7 - 18 - 00
Well, I read 1 Thessalonians 3 this morning. It was about how some disciples were
renewed and joyous merely for the fact that their mutual brother Timothy still was in
the faith and did not let temptation cause him to waiver. Verse 12 caught my
attention. It says, "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for
each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." Now, these
disciples could have asked the Lord to bless him with prosperity, or food, or
livestock, or many other things. But they didnt. They asked the Lord to make
Timothy's love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.
Why? Love is the greatest. In another part of the Bible, Jesus speaks about Love and
that it is the greatest thing an individual can have. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as you love
yourself.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. God has unfailing love
for us, in John 3:16 it says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have
everlasting life." And this was done in love. What is love? In 1 Corinthians 13 an
excellent definition of love is told. here is the website if you wish to read it:
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=1COR+13&language=english&version=niv
Therefore, in all things, remember to show love.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 19 - 00
Today i read 1 Peter 4. Its mainly about keeping the faith in the Lord amidst all
suffering. Two verses caught my eye, one of them backs up yesterday's scripture.
Here they are.
verse 8: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a
mulititude of sins."
verse 16: "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but
praise God that you bear that name"
Suffering happens to everyone whether Christian or not, however as
Christians, we may be exposed to other suffering because we bear the name.
Jesus said that we would be persecuted as he was. People in general fear
the truth, when they see something different, they wish to react, and if that
something different is something they cannot understand yet see a light emitting
from it, they will either strive to learn of it, or reject it and persecute
those who have it. When suffering comes, rely on the Father and rejoice for you
are doing something right. What the world thinks cannot affect you for the
Father is Greater and everlasting. Rather, bear the name for when the time
comes, you will be in God's will and in His favor, a much better position than
not in His favor. Suffering also makes us stronger, teaches us how to react in
certain situations, humbles us, and allows us to grow wiser.
Alright, take care and I'll talk to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 20 - 00
Today I read Luke 13:1-9. It is about repentance. The gist is that
there is no division between a mild sinner and a severe sinner for we are all
sinners and unless we repent of that sin, we live only to perish. Jesus told a
parable near the end which I'd like to write here.
6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his
vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three
years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and
haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
'Sir,' the man replired, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll
dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine!
If not, then cut it down.'"
Basiclly, this tree isn't producing fruit, and is just takin and takin
but not producin. This is similar to humans. Some of us just take and take,
eat and eat, become fat in the Word, but don't produce. Some do this for a long
time. Yet we are not cut down and given ample chance for God is a patient God.
Yet, as we can see, it is our duty to produce fruit. If we kept everything to
ourselves, how would others benefit? We have good news and should be excited to
share it, and it is awesome. This fruit is many things, the Fruit of the Spirit
is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23). Fruit is also us sharing the Good News to
all, planting seeds of growth in other people.
Well, week is almost at an end. Have a blessed day and remember to keep
God first in all things.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 21 - 00
Today I read John 4:1-26. It was about Jesus talking to the Samaritan
woman. The verses catching my attention were many, but here are a couple,
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the
water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal
life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't
get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
The woman thought Jesus was talking about some physical water that would
make them never thirst and hence make her life easier by allowing the comfort of
not having to come to the well anymore to draw water. However, as she later
found out, Jesus was not talking about physical water. By adhering to the
teaching, learning, and applying it in our lives we gain this water Jesus
is talking about. People who havent been taught, thirst, they want something.
Those of us who have been taught, do not thirst, for we have found that
something and drank. Now that it is within us, it becomes like a spring
and wells up for we continue to examine the scriptures, the teachings, decipher
them, and spread and apply them. Not only that, we live by them. The most
important of all is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is
the water that will never let us thirst again and will become a spring in us
welling up to eternal life.
Verse 24 also caught me attention: "`God is spirit, and his worshipers must
worship in spirit and in truth'" This emphasizes the idea that we should not
live by the world. Once we are in God, we live according to a higher standard,
some people cannot even contemplate it it's so powerful. God is not of this
world so we cannot worship Him by worldly means. We worship in spirit and in
truth.
verse 25 & 26 also caught my attention: "The woman said, `I know that
Messiah' (called Christ) `is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything
to us.' Then Jesus declared, `I who speak to you am he.'"
