That being said, I am more importantly worried about why we seem to lack a sense of originality when it comes to worship. Because, not only do our congregations have a hard time worshipping God, but if you ask them to act out individually in worship to God, they really get thrown for a loop. I mean, who decided that everything had to be perfect? I don’t remember God saying, “If you mess that note up Aaron, I’m gonna be pissed,” or, “Those words were so unoriginal, get outta here!” That simply isn’t the case. So why do we teach people that they have to get everything right on the first try! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not against excellence, just against our culture thinking that we can get it just right, just perfect. But that’s more for another post…

I mean, would you just copy someone else’s plans for your anniversary? Would you outline every detail they did, and copy it, every year on that special day? Or, would you deliberately spend the time planning something so special to celebrate that person you love?!

So I’m wondering, why do we often take the easy way out, and let someone else speak for us in our worship of God? Isn’t it OUR relationship we are supposed to be building? Isn’t it our praise that the Father wants to hear? Isn’t it our words of adoration that He longs to enjoy?!? All rhetorical questions in nature, you see.

I mean, I can’t think of a more meaningless way to express ones emotions and feelings than to not personally express them ones self. Than to rely on the words of others to convey our own thoughts. To rely on someone else’s interpretation to sum up the totality of Gods greatness to in your own life.

My last thought.
If someone has to say thank you for you, did it really come from you?

Do you see my confusion, perhaps my problem here?

http://sowmafan.com/index.php/2011/07/marriage-day-2/

Day 3, finally here. Yes, I have been long overdue. I started an extra set of teaching hours at my school, so, I was detained. Forgive me. Besides what, about three of you are read this

I digress. Onto our text for today.

There were three things that really stood out in the text from Mark 10.

First, It mentioned that Moses only allowed for divorce because, “Their hearts were hard.” Wow, that’s laying it down there hunh. This group was seriously in need of some intimate time with God. It goes to show that no matter what time you live/lived, you still run from God. We always think, man, if I were an apostle, I would have never given Jesus up. And, you would be a liar too. it just goes to show that we are (A) sinners from the get go (B) desperately in need of Jesus and (C) Prone to wander, no matter who we’re tied to.

I can also say, that looking back in my life, I can understand why Moses allowed for this concession. I remember what I was like, vaguely, and I was a pain in the butt to handle. I don’t think there was anything that anyone could have said that would have changed my mind when I was ready to move on. I can just imagine Moses coming to the alter before God and just laying it down, just complaining about everybody. I can see it now.
Moses would say. “God, that dude Aaron, you know, the other one. Yeah, he is so annoying. I tried to tell him to trust in you, and that things would come together if he only trusted you. If he would only follow your commands. If he would only be patient. You know what he said?!? ‘Get lost, I got a new woman already.’ Dang God. What up with that?”

Also, it was interesting, I read on, and was blasted again, when the statement, “9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” This makes some pretty big distinctions here for me. Some pretty clear outlines as to how we are live within our marriage, and how we are to interact and treat our spouses.

If we focus all we have, if we lay everything down at the feet of Jesus. If we, live not for ourselves, if we give up our lives, then, we will know what it means to be married. Truly joined by Gods grace, living in Gods mercy. It’s clear. We will be successful. We will be successful when we live in the relationship that God call us to.

I am constantly reminded that my view of life, and my interaction with my wife, and of course the whole of my family must be colored by the understanding that I know who God is and what he’s done for me. I have messed up big time, for sure, and I am sure that it won’t be the last time. But, I can forever understand the outcome if I always bring it back to the correct focus… and that isn’t me.

Do you always make it about you? Not even just with your family, but in your everyday life. Keeping God the focus, directing your attention to him always leads to relationships that stay fresh, stay forgiving, stay honest, stay open, stay healthy.

I decided that I would try and do these a couple of days apart, but time got away from me, and it’s more like a week apart, but I assure you that I didn’t forget, and I have in fact been following along with the reading plan, even if it wasn’t the full five days straight.

