Christian Authors

I went looking through the bookstore the other day....i love to read and i plan on writing a few books when i get a job and am out of school to have some time so the bookstore is one of my favorite places to look. Anyways it struck me as im gazing through all of the "christian" books a very funny thing.

I have this class called legal/social/political environment and we talked about how business ethics was a hot topic so the professor had to discuss it but he told us that a lecture won't change your view on ethics, which is probably true and also that businesses unfortunately don't want to be ethical but appear ethical so i have been thinking about that while i am in the bookstore. Its unfortunate that christian authors tend to ride coat-tails of people with original ideas i know that this happens everywhere but i figured that we would be different (novel concept i know!!) but the davinci code, every man's battle, and the newest genre of books out there are the "churchanity" books are all just ridiculous to me. You have a single book with an original idea and everyone can't find anything else to write about.

I think that this shows a larger picture unfortunately of what christianity has become. We so often rely on other people to tell us what to do or what to pray or just how to live instead of allowing God to truly be our guide. Everyone has a different story and im happy that there are books out there to help people with issues that are prevalent but do we really need 500 books on how to defend against the DaVinci crazies that try to take over our mind with historical fiction??? I want real people to talk about their real life don't sugercoat, or try to be something you are not. Be who you are, something that is different, unique, and special. Take advice definitely from people who truly care about you but do what is best.

Live the Life
-J.C.

Conflict

well we as a management team got a good stern talking to the other day for our horrible numbers that we have been posting....long story short it was a kick in the pants that we all needed. I tell you all this because i have discovered something not only involving work but life and i have a person to thank for this and i looked at his example when i was pondering this. Honesty is always the best policy. If there is a mistake made it needs to be pointed out. If people are doing an excellent job that also needs to be pointed out. But however possible you need to let people in your organization know what is going on in order to build trust and allow them to contribute to solving the problem

Seeing as how i love to give illustrations i will give this. Problems are like puddles of water after a storm...if you let people know or make them aware of the puddle it can be avoided or even cleaned up with relative ease. But if you allow the puddle to stay there it can not only get people all messy but can cause other worse problems if you don't deal with the intial problem of the puddle. Annoying little mosquitoes (i think that is the plural form) come to mind. They will aggravate and could cause potentially fatal problems with them which all could be avoided if the intial puddle problem was dealt with swiftly.

Anyway i had a discussion a few weeks ago where we discussed honesty. And people in this dialogue were expressing how times that certainly did not involve life or death but only your integrity it was okay to lie and i don't want to sound old fashion but come on. My parents have never lied to me and pretty much the only thing besides like yelling at my mom that was like the biggest crime ever at my house was lying about something. I couldn't fathom how easy it was and not only that how non-chalant people were about talking about it. I was fuming because they were justifying the one of the main things that people try to keep. They were okay with their integrity being flawed and while im not judging them or anything like that but man where have we come as a society when we can't tell the truth in any and all circumstances and just be real with people. Its kinda sad. But all this to say strive to be better, strive to be the tool that God pulls out to bring people to Him, because this world is hurting for honesty naked eye poppin honesty and sometimes i wonder why people have such a hard time giving it to them.

uncool school

yeah so i've been going to school for about two weeks now and im so glad that im going to school, i know that someday it will pay off and im thankful for my parents pushing me to work my butt off to get into college. Im not sure who really reads this thing cuz like 3 people comment but i hope that those of you that do read this learn a little bit more about me. I'm leading people for the first time in my life and its harder than i thought because people are so different from one another. One guy is very quiet another is very outspoken. One person has great intiative and does a great job without someone bearing down on them and others need to be walked around on a leash in order to get things done. I know one thing i have to be involved with people directly and seeing them grow in my life. I've learned that i love seeing people develop and grow because of time and effort that they have put in. I can fix things but i hate to do it but man i love fixing people's problems and taking and learning i love it. I love learning i love school and reading and anything that has to do with learning. I know that this blog is a random stream of consciousness but im feeling good and trying to let people know who i am for anyone who's reading this let me know cuz i literally have no idea who reads this stinking thing maybe me when i get bored who knows....anyway live so people remember you.....later

