Loops or Balloons

I feel we have a problem! So what’s our problem? Well let’s start at the beginning…

The alarm rings, you possibly roll out of bed. You get dressed, make yourself presentable, you grab your keys and stumble outside. The cold air hits you in the face, but you’re not all awake anyway. You make your way to the food line. You give them your card and pay your money. You look at the lines, And frown, nothing. You sigh and head for what’s left; cereal. You reach for a bowl, but what to get? Fruit loops or lucky charms? You just pick one and head for the table and sit down.

Do you think about your food? Do you even stop and think about what’s going in your mouth?

Its here that I’ve discovered a problem; we need to remember:

What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

Matthew 15:11

But I’m not really talking about what you’re eating, even if it’s probably not good for you.

It’s more about what you’re feeding yourself; it’s your thoughts.

So fruit looks or lucky charms with marshmallows shaped like balloons?

I think this is where the problem lies. We as Christians see life like a bowl of fruit loops (or cheerios…. Etc…) everything is nice orderly; everything is basically the same maybe a few color changes or broken pieces here and there, but over all pretty much a perfect world. Yes, we view our Christian walk like a orderly pretty easy basic walk, that has a few changes maybe a broken piece or deformity here and their, but other than that pretty monotonous. We follow the commandments, talk to people, read the bible, sing songs, act nicely to people… etc…

But in my opinion life isn’t like a bowl of fruit loops; it’s like Trixs. It’s got those monotonous or plain “boring” pieces (as kids may say) as a majority. But it’s also got what kids crave: those amazingly delicious rainbows, stars, … and balloon shaped sugar morsels called marshmallows. Life is much more like this bowl. It’s got ups and downs and long boring streaks and also those large clumps of sweet heaven.

You might ask ok so life has ups and downs big deal. Well it is a big deal, especially in our religious walk. We have to remember life can’t always be a high and it won’t always be a low, it’ll mostly be somewhere well between the two.

But what does this have to do with feeding our thoughts?

I think many of us just sit back and coast through life. We think God won’t let our lives get too bad, and we have a few ups, but the most part were numb and just getting by. You see we are feeding ourselves this epidemic of fruit loops. We thrive of the norm, or of being “good”. But God didn’t call us to float by. He called us to take chances, to trust him. Maybe with that kind of attitude we can see the valley and the hills. When we finally see this roller coaster of life we can realize that we need to embrace and savor the high points, but we also need to recognize the lows and understand that, like Moses and Joseph before us, God will give us what we need to get us where we are for him.

So what makes this a big deal? The answer is we don’t care! I know I do it often, I just, I don’t care. I don’t’ care about who broke up with who, or what someone wore, or even what’s growing in someone else’s room. Now many things in life don’t really matter, but it is affecting our churches. You look at the churches, people just going through the actions, don’t even really know what’s going on with the church, or why even they are even there, other than they are suppose to be there. So how can we get that feeling back? And yes I’ll admit it, I’m victim to all these things, but how can we learn to enjoy the moment?

Well it starts with what we feed ourselves. We need to continually remember and reflect our purpose. But most of all we need to learn how to be emotional again. The bible shows a society of weeping, tearing clothes, gnashing of teeth; but what do we do today? We don’t show emotion; even the most emotional of our time are nowhere near this extreme. You may say well that is because our society has changed, but the action is not the point of the weeping as much as expressing your feelings. These actions just help to let it all out.

I wish we could live where we cared not for the world, but just expressed our feelings however we felt best, not caring what anyone else thought. I wish I felt as strongly about something as the men and women of the bible did. We need to really feel, to seek something attached not to our heart, and mind, but also our soul: our everything.

So next time you venture out of your bed, and grab a bowl of cereal, even if you go for the fruit loops instead of the Tixs, just remember life is no picnic, it’s a mountain range. So rejoice in the Lord, praise him with everything, but most of all do it with everything and don’t hold back.

In everything you do, do it to the best of your ability and that includes living!

Not because I CAN

I have been reading a book called the "Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving stone. It’s about Michelangelo (the painter). I am not extremely far, but one statement he writes really struck me on many levels.

“I’m not an artist because I can, but because I must.”