For those of you who may have downloaded it, awesome. There are just so many resources these days that there really isn’t an excuse to not do something ( wagging my finger at myself as I say that).

So, here we are, let’s check this thing out.

Revelations on Day 2, Part 1

Ecclesiastes 9:9.
The two take aways I had from it were this; enjoy your wife, and take joy in her.

I was thinking in reference to these two pieces of advice/commands for marriage. Enjoy your wife, take joy in her. To be honest, I almost feel like laughing at this. Not because it’s hard to enjoy my wife, but because as anyone with children could attest to, you rarely have time to enjoy one another. Especially if your like my wife and I, having two or more children under the age of 4-5. But then I was thinking, why don’t we have time to enjoy each other? Could it be because we don’t make it a priority. And the only answer I came up with was… Yes. Clear as day, in a place not like Incheon S.K. Yes.

So, what’s that all about? Do you spend time doing things that you want to do? Do you spend time with family, friends, work buddies? There are only so many hours in the day, for sure. That means we have to take full advantage of any time we can get.

That means friends, our command to enjoy our wife and to take joy in her must come as an effect of valuing our spouse, being able to put them first. That seems so hard sometimes. It all comes down to a value system. Mine can be pretty messed up. I am betting that yours gets that way too sometimes… Errrrr, if were being honest, probably most of the time, hunh?!?

It’s a value system, just like the way that we value our time with God. It comes down to what we view as important and not important. We often put off our time with God in order to pursue something with the intentions of coming back to Him, and never do. Often when He’s calling us into the time with him, saying, I’ll be right back God, just running some errands. We end up missing something special, some part of our relationship that ties us together stronger than before. Just like we feel far away from God sometimes, we also feel like we don’t know who we married, because we haven’t spent any time enjoying them, or taking joy in them.

So, what are you gonna do? Maybe… you should step away from this computer screen and take some time to let the joy back into your marriage!

If you want to read Day 3, go here!
http://sowmafan.com/index.php/2011/07/marriage-day-3-mark-101-12/

There are a few things that I would like to point out here. The first may be obvious, heck, they may all be obvious, but here we go none the less.

* God says it’s not good for man to be alone
* He(man) obviously needs some help.

At this point, regardless of the amount of time between creation of Adam and this point, it was seriously “right” after he made Adam. He(God) made Adam, not a mistake, and then, said he needed to be with someone else. This is interesting, because, hey, why did he have to build that into Adam. If God knew that Adam would be alone at first, couldn’t he have left that part of Adam out. He could have made Adam in a way that that desire wasn’t a realized need, but he didn’t. Adam was in need from the beginning.

Q. What does this mean to me?
A. That the desires I have, to be with someone, namely my wife, were created by God, meant to be there, and not shameful. That also means that I was built for the follow through. Which we can delve more into later.

* He made Adam work a job first, go through the yearning period, in order that he might notice that something was missing, and that he would indeed need to get some other stuff done first before he could move to phase two, as it were.
* Adam named all the animals, realizing at last, that he didn’t match any one of them.

Q. So, what does that mean for me? I have to have a job too?
A. Yes, for the love, get a job, work through some of your life first, be faithful to things God has called you to, then, in his time, God will hand her over. I mean, yeah, do the work, focusing on God, and the rest will be there one day when you wake up. Wish I would have read this text when I was like 18, although I know I wouldn’t have listened.

* Adam sang a song, read some poetry.

Comment: Imagine you went 100 years without a spouse, go ahead, imagine it. You might be prepared too. And Adam didn’t even know what he was preparing for, but when the time came, he sang a song. So, men, when was the last time you thought of singing your wife a song? Myself included!

* The man should leave his family. The two become one.