uncool school

yeah so i've been going to school for about two weeks now and im so glad that im going to school, i know that someday it will pay off and im thankful for my parents pushing me to work my butt off to get into college. Im not sure who really reads this thing cuz like 3 people comment but i hope that those of you that do read this learn a little bit more about me. I'm leading people for the first time in my life and its harder than i thought because people are so different from one another. One guy is very quiet another is very outspoken. One person has great intiative and does a great job without someone bearing down on them and others need to be walked around on a leash in order to get things done. I know one thing i have to be involved with people directly and seeing them grow in my life. I've learned that i love seeing people develop and grow because of time and effort that they have put in. I can fix things but i hate to do it but man i love fixing people's problems and taking and learning i love it. I love learning i love school and reading and anything that has to do with learning. I know that this blog is a random stream of consciousness but im feeling good and trying to let people know who i am for anyone who's reading this let me know cuz i literally have no idea who reads this stinking thing maybe me when i get bored who knows....anyway live so people remember you.....later

football....

I have a lot of things on my mind right now and so i will be blogging two maybe three times today....first of all this blog is in response to JR Lee's blog which you can find at jrleereveal.blogspot.com by the way i love and respect and admire him on many levels except the topic which i am about to speak on. For years you grow up beginning to gain interest in things for most guys its sports teams...the teams that you like are dependent on a couple of variables location, family, and time period. Why are there so many chicago bulls fans that are younger a man named micheal jordan, why do people love that God-forsaken orange color in tennessee cuz they used to go to bowl games. Some people when they grow up will never say that they loved there team because they were good when they were young even though its obvious that this is the case and i won't get into this. But man you big conference cronies that think you are too good to play smaller conferences, wake up and smell the losses. Just because you get paid by television and sponsors does not just give you the right to call yourself better, why don't we have a playoff, cuz the BCS couldn't pull themselves out of the hole when a non BCS school beats the living snot out of a "powerhouse program" tulane12-0 auburn11-0 utah 12-0 all never got a shot whine all you want to but you one loss punks that think you have a right to play in the championship based on the conference you play in should be ashamed of yourselves "we have higher standards" that's why you don't complain about beating kentucky, miss state, duke, all those pitiful groups that you call football teams grow up and realize that you aren't on a higher plane and take a chance and play boise state and utah and bowling green and uab and memphis. and those of you that say well if we were in so and so conference we would win every year and how would that feel that now matter how many games you win in your conference you would never get a shot at greatness because 11-1 USC plays in a better conference.......GO MEMPHIS TIGERS!!!!

life

well life is very interesting isn't it...so many crazy things have happened this week...I won't go into details but man life is just crazy...i'm in sort of a state of a kindof madness of sorts cuz i want to be in so many places at once and im finally learning that people just want you to be real no matter where you are at in life and luckily i fit that most of the time. I'm so ready to move on in life and school just fuels that passion in my soul...it makes me go crazy with anger but at the same time cool off with bits of knowledge. It feeds my hunger to better myself yet causes me to starve wanting to apply it. My new position at work is confirming the fact that i have always been told i was a leader but now i am getting to use it...i wish people could just understand that life is not just something that you do to waste time but that every moment counts and every contact that you have should in some way make you better but more than that you should make them better. I write these blogs to remind myself of my dreams and aspirations in hope that i unlike many adults will achieve them. I wish people would dare to strive, to dream, to reach, to try........yet so many are happy with mediocrity. I would be dejected to know that i lived my life just like everyone else i write this to say go out and live and not just exist.....

Fasting???

Yeah well just like the last blog that i posted i heard something else weird that i had never heard before...John McArthur had some kind of question and answer time which by the way was very revealing about himself and at the same time he is a very intelligent man. But the question was posed that in Matt. fasting is mentioned along with praying and giving alms so the young man in the audience asked if fasting was to be as common as praying and fasting in our lives. McArthur went on to say that fasting is not commanded anywhere in the Bible. However, fasting is supposed to be used in a time of intense prayer for a request or to be accompanied with prayer. People in the New testament were using the amount of times that they fasted to measure their dedication to God. So as a young man that has fasted over ten times in his young life. What is fasting for you i want to encourage all of you to fast but realize that its not how many times you fast or even that you do fast but that the reason you fast is to hear from God in times of desperation.