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 24 - 00
Hey,
How was your weekend? Have fun? Mine was pretty good. It was more of a
college group weekend with college kids from the church. And, of course, there
was TONS of food!!! Heh heh, alright, today i read:
1 Timothy 1:1-11 It is a warning about false teachers and not to fall into
that category. verses 3 - 7:
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that
you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor
to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote
controversies rather than God's work -- which is by faith. The goal of this
command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless
talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they
are talking aobut or what they so confidently affirm.
The first sentence talks about myths and genealogies. Myths here can also be
understood as superstitions, traditions, etc. Paul goes on to explain what will
result, and that is controversies rather than God's work. In other words,
constant squabbling will arise slowing or ceasing the true work that is to be
done. Then Paul says "which is by faith". This sharply contrasts with the
scene he portrayed in the first sentence. See, those teaching false doctrines
do so because they concentrate on the things of the world, or let the things of
the world affect their thinking, and they rely on their on head knowledge. Paul
says it is by faith that God's work is to be done, not on your on strength or
head knowledge, but by faith. God moves and works according to each persons
faith. When Jesus walked the earth and healed people, he would say, "it is your
faith that has made you well". By faith, God's work is done. Paul also
continues and talks about love. Through love, genuine love as Paul describes
above, the truth comes out. Without it, the people have turned to meaningless
talk. We should be aware and watch out for those such as these and we should
also take care not to become like them. By keeping faith, moving by faith, and
keeping God's greatest command of Love, we can be sure not to fall into the trap
of the false teacher.
Alright, its time to work. Take care all and I'll talk to you later
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 25 - 00
Goooooooood MORNING!!!!
I hope everybody is havin one! Mine was pretty good. Although i only slept
about 5 hours, my aptmate and i still got up and hit the gym. Man, im pumped.
I love hittin the punching bag and speed bag. You listening to music to pump
you up and then your like WHAM, WHAM, WHAM, POOM, POOM,
WHAM, SMACK, WHAM, WHAM.
heh heh, then i jumped rope, practiced jiu jitsu, jumped rope some mo, did
abs. Wrist weights really make a difference too. I took them off for about a
minute to see what it felt like with out them, and i was moving so much faster.
It was tight. But then i put them back on to get the resistance in. Alright.
Today i read John 5:1-15. It was about Jesus going to the healing pool and
healing someone of a sickness he had for 38 years. Apparently, this pool, when
stirred, the first one to get in was healed. This stirring, according to the
little note in my Bible, was caused by an angel of the Lord who came down from
time to time to stir the water. So this guy was always beat to the pool so
thats why he was diseased for 38 years. Jesus comes around and asks him if he
wants to get well. And the guy told his story about always being beat to the
pool. Then Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk and once, the man picked
up his mat and walked, healed of everything. What struck me was at the end
where vs 14: "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are
well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."
Some people may say, How could he say such a thing, i thought God was a
loving God. Yes, He is loving, and he is also absolute purity. There is no sin
in Him. God cannot be around sin thats why He will destroy it at the appointed
time He has set aside. So, coming back, why would Jesus say, "or something
worse will happen to you" First we need to look at the first half of the
quote, "Stop sinning". It's cause and effect. This, or else this will happen.
So it is not by God's hand that something worse will happen to you, it is by
that man's own deeds that something worse will happen to him. The lesson here
is to refrain from sin. Sinning more will only put distance between us and the
Father for He dislikes sin. By sinning more, we become closer with the world
which is ruled by the master of the system of things, Satan. Hence it is
inevitable that something worse will happen because we become closer with the
world than with God. However, sinning less brings us closer to the Father for
we are trying to live lives Holy and unblemished through Jesus Christ. Though
temptation is strong, God has given us something greater to battle the flesh,
and that is the Holy Spirit who abides in us to give us guidance and strength,
understanding and discernment, and more. We all know of things in our lives
which we can stop or reduce. Let's make an effort to do so, it will only bring
us closer to God, a far better thing than what the world has in store. Remain on
the path my brothers, and sistas, the straight and narrow road for at its end
there is life, love, peace.
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 26 - 00
Hey yo,
How are you doing this wednesday? It's the middle of the week, and some
people are stressing, for what? i dont know. But whenever the middle of the
week comes, somebody be stressin. Meanwhile, I be chillin by not lettin the
worries of this world bring me down. Today i read Proverbs 3:1-6:
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your
neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor
and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
First/Second verse: think back when we were under the reigns of our parents,
under their roof. Was it not to our benefit we not forget their teaching?