Now this is s true statement for myself. I am an artist and it’s not just because I can, but because I also have a desire to create. The more I thought about this quote, the more I realized it also transcends to my religious living. We are not called to be Christian just because we can. We are not called to follow the rules and live just to make sure we get our spot in heaven.

“1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

Matthew 18:1-3

The disciples still don’t get it. They still are trying to just make it to heaven. They are not worried about the present, just their well being in the future. Am I going to be safe? Am I going to be special? Will I be great?

But what does Jesus say? He calls a child over. He calls us to be like a little child? Now I’ve heard this story over and over, but just recently I think I’ve started to really understand his concept.

A child has a desire to play, have fun. He does not go out of his way to bore his life. The child does what he or she wants to do for the most part. We as adults or even teens and young adult have “Grown up”. We’ve been changed by the world to accept the monotonous job scene and school; or back then they were learning a job or working for their parents business or trade.

But what does that mean? Why a kid? Does he want us not to work, and just have fun and do what we want?

No he wants us to take Christianity like a Kid takes a crayon or a stuffed animal. He wants us to desire it. Not just do it, not just play with Christianity in our free time. He wants us to live it. He wants us to be like the little kid from Charlie brown who carries his blanket with him everywhere. Jesus is calling us to always have it at our side.

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’”

Mark 9:35

He’s not calling us to become great here on earth; he’s calling us to be great for him. We can all be Christians, but only the one who lays it all down; the one who becomes a child and only carries his or her blanket will be first for Christ. For Christ laid down his life, for us. He lived his life with the downcast, the crippled, the sinners, and those who really needed him.

So be innocent, be naïve, be cheerful, and truly desire Jesus with all your heart, not just your mind. Carry with you everywhere his truth, study learn, and talk with him, and your life will change to not that of this world, but that of a child and Christ.

The Cleansing

“The priest is to take some blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.”

Leviticus 14:14 NIV
(Also see) Leviticus 8: 23,24

But before both of these:

“Slaughter it, take some of the blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hand, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides.”

Exodus 29:20 NIV

But why the right ear, thumb and ear lobe? What does that mean? Have you ever truly looked at the text, wondering? Well don’t stop their dig deeper.

What is this passage for? It is located in the section of consecrating the priest of Israel.


What can we understand about the specific body parts…
The notes located at the bottom of the passage of my NIV study bible say this:

29:20 right ears. Symbolizing sensitivity to God and his word. Right hands…. Right feet. Symbolizing a life of service to others on God’s behalf.

But is that right that’s on person’s interpretation. What do I believe? I think that is right, but I think we may be able to take it even another step farther.

What is the ear used for? Listening. What has God called us to do?

“He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.’”

Exodus 15:26 NIV


“Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’”

Mark 9:7 NIV

We are called to just be doers of the earth, but to listen to the voice of God, no matter how soft the whisper. WE need to tear the distractions away from our lives and take a moment to listen. Which is one reason I believe he created the Sabbath for the Israelites. They have little to do but to listen and think and ponder, something we do not do enough of in our fast paced society.

Last of all he puts blood on the feet., or the big toe. Once again, yes serving, but what else. The Foot is used for what? Well walking and holding us up. Jesus tells us in the Great Commission to:

“(16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

We are called to walk, to reach others, to teach and preach the name of Jesus to the world. Now today you do not necessarily have to walk, but back then to get anywhere or talk to anyone you had to walk and use you feet.

The foot is also used to hold us up. I do not know if you’ve ever thought about that. But foot is a solid foundation and a limb that keeps us upright just like God keeps the world upright. He keeps things going, and also gave us something to stand on: the Word of God and his Son Jesus.

So what about the Hand? The notes say service as well. Yes the foot and hand do many of the same things. They help reach people and hold us up and all that, But the hands do something even greater.

Have you ever meet an animated talker? The one who talks, but has to move their arms to tell the story? Or a deaf person who uses sign language? Or maybe a couple that holds hands? There are numerous examples of this, but the hand is a tool for communication. We help communicate and do things with our hands, and God calls us to do that in a Godly manner.

So what doe that all mean to us? Well this was what was done to cleanse, the body to be clean before God. That is what many of the rules in the books of Moses are for. The rules are for safety, health and to keep the body clean of pure, before God.