HOW TO GROW???

This question was posed on Bott Radio Network the other day: "Can you effectively grow as a Christian without suffering??" While i was upset at this i understand that Jesus Christ Himself gained something thru the obedience of His sufferings. I heard the verse and tried to find it in the concordance but had no luck the verse talks about how Jesus gained through the obedience of his sufferings. I was shocked because the man on the air said that suffering is necessary for growth to occur. So i am enquiring number one for the verse and secondly to see what you think about the fact that you must suffer in order to grow??? Let me know thanks!!!!

Long time no talk

Well i haven't posted in a while again mostly because the love of my life was in town and spent every single waking moment that i could with her....soon so soon. Anyway i started my new supervisor position this week and i love it. I am beginning to realize just how important relationships are in life. I've heard how important they are for my entire life but now i am beginning to see and really understand the difference we can make in a person's life. I took over for a person that we will call Silent Bob why this name you ask because basically i never heard this guy talk to anyone and neither did anyone else!!! One of the employees on my belt after he had been told that Silent Bob was coming back asked who that was...but not as a joke he really didn't know who he was!!! So now anytime i help them or talk to them or in any way show interest in their work they are amazed because "Silent Bob never helped them with rollers" "Silent Bob never asks for their scans" Silent Bob never gives them advice" How crazy is that someone who is in a position of authority never made the effort to make an impact in the lives of those that he had authority over. Seems strange or maybe its the 0pposite maybe im the strange one. I'm having a great time especially cuz i received a 110% raise!!!!! Praise God!!!!! It allows me to be more relaxed and give more and so many other things that i love doing. I love my job except for the newfound paperwork but especially love the fact that i am officially involved with people more than boxes. Oh yeah i don't won't to hear Fed Ex comments especially after i saw a Fed Ex truck that rammed into the back of an 18 wheeler on Hwy. 51 on top of the other like 5 major accidents in the past 2 weeks. Just a quick update check the first blog for a question i've been pondering...its interesting to say the least. Love you guys especially my love KEB!!!

It's been a while...

Both for this blog and for running. I ran a 5k on Saturday and my legs are still killing me. I finished 3rd in my age group and 30th overall with very little preparation. All that training in baseball worked to my advantage for a 5k hahaha...plus we saw some funny things on the way. But i ran behind this little kid that was probably about 10 years old. He was beating me the entire time. But if you know me i have adrenaline overdose so i couldn't let this kid beat me. After about a mile and a half every so often the kid would look back and see me bearing down on him. It kinda made me sad that i was gonna beat him. But this is what made me mad every time we would go by a checkpoint the people would smile and point and clap at this kid because he was doing great. But nothing for everybody else that was around us. So at 3 miles i sprint and i am working my butt off to sprint by him. I get by him and keep haulin' and this guy todd and jr named T.O. was walking back saying "watch out little mans gonna catch ya" and i could not let that happen so i finished strong and beat him. But i am still paying the price with fatigue. But i learned through this that God puts people in your life to make you stronger and push you past what you can achieve on your own. So all in all this kid pushed me to my limit and made me better...Lesson learned.

Happy July 4th!!!

First i would just like to say in this blog thank you to all the veterans who gained freedom for us. Thanks for all that you've done and know that we still appreciate you. The first thing that happens on July 4th is the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest. This Japanese guy that weighs like 115 pounds ate 54 hotdogs in 12 minutes!!!! Thousands of people gather for this event and its on ESPN which is even crazier but these people are for real competitive eaters and they don't shy away and im sure they take alot of criticism for their sport. These people don't care what you say and they go at it regardless of the comments that im sure that they receive. Man if only i could just feel that way about everything that i do in life. People close to me have not supported me in the directions that i have been seeking lately and i have taken it but after a while it just builds up and you have to let it out and i did and it wasn't pretty. I'm just upset about alot of stuff right now and what makes it worse is that i am just confused and trying to figure out exactly what God wants me to do and i can't really figure it out. So if you know my situation please pray and if you don't pray also. I need guidance and provision. I am happy for this holiday and i need the rest and the lack of stress for a couple of days. But God is good and knows exactly what i need to hear all the time. So look forward to awesome things as the river of life produces growth and fruit in my life. "I will only accomplish much because He provideth all"

Waiting.........