Instead of tension existing between Parent and child, there existed joy and
happiness, prosperity and a calmer peaceful life. How much more then will this
be if we not forget the teachings and commands of our Heavenly father. Here, he
promises longer life and prosperity.
Third/Fourth verse: By letting love and faithfulness never leave us, we see
the world through unique eyes. Our actions are a result of our emotions or
other state. If love and faithfulness are that state, pure and good things will
our actions be. Not only will this keep us in a good mood, it will affect
others in positive ways. They will see such an awesome demeanor in us that they
grow a new respect toward us. We win favor and a good name in the eyes of man.
More importantly, we win favor and a good name in the sight of God.
Fifth/Sixth verse: This is what i was hinting at in the beginning when i
said, "I be chillin". These verses remind us to Trust in the Lord in all things
and not to rely on our own understanding. There are so many things we cannot
even contemplate but God knows all. By relying on Him, we can be guided by His
limitless knowledge. as the verse says, He will make our paths straight.
However, if we rely on our limited knowledge, we may step into things that could
have totally been avoided, just like when our Moms told us "Son, do not play in
that bush, its poison ivy" (Man, i still remember going in and hiding in that
ivy bush, boy oh boy, i paid for that one, nature did a number on me) This also
results in that place i like to call, chillin. Things happen that can really
really turn us in a bad mood, however if we pause and remember who we have
upstairs to guide us, we enter the state of (heh heh) chill. Rely on the guy
that knows all and wants soo much to help us. All we have to do is believe and
have faith.
Alright, take care and remember, enter the chillin state.
(chillin aka hakuna matata)
God bless,
- patrick
7 - 27 - 00
Today i read Romans 14. Its a chapter about the weak and the strong.
Basically, it saying not to judge the weak, and not to judge the strong, and
just cause someone is weaker or stronger doesnt mean God is with them any
less or anymore. God is with both. So many verses caught my attention, its
just and awesome chapter. Yall should read it. But the verses that really
stood out were 13-18:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead,
make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in
your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am
fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone
regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If
your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no
longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your
brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider
good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this
way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Ever hear the line, you are your brother's keeper? This passage is sort
of talking about that. It's saying help your brother to grow in the Lord, to
live according to the word. And it says to not put a stumbling block in his
way that he falls. This stumbling is symbolized as food in this passage.
But it could also mean a multitude of things ie lifestyle, pleasures,
drinking, etc etc. If our brother or sister grew up in an atmosphere where
eating say pork was bad, so by tradition he/she continues not to eat pork,
don't eat pork in front of them. If they careless, then its no problem, but
if our eating of pork in front of them causes them to stumble (ie rage with
anger, curse, cause them to fall away from the faith) then dont do it. For,
as the passage says, we would no longer be acting in love if we went ahead
and ate knowing that it would cause our fellow man/woman to stumble. So here
again looms the word LOVE. Love is key, done in love, true love, many things
do not go awry. So, he who serves Christ is pleasing to God, what does it
matter if he/she doesnt eat pork, it is a minimal thing therefore do not
cause one to stumble over such a matter. Now this can relate to many other
things in our lives. We must keep our eyes and hearts open to the things we
do and becareful that what we do in the presence of brethren does not cause
them to stumble, and what we do privately does not cause us to stumble.
verses 19-21 sums it up:
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake
of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat
anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not
to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause
your brother to fall.
Have a blessed day and take care. And remember... chiiiiiiill heh heh.
God bless,
- patrick.
7 - 31 - 00
Good Morning All,
Today is yet another Monday. First day of work and other stuff. We made
it to the gym this morining, but TI was hiring more people soo i couldnt get
my boxing on. I had to settle for the beginner's punching bag in the aerobics
room (there were a couple times where i thought i actually broke the thing).
Besides that, the weekend was pretty good chillin with the college folk and
havin a blast.
Well, today i read something from the Old Testament, the time before
Jesus came to earth. It was 2 Kings 6:8-23. At this time Israel was moving
along and such, they had a king and of course a prophet, Elisha, who is the
one that brings God's words to the people for God spoke through the prophets.
