, so I don't see how blogging can be a bad idea. I'd like to talk for a moment about prayer. In the past I have viewed prayer as a tool to communicate with God; but recently I have been thinking about prayer as more than just a tool - it is God's way to change my heart.

If I have a continual attitude of prayer, as Paul suggests, then I should allow that attitude to pervade every part of my life. This attitude is not only my suggestions and thoughts being sent to God, but also it is my request that God make His will known to me by guiding my prayer thoughts. If I truly want Him to be glorified in my life, then each prayer will be a direct link into His will. My thoughts continually become less my own and more of God's.

So let me say this: Change my heart, oh God. In my daily walk with You grant me the peace of knowing Your will. In my devotions grant me the burden for your people. In my life grant me the opportunity to see Your face. In all that I do, may Your glory shine through.

The Art of TV Purchasing

This story comes from a land that is near and dear to my heart: Fresno. Like all good stories, it includes a hero (myself) and a villain (to be portrayed as you keep reading)…

There was a young man named Moesh who lived in Fresno and enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. In an effort to enhance the joy, he decided to purchase a new TV. A million thoughts ran through his head, but the main thing was that he didn’t want to spend too much on the TV since times were hard.

Well Moesh had a friend named Jermaine. Jermaine was one of those lively fellows that can make friends with anyone, and in so doing discovered a discount TV store in the area. Knowing that they had good TV’s for sale at a decent price, Moesh decided to check out the shop.

Upon arrival, two things were evidently clear: (1) not ALL of the TV’s were in the best shape, and (2) the business was a small operation that was not very well organized. Upon seeing this, Moesh decided that it was best to find a good TV and then bargain for a good price. He and the owner settled on a TV of good quality and struck the bargain.

Excitedly, Moesh took his TV home and enjoy an amazing night of movie watching. But the next morning, to his demise, the TV would not work. So he took the TV back, expecting a change. Upon his second arrival, he noticed that the employee did not look well – rather tired and fatigued. When Moesh explained the problem, the employee gave him an incredulous look and asked him to try switching out the cables.

Frustrated, Moesh took the TV back home to try again. After realizing that he still had the same problem, he took the TV in for an actual work order. The shop kept his TV for the next week in order to replace the “broken” part and “test” its functionality. Excitedly Moesh pick up his TV and took it home for another test run.

When he got home, plugged everything in and turned the TV on it STILL didn’t work. DejecteThis story comes from a land that is near and dear to my heart: Fresno. Like all good stories, it includes a hero (myself) and a villain (to be portrayed as you keep reading)…

There was a young man named Moesh who lived in Fresno and enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. In an effort to enhance the joy, he decided to purchase a new TV. A million thoughts ran through his head, but the main thing was that he didn’t want to spend too much on the TV since times were hard.

Well Moesh had a friend named Jermaine. Jermaine was one of those lively fellows that can make friends with anyone, and in so doing discovered a discount TV store in the area. Knowing that they had good TV’s for sale at a decent price, Moesh decided to check out the shop.

Upon arrival, two things were evidently clear: (1) not ALL of the TV’s were in the best shape, and (2) the business was a small operation that was not very well organized. Upon seeing this, Moesh decided that it was best to find a good TV and then bargain for a good price. He and the owner settled on a TV of good quality and struck the bargain.

Excitedly, Moesh took his TV home and enjoy an amazing night of movie watching. But the next morning, to his demise, the TV would not work. So he took the TV back, expecting a change. Upon his second arrival, he noticed that the employee did not look well – rather tired and fatigued. When Moesh explained the problem, the employee gave him an incredulous look and asked him to try switching out the cables.

Frustrated, Moesh took the TV back home to try again. After realizing that he still had the same problem, he took the TV in for an actual work order. The shop kept his TV for the next week in order to replace the “broken” part and “test” its functionality. Excitedly Moesh pick up his TV and took it home for another test run.

When he got home, plugged everything in and turned the TV on it STILL didn’t work. Dejectedly he loaded the TV up for one more drive out to the shop. With frustration building every second as he drove he had worked out a plan of what he was to say when asked about the TV. But when he arrived at the shop, the owner casually said, “Pick out another one and let’s call it good.”

The TV that Moesh picked out was very similar to the original one, but a newer model. Despite the frustration, he was able to get a better TV that he originally intended, which was satisfying in the end.

Moral: Be nice to your TV salesman and he will help you in the long run…

ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time there was a prince named George. He lived in a quiet castle not too far from the home city of his father's kingdom. He would often stroll through the everglade forests surrounding his castle, wondering about the young maiden that would someday catch his attention.

While strolling through the forest one day, he was startled at hearing a faint whisper. He listened intently to try and recognize the sound, but could not make it out what was making the noise. He did, however, discover the direction from which the sound was produced and decided to quietly sneak in that direction. To George's surprise, he stumbled upon a black dragon sitting in a swamp.

