Bitterness and Thankfulness

Bitterness has no place in my heart because God is in control of all things.

"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" -job 2:10

Bitterness in my heart, though silent, says "God your ways are not good and I do not trust you". Lord, help me to trust you and to see your ways as good. Help me to be thankful in the midst of trials both big and small.

Your word says in 1 thess 5:18:

"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"

Lord give me faith to believe and strength to act.

In God I trust

Jeremiah 17:5-8 ESV

"Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

This text has really been a blessing to me over this past week. When my trust is in myself and my strength, I have tremendous struggles with anxiety and nervousness...because I am intimately aware of my shortcomings and inadequacy.

But oh that my trust would be in the Lord...that I would be blessed in my weakness and (consequently) in God's sovereign strength. Oh that I wouldn't fear in heat nor be anxious in drought.

Lord, I need you. Lord I need you to help me to trust you. Keep me from busyness and from fighting in my own strength. Help me to be still and know that you are God and that you are in control.

Drill baby drill?

A fried of mine posted this picture on facebook with the caption "we need drill in america fast!!"

I don't think drilling is the answer. Here are some things to consider:

1. the price of oil is set by international demand - the USA may use a lot, but we are no longer the overwhelming majority. Prices are this high all over the world.

2. Keystone oil wouldn't affect the international oil supply for at least a decade. In a decade, the populations of china and india will further dwarf that of the USA - they will have more say on the price of oil because they will be using the most

3. Keystone oil production will not increase supply by a significant amount. If keystone oil were here today, it would have the same impact on oil prices as a new wawa/7-11 opening across the street from a rural wal mart would have on the local price of food.

4. One of the reasons why oil is priced so high is because of speculation. Smart wall street regulation may be a solution

5. Another reason why oil is priced so high is corruption. There are reasonable measures that can be taken by governments all over the world to bring oil down to a price that is more closely aligned with cost - but oil companies exert a lot of influence on governments - and i'm willing to say that rarely is the influence they exert in the best interest of the regular people.

6. Iran is wilin out right now. We need some diplomatic and sanctified (that's right right word to describe something relating to sanctions, right? ;)) genius in our dealings with that country.

i think a more effective method to combat high gas prices is to subject gas to more competition and to demand that is more sparse.

More competition looks like alternative energy sources. Electric cars still use gas (because gas powers our power grid) - but if we upgrade how we source power for our power grids, then we'll use less gas.

Reducing demand looks like the greening of america. More efficient cars, more efficient buildings etc. I got $3.5k back from the government for installing energy efficient windows in my house in 2008. Now i use less heat-->less electricity to power my hvac unit-->less oil.

we gotta think big picture and long term. I don't think drilling is a long term solution to high energy prices. It will certainly create jobs and drive economic activity - but lower the price of oil - i do not think it will.

Traffic

More so than days with terrible traffic, I think I hate days when there is inexplicably little to no traffic during my commute back to the city. Rather than count the light traffic a blessing, I curse the fact that I do not, nor will I ever, understand where all the people that enjoy making my commute miserable have gone and why they don't go there all the time.

God's faithfulness

There was a 15 year lawsuit to throw churches out of schools in nyc. The churches lost. Thankfully, the Lord blessed my church with a new building and situation better than what we left.

Today is our first day in a new building that is less than 5 blocks from the school we met in for 5 years.

We are thankful for a new building, but we also remember in prayer other churches in nyc that will need to find a place to meet before the 12th of february.

Politics

Ron Paul is not a racist. Rick Santorum is not a racist. I am not a republican.

no one is given benefit of the doubt anymore.

no one is judged by the content of their character - only through the lens of their political affiliation.

no one aims to respectfully disagree anymore...

it's like disagreement is the goal and respect is optional.

no one can say anything good about someone on the other side of political aisle without qualifying it "now, i don't like everything that my opponent says but..."

a lot of the stuff that i've been reading/watching recently is nothing short of shameful. People should really be ashamed of themselves.

Don't Waste Your Life

Just skimmed an article on passive aggressive behavior on about.com.

Here's a link to the article

I then read the comments section and after the 4th comment or so, i was kinda overwhelmed by the brokenness of the world. We were not meant to experience the terrible things that we do, but because of sin, we do. In spite of all of this, there is still hope in God.

Reading this article also made me realize that i need to make the most of each day that the Lord has given me.

...in a "God has gifted me with a heart that cares and with a mouth that is able to clearly communicate his truth, so make the most of each day by using those gifts" kinda way.

It's just that letting work and sleep consume me seems a little too appealing at times :/

pray for me.

Wisdom from Above

"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice"

-james 3:14-16

Lord, help me to be content. Help me not to look at others with a jealous heart. Help me to not see the ways in which you've gifted me as a means to bring glory to myself. Give me eyes to see that you are God and all in all, whereas i am just a man.

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace"

-james 3:17-18

Lord help me to seek after your wisdom. Help me to seek after your righteousness. I am weak, but you are strong. Help me to be strong in you as I seek to be peaceable, gentle, full of mercy, impartial and sincere in my dealings with other. Help me to consider how you have been all those things to me and more. :o)

It coulda been me

I've always had a problem with songs like this because they tacitly/unintentionally imply that people who are going through such trials do not have anything for which to praise God.

These songs neglect (and I must add that I do not believe it to be intentional...although in the case that it proceeds from prosperity theology, it probably is) texts like john 16:33:

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Not only is the believer promised trials, but I would argue alongside pastor Eric Mason when he says that trials are the primary means that God employs to accomplish his will (sanctification 1thess4:3). in the lives of believers.

Eric Mason: Sanctification through suffering

Jaded

I watched a guy I don't know sell heroin to a guy that I know this past saturday. I then watched the guy I know use the drug.

Kinda messed me up...because there had always been a veil between the knowledge of drug abuse and witnessing drug abuse.

The dealer was on a bicycle and he was selling his product in a rather ostentatious manner...so much so that I felt like justice needed to be carried out. So I called 911.

At a certain point in the conversation I told the dispatcher "oh, nevermind...there's a cop right here. I'll talk to him".

I discreetly engaged the cop and told him what the guy on the bike was doing. The cop then responded "what do you want me to do? Search him so everyone can get mad at me...for me to only find nothing?"

Justice was all I wanted.

The backstory is that police have been catching a lot of heat for their new "stop and frisk" policy. Which has a 93% failure rate.

My prayer has been that the police would not become discouraged or jaded. Lord please help this man.