Graduation - Why Does it Matter?

It's that time of year again. Graduation. Where the hard working High-Schoolers who started Kindergarten circa 1998 are finishing up their schooling career and making that 'walk' in that silly robe, to get a piece of paper typed up on Microsoft Word in Blackletter BT font with a fancy golden sticker that says 'I spent the last thirteen years of my life learning reading, writing, and arithmetic.'

It all seems rather trivial doesn't it?

Then, there are the folks that say 'It was about more than learning - it was the social experience. Making memories!' True, good friends can come from school, and so can memories. Again, though - the drama, the needless emotional attacks, the negativity of a cynical failing school system make 'talking to people' not nearly worth it.

But again, here we are. Graduation. Sad music. Tears. The whole shabang. Why do we worship this day so much? I mean, for goodness sake, we dress in ceremonial gowns, and listen to a speech or two, and then we achieve a status ("Graduate") and then we listen to an emotional song and then leave - to go on with the rest of our lives.

Sounds to me like what a lot of people complain about churches being like, does it not? Go in. Sit down. Hear a speech. Achieve a status ("Good Christian that Goes to Church"). Listen to an emotional song. Maybe shed a tear. If you're of certain denominations, babble in gibberish. Then go home. This post isn't even about that - let's go back on topic.

Graduation.

I think teens of today ride their emotions and put far too much weight on Graduating, and indeed, High School in general. Because of our painfully failing school systems that still seem to thing glorifying mediocre teachers and winning 'Fuhbawl' games is their purpose, carries much too much emotional weight and hold on the hearts of a lot of teens.

In reality, it's all rather meaningless.

"MATT!." you might be saying, "Why are you telling me not to go to school or get an education!?" I'm not saying that at all. "MATT!," others might think, "Are you telling me that my friends and emotions are meaningless?" No, I'm not. Putting so much weight on school and the social life developed in the failing school system is not worth the money the government pumps into the public school system every year.

I hate to burst the glib ceremonial bubble of graduation, but you are a number to the School System. Mine was #22499 before I left it to pursue my own education (one of the best choices of my life). They want money. They want trophies and plaques saying 'Our School is Best.' They want you to get high test scores so they can make more money, and build idols and temples (Hmm... Trophies and Football stadiums?) so that they can glorify themselves, while shunning individuality, personality, free-thinking and aspiring teenagers.

My children will be homeschooled - end of discussion.

I would never, ever, subject someone I loved (especially my own children) to the emotional tidal waves, cynical spirited, hateful, vile prison that is Public school. People who think I'm wrong about that are either part of the problem, or so used to it, they don't know what a loving learning environment actually is.

The Bible has all this to say.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom." Proverbs 9:10

Where does wisdom start? In a text book? In a classroom? Nope. It starts with knowing God.

"The first step of education is to have ones' eyes opened and be turned from darkness to light." Acts 26:18

Not only wisdom, but education, in it's purest form, must start, again, with God. You could now be saying that school is important to you! The cheerleading, the football, the classes, the clubs - it IS important! Plus, if I can 'get knowledge from God,' why do I have to give up my attachments to school? Can't I learn knowledge, AND be a part of a school?

"Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom."

HAH, see? Wait...

"...Though it cost all you have. Get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, says this famous quote:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”

What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
Generations come and generations go...
No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them." Ecclesiastes 1:1-4, 11.

Doesn't seem too important, does it? The vein, trivial things in this life, do they really matter? Having straight A's, does it matter? Have as many friends as possible, being on the Varsity football team, being on A-squad Cheerleading - all that. Meaningless, as the Bible says?

Afraid so.

You might be feeling pretty angry or depressed by now - especially you College freshman or recent High School graduates (a majority of my friends, haha). What, then, can give you fulfillment? What makes life NOT meaningless? What makes life worth something?

Starts with a J, ends with an Esus.

There is no other way under the sun for you to have worth to your life unless you are pursuing God above all else. Above your girlfriend (or in the Christian community, that 'girl you wish to court someday *gag*). Above your grades. Above your own desires. Above your job. Above all else, pursue God. In the end, he's one of the few things worth pursuing, and He's the ONLY thing that shall NEVER forsake you. EVER.

Proof? Read your Bible. Click here. Read this passage. It may just put things into perspective, which most graduating teenagers desperately need.

Do not think I am not proud of my friends for graduating - way to go! I know it was a lot of hard work, but don't let it define you. You're so much more than that diploma.

Final Fantasy and Jesus

I know that I do a lot of the "____ and Jesus" blog posts, where I take some popular movie or book or video game and begin to find some spiritual significance in it or some way for it relate it to the Bible. I've done Harry Potter, Kingdom Hearts, Lord of the Rings, and even Mario Kart. The title of this one is 'Final Fantasy and Jesus.'

Now, I could go through the story and talk about the spiritual allegory and Christian significance (which there is quite a bit), but today, I'm going to be talking directly about the game itself. As in, the actual cartridge the game is on. Let me explain.

I have a game for the portable Nintendo game system, the Nintendo DS, called, like the title of this blog, is 'Final Fantasy III.' It's, you know, one of those fantasy games boys like with magic and swords and adventure, monsters, pirates, duels, and all that. Since it's on the Nintendo DS, and is portable, I can literally play it anywhere I want.

Well, this past Saturday night, I was packing for a four-day vacation to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is an amazing place that has it all - an amazing historical city, a wonderful beach, lots of neat places, and all that. It's a five-hour drive from here to there, and luckily, I didn't have to drive. I was going with my mom and dad, and dad was driving, so I got to hang out in the back seat and just enjoy the scenery.

So, I wanted to bring my Nintendo DS and Final Fantasy III - one of the best games I own for the system. So, while I was packing, I began looking for it.

And looking for it.

And looking for it.

AND LOOKING FOR IT.

For hours, literally HOURS, I was looking for it. I ended up gutting both of my rooms, cleaning out both of my closets, and deep cleaning every corner of every place I've been in the past three month trying to find this video game. I spent all afternoon and well into the night looking for that game. At about 1:30 am, after having looking from about 2pm that afternoon (almost 12 hours), I had not found it. I was about to go crazy.

So, I decided to pray about it. Normally, I do not like to pray about petty things like that. Like, 'Lord, please let me get to my movie on time' or 'God, please don't let the internet die - I have things to do!' I never like to pray like that, because I don't find it very respectful to the God of Creation to treat him like a vending machine. But I was pretty desperate. I was on the last stretch of my sanity. All for... a video game. (That I didn't even pay for - it was a gift.)