Q. That means we have to be like that couple from church that shares one email address?
A. Hum, you probably should, you know how you’ll be tempted to cheat, or say things you shouldn’t. Take caution. When you become one, that includes everything. So many of you folks out there think that means, my past is mine. Now it’s both of yours, hers too(his too). My free time is mine, now it’s both of yours. My money is mine, hahahaha. Don’t make me laugh. When God says everything, that means everything. There is nothing that you can think of, that God didn’t already know about. It’s wise to listen.

* They were neked, and unashamed.

Comment: I tried that once, it didn’t go over so well. Ok ok, kidding aside. Everybody should have a naked day, at least until the kids come. Then you have to amend that to like, naked hour or something.

Also, the second part actually interest me more then the first in all honesty. It’s because it presents a place in which there is freedom. A place where there is safety. A place where there is trust. And in those places, there is no fear. Where there is no fear, the devil has a hard time entering. And an air tight relationship, where there is no room for the devil to get in, is exactly where I want to be.

Well, that’s it for today. If you have a comment, leave it below!

If you want to read Day 2, go here!
http://sowmafan.com/index.php/2011/07/marriage-day-2/

I am using the “Bible” iPhone/iPad app from the app store.
Then, under the reading plans section, “Marriage”

If you want to catch up to my wife and I, here’s day one’s scripture readings.

Genesis 2:18-25
Esther 1:20-22
Proverbs 5:18
Proverbs 18:22
Proverbs 31:10-31

Enjoy!

P.S. I purposely picked the recordings that remind me the most of the original recording of the songs.

All That I’m Needing with Tim and Jackie

You are My Sunshine with Stephanie

Jesus You’re the Light with Joel and Stephanie

Cannot be Your Saviour with Brady on drums

What really got to me tonight was that I often run after him, saying, “don’t do that”, or, “don’t touch that.” He of course looks at me with that face he makes, a smirk, just waiting for the next moment where he can make his move and get that step ahead of me. And occasionally, on nights like tonight, he gets all the way through with his deed before dad even finds out. But to be honest, I was just too lazy to follow him around. The next thing I know, he has my guitar case open, spare strings laying across the house. And here I am, getting upset. And at that point, I couldn’t even yell at him. I wasn’t watching him, and I was just too tired. But I pulled him to me with a firm grip, and I looked at him, and I said “son, I love you, and I wish you would just stop doing what daddy asked you not to do in the first place.” My son is 21 months old. He probably understood, ooooh, about 10% of that. He understands that daddy loves him. And frustrated I sat, thinking about how young he is, how mad I get, and why after so many times of asking, seeking him out, and disciplining him, does he continue to do what I said not to do. A swift no, a hard spank, and loud stop.

I then started, and am still just trying to examine this as a reflexion of this into my own relationship with God, the father. He seeks me out. He tells me he loves me. He disciplines me. He stands patiently as I mess up. And if we’re being honest, so does my own dad. But I soon get drawn back into my own mistakes, my own purposeful push backs and relentless fighting. All the times I walked into my own sin headfirst knowing what lay ahead.  Even as I type, I can name a million offenses. I could count a million times. I was equipped with knowledge of what was going on, even how I was hurting my father, and yet, I pushed on for my own selfish reasons.

And I can tell you without a doubt, I stand here today, because although a sons mistakes are great, a fathers love is greater. A fathers love is greater than a few fouls words, and a fathers love stands firm, even in the longest of storms. I know that I can close my notebook, I can pull up the cover and rest my head, and in the the morning, begin again. I may make a few mistakes tomorrow, in fact, I can already tell you I will, but the hope is in the blood already spilt. A fathers love goes beyond a few words, and a few fixes. There is nothing that you can do to change that. I hope to be thankful everyday for that.

Now, before I address my opinions about this article, let me say that I am not against the importance of proposal, and I am certainly not saying that in fact, any of the opinions expressed in this article are completely wrong or right, I just simply wish to provide some commentary on the society the article in question was aimed at.

That being said.