Now there was this other group of people trying to do battle with Israel but
coming to no avail. See, God made known to Elisha the enemy's tactics and
plans of ambush and Elisha warned Israel hence foiling the Arameans every
attempt. The King of Aram sort of got ticked off thinking he had a betrayer
amidst his group. But then he was told that it was the prophet Elisha who
somehow knows the kings every plan. The King sent someone to find Elisha,
then sent an army to surrond the place Elisha was at and capture him. Here
comes the awesome part:
15 When the servent of the man of God got up and went out early the
next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the
city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. 16 "Don't
be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more
than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open
his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and
he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all
around Elisha.
Remember when i wrote to you earlier about the state of chill? To trust
in the Lord under all circumstances and worry not? What do you think Elisha
was doing? Was he worried at all? No way. He was chillin. His servant
however was afraid, and asked the question. Here is the next awesome part,
Elisha asked God to open the servants eyes so that he may see. Low and
behold, Elisha was surrounded by a spiritual army, God's army, clad in
chariots of fire!! No one could see this things, only Elisha saw this and
now the servant. The Aramean army had no idea. From this, we can see that
those who serve God, have faith, and pray, God will protect. Now this
spiritual force could easily have wiped out the Aramean army, after all, they
were coming after a prophet, someone whom God spoke to via visions, riddles,
and any means He saw fit. Did they? Nope, Elisha asked that they be blinded,
then Elisha led them to Samaria where Israel was. Then Elisha prayed that
their eyes would once again be opened, and God took away their blindness. The
King of Israel asked Elisha, should i kill them. And Elisha answered no, feed
them and send them on their way. 23 ..."So the bands from Aram stopped raiding
Israel's territory". God showed them mercy, these Arameans deserved to be
destroyed yet God allowed them to continue living. In this, we can see the
grace of God whom He gives freely. Elisha, a prophet of God, also showed
mercy. He could easily have said to the King of Israel, yeah go ahead and
kill him. But he did not, rather he said feed them and send them on their
way. Those who follow the ways God also share in His value system: love.
This is such an awesome event, God's power is unimaginable, yet He shows
mercy, and those who follow Him, need not worry for He will never leave us
nor forsake us. Though we cannot see, God see's and knows all. Rely on Him
and not on our own understanding.
Well, i hope this finds you all well. Have a great day and remember to
look to God in all you do. PEACE, im out.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 1 - 00
Gooooooood morning,
Today begins on a sad note, didnt make it to the gym because i didn't have
a ride...... ah well, its not to big of a deal, i still go in the afternoons
anyway. How are you doing? Is life treating you well thus far? School's
around the corner, two more weeks and I head back. Alright, well this
morning i read Luke 13. Versus 31-35 seemed to jump out at me. Especially
verses 31-33:
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave
this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32 He
replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people
today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33 In
any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day --
for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!"
Again, Jesus is warned about impending "DOOM". Does it phase him?
Heeeeck naawww (heh heh). He calls Herod a fox, meaning worthless and
insignificant. This is truth, for in the Grand scheme of things, Herods
threats and such are trite. Jesus already knows he is going to be crucified,
for it was prophesied, and that was one of his great purposes in coming to
earth. Jesus does not let threats sway him, for the will of God is greater
than that of the world. Jesus is doing things of God as we also try to live
according to the Word and do the things therein out of love. Jesus' example
here is to remain on the path, do God's will, walk the walk and talk the talk
and worry not about threats or blockades the world may set in front of you.
We have something greater which is not of this world hence the things of this
world cannot be a dam to hold the water back. It will flow and bring life to
those who seek or who are open. The other thing here is that (according to
the side note in my book), this was three days before he was to be crucified.
And in the verses, Jesus called this his goal. So, it was not a surprise to him
but something he was moving towards, his goal, the culmination of the things
he had done on earth. The death on the cross was the final sacrafice for our
sins allowing us personal relationship and communion with the Father.
Remember bruthaz and sistaz, we are strong in the Lord and let us not
sway in our walk, our talk, our faith, and doing the things of the Word for
if God is with us, who can be against us?