So, I prayed. I said, 'God, please... I'm at my wits end. I just want to enjoy the car ride down to Savannah tomorrow. Please let me find this game.' So, after that, I began looking again, knowing God would come through for me.

He didn't.

At least, not in the way I expected.

It was about 2am when I gave up the search. I plopped down on my bed thinking of the wasted day of cleaning and searching and hunting for that blasted game. And I even prayed to God, who didn't even help me! I wasn't really angry, just kind of upset.

Then, I think I heard God tell me something. Not audibly, of course, nor did some magic cloud fill my room, nor did I begin speaking gibberish and needed people to interpret my 'prayer language.' Sometimes, we get thoughts that feel so powerful that we know we can't come up with on our own, and I believe these to be actual words from God. He spoke to me in that moment.

"If only you'd look for me like you did that video game."

My response, of course, was. "But I do look for you, Lord. I spend time with you everyday."

"In a ritualistic kind of way - not always because you enjoy it. Image if you lost your Bible. How long would you spend looking for that?"

Ouch. He was right (as He often... er... always is). I had spent so much time and energy looking for, pursuing, something that mattered way too much to me. I spent HALF of a 24-hour day looking for... a video game! It made me wonder... what other things do I spend far too much energy or time on pursuing? I wouldn't say that video games are taking away my time with God (though I know some people who do actually have that problem), but I was thinking...

What things in my life am I pursuing harder that God?

Friendships? Sometimes, when I have a scuff with a friend (happening a lot lately), or just wanted to connect on a fellowship-like level with people, that I put a lot of energy and time into pursuing those relationships.

School? I spent $1000 and 360 hours of my life in the past six months pursuing, chasing, a degree in an undeclared major. I put so much energy and time and effort into making sure that I got that all-powerful 'A' on my grades.

My hobbies/career? I spend a lot of time watching movies, playing games (like I mentioned), making movies, writing and reading... and I spend a lot of time learning and practicing and enjoying things like that. Time. Lots of time.

Are any of those things bad? No! NONE of those things are bad. Friends, school, a career, hobbies - all of those things are good and are great gifts from God... but the question remains.

What are we chasing, pursuing, looking for... more than God? Are we willing to spend half a day looking HARD for a DS game... when we're reluctant to spend 30 minutes reading our Bible? Are we willing to spend three or four of our paychecks on a new LED television... when we're reluctant to tithe a tiny 10% at church? Do we talk on our cell phones or Skype or AIM... more than we talk to God?

Ask God. Ask Him, "God - is there something in my life that is taking the place of you?" If that's not the case, ask Him, like I did, "God, what can I do to pursue you more... more completely? More often? More thoroughly?" It's a dangerous prayer to pray, and pretty uncomfortable when He... actually answers. Then, we don't have any excuses.

So, try it. Ask God. He wants you to be closer to Him, but even more so, He WANTS you to WANT to be closer to Him! His word says...

"The Lord is close to ALL who call on Him; yes - to ALL who call on Him in truth." (Psalm 145:18)

He will come closer to those who actually call on Him - who WANT him to come closer, and those who abide in Truth - God's word.

So, ask Him today. Ask Him how you can become closer to Him.

By the way, I never found that game. I ended up learning a valuable lesson and sleeping all the way down there anyway, hah.

Thanks for Reading!
-Matt

Punk Rock Christianity

If you spent your teenage years in a contemporary church like I did, you had two getaway-type events that happen once in a while. More traditional churches will have 'Bible Camp,' and more contemporary churches will have 'Youth Retreats.' We had the latter, and they were always the epitome of awesome. Loud rock music, fun night staying up late with the guys, fun days and, of course, that last night you get the heart-thumping message from the speaker and the band plays the emotional songs and your life just feels different. You wake up on the last day, and the world seems a bit brighter, and you're so pumped for God, it feels like you'll never be the same.

If you never got to experience a youth retreat or conference or weekend program like a StudentLife conference or Disciple-Now, I truly cannot express how awesome and important they are to teenagers. In fact, it was at my first Disciple-Now weekend I committed my life to Christ - right at four years ago now. In fact, our church is having a Disciple-Now weekend coming up, and if you go to my church and are reading this... and have not signed up, DO. Right now!

Anyway, most Christians have experienced those special times where you just feel so happy and energetic. The other day, I examined myself and realized something really rather surprising, and sad, too.

I had become such a... boring Christian.

Not that I was doing anything 'wrong,' per se, or that I wasn't loving God as much as I could, but... there was little joy in my life. If you read my blog a lot, you know I've been battling with a wave (heck, a hurricane) of depression. It's been really hard. This past week, some friends and I were discussing the Bible, and we came to the conclusion that Happiness does not equal Joy.

And... it seemed that I had become so boring. I had no joy. I was not into having fun, or enjoying... anything anymore.

With that on my mind, a friend of mine and I were chatting on Skype the other night, and we randomly listened to an old Hawk Nelson video that we remembered watching back in the early 2000's. Here it is.

The rest of the night was spent watching about two hours of the Christian punk rock videos that filled our teenage years - that reminded us of that joy we had. So happy singing the songs, totally SHREDDING on air guitar, and just being filled with happiness that could come from no one but God.

Why have we become so boring? We think once we leave the Youth Group at church at age 18, we're supposed to suddenly get all serious and never have fun again? Never allowed to feel that 'Christian Punk Rock' joy you see bands like Hawk Nelson or Steller Kart or Relient K have?

With that one my mind, I prayed to God something like 'Lord, let me believe in fun again. Let me feel your presence in the fun things in life. Show me it's okay to let loose sometimes.'

"Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life." Ecclesiastes 5:18

I found that verse today, and it just hit me... that God loves fun. He created fun. He loves it when we have fun. He wants us to have fun. Part of an abundant life (like the one Jesus promised us in John 10:10) is to enjoy it.

I've made it a point from now on to live more of a what I like to call a 'Punk Rock Christianity' attitude. Enjoy it. Have fun. Everyday, don't just thank God for the day, enjoy the day he's given you! Learn to love life, even on the days that it seems ultimately sucky. Even on the days it feels like your friends have abandoned you. Even if all seems down, you have Joy that not even the armies of Hell can take from you. That should get you fired up!