The dragon looked surprised, but did nothing to harm George. Feeling the inclination to find out why the dragon had been whispering, George ventured a question - "What are you doing?"

The dragon replied, "I'm Chester! I was just trying to mimic the fish in the swamp and was breathing through fish lips."

Suddenly intrigued by interest in Chester's actions, George asked, "How do you make fish lips?"

"By pursing your lips together like this," Chester replied as he sucked in his cheeks. Unfortunately, Chester could not hold his breath for very long and began breathing out of his nose. The noise sounded like tiny elves whispering on a cool summer afternoon as they basked in the sun coming through the trees.

George liked the sound and realized that it was vaguely familiar to the way that his friend Thom would breathe as they would travel together in the forest. Thom always had a comforting presence about him that helped George to relax when he was stressed about helping his father run the kingdom. It may have been Thom's instincts as an elf, but mostly it was his unwavering dedication and support for his friend.

Chester snorted to get George's attention. "Oh, I'm sorry," George said, "but I got lost in thought thinking about my friend Thom."

"Thom," Chester replied, "I remember him. He told me that when I saw you, I was to take you to him."

"What!" George exclaimed. "How could you possibly know Thom? And where is he?"

"Oh, he's on the other side of this mountain," said Chester. "Are you ready for me to take you to him?"

Unsure of how to respond, George took his time in replying. "Well," he said, "I guess you can't be that dangerous. I mean - after all - you were making fish faces a moment ago. That's something that Thom used to do..."

"Well of course he did," Chester interrupted. "Who do you think taught me?"

"Of course," George replied, "I forgot that the fish face was his sign that I should trust the person I met. And, while you're not a person, I think I can still trust you."

So Chester swooped down to allow George to climb up onto his back. "Grab on to my wings and hold on!" And off into the air they went. Chester swooped and ducked around the trees, but once they were out of the forest, he soared high into the air to cross the mountain.

As they descended, George began to see two tiny specks off in the distance. The closer they got, the more he began to make out that they were people. One was Thom - tall and handsome - and the other was a beautiful young woman. As George began to behold her beauty, he realized that she was the prettiest young lady that he had ever seen.

Chester glided to a smooth landing and allowed George to dismount. Jumping off the dragon, George ran to his friend and embraced him with excitement. "It's so good to see you, Thom!"

"I've missed you, George," Thom replied. "And I have someone for you to meet. George, this is Laurabelle! She is the most beautiful woman that I could find. When I told her of your wisdom and bravery as the crowned prince of our kingdom, she immediately knew of whom I was speaking."

George, knowing that he should say something before the scene became awkward, stuttered, "Huh-hi. It's good to meet you Laurabelle."

They continued in conversation until Chester departed. Thom then led them to a nearby village to stay the evening. Thom and George said goodnight to Laurabelle and went to sleep under an old oak tree.

By the time George had awakened the next morning, the whole village had gathered to see the visitors. When questioned about who they were and what they were doing, Thom replied that they were passing through to go back to the other side of the mountain. The villagers gave them supplies and wished them well on their journey.

Thom led the couple - for they were quickly becoming attached - back to their land. When they arrived there were banners and trumpets proclaiming their arrival. As they approached the king, Thom began to make the appropriate introduction, but George stepped up and called out, "Father, I would like you to meet my bride-to-be." The king welcomed Laurabelle into the castle and soon after the young couple was married.

To say that the couple lived happily ever after would be a slight. They lived with the most amazing passion for life that has ever been seen. The prince loved his new wife and she respected his bravery and courage. Until death finally separated them, they lived life to the fullest.

And to this day everyone in the kingdom tells the story of love at first sight and the prince and princess who would forever inspire the people.

THE END

Truth & Peace Opening Video

Here is the opening video for the 2009 Truth and Peace conference. Had a blast editing it!

New JOE Blog

Here's the blog for our new youth group posts. I hope you can participate in the discussions!

http://joeyouth.blogspot.com

The Hero Paradox

Have you ever stopped to consider our relationship to God through the eyes of humility? I'm not gonna lie, it's extremely difficult, and rarely - if ever - am I able to seriously consider God in this manner. But I was reading Psalm 7 the other day and was hit with a club over the top of my head for the stupidity that I often call knowledge. I've read Psalm 7 before and I'm sure I liked it, but on this occasion, this instance, I was struck with God's incredibly different, but similar nature to us.

I wrote about the image of God on a separate occasion, so I will not continue to discuss that topic; however I find it necessary to bring up the image of God, because that is how we were created - to be with Him, with commonalities that draw us close. It's similar to other relationships in life. There has to be a link that draws people together. Even considering Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard in The Big Bang Theory shows that relationships require at least one link: Leonard. We were made with similarities to God for the purpose of attracting us to Him.