Alright, i have some serious work to be doing today, talk to you later
and good fortune to you.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 2 - 00
Hello,
Como esta? Commo ca va? Sak passe? Well, nothin much here, same old same
old. Actually, i am a lil hungry right now. Good thing I made a lil
somethin somethin before i left for work to eat at work. No milk at the apt
hence i've been deprived of my greatest pasttime....... CEREAL!!! I'm
talkin OREO O's, FRUITY PEBBLES, FROSTED MINI WHEATS, WHEATIES,
HONEY COMB, CORN FLAKES w/ CHEESE, hah hah. Alright, i got carried away
w/ the thought of cereal. Let's go on to scripture.
Today I read Acts 28.
This is the story: Paul and some others had been traveling at sea, landed
on some unknown island where they were met by some unusually kind island
people. Paul was bit by a viper, but it didnt phase him. He just shook it
off. The islanders thought he would fall very sick or even fall dead, but
neither happened. Then Paul also, 3 days later, Paul healed some people by
the will of God. God made sure his servant was taken care of, protected from
the death bite of the viper, and then showed His grace through Paul by
allowing him to heal some of these people. Story goes on, Paul arrives in
Rome (this was there destination) and was put under "house arrest", he had a
guard by his door. People came to visit and he spoke with them. Finally, he
called for the Jewish leaders so that they could have a chat. Apparently,
Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem though he had done no wrong, and handed
over to the Romans. The Romans found no guilt in him and were about to
release him but the Jews objected and Paul therefore had to appeal to Caesar.
Day in and day out, greater number of Jews came to speak w/ Paul to find out
what is it he is spreading. Paul explaned and declared to them the Kingdom of
God and aobut Jesus from the Law of MOses and the Prophets. Some were convinced,
but others would not believe.
Here are the verses i wanted to point out:
25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had
made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your
forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 "'Go to this
people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's
heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their
eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn,
and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore I want you to know that God's
salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
Paul quotes a prophet of the Old Testament. As you can see, this
revelation the Holy Spirit brought to Isaiah still stood in Paul's time, and
now even in our time. We will come across those who ever hear, but never
really hear or understand, who ever see, but never really see or perceive.
Their hearts are calloused. They wear a veil over their eyes, and barely
hear with their ears. In other words, they see or hear whatever they want to
see or hear. It's a shame too, because the truth can be staring them in the
face, yet because of a calloused heart, they cannot understand. This also
applies to us. Sometimes we see the truth, yet we block it out for we wish
to see or hear what we want to. The truth would mean changing things in our
lives, and we don't wanna do that. But if we see with our eays, hear with
our ears, understand with our hearts and turn, God will heal us. But we have
to submit, we have to actually listen and see and by Faith grow in the things
of God.
Verse 28 speaks about Pauls mission and the reason why God sent him to
preach to the Gentiles (non-Jews)..... they will listen. They do not have a
calloused heart. Because the Jews saw but did not see, heard but did not
hear, God sent one to bring the Good news to the Gentiles so that when that
day comes, Jews and Gentiles will be one body under God through the Son,
Jesus Christ.
Aight, time to eat my little somethin somethin, have a great day bruthaz
and sistaz. Talk to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 3 - 00
YO YO YO!!!
Yeah, im pretty happy. How are you doing? Everything going okay? Are you
feeling alive, sort of like you can withstand anything? This morning I made it
to the gym, with someone else. I think that's why im feeling all uppity uppity.
Got a descent workout in so im all energized. My Dean is coming to visit
tomorrow to see how the Job here at TI is going. It'll be all good though.
More importantly though, how is it going with you? Write me back and let me
know cuz its all quiet out there.
On to scripture, today i read Luke 22:39-46. This is about the time before
Jesus was arrested. In fact, it was the very same night. Jesus went out as
usual to the Mount of Olives to pray, he had some disciples with him. He
withdrew from them about a
"stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you
are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And
being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops
of blood falling to the ground."
Some people tend to think that since Jesus is the Son of God, though he
took on a human form, he shared not the feelings of a human. Like maybe he was
impervious to such human traits. This verse alone proves this to be false.