So get up! Play some air guitar! Jump around! Shout! Sing! Dance! Grab a group of friends and grow throw a frisbee. Put on some flip-flops and lay in some grass, soak up the sunshine! Blast some music! Do a cartwheel! A hand stand! Do a cannonball into a swimming pool! God loves to see you just enjoying the day and the life He's given you. It's like a dad watching his kids having fun - He loves it.

So think about 'Punk Rock Christianity' when you go about your day. Enjoy your day. Have FUN! Have a great day - I really mean that, have a great day!!

Reinventing Valentine's Day

Ah, Valentine's Day. A holiday of crushes, boyfriends, girlfriends, dates, flowers, chocolates, cheesy romantic comedies, and general goosh-ery of every variety. We see the store displays with the chubby Cupid with his bow and arrows with the heart tips. We see those nasty little heart-shaped candies with little phrases like 'BE MINE' or "I LUV U' on them. We embrace telling out sweethearts 'I love you, babe' or 'You are beautiful!' or if, you're a fundimentalist Christian, 'I enjoy your presence and would like to pursue you with a friendship outing.' Gag. Not to mention the singles that decide to pout and sit around wishing they had a boyfriend or a girlfriend or were married, etc.

What, really, is the point of all this? One day of the year to focus on... romance? Love? What is Valentine's Day really about? I'm about to give you the Linus answer; you know, where Linus on 'Charlie Brown' stands up on stage and tells the Christmas story? Well, imagine I'm Linus, and it's Valentine's Day.

The Legend of St. Valentine is just that - a legend. There's little historical record about him, and in fact, there were several St Valentines recognized by the early church. I think, though, the idea of his story is what we should look at; the man, yes, but more so his message. If St. Valentine exists only as a parable, so be it - the story is still one of the deepest love. Love you won't find in a Hallmark card or on a balloon or in a sappy romance song.

In a time when Christians were being persecuted for their love for Jesus Christ and the life they led because of that, St. Valentine was a brave man. When they could dip you in burning oil, feed you to lions, or just corner and slay you in the street because of your devotion to Christ, St. Valentine saw that as a problem. Legend has it that Valentine helped many Christians escape the harsh torture and even murdering of his Christian brothers and sister, which perfectly exemplifies John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

For this, the Roman government had Valentine killed. He died for the sake of the Gospel - showing such TRUE love, and not the sappy romantic crap that ends up on cakes, cards, and Facebook that has been associated with his name these days. What a shame, eh?

Love is a theme that is probably the most profound theme in the Bible. Besides salvation itself, which is basically God proving his love for us, love is an obvious main bullet point in scripture and Jesus' teachings. Love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Love is patient, kind, doesn't envy or boast, is forgiving rejoices in truth, it protects, trusts, hopes, preserves (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). It is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). It is God Himself! (1 John 4:18). Doesn't that sound like something you'd devote a holiday to?

What if this year, we forgot all the generally mooshy and sappy traditions and connotations associated with this holiday, and look at it from a Christian perspective? What if we focused on TRUE love, and not the love of some star-crossed teenagers, a dozen roses, or posting the lyrics of out favorite love songs on the internet? What if we treated Valentine's Day like Christmas or Easter? We complain that those holidays are losing their 'true meaning,' but we still celebrate Jesus at least a little bit on those days; why not Valentine's Day?

Think about it: a day devoted to love! Christian love! A type of love that when you see it in others, you don't get depressed; you are filled with joy! A love that when shared can literally change the world! A love that saved you, and a love that is perfectly exemplified in our God.

The Beatles sang 'All you need is Love.' Switchfoot calls the love of God 'A symphony, a melody, a song...' They also say 'Love is the Movement; Love is the revolution.' Jars of Clay says 'Love is the protest!' Muse says 'Love is the Resistance!' Steve Fee says the love of God 'is better than life.' Now, doesn't that sound a lot better than 'BE MINE' or crappy dollar store candy?

I dare you to look at Valentine's Day differently today! Look at it still as a day of love, but as a day of TRUE love. The Christian Love. The kind of Love God has for us. I promise, your holiday, as well as your life, will be much better when we take that into practice.

So Happy Valentines Day! Love this day!!

----

Also, thought this would be cool. I made a playlist called 'Love Is...' and it has a bunch of great songs, all having some variation of the phrase 'Love is.' Enjoy!

Talking to God

It seems to me, the more I grow as a Christian, as a man, as a friend, as just a person in general, the answers we struggle the hardest to get and the solutions we fight for most are the most obvious. When we get them, we suffer a moment of 'Naw-duh, Sherlock,' and that can make us/me feel stupid and embarrassed, but I think it's something we all have in common.

This blog post has the potential to get very personal with a lot of people, but for the sake of anonymity, I suppose it would be polite for me to be as vague as possible while still having some sort of meaning without sounding like I'm a whiny teenager. Ooh, boy. Specifics aren't important anyway, hah.

I'll begin with a question: Have you ever been in a situation where you had no where to turn to for help? I know what you're thinking. 'I ALWAYS HAVE JESUS, HALLELUJAH - AMEN!'

While that's true, be honest - how often do you turn to God for help? That's what I thought. An embarrassingly small amount of the time, isn't it? I can say the same. Whenever something's got me down, or worse... I can honestly say that sometimes God is the last place I will turn for help.

It seems odd to say that, though. Usually, outside of Christianity, we see people only going to God when we need help, but I bet for a lot of us, as Christians, it's easy to maintain a regular prayer life filled with ins-and-outs, daily 'quiet-times' (sweet child of mine, I hate that term), and what have you, but I find myself never really going to God with my problems or... I guess my heart.

I wrote a little bit about this a few weeks back - about opening up to God. I think that is a major part of it. I haven't been nor have I really ever opened up to God, and I find that when I do, He is able to show me things I'd never expected or things I'd never thought of otherwise.

In the past few months, I've been struggling pretty badly with... life, hah. Things got pretty low at one point - they still continue to drop down there now and again. It got to the point where I was physically hurting myself because, you know, apparently that's supposed to help. It didn't. My doctor put my on antidepressants which have helped a tremendous amount, but still... it doesn't fix anything.

