www.thoughtsfiled.blogspot.com
^New Blog^
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A NEW BLOG.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
know.
Find out more about who Jesus is.
Know Him first, you don't have to make any changes to accept Jesus.
Allow Him to change you through His Holy Spirit.
"For one will scarcely die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die -- but God shows His love for us in that while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8
Know Him first, you don't have to make any changes to accept Jesus.
Allow Him to change you through His Holy Spirit.
"For one will scarcely die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die -- but God shows His love for us in that while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8
Monday, November 8, 2010
slow down.
I woke up this morning feeling the pressure of this culture.
The go-go-go mentality that we Americans thrive on.
I can't keep up friends.
Can't we all just slow down?
The go-go-go mentality that we Americans thrive on.
I can't keep up friends.
Can't we all just slow down?
Friday, November 5, 2010
Identity.
Over the past year and a half I have been challenged quite a bit. I’ve learned a lot about myself and have learned how to understand more about others. Nobody “has to be” someone for others. It’s okay to be who you are and at the place you are in life. There doesn’t have to be gossip about others but more so that it is okay to confront others, with good intentions, and discuss problems through. I have struggled with this for myself, in that; I’m not ALWAYS comfortable in my own skin. I have yet to meet someone that is comfortable at all times in his or her skin.
The good news, it is possible, it’s all about your identity though. If you are always trying to find your identity in yourself or things of the culture, you will never find that peace. On most days I struggle to find that peace. I’ll admit it, I don’t think highly of myself and I am aware of it. I’m also aware that I can think highly of myself without the ego of being prideful.
Who or what is it that I am finding my identity in? Sometimes it is a pretty girl that I meet, over thinking the situation of what it “could” be. Other times it is what my culture has to offer me; nicotine addictions, lust, greed, over eating, coffee, working out to look better rather then to be healthy, etc.
I’ve been reading about the first days of the church recently out of the book of Acts in the Bible. It has been an exercise, which is reading even when I could care less about it. Though, I have noticed something in reading. There are men that are going around to many regions of the world and are sharing with people a new identity that they could have. Just like our culture is now the cultures then were no different. Over feeding themselves, being drunk, having sex outside of marriage, cheating on spouses and finding identity in how much money they had. Sound like a lot of the issues in the world today?
These men of the early church were very sad to see this happening and they wanted to share the one thing that they found peace in, something other than what their culture had for them.
Not long before these men set out to the world a man had died and rose from the dead claiming that he was God in the flesh and that he had life that would go on forever to offer to those who believe. I’m sure you know who I am talking about, those of you living in the South you’ve probably known the story of this man, Jesus, for as long as you can remember. At that time though, the people didn’t understand who Jesus was and when they heard often they had rage toward the idea of God in flesh. This is what the men of Acts devoted their life too, telling people about this man.
How is it that one could find their identity in someone who had claimed to be God in the flesh? Does that even make sense? Isn’t it all about self-help?
The men of Acts inspire me beyond belief. They were not ashamed in their identity because they knew that their identity was no longer in themselves.
I am not there yet, but I would love to get to a place in my life where the chains of addiction, lust, pride, greed and others of like do not attract me. It isn’t going to be a self-help book, prescribed medicine, marriage, a big church, lots of talent, fame, money or a big house that will get me there. It’s going to be more similar to these men that I am writing about. A life devoted to Jesus Christ, not Brett Shields.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Out of a letter to the Churches of Galatia from a man named Paul
The good news, it is possible, it’s all about your identity though. If you are always trying to find your identity in yourself or things of the culture, you will never find that peace. On most days I struggle to find that peace. I’ll admit it, I don’t think highly of myself and I am aware of it. I’m also aware that I can think highly of myself without the ego of being prideful.
Who or what is it that I am finding my identity in? Sometimes it is a pretty girl that I meet, over thinking the situation of what it “could” be. Other times it is what my culture has to offer me; nicotine addictions, lust, greed, over eating, coffee, working out to look better rather then to be healthy, etc.
I’ve been reading about the first days of the church recently out of the book of Acts in the Bible. It has been an exercise, which is reading even when I could care less about it. Though, I have noticed something in reading. There are men that are going around to many regions of the world and are sharing with people a new identity that they could have. Just like our culture is now the cultures then were no different. Over feeding themselves, being drunk, having sex outside of marriage, cheating on spouses and finding identity in how much money they had. Sound like a lot of the issues in the world today?
These men of the early church were very sad to see this happening and they wanted to share the one thing that they found peace in, something other than what their culture had for them.
Not long before these men set out to the world a man had died and rose from the dead claiming that he was God in the flesh and that he had life that would go on forever to offer to those who believe. I’m sure you know who I am talking about, those of you living in the South you’ve probably known the story of this man, Jesus, for as long as you can remember. At that time though, the people didn’t understand who Jesus was and when they heard often they had rage toward the idea of God in flesh. This is what the men of Acts devoted their life too, telling people about this man.
How is it that one could find their identity in someone who had claimed to be God in the flesh? Does that even make sense? Isn’t it all about self-help?
The men of Acts inspire me beyond belief. They were not ashamed in their identity because they knew that their identity was no longer in themselves.
I am not there yet, but I would love to get to a place in my life where the chains of addiction, lust, pride, greed and others of like do not attract me. It isn’t going to be a self-help book, prescribed medicine, marriage, a big church, lots of talent, fame, money or a big house that will get me there. It’s going to be more similar to these men that I am writing about. A life devoted to Jesus Christ, not Brett Shields.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Out of a letter to the Churches of Galatia from a man named Paul