Jesus had all the physical, emotional, and any other 'als we can think of that
both you and i have. It seemed that he was impervious because he submitted to
the will of God, he embodied the state of chill. However, this is one of the
points in his life where we can learn a great deal. Jesus asked the Father, if
you are willing, take this cup from me. This "cup" Jesus is referring to is his
crucifixion. Let me go deeper into this for a minute. The crucifixion is a
sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross so that his blood shed for us
would pay the "ransom", giving us opportunity for personal relationship with God
and eternal life. Now Jesus is completely w/o sin, else he would not have been
a worthy sacrifice. Jesus resisted temptation and everything and so had not
sinned. When Jesus goes on the cross, and dies, he takes on the sins of the
whole world.... Think about it a second, imagine the purest, most brilliant,
most clear piece of diamond or crystal. Now imagine someone taking that
magnificent pure thing, and blacken it, chip it, scratch it, pour acid on it,
spit on it, smeared some other stuff not worth mentioning on it. Thats how it
was with Jesus. So pure was he that to take on the sins of the whole world, you
know how much that must have hurt? Its like injecting yourself with acid,
cocane, lsd, propane (yeah, propane), and the like. Imagine havin no sin, and
suddenly bearing the sins of the whole world. Jesus knew this, and knew also
the time is at hand. So, he is asking, if there be any other way possible, that
the Father take this cup away, and do the other way. But of course there was no
other way and Jesus said "yet not my will, but yours be done." Then an angel
came down to comfort him, build him up, he was probably like "Jesus, man, you da
man!!! Dont let this phaaaase you! By doing this thing right here, you are
going to give man the opportunity to be personal with the Father yo!!! And have
the chance for eternal life!!! You da man, YOU da MAN." (heh heh) So, the
thing is, Jesus did have human characteristics, he went through everything we
could have, in fact the tempting that he had to endure was probably more than we
ever have to. Cuz if Satan were able to get him to sin of his own free will,
just once, we would not enjoy our personal relationship with God today. Even if
Jesus made a so called "white lie", that would have been it. But he didnt.
He followed the will of the Father.
For us, we must remember that our knowledge, compared to God's..... wait a
minute, what im i doing, it cant even compare. That's why it says in the Word
to rely on God. A lot of times we cannot understand the things of God because
our minds just cant process it, but by faith, we follow the will of God and in
the end, sometimes realize and understand what we did not understand before.
Trust in God and rely on him.
Alrighty then, im out, peace.
God bless,
- patrick
ps - let me know how things are going with you
8 - 4 - 00
Morning,
Today is friday, aka PAY DAY!!! HAH HAH!!! Yeah yeah. I just got out of a
meeting with my Dean from MIT and my supervisor. It went pretty well and it
was good to see the Dean again. In like an hour, we are going to some
co-op/intern appreciation luncheon. Fooood, i am sooooooo hungry right now,
can't wait!
on to Scripture:
Today i read John15:5-8:
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If
anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown into the
fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's
glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
Here, Jesus is speaking about us, and him. He is the vine, and we are the
branches. So, as a branch grows from the vine, so do we grow from Jesus. So
as the branch is nourished by the vine, so do we gain nourishment from Jesus.
If a branch remains in the vine, it will continue to bear fruit, after all,
the vine has the nutrients and feeds it to its branches. Jesus has these
nutrients, and he is feeding it to us. If we remain Jesus, we will bear much
fruit. This fruit is the fruit of the Spirit and things that come as a
result of our love. This fruit is patience, kindness, love, and more. It is
also spreading the read, letting people know of the good knews... bearing
fruit. Giving people something good to eat and to digest, the Word of God
and the good news. However, if a branch were to apart from the vine, could
it survive? No, it has lost its nourishing source. Hence it withers and is
thrown into the fire and burned. In other words, if we move away from Jesus,
and try to go it alone, and deny him, we have succeeded in destroying
ourselves. For in Jesus lies salvation, the whole reason that he died for
us. "13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends." Its like someone having ebola, and there is no cure, yet someone
finally finds a cure, and offers it to you as a gift, no strings attached.
And then that person doesnt take it. That person succeeded in destroying
himself. Jesus has come, brought the news, its in the Word, we only need to
accept this gift of grace.
Verse 7 speaks about faith, if you remain in him, and his words remain in
you, anything you ask, will be given you. Notice the conditions: remain in
him -- requires faith, his words remain in us -- requires faith. If you
have faith, what you ask will be given to you. AWESOME is it not? Finally,
we bring glory to the Father by bearing fruit. Think about it, bearing
fruit, we show to others the grace and love of God, this glorifies Him. So we
worship and plant a seed in someones heart all at the same time!!! And in
the end, we show our selves to be true disciples. I'm glad Jesus is my
friend, my savior. I can come to the Father at anytime now because of the
Son. I can have a personal relationship. And he will never leave me nor
forsake me. Is Jesus your friend?