So, I figure I could turn to people. My pastors. My family. My closest friends. I've opened up very little to anyone, and when I do, I find myself stuttering, censoring myself, and never really even releasing a coherent thought. Even talking to the people I love most (they can tell you this and are probably reading this now, hah), I'm very secretive, cryptic, and quiet about what goes on in my own heart.

And pretty soon, I found myself in a situation where there was nobody I could talk to. At all. Don't get me wrong - without a doubt in my mind, God places people in our lives to hold us up, pray for us, talk to us, and help us... but what about when we find ourselves going there first? Instead of having people there as pillars of support, I found myself treating them as a foundation of it.

So, in this situation, I found myself getting deeper and deeper into confusion, pain, sadness, and numbness. What was I supposed to do? Recently, it got to the point where I was, literally, angry at God. You know, like the cheesy Christian movies where the protagonist is like 'God, why did you allow this to happen! It's your fault! BLAH!' But I was basically like that.

'God... why are you even allowing this to happen to me? Why... in all of your ability as God and Ruler of the freakin' Universe, would you allow these little things to line up so perfectly that not only are my feelings hurt and my heart in shambles, but I have no one to talk to about it? Why on earth would you allow me to be so alone here?''

That's when I had my 'Naw-duh' moment.

And it's pretty much a recurring theme in the Bible, especially the Psalms.

"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his face continuously." (Psalm 105:4)

"Those who know your name trust in You; for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." (Psalm 9:10)

"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (Psalm 55:22)

"In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles" (Psalm 34:6)

I think that's what He was trying to tell me. I think God allowed me to fall so deep into this literal depression so that I could see, sooner or later, that the only - the only - way out would be to rely on Him.

The Enemy, of course, was hell-bent (pun intended) on making sure that I felt everything that ever happened to me was the result of my surroundings and not the way I was choosing to deal with them. Think about it - if I break my arm accidentally doing something, who do I go to for help? The people I love? They can comfort me and give me advice, sure, but does that heal me? Do I just go through it alone? No, because my arm would remain broken, wouldn't it? I need the doctor, don't I?

It's a simple, Elementary school analogy, yeah, but it's what I've been doing. Does going to God first with my heart, my troubles, my concerns, my everything fix the situations I'm in? No, not necessarily. There's still going to be pain because the attacks of our most relentless Enemy do not stop because we notice him performing them.

I think the most important thing for us... and me, really... to remember is that God is Father, and I am his son. He wants me to come to Him, because he loves me, and is willing to help me. He's willing to just listen if that's all I need. How many times has that happened to you - you're talking something out to someone, and they say nothing at all but continue to let you talk because they know you'll eventually come to the conclusion yourself? I think God does that a lot with us.

The bottom line I want to say is the God listens, and God helps. Sometimes, He allows absolute crap to pour into our lives from every direction so we see that there is no one else that can really help us but Him.

Questions for you now: How much do you trust God? I mean 'trust' in the sense can you really tell him everything, like a best friend... like a Father the Bible says He is? Can you be open to God? He did everything in His Power (and the God of Eternity has a lot of power) to be with you; can't you spare more than a campy ritualistic 'quiet time' with Him? It's something to think about.

As I pray today, I ask that you join me in really just going to God and opening your heart. Forget 'praying,' sit down and talk with God like you have a relationship with Him. That's what Christianity is, and we often tell people that, but act like we don't believe it. 'It's not a religion; it's a relationship!' we'll glibly spew along with every other Christian cliche, but we still pray like God is a stained-glass window image in the cathedral of our mind. I think he deserves and wants more than that. I think I want more that that.

So, try it today. Talk to God. Tell Him about your day. About what makes you happy. About what makes you sad. About how much you love your friends. About how much you liked that movie you saw. About that nasty food you ate at the mall the other day. Be reverent, but fod God's sake, be personal. God is a person. A person who loves you.

Pray for me, too, reader, as I learn this with you.

-Matt

An Obvious Perspective on Prayer

I pray a lot. I mean, I'm a Christian - someone who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; of course, I'm going to talk to Him. I pray when I get up, usually when I eat, throughout the day, in the shower, in the car, when I'm going to bed, and in bed. I set aside a special time each day to study His word, and to pray (I... set the time aside, although I'm not the best at keeping it...), but I do pray often. 1 Thessalonians says we need to pray without ceasing, and for the most part I think I do that. At least, I do more than some Christians...

But I had a brief conversation (actually, it was more like a few passing comments) between a good friend of mine, named Whitney that really made me think about how I pray.

First off, a little bit of background. These past few months have been pretty rough for me. I've been really down, I've had a lot on my mind, I've been really kind of sad these days. It's gotten pretty bad at times, too. There were some people I knew I needed to apologize to, to be open with, to be honest with, and just needed to speak to, but I've been finding it hard to be open with... anyone.

If you have a personality like me, you know how hard it can be to be open with anyone - even the people you're closest to; the people you love. It's taken me two weeks before to work up the courage to say things to some of my best friends before - I'm not shy, I just have a hard time giving any bit of my heart to anyone it would seem.

Well, I said something about this the other day - about it being hard to be open with people. Whitney said something that, at the time, I thought was nice, but it wasn't until days later I remember what she said, and my perspective was changed drastically.

She said (paraphrased, not quoted), that she knew how I felt - she has problems with that, too. Then, Whitney said something that seemed like the obvious thing to do, but I realized I had never done it. She said that, really, the only one she felt she could really open up to was God (and once in a while, their little pup that I have a love/bark-madly-at relationship with, but that's not important.)

And it wasn't until a few days later that I really sat down and thought about that. 'Even though I pray often... have I really ever opened up to God?' The more I thought about it, the more I realized... no, I have not.

I realized that most of the time, my prayers could fall under four catergories: Please, Thank You, You Are, I Am.

Please being requests to God, like 'Please keep me safe today,' or 'Please let so-n-so feel better,' or 'Please let me be on time for class today.

Thank You being thanks for what God has done. 'Thank you for today,' 'Thank you for this food,' 'Thank you for providing and protecting...'

You Are meaning praise to God, like 'You are so good God - you are holy, you are the King, you are my lord, and I love you.'

I Am being confession, like 'I am a liar, lord - please forgive me.' 'I am so sorry for rebelling and not being obedient here and here, etc.'

The thing with all these, though, is they are crucial to a prayer life. All four of those things are great things that we are supposed to pray about. But then I started thinking about what Whitney said - about opening up to God.