You know we get told to wait for so much in life. After speaking with one of my role models via myspace today i just realized how ready i am to be used in a larger context. I'm tired of being in the midst of my life process in order to get to the future of where i want to be. I wish people including myself could just realize that God has a plan for their life now. Now matter where, how old, what color, or personality that person is they are a tool in God's giant toolbox for the brokeness of this world. Why when you get older do you lose the zest for life that you had when you were young? Why do you feel like your life is over and you are just waiting on death to come to your door? Man if adults could wake up and pour themselves into those young people that they criticize all the time about not being mature or if the young people would quit excusing their behavior by saying that im just a kid. The crazy thing about a tool box is that all of the tools are different. Yeah some may look similar but they won't fit into the same spaces or get the job done as effectively as another tool. Yet while some tools may be used more than others what if you didn't have the one tool that you needed to get the job done that would suck huh? Well God desires to use each of us in a unique way and people always just disqualify themselves for the job with milliions of excuses not realizing that they are just the tool and the real work has to be done by the workman using the tool. I don't know maybe this is a farfetched metaphor but i just wish i could jump forward like 5 years and be finished with school, married to kristen with twins, and teaching and leading people but i know that im not ready and im frustrated and i want to get started learning and growing. Man waiting stinks especially when you have so much to do.

Looking Grim

Well the last scholarship application that i sent off was to an organization in SC that pays for students seeking to go into the ministry. Well i got an email from the organization that said they only give $100-$500 scholarships. So its looks like its gonna be super difficult to get the money that i need to go to NGU cuz i need $8000 however i believe that somehow someway God is going to provide. But besides that right now i would like to say to that organization put your money where your mouth is. You say that you want to pay for kids to go to school however you only give 100-500 dollars for college? Tell me what college costs 500 a semester??? This is the problem across the board with Christians they say and put on like they are doing some great thing but they aren't. And i know that i am coming off harsh because this organization is helpful and they may provide scholarships to like a million people im not sure but if you are gonna do something you should go all the way. Anyways Rick Gauge was at our church this past week and he was pretty awesome. He challenged us on many levels and i was impressed with him behind the pulpit. So that's where im at my God is awesome and He will overcome any obstacle in my way and He is guiding and teaching me each day what and where to go and how to get there so keep me in your prayers.

Waiting on a miracle

Yeah so i started this blog for people to see more of my life instead of my opinion on things...so the reason why named this blog Jehovah Jireh which means "God will provide" is because am waiting to see how God is going to provide things for the journey i believe He wants me to take. In our current society if you were to tell people that God speaks to you on a daily basis they will look at you weird and don't believe you at all and that's just the people that you go to church with. So here is the change... I planned on going to NGU for my master's degree and then marrying kristen sometime between then and learning and beginning my ministry. I just assumed that i should stay at memphis because if you don't know financially its unbelievable for me. But some things happened to open my eyes and it started when i went to NGU with J.R. we met the pres. of the school and i told him my plans and he asked why don't i transfer. I had never thought of that so i said i would think about it but really didn't. But then as i finished the semester at Memphis i realized just how frustrated i am here and how ready i am to get started. I know that i need work and that im not ready to go head first into ministry because i haven't opened myself up to God enough and then for like the whole month of May i felt like God told me to pursue going to NGU. So i am and i need the financial aid to go. I have $7500 in aid for transferring and now i am sending off a scholarship application to an organization ran by churches to provide scholarships to those going into the ministry. They know that God will use them in a way to provide for people that will in turn do incredible things for God because of their ministry and the love that they showed to those that they provided for. But the money that i need is a large amount that will not be easy i need $8800 a year to be able to go. I believe that God provides where He guides and i don't fear the result i know that God is in control and His will will be done. So that's where i'm at right now waiting on a miracle from God.