But we also need to be clean before God. Now we don’t go through this elaborate ritual to accomplish it, but we can focus on the elements and keep them in mind.

The ear – listen for/to God
Hand – Godly and serving in our communications
Feet – serving others by reaching out, going places, taking that extra effort

And by doing these things we will cleanse ourselves, before God. And it will help us to stop think, reflect, and separate ourselves from the world.

The Past

Have you ever looked back on your life or events that unfolded and wish you could change them? Do you ever wish things would be different? I know I have and I’ve been thinking a lot about the past lately. But what happens when I start thinking about the past is I begin to also think about the future.

In bible class we have been talking about exodus, Leviticus, and numbers, and Deuteronomy, and Joshua, and Ruth. And not only that but just things that have been happening to me and around me have been cause me to reflect and question my actions and where I am going.

And I think it’s safe to say that to change a state of mind one has to also re-examine the past and the actions he or she did in order to fully change.

So what does that mean? Do we just sit back and think? Do we ask questions? Talk to others? I don’t know it’s what I’ve been dealing with. How can we know the answers? How can we decipher what we should do or where we should go? I think it’s so more complicated than many today try to say it is. We get stuck in groves and we fill our lives with distractions to hide the truth or distract us from really digging down to think.

I know I haven’t taken some things as seriously as I should have in my past, but I’ve learned. I’ve learned to take everything seriously! But I still come to cross roads. Did I make the right decision? How do I know I did? Many of these I still have no idea or what it will lead to. All I can do is try to lead my life in Christ’s example, unlike the Israelites who failed over and over again in my readings.

But I’ve been ready a lot of art history lately. And someone said it recently something I have heard over and over, but It just struck home form these past few weeks.

We are all unfinished!

We don’t know the outcome or where the chips will fly. We can only attempt to make copies of Jesus to the best of our abilities.

So Reflect check your past

Remember the Israelites we all make mistakes, just keep from it.

Are you Numb

It is that time of the year. The one where it is cold outside and everyone bundles up to stay warm. Well have you ever stood outside in the cold? At first it almost burns or hurts. Your fingers and whole body eventually go numb. This numb feeling is something I would like to focus on.

Do we sometimes enter in Christianity with a desire or burning to live for Christ, but over time it starts to fizzle or just to become monotonous. Sometime I feel numb to life, and to God. I feel I’m doing ok, or I can just get by this week. But that is not what he wants; he wants all of you, focused and determined.

In my bible class we are reading a book and one small section of the chapter is about fasting and how it was emphasized by the bible and even the early Christians, but here in the western culture we are surrounded with food and a desire to stay filled that few ever experience this, I know I haven’t.

We also need to empty our minds and fill not at first with anything, but slowly let Christ envelop our minds and for us to dwell on him.


17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")

20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

Mark 17:17-23 NIV


Another thing I have noticed is the increase of activities on Sunday or the Sabbath, day of rest, for Christians. God emphasized in the beginning that he rested on the 7th day. And I feel if we follow this example and slowed our Sundays down and took time to really relax and even renew our minds and focus on him we may live a healthier more Christ focused life. And I know I fall into this rut of having schoolwork I have to finish on Sunday or things I have to get done, because I just don’t have time to do everything on Friday and Saturday.

But I feel a need that Christians need to learn to focus. We need to fight the numb feeling the one of over-saturation or apathy the world is flooding at us. We need to rest, relax maybe fasting and get our minds reset to face the battle we are fighting.

So I am going to challenge myself and you if you wish to revive your mind refresh and renew and refill it with Christ and a new focus for your life. Hopefully this will become a regular or frequent ritual for your life as I hope to do in mine. But perhaps skip one meal and instead focus on Christ; empty your mind use emotions, be passionate. Do what it takes to get that numb feeling in the open and then throw it aside. If you have to weep and wail or even tear your clothes whatever it takes to clear and reset your mind for your true purpose.

So Take a moment and stop and smell the roses, look at what God has done for you.

If you have to stand in the cold air feel the numbness that your soul may be experiencing, Do IT!

Do you have the desire?
The passion you once had?
Or do you need a Vacation?