I'm reminded that God calls us his children, and we call Him 'Father.' I imagine that when I become a father someday, I hope that my dearly beloved children will want a relationship with me because I want one with them. I hope they talk to me often, because I love them... but I hope they talk to me like their father, and not just with please/thank you/ you are/ I am. It's a relationship, but... not much of one, is it?

So last night, I decided that I was going to try praying at least once without using the PTYYAIM format. At first, it was very awkward. I felt whiny and childish, just talking to God - treating him like a father, I guess, was new to me. I felt that some things I'd tell him about were so pointless and petty. Then, I was stricken with a thought.

It was almost like God said to me 'I love and died for your heart, Matt. If it matters to your heart, it matters to me.'

At that moment, I was just kind of surprised and in awe. I really opened up to God. Told him everything. I even cried a bit. I laughed a bit. It was like no prayer I'd ever said before, ever. And I was just being open with the God who knew it all anyway. Wow.

So, my point of this blog is this - try being open with God. Talk to him like a Father - a Father who loves you enough to listen, to guide, to say 'I love you, son,' or 'I love you, daughter.' A Father who is always there, even when you can't sleep in the wee hours of the morning, or when you feel alone and deserted by everyone else. "Oh, how I would treat you like my own children.." the Bible says in Jeremiah. We can trust Him. We can talk to him - really talk to him. He loves us enough to listen.

It seems so obvious too, doesn't it? Most revelations or 'wake up moments' we get as Christians usually are. It just took some wise words of a close friend to get the idea into my head. :)

So try being open with God today. He's listening. :)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)

Story Teller, Part Two: 'Character Development'

"He's a real Nowhere Man, sitting is his Nowhere Land, making all his Nowhere Plans for Nobody..."

Peter Parker is the nerdy High School kid that just wants to 'get the girl.' Frodo Baggins is a Hobbit from the Shire where 'nobody ever had adventures or did anything unexpected.' Luke Skywalker is the lonely farm boy on the desert planet of Tatooine where he feels he's 'never gonna get out of [there...].' Harry Potter is a miserable orphan living with his awful Aunt and Uncle who 'were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.' Sora is a teenage boy from a small island in the middle of nowhere. Link is a Kokiri child living in a tree house. Abraham Lincoln is born, poor, in a log cabin, and homeschools himself by candlelight for years. Jesus of Nazareth is born the son of a common carpenter in a barn.

All these stories, whether they're fictional or not, all start similarly, do they not? You have your main character living a pretty... boring life. Sometimes, it's a hard one, at that. King David is a scrawny shepherd. Aragorn is basically Middle Earth's equivalent of a hobo. Jack Shepherd is a normal doctor with daddy issues. The list goes on, and on, and I think, a lot of times, we can relate. I know I can.

Some one asked me not too long ago to 'tell them the Matt Walker story.'
"I'm afraid it's pretty unexciting and uneventful up to this point," I replied.
"Well, it's not finished yet," he said.

In part one, I talked about my drive to be a story teller. About how, since birth basically, I've been creating stories and tales and worlds and characters because... it just felt right. Whether I express that through my writing, or filmmaking, or even just imagining and dreaming - I feel, at my core, I was born - I was created - to be a story teller. But, at the end of the last post, I expressed how things have slowed down considerably in recent days.

Which makes me think about where I could possibly be in my timeline right now. Sometimes... actually, a lot of the time, lately... I feel like Bilbo having morning tea with Gandalf. Glancing out the window on the lovely home he's blessed with, but feeling... discontented. 'Like... butter scraped over too much bread,' he says. Sometimes, I feel like Peter Parker, dreaming of the day he can get the girl, move past his years as a teenager, and get on to what he was meant to do. Sometimes, I feel like Luke Skywalker or Sora from 'Kingdom Hearts' and I just want to... go.

Go away, physically? Not really. More like... hurry up. Go ahead. Get to Act II. Press the 'Next' button on the remote; skip to the next chapter; cut to the chase. You get my drift.

I know this is foolish, I know it is. I know I'm supposed to 'Wait for the lord, be strong and take heart,' (Psalm 27:14) and I know that 'God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them,' (Romans 8:28) but when? When does Obi-Wan give me my lightsaber? When does Gandalf tell me I need to leave for Rivendell? When does the radioactive spider bite me, or when does Hagrid knock down my door one day and say 'Guess what, Matt? You're not only capable, but were born with the natural ability, to do extraordinary, supernatural, unexplainable things?'

It feels like it's taking forever.

Worse than that, I feel like I'm going the wrong direction. Even though I know it takes time and patience to get there - it's a long path, indeed - I feel like I'm going down the wrong path altogether. Like in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' when the Company is nearly brought down by the mighty blizzard on top of Mt. Caradhras, as they're going the wrong way in the first place. I'm not acting like Jonah, though, where God told him to go one way, and he's going in the other - no, not at all. I feel like I'm out at sea without a map. Lost in the forest without a guide. Wandering a mountain range without so much as a path.

But (and here comes the kicker)... is that such a bad thing?

Think about a story that begins with the hero in Nowheresville, doing nothing, with no adventure, no lover, no nothing. Where do we learn the most of that person? Where do authors and filmmakers take the time to develop their characters? In the first scenes and in the first chapters. Where do television producers take time to tell back stories, to develop personalities, to make you care about the people they've created? In the first season. In the first Act.

So what is the Author of eternity doing and planning during my first chapter, or rather, my first book?

A lot of the time, our favorite characters are thrust into circumstance that later lead to the rest of their story. Luke's home is attacked, the storm visits the Destiny Islands, word of Voldemort rising again startles the Wizarding World, etc. But they all start from somewhere, do they not? 'From humble beginnings...' we hear often.

My prayer these days is that God is developing me like a hero in an epic story. That He is using this time of seemingly inactivity to shape me into the person - the man - I was created to be, prepared to do the things He has prepared me to do, and the stories He has inspired me to tell. My prayer is that when the day does come that the Ring falls into my hands, that I know what to do with it. When I take off with Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi, that I understand the ways of the Force. That when I stumble through the wardrobe in to Narnia, I'm wearing a coat to keep me warm and safe. That when the time comes, I'm ready to take up my cross and follow Him.

That is my prayer. It's exciting to think about the future, and the good things God has planned for us. Let us not, however, forget the crucial step of character development. Without character development... well, we're just in a crappy movie like 'Avatar,' aren't we?