Well, its almost time to eat, hee hee hee, can't wait, can't wait. Take
care and have an excellent weekend!!
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 7 - 00
Top of the Morning to you,
Heh heh, i couldn't resist the urge to use that. Another Monday,
another week. This is going to be my last full week at TI and in Dallas, TX.
Time is winding down and now I'm starting to feel the crunch, but that's
okay. How have you been? Maxin and relaxin? I hope your weekend went well.
We went painting Saturday with the college group. That was fun, and then we
went to a break and went to eat. Now this is the mysterious part, somehow,
the whole college group found out that i have a bottomless gut. I dont know
how they found out, but when everybody got full, they kept offering me the
rest. It was great. OH, wait a minute, i remember now, they found out when
we were at the Pastor's house and they fed us some goooooood food. Okay, on
to Scripture.
Today I read Luke 14:7-11:
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,
he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast,
do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you
may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will
come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you
will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited,
take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you,
'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the
presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The message here is quality of being humble. God calls us to be humble,
among many other things. Here, Jesus illustrates a great example of why
humbling oneself would prove beneficial. When the man didnt humble himself,
he was humiliated, but when he did, he was honored. Thats basic surface
level stuff. Then Jesus goes on to say he who exalts himself will be
humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. This is deeper.
However there are even deeper meanings. If we humble ourselves, we do not
emit an aura that is pompous. Who likes a person who continually exalts
himself? Usually those who thing they are the best, act like it, and put in
people's face, dont have many friends. Why? Because to others, they are
conceited. People talk behind their back, some try to use his/her pride
against them. The list of stuff goes on and on. On the other hand, when we
come across someone who is humble, we generally like them. They are more
approachable. They tend to have many friends. They are known far and wide
because people talk about them in a good way, they exalt him or her. More
people want to find out who this person is personally. Now, observe the great
opportunity this brings. By our actions, we become a witness to the world about
the things of God. Your everyday joe isnt humble. However, those who talk the
talk as well as walk the walk are unusually humble. People see that and want to
know why, and also want it for themselves. People respect you, and in their
hierarchy, they place you near the top. Does the humble person know that they
have such a good impact on those around him/her? Probably, because he/she will
have noticed the help he/she is giving to those around him/her. But, the humble
one doesnt swallow this and grow a big head, he/she remains humble, and the
effect continues to spread. Not only does being humble give us a better
position among men, but it also pleases God. Those who humble themselves
before God, God will exalt and bless. He will say, "Friend, move up to a better
place"
Well, I hope things continue to go well for you. Have an excellent day.
Me, i gotta get busy busy busy, its crunch time. later.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 8 - 00
Hola,
Como esta? Muy bien? Yo soy ca va. Made it to the gym this morning because
I had a ride. It was awesome, running, abs, boxing, speed baggin, and jump
roping. Not to metion stretching of course at the very beginning. Man, its
still crunch time though, i have to write a report about what i did this summer,
as well as make a presentation via powerpoint, aaaaand, most importantly, i
wanna finish this heavy duty PERL script im writing. Meanwhile, here is today's
scriprure, Jeremiah 1:4-19.
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the
womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you
as a prophet to the nations." 6"Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not
know how to speak; I am only a child." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do
not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyon I send you to and
say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you
and will rescue you," declares the Lord. (fastforward to vs 18)
18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze
wall to stand against the whole land -- against the kings of Judah, its
officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight
against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue
you," declares the Lord.
Apparently, Israel was being naughty again, falling away, worshiping idols,
performing lude acts, sexual immorality, and the list goes on. So, here God
chooses Jeremiah as his prophet (God spoke to the people through the prophets).
It seems God is going to unleash some wrath, judgement if you will because of
Israels wickedness in forsaking Him (vs 16). So here God tells Jeremiah, he is
going to be the instrument. Check it, this Jeremiah is but a kid....... a kid.