I find it quite amusing that we can still find articles like this in a non-Christian website/magazine. In fact, I am pretty sure that you probably wouldn’t find an article like this in a Christian setting. Which to be honest, is a little disappointing to know. The article here brings up points on how a man, such as myself can ruin a marriage proposal for someone, such as my wife. And if we’re being honest here, I probably did actually break every rule that this article is saying not to do. More importantly though than that, I want to address the fact that the advice in this argument seems a bit misinformed. Do we not live in the generation of people who believe that marriage is “obsolete”? Do we not live in a country were people live together before they get married, in which most of the men in question never even get the chance to propose because they have received what they came for, and moved on to the next person in question? Even if that was not the initial intention.

So, that brings up an interesting question. At the very core of the human being, what were we made for? Because, if we were made to be tied together, with one person, for the rest of our lives. Than this article makes total sense to me. Men are in desperate need of guidance when it comes to women, and how we can best serve the ones we love. No doubt, I fully agree. But, if our society really believes what the media says we believe, than this list is quite obsolete right along with the process and purpose of marriage itself. It may be the belief of one little “blogger” that the former is alive and strong, ready to be reintroduced to the world, but I think that perhaps even you, reader, would agree too.

As you sit her then, carefully thinking over this conundrum, and let’s start a dialogue then. Because it seems that even we, the church, have taken a back stance on this issue. I am of course not talking about the outspoken “christians” that are loud and proud, and oh so misinformed. I am talking about Gods’ church. The one that takes the stance next to Jesus. The one that sees that we were created for more than just a few more nights of sleeping around. The church that says, get your act together, and be the couple Christ died for you to be. And sure, they too have problems, they too struggle hard, they too really need grace more than ever. They too need to be supported and loved by friends in family during the good AND bad times. But Church, what are we gonna do? Are we going to let society dictate what and who marriage belongs to? Or are we going to set the standard by which marriage is measured? marriage belongs to the Lord. it should be treated as the second biggest choice we make after becoming saved. I mean, this single decision steers the boat in the direction ever decision after is made. It’s not just some backhand commitment we make to someone we find really sexy right now. As the old adage states, beauty fades.

Society says marriage is unnecessary, but still we write articles about how we begin the most important deisicion of our lives. Can we believe both? I don’t think so. So church, how do we change the culture around us? How do we speak boldly in a generation of people that just DON’T KNOW. We have to seak God, walk with His word, speak boldly, and redfine the things of old. It’s not a worldly standard we seek, but a Godly standard we must meet. This is not just one conversation we must have, but a daily conversation.

What are you doing?

1. A ministry must be built on prayer.

2. Prayer must be the focal point of every meeting with God

3. There must be a desperation, a desperation in God as our only hope, a desperation that people must hear Gods word and that we must do His work in spreading the good news, a desperation when we come to God, that we actually need Him here, we NEED to meet with Him!

4. There must be a genuine heart reaching out, trusting fully that God will answer.

5. In response to a true worshipper, someone fully seeking God out, there is ALWAYS an answer!

6. God always provides for His people.

7. We don’t always get what we want, sometimes the answer is NO.

8. Sometimes the answer is, “wait”

9. Sometimes we have to wait a long while.

10. It is often in the waiting in which the lesson is learned in order for us to give a proper response to Gods answer (sometimes God makes us wait because our response to His answer is not quite where he wants us to be)

11. Prayer is often the answer itself. (sometimes God only wants us to be in communion with Him, that is the answer to the question)

12. I think that often the Lord is waiting for us to truly seek His face, not just as we ask for the things we need or want.

13. It will be in the depths of our souls we find the true need to commune with our Father.

14. Is he not our Father that He would not provide for us in our times of need?

15. I didn’t say it on Saturday, but here it is, Gods will is perfect, and we can rest assured that His plans are far greater than anything we can imagine.

i.e. if Gods whole purpose of the conference is to IGNITE only one heart for Him and send that one person out to do His will, the conference will not have been in vain, because the purpose is to seek out His will, and glorify Him because He is worthy of our praise!!!\

Amen?!? Amen!