So it is, eventually, that Peter Parker becomes Spider-man, and saves the city and wins the heart of Mary Jane. Frodo Baggins saves Middle Earth. Luke Skywalker redeems his own father, and puts an end to tyranny in the Galaxy. Harry Potter defeats the Dark Lord. Sora understands the light that exists in the human heart. Link defeats Gannondorf, Abraham Lincoln becomes the President that sets the slaves free, and Jesus Christ raises from the dead, and ascends into Heaven.

I wonder what Matt Walker will do?

New Jars of Clay Album - 'The Shelter' - Review

"Ar Scáth a Chéile a Mhaireas na Daoine."
"In the shelter of each other, the people live."

Jars of Clay is one of the older Christian rock/pop bands, and are extremely gifted songwriters and performers, loving and active humanitarians, and humble, talented Christians who have been entertaining, moving, and loving on people for over a decade. Yesterday, they released their eleventh studio album, called 'The Shelter.'

After pre-ordering the album, I got it in the mail today, and I was absolutely blown away by this album that I had ridiculously high expectations for. The pure artistry and work that went into this album must be beyond measure.

"'The Shelter,' Dan Haseltine of the band explains, "is a record about community, and how we get to be Jesus for each other. A shelter is refuge from a storm. It is peace in the midst of chaos. Something that cools our fear when we are afraid. I think what I like about the image of a shelter is that it is not something that is apart from the storm, but is something that is placed IN the storm, and yet it is something that keeps us from harm's way, but it's not so far away that we lose sight of it."

The theme of 'The Shelter' is, without a doubt, community. Friendship. Fellowship. Christians coming together, loving one another, and being/living like Jesus for one another and the entire world. This album came at an extremely important time in my life where I've got that very theme on my heart constantly. About isolating myself. About not feeling loved. About giving up. About not having a group friends, a family, or a community I feel I can belong to. All of this is completely ridiculous, though. I know, in my heart, I have all those things, but we have an Enemy that has made it his job to destroy every relationship we, as Christians, have. 'The Shelter' is a battlecry against that. A hymn against isolation. Sadness. Lonliness. A message of hope, love, friendship, and God's grace played out through 11 expertly crafted tracks.

Jars of Clay is not alone on this album, either. To go with the theme of community, Several artists have added their song-writing and musical abilities to the band's own this time. What had the potential to be a cheesy collab of standard Christian fare is everything but that. With Jars of Clay, you have Brandon Heath, Thad Cockrell, Audrey Assad, Gungor, Mac Powell from Third Day, Derek Webb from Caedmon's Call, Burlap to Cahmere, Sixpence None the Richer, TobyMac, Mike Donehey from Tenth Avenue North, David Crowder, Amy Grant, and more that I can't even remember. Wow. That's a lot of folks. Still, this is Jars of Clay's album, and these artists just add to that instead of making it a mishmash of songs and styles.

The album begins with the extremely poignant track 'Small Rebellions.' The opening lyrics set up the entire album beautifully. "God of the break and shattered... hearts, in every form still matter. In our weakness, let us see, that alone we'll never be lifting any burdens off our shoulders...." It sets up the whole idea of a community, and that it's not going to come easy. The chorus makes that clear with it's words. "If our days could be filled with small rebellions... senseless, brutal acts of kindness from us all... If we stand between the fear and firm foundation... push against the current and the fall... We will never walk alone again..."

The next track picks up with 'Call My Name.' It's all about one of the simplest Christian principals, in yet, it's the one all of us struggle with on a daily basis. Being called by God to do something extraordinary. Have purpose in our lives. Jars of Clay has already hit two very important topics in Christianity, and we're only two songs in.

'We Will Follow,' track #3, is like a direct response to track #2. If 'Call My Name' says 'God has a plan for you,' 'We Will Follow' says '...and we're going to follow it!" It's an incredibly happy and hopeful song that has a very simple chorus, but I've already found myself singing it over and over again. "Where you lead us, we will follow..." A little bit of their Nashville roots come out with some epic violin, too.

The next track, 'Eyes Wide Open,' features the voice of Dan Haseltine, but then the instantly recognizable voice of Mac Powell from Third Day. It's a song simply out asking God to keep our eyes open to where he's working. Keep our eyes open to where we can show love. Keep our eyes open to how He can shine his light through us, which should be our prayers daily.

I'm going to skip the title track for now.

'Out of My Hands' is a song about surrendering to God, first, foremost, and obviously. This is a topic Jars of Clay has touched on several times in past albums, but this song perhaps personifies it the best. It speaks of all God has done for us, which is more than we can imagine.

'No Greater Love' is a song about the power of sacrifice. It has, perhaps, a double-meaning. Like John 15:13 says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." There is no greater love than bearing a burden, taking some of the pain, sacrificing for a friend. The other meaning being the same thing, only in the context of what Christ did on the cross. The question features the prayer 'Show me the beauty of a life laid down...' Powerful stuff.

'Run in the Night' is based on my favorite Psalm in the Bible - Psalm 27. It follows closely to the teachings of that chapter, and begins slow and contemplative, but near the end becomes a redemptive piece of love and perfection.

Track #9, 'Lay it Down,' is perhaps my favorite track on the entire album. It speaks of exactly what I've been dealing with for some time now. The senseless, counter-productive attitude of 'isolation will help me.' The song touches on the idea that if you are a Christian, you are a part of the most loving, understanding, welcoming, warm family conceivable. You have a father in heaven you adores you. You have brothers and sisters all over the world that belong to the same father you do, and there's deep connection in that. "We'll never be short on people," they sing, "but we'll never be short on trouble." The hard times always come along. The Enemy always attacks again. The chorus begs the question, "Why carry on our own?" they ask "Why drag this bag of bones to Hell and back again? Look around -" they say. "Lay it down." God puts people in our lives to love us, to build us up, to support and encourage us. We should absolutely allow them in and let them do so, as we are to do the same for them.

'Love Will Find Us' has a message that can be summed up in the chorus. "Run to these arms, be not alone;

Light is leading, love will find us all..." Beautiful.