Are You Numb?

We are the Light

Yesterday I posed the questions to myself, WHO AM I? Do I see myself at the same level as a biblical character? Christian leader? A Christian? Role Model? Who or what am I?

“So God created man in his own image.
In the Image of God he created him;
Male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:27 NIV

We are created in God’s image! But what does that mean? Does that mean we look like him? Does that mean we act like him? Do we share emotions with our world?

“’You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, Knowing good and evil.’”

Genesis 3:4-5 NIV

So are we like God on the inside, our emotions, our decisions, and knowing good from evil?

We do share all these aspects, but the knowledge of good and evil comes after his statement of being made in his image. This “In his Image” has to refer to something we already have, but what do we already have?

In my human anatomy drawing class, we draw quick sketches. We take a minute or two to quickly draw the person standing before us. This is not a detailed sketch, we are not concerned with patterns on the shirt, or facial details, or even what color they have on. We just try to get the outline, the basic shape, and the quick outline of the figure.

This I feel is very much like what God meant by that statement. We are not exactly like God, we do not know everything, and we didn’t create the world. But we do both hold a similar structure, or outline if you will. And one of those similarities is “choice”. We can choose what we do, where we go, what we listen to. And Eve had the same thing thrown in front of her. She made a choice to be “more like God” knowing good and evil, when in reality she already had a small grasp on good and evil. She knew eating the fruit was not what God wanted, but she still made the choice, just like God chose to create us.

But this still does not answer the Question. Who Am I?

Well you are who you make yourself be. God gave us the choice to live how we want. We are all our own individuals and all have to make our own decisions.


“Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.”

Matthew 5:8 NIV

3”No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."

Luke 11:33-36 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:14 NIV

We make choices everyday, from choosing how to live, to what to eat, to our future, to even which socks to wear. These choices reflect who we are. Are we following Christ’s example, staying pure? Lovable? Trustworthy? Would You be comfortable Standing in front of everyone, telling everything you ever did, or telling your parents or church your thoughts? Because that’s how Christ wants us to live! He wants us to be accepting of differences, of problems, of baggage. That is one problem I am seeing with our churches, and our lives (even in mine). We pass each other, just saying our day is fine and holding up a smile, while inside were hurting. So how do we change it? How do we become Christ? I don’t know, but I know that we can study his word and that will help us better understand him. We can pray and communicate with him, and we can also make changes in our choices.

Are you ready to change your outline?

Can you Change for God? And live the way he made us to be?

WHO AM I

"'...So Now, Go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.'
But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'"

Exodus 3:10-11 NIV

Moses killed an Egyptian, fled and started a new life, now God is calling his name to go back and face his fear, his past, and the world he thought he had forgotten about

The first steps are the Hardest. Moses thought himself unworthy of this task; do we feel the same way? Are we taking after the environment we live and putting up a mask to block ourselves from the world.


But what does God say?

"And God said, 'I will be with you.'"

Exodus 3:12a NIV

God was not only going with him but he was always with him.

Moses was saved from death by his mother and the princess of Egypt. He was schooled in the finest schools in Egypt and lived a very privileged life compared to his family and nation.

Now God was calling him to use what God had given him, to use his schooling and his saved life to make a difference.

I feel we are so much like Moses and we can learn so much from his example, not just the miracles he preformed, but how he lived. He lived in ignorance not knowing that God had planned this from the beginning. This is ironic also because this story directly follow genesis, which ends with the story of Joseph. Joseph faced many struggles, but always gave the glory to God and understood that even being sold by his brothers was part of God’s plan.


How often do we as Christians feel second rate or inferior to this characters listed here in the bible. We feel like Moses. He had grown up hearing about Abraham and Joseph, and now he had run away, but God called his name, and I am sure at the time Moses had no idea the impact he would have, or where his path would lead, but God called his name and with a small nudge followed.

Maybe we as Christians need the same encouragement as Moses, we need a little nudge in the right direction, and we need to forget that we are inferior to biblical characters, because they were humans just like us. We need to stop running and turn around and ask questions just like Moses.



Am I inferior? Proud? Righteous? Am I who I say I am? Am I being truthful?

WHO AM I?