Those similarities are often the things that seem to separate us from Him as well. Take Psalm 7:4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" God has given us a great responsibility and joy as his children, but as we consider the converse, how many of us are mindful of God? Do we, as His children, pay attention to Him because we love Him or because He gives us what we want? Do we see God as a loving and admonishing Father or as a Grandfather that we go to when we want candy?

Thus we see the Hero Paradox. God created us, nurtured us, forgave us, saved us, and and redeemed us, but we consider ourselves to be the hero. We puff ourselves up as if we've done something great. Have you considered that God was the One to give you your talent? Have you considered that God was the One to create you, guide you, and give you insight into life's mysteries? At what point were we ever the hero? Unfortunately it is only in our mind's eye.

Psalm 7:5, "You made [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor," is not said to promote us, but rather the mighty and awesome power of God. Psalm 7:6, "You made him ruler over the wors of your hands; You put everything under his feet," is not talking about our power, but rather God's.

So if we are going to continue to be God's children, I think we need to consider Him a little bit more than ourselves during our daily reflections. "God forgive me, because I failed again" repeated five times is not thinking about God. Ask for His forgiveness and then move on to how awesome and wonderful He is. Enjoy Him for who He is, not what He gives. He is the true Hero and should be treated with all the reverence and respect that His title deserves.

The Cougar Den

cou-gar [koo-ger]

-noun, plural -gars, (especially collectively) -gar.

A woman (generally 35+) who seeks out younger men as prey.

This story was almost going to have a legendary title, but I thought that I would call it like it is. For those of you that do not believe that there are cougars out there, please be advised that the stories that you have heard are 95% true. This one is no exception...

It was during the summer of 2008 that I found myself involved in the production and distribution of wedding videos. I was working with a friend (the photographer), just sitting in on weddings for which the bride wanted video in addition to pictures. We had fun, don't get me wrong, but on this occasion, the summer heat was unbelievably unbearable to the extent that I was sweating like a kid who had just walked into his first candy shop and felt the unending joy and pain of his first sugar rush.

Most of the shooting had gone well up until the point of dinner. We (as the photographers) were allowed to eat with the rest of the guests and had our names on one of the tables. As we all went to get our seats, we realized that there were two extra people vying for our table. In an effort to be conscientious servants, we decided that I and the second photographer would sit at another table to accommodate the guests.

In moving to an alternate table I was a little disgruntled and uncomfortable; however it was not my wedding, so I had no room for complaint. Arriving at the table we noticed that there was one man and the rest women. They all seemed to be very comfortable with the man's vulgar and obscene gestures, as if they had grown up with him. While he was in his 50's, he talked like a football player in his 20's, which gave me cause for alarm.

The women at the table were much more varied than the man. The youngest was about my age at the time, while the oldest was about the same age as the man. The youngest was fair to look upon, but her mouth was the disturbing factor with her. I am not beguiled into thinking that every woman is a lady, but she and her girlfriends could almost discredit the whole sex.

As people were swapping names and stories with the second photographer, I sat by just watching. Not feeling the need to partake in the conversation, I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when I felt all eyes on me. A question was asked. What had been said? Who had asked me? Think - respond. They're expecting you to say something! OH - she had asked my name?

'And who might this young man in the blue be?'

'I'm Bryan,' I responded.

She was a brunette with long dark hair. She looked to be about 35-38 years old with the look of one looking for fun. By the dress she wore, one could tell that she enjoyed flaunting her figure. Answer her - she's asking another question!

'Are you single?' An innocent question, right? I mean, they have all been sharing their stories, so apparently they want to know mine.

'Yes.' STUPID! Why would you give out that information? You know what's coming next! Idiot.

As she walked around the table to talk more directly to me she asked, 'So, do you like older women?' WHAT? What on earth would possess her to ask me something like that?! Idiot, you should NEVER talk with strangers. They are nothing but trouble! Think - she's coming around the table for a response.

'Well, I work at a college and am really more interested in college-aged girls.' Phew that worked. No it didn't - that was a stupid answer. Oh wait, she's responding - pay attention.

'Oh, that's interesting.' She is running her hands through her fingers...what could that mean? Why is she not walking away? Did I not give the proper response to turn her away? She is talking again...'Well, it would be interesting if you changed your mind.' Oh good, she is walking away. Don't make eye contact. By this time the second photographer was looking at me with a smirk on his face. Great, what else was I supposed to do? She was clearly intoxicated, so why did it matter that I just said, 'no.' With the amount of alcohol that they had consumed already, I was not surprised by her actions. Or was I?

For the rest of the wedding I did everything that I could to ensure that we stayed apart. Even when the women wanted to give us hugs at the end, I made sure that they were quick. I had no intention to stay around after dark with these women. Nothing good could come out of it. Walk away...walk away...