Now, we'll go back to the title track, then touch on 'Benediction,' the closing track. The title track, 'The Shelter,' sums up the message of the Church in a beautiful way. Now, I did not say it sums up Christianity - it talks about us as Christians, and our roles in that. "To all who are looking down," to song speaks, "holding on to hearts still wounding... for those who've yet to find it: the places near where love is moving... cast off the robes you're wearing, set aside the names you've been given... may this place of rest in the fold of you journey bind you to hope." The idea that we, as Christians, are to be there for each other as the Church. Fellowship. To build each other up. To pray with and for one another. To help out in crisis. To comfort in despair. "God has given us each other..." the song says. In our hearts, hopefully, we have a group of friends or a family we know those words ring true about. I certainly know who God has given me for the purposes of this song. I feel their love and warmth whenever I hear this song. The chorus features the words of the old Irish proverb quoted at the top 'In the shelter of each other, we will live."

And then, in the end, there's 'Benediction.' It's a simple, quite song that basically says 'Now that you have the love of God, the strength of others, and the hope of life, go and spread the word.' Tell the world he loves you.

This album is an amazing collection of talent, meaning, and music that shines even above Jars of Clay's last album, 'The Long Fall Back to Earth.' I have already been blessed with the message and love of this album. It's an absolute must have for anyone.

Small Rebellions - 8/10

Call My Name - 9/10

We Will Follow - 10/10

Eyes Wide Open - 7/10

Shelter - 10/10

Out of My Hands - 8/10

No Greater Love - 8/10

Run in the Night - 7/10

Lay it Down - 10/10

Love Will Find Us - 7/10

Benediction - 9/10

Album as a Whole - 9/10

Highly Recommended.

Mario Kart and Jesus

For an 18-year-old gamer, Mushroom Gorge is a tough track on Mario Kart Wii.

For a 5-year-old girl, Mushroom Gorge can seem nearly impossible.

My niece Gracie was hanging out over here, at my house today. She's five years old, and she's starting Kindergarten in two days. It's crazy to think, even as just her uncle, that she's already starting real school and growing up. Anyway, today, she was over here, and I introduced her to Mario Kart for the Wii.

At first, she seemed really shaky. If you know anything about Mario Kart, you'll know that the fact she took seven minutes to finish Luigi's Circuit doesn't exactly make her a professional. She didn't really grasp the idea of moving the control stick to steer, or to keep holding down the gas button to keep her car going. After one race, she wanted to quit.

"No," I said, "You can do it - it just takes experience." She tried again, and was a little bit better. She switched to another racetrack, and was even better the third time. She was very happy that she was getting so good at this game that was new to her.

And then, she got to Mushroom Gorge.

Mushroom Gorge is basically a giant hurdle. Half the time, you've got flat, straight roads that are easy to navigate, but the other half of the time, you've got giant gaps to leap, ridiculous cliffs to jump over, uncountable mushrooms to bounce off of and hope that you land safely on the other side. It's tough, even for an experienced Mario Karter, but to my niece, it was almost impossible.

I could see the frustration building in her face and the disappointment surfacing in her heart as she tried desperately to transverse the cliffs of this racetrack. She turned to me and said 'Matt, can you do it for me?'

I thought about it. I could definitely do it for her. I mean, I'm a pretty good player - the best in my house. If there's anyone that could beat it for her, it would be me. But I also thought, too, of how happy I know she'd be if she could beat it herself. Still, she needed help, and I wanted to offer it to her.

"All you have to do," I began, "Is to drive very straight off the ramp. Then, you'll bounce off the mushroom and land on the other side." She tried it once, and failed. "One more time," I said, "But this time, don't worry about it - just do what I said, and you'll be fine." She was placed back on the racetrack, and began to drive forward, as she tried once more.

She flew off the ramp, bounced right off the mushroom, and landed safely on the other side.

"You did it!" I exclaimed as she, literally, dropped the control, beaming, and said back to me "I did it!" She was so very happy that she was able to cross something simple and silly like the first gap on a Mario Kart track. But, you know, she had experience now. As I sit here and write this, she is sitting behind me, playing Mushroom Gorge over and over again. It's her favorite racetrack. She can speed through the entire course in under three minutes now. She rarely falls off the track anymore. She's able to fly over the cliffs, and always land safely.

Christianity can be a lot like Mario Kart.

When Gracie first started playing, it took a lot of getting used to. I mean, who's ever heard of a green dinosaur on a motorcycle racing a princess and a plumber anyway? The concept was brand new to her. The game controller was brand new to her, but in no time, she was up and going. That's how, most of the time, we feel about of walks with God as Christians. Pretty good, they might say. Not great, but pretty good.

Then, she was faced with Mushroom Gorge. Disheartened and discouraged, she didn't know what to do. She asked me, like I said earlier, "Can you do it for me, Matt?" It seems like when we're faced with the tough stuff in life, we go straight to do and ask the same question... for some of us, it's the only time we go to God. When we need him to do something.

But, like Gracie and Mushroom Gorge, sometimes, I believe that God let's us face struggle to teach us something - to essentially train us.

Let's look at David for a minute. This little kid, basically, who goes to bring his brothers some lunch one day, and he sees them all cowering at the very mention of their enemy, Goliath's, name. David approaches King Saul, and says, "Well, I'll fight him." King Saul probably laughs as he says "Don't be ridiculous! There's no way you can possibly win... you're just a boy." Let's pick it up there.

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” - 1 Samuel 17:34-37

Now, when David was a young shepherd boy, do you think he enjoyed fighting off lions and bears? Do you think it was easy for him? Of course not. It's a freaking bear. It's a freaking lion. If you've ever seen the Discovery Channel, you know that... bears and lions are vicious and violent. David, obviously a young man who loved the Lord, could have said 'God, PLEASE, do this for me!' But as we read, David would go off and wrestle the bears and lions himself, by clubbing it to death like the warrior he was. God was always with him, preserving him, but it was a struggle to protect his sheep and to do his job right.

You see, when we face hardships, struggles, or challenges in life, and we ask Him to take care of it for us, sometimes it seems like He's inactive. We might feel discouraged, but think for a moment about what he could be saying. "Listen to what I have to say, and do what I say do." Just like Gracie in Mushroom Gorge where I instructed her how to jump the mushroom, just like how, unbeknownst to him, David was being trained up to fight Goliath someday. "The Lord rescued me..." David said, but it was because he was taking action and doing what he knew God had already instructed him to do.

'Well then,' you may be asking, 'That's great, but how do I know what God wants me to do?' That's an easy answer. God's given you an entire book of 'What to Do.' The Bible.

