Give Thanks

I can not believe that it is Thanksgiving already. I feel like Easter was yesterday. I am off this week, doing some things around the house to get it ready to be sold (it is on the market so if you know anyone who wants to buy a great house in Port Orange FL for a great price holla). I had a meeting about my business, (which is also for sale), and then just helped Jack around the house and played with the kids. I love days like this. This has been a rough year. I have gone through some things that I am sure are going to help shape my future, but at the same time, stuff I NEVER EVER want to deal with again or would ever wish on anyone else. I really believe that the crap we walk though in life can help us or kill us depending on how we respond. I hear a lot of people saying that 2007 sucked. While it will not go down as the best year of our lives, we can not hate the process. God uses stuff we go through to form us, to mold us, and to help us become better. I am thankful that God has stripped me this year. I am thankful that financially this has been a rough year, it has taught me so much about money. I am thankful for the fact at times I feel God is not even in the same universe as me, it makes me chase him harder. I am glad jackie and i have gone through some crap, it has brought us closer together. I am also glad that 2007 is almost over and that 2008 provides a lot of great new adventures for our lives. So this week, embrace time with your family. Eat the H out of some turkey. Love hard. Embrace the bad and let it build for your future. In life we are never promised that it will be easy, but we are promised that the season will eventually change. Here is to the lessons we have learned, will learn, and the promise of tomorrow. 

Sexual Mythology

Lets be honest, there are 2 types of guys in the world. Those who have been honest about the fact they struggle or have struggled with lust and those who lie about it. Sorry playa’s, Im outing you. It is natural. To live in the fullness of life  you have to confront whatever your issues are, face them, and then move forward. It really can be that easy. But in being that easy, understand it is going to be extremely hard. This is one of the best weapons that the devil uses to discount and discredit men in life, relationships, and in our own minds.

Back into full blog swing and just finished Chapter 5 of “Going All The Way“. Here are my notes below.

•  At times everyone falls victim to being weak, vulnerable, gullible or just the rebellion of lust. 
• Sex without consequence does not exist. What is going to be the consequence of your action? And if you are married, usually the consequence is positive. 
• Culture has created a world where the dehumanization of people allows for people to feel the ability to have sex without intimacy. 
• To succeed in being faithful one must first learn to be faithful in their relationship with GOD. Faithfulness in this relationship builds the foundation for faithfulness in your marriage or dating relationships. 
• God forgives, so if you have made a mistake, pick up and start over. 
• If you want to have what few people do have in life, that it is going to require you to do what few people are willing to do to succeed. Your measuring stick is not others….
• It is paramount that you protect your wounds while God heals you. However, you can not conform your mind back to God’s standards, only He can. 

I believe that over the course of time I have lost the revelation of the true power of prayer. Prayer is one of the most important facets of our relationship with God. He cares so much about us and wants the best for our lives, but he also desires communication with us on a level that I just am not sure how many people really strive to achieve. I have failed in this area so much, and I am now working to get balance in this area. God is a God of order. He REALLY cares about order. He wants order in our lives. Order is really the premise of why we should protect our relationships pre and post marriage. 

Bono @ the NAACP awards

This past March, Irish rocker, humanitarian, and sometimes preacher Paul Hewson, won the Chairmans Award from the NAACP. Below I have posted  his acceptance speech. It is sometimes funny to me when we classify who can communicate to what group based on skin color, style, or perception. In his 5 minutes, Bono had the NAACP base ready to move even though he was a white, rocker, from Ireland, who may not on the surface “relate” to this demographic. What is awesome to me is that his mission, his cause, and his passion is what won him over the audience and left them standing and cheering. When God has you to deliver a message it will resonate regardless of you or your audience.Some say I may love Bono a little to much. But I get excited when I see passionate people doing something relevant and communicating their cause. Bono has an anointing and a mission. God is using him. Is he perfect? Far from, but neither am I and your reading this blog, so God can use anyone. So, set aside your preconceived notion and invest 6:22 in learning from someone who may or may not be like you. If you enjoy this clip, go and see this post from earlier of Bono’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. ONE. 

Jesus Love

Jesus was all about love. The only people he judged where church people. His entire life, Jesus walked around loving the people that didnt seem to get enough love. In our world today there is a lot of people looking for love. If you love everyone, like Jesus did you will NEVER go wrong. You might get hurt a little sometimes, you might be somewhat vulnerable, but you will leave an impact on the lives of everyone you touch. My goal is to love like Jesus did. It’s not easy. I get pissed a lot. I get offended. I get hurt. I am defensive. But if I can figure it out, I just might be able to start putting other people before myself.