When the hard times come, and we ask God to Divinely intervene, I think sometimes we forget about how much He already has. He's given us everything He's ever wanted to reveal to the human race... all in one convenient, complete, and usually leather-bound volume. The answers are there - it just takes time, studying, and faith to find them in there.

So next time when you're faced with a 'Gorge' in your life, when you pray, consider changing your prayer from 'God, fix this for me,' to 'God, give me wisdom - show me what to do.'

But, seriously, Gracie is still here playing Mushroom Gorge. The song is getting a bit annoying, but I wouldn't tell her to stop for anything.

Thanks for reading!
-Matt

Masterpiece

"We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." -Ephesians 2:10

Read that word again. 'Masterpiece.' Do you know what a 'masterpiece is?' Princeton defines the word as this: 'The most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman." Webster defines it as a 'supreme achievement.'

Whoa. Think about that for a second. Did you ever realize that you, YOU, are 'the most outstanding work' of God? The creative artist - the master craftsman - has named you as His 'most outstanding work?' As His 'Supreme Achievement?' Can you believe that? Out of everything our Creator God made - the beautiful sunsets, the captivating clouds of the deep blue sky; out of every creature that walks the Earth, every fish in the ocean, every bird in the air; Out of every star in space, out of every planet in the heavens, out of EVERY glorious, massive thing hanging in the universe.... YOU are his masterpiece?

Face it! You are God's favorite. Seriously! I really just want that to sink in. Out of everything God made... YOU are his FAVORITE. He put more work into you than anything else. He put more creative energy into you than anything else, and most importantly, he put more love into you than anything else. We wonder, sometimes, 'Why does God love us?' The answer should be obvious! He absolutely adores you! He is proud of you! He looks at his children, and, I believe, beams with the same love and pride that a proud parent has on their face when they look upon their own children.

And when I say 'You,' I do not mean a collective 'human race' type deal - that verse at the beginning of this blog post proves otherwise. When we give our lives to him, he re-creates us in Jesus Christ. We become, or begin to become, everything God intended for his 'masterpieces' to be - these awesome, wonderful, created sons and daughters of a Holy Father who loves us, and has BIG plans for us! And these things He wants us to do - these plans He has for every one of us as Christians - are not just random jobs or tasks. No, he looked into our hearts from eternity (before the world even existed) and said 'Oh, I have BIG PLANS for that one!'

All this may seem like very bottom line, early Christian, 'Yeah, we already know that' type stuff, but I think that we all, even myself, need reminded of the simple truths sometimes. Today, that simple truth is 'God made you Special, and loves you very much.' Thanks, Veggie Tales. :P

Anyway, I just felt 'lead' to write this, if you want to say that. I read that verse in my time with God today, and I found it so awesome, I had to write about it. I hope you got something out of it!

God as Our Father

There are a few Christian authors/speakers/pastors out there that God has used in my life in pretty big ways. People like Perry Noble of NewSpring Chuch, or Greg Laurie of Harvest Ministries, or even musicians like Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay or Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. One man, though, who podcasts and books have really effected me and changed my perspectives on a lot of things is John Eldredge of Ransomed Heart Ministries. This blog post isn't necessarily about any particular idea he presents, but one that is one of the simplest, oldest biblical ideas he wrote about in a book(Fathered by God); the idea of God as Father.

My father is a Lt. Col. in our county's Sheriff's office and the commander on our S.W.A.T. team. Lt. Col. is pretty high up in the ranks - I believe 2nd or 3rd only to the Sheriff himself. He's a pretty important guy - he's in charge of a lot of things and a lot of people - has been as far back as I can remember.

I remember as a kid of around seven or so, our area would put on a huge arts and crafts festival where, literally, thousands of people would flock to buy wood-craved yard decorations, old knick-knacks, and basically a lot of crap no one would ever need, ever. It was a lot of fun to just walk around and see everything, though. The Sheriff's office was always in charge of security, and it would seem that my dad was always the head of that. I remember waking up early the weekend of the festival and riding in my dad's cop car all the way to the fairgrounds, and getting out behind the Sheriff's office headquarters. Even as a little kid, I felt so respected and important around the other officers. Why? Because I was the son of the guy in charge!

I was big stuff for only seven years old! I knew that no one could pick on me - my dad was a cop. He was able to give me all sorts of cool stuff that the county would give him for free, or that he's get in the festival for just being a police officer, and he'd give them to me. The popcorn lady would give him a bag, and he'd give it to me, or he'd get me something from the wooden toy place (like these wicked rubber band guns they used to have); all that kind of thing.

But, most importantly, I was the son of the man in charge, which made me feel special, but that's because I was special; still am! The bible says in Matthew 7:11 "So if you know how to give good gifts to your own children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him!" I don't have children, yet, but I know, when I do, it's going to take everything I have not to spoil my kids by just giving them every thing their little hearts desire. I take joy in that sort of thing - making someone else happy, especially children, and I'd imagine especially if they were my own. A father - a dad - that genuinely loves to make his kids happy? You ever think of God like that?

I think all too often we will recall God as 'Father,' but do we ever really think of him as a loving father? I think we neglect that quality of God too often! God is generous, he is good, and he is loving - the perfect father.

"You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged father; a father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step. This is perhaps the hardest thing to believe - really believe, down deep in our hearts, so that it changes us forever, changes the was we approach each day." -John Eldredge, 'Fathered by God'

As a Christian, you are an adopted child of God. Ever think of that? Ever think about how your dad is 'the man in charge?' How much he loves you? Like, as a father, loves you? Ever think about how important you are to Him? How proud of you he is when you do something great, or how forgiving and loving his is when you mess up? That's a big one. What about how he's there to offer wisdom when you need it? Or when you just need to know your loved? The father who provides for you, the father who 'walks with you every step' of the way? My friends, God is Father!

I know, personally, if there's one quality of God I tend to overlook so often, it's his ability to father me. Eldredge says, through prayer, in his book...

"You have taken me home, through Christ, to be your own son. I accept that. I give my life back to you, to be your true son. Father me. Father me."

Those are powerful words, aren't they? I don't have much more to say (tonight at least - it's 2:3oAM, haha), but I will say this - will you let God... be your father?

See, now I really want to read through 'Fathered by God' again. :)

"I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me." John 6:57 NLT