The point, God can use anyone, it matters not the age or experience, what
matters is the presence of God. And whats even more awesome is that God tells
this kid that he is going to stand up against kings, nations, the WHOLE LAND!!!
and you know what else? He tells the kid to be fearless. God is going to
rescue him, no one will overcome him for God will be with him. Ponder this for
a bit, realize how awesome this is. This is an example for us: to have faith in
the things of God; when He calls, and you realize he calls, obey; blessings
will come your way; God will raise you up, set you apart from this world, bring
you to a higher standard, and a higher place; fear you need not have for God is
with you and will rescue you; through you, God will work and many will turn from
their old ways --- leads to more saved souls --- leads to more people entering
the state of chill --- leads to more souls being saved --- leads to the
fullfillment of God's will --- leads to eternal life with the Father. God has
a perfect plan, this is only a human understanding of a minimal part of it.
Imagine what more God has in store for those who follow Him.
Alrighty, i hope this finds you well. Me, i gotta get back to cruch time,
check you all later. Take care.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 9 - 00
Hey Peoples,
How are you doing? Pretty good? I'm a little tired but im still trucking
along getting all my stuff done. This morning I had my little jiu jitsu
training session. I taught my "pupil" some ippons (one step fighting), a couple
a couple self-defenses. He seems to have all 7 basic retaliations down, as well
as the basic strikes and blocking techniques. Auuuuuright, on to Scripture.
Today I read Hebrews 12:1-12. vs 5-11 say it all:
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as
sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not
lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he
loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship
as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone
undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true
sons. 9 Morever, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and
we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father
of our spirits and live! 10 OUr fathers disciplined us for a little
while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that
we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the
time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Well, for the most part, this passage is pretty self-explanatory. The
write presents the "problem" as perceived by human standards, and then explains
how this supposed "problem" is no problem at all but something to our benefit,
hard times and discipline. Basiclly, if we were not disciplined, we be in a far
worse situation. Think about it, if your parents didnt give $.02 about your
development, they probably didnt discipline you. And if the "disciplined" you,
it wasnt out of love, but probably out of rage or, for the sick, the pure
enjoyment of whuppin on a kid. But this is not the case, the parents who
discipline their children love their children else they would let the kids run
wild. The parents wanted to ensure that kids are brought up right. And, as we
endure the discipline, we dont like it at its time of unleashing, but after we
realize why we were disciplined and we realize that we matter to our parents so
much that they would take the time to ensure we knew what is right. In much the
same way, God disciplines those he loves, those he calls his sons and daughters.
Those whom God does not know, God does not discipline, they only face judgement
at the end. But we whom God does know, we are disciplined and trained in the
way that we should go so that in the end "we may share in his holiness."
Discipline is important and produces "a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it".
So my brothers and sisters, when discipline comes, welcome it for it comes in
love, and afterwards, we will be that much stronger in our walk.
Take care and good fortune to you
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 10 - 00
Hello,
How are you doing? Chillin over here. I also got some more Jiu Jitsu
in this moring. BUT, i missed breakfast (cereal, mmmmmmmm). So im pretty
hungry right now... Ah well. I also finished my report last night
(woooohooooo)!!! And the presentation is practically up to snuff. All that
remains to finish is the final phase of my project. okay, on to scripture.
Today i read Romans 13:8-14. It such good stuff that im going to give you
the first part today, and the second tomorrow.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one
another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The
commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal,"
"Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed
up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no
harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
The ten commandments are basic rules to live by. These 10, if followed,
cover many many sins for the act which the they command against, if committed
by a person, lead to other sins. We are human, and we make mistakes, and
sometimes the law is hard to keep. Jesus' death allows us to ask forgiveness
from the Father when we do sin. Here, a new thought emerges. How do we keep
from breaking the law, sinning? Well, ask yourself what is the greatest
commandment? That answer is love. Love is the greatest commandment. From
love rises many many things. In this example, love results in us not
breaking the law for "love does no harm to tis neighbor". Think about it, if
you are acting in love, not petty love but genuin love, whom will you want to
hurt? what rules would you want to break? breaking commmands usually means
you are hurting somebody whether it be emotionally, spiritually, financially,
ethically, and any other 'allies you can think of. Hence if you have genuine
love, the desire to hurt does not over come the power of love. Love one
another as you yourself.
I hope this was a good word to you and uplifts you. Ponder these things
and remember to act in love, for God so loved us. Peace out my homies.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 11 - 00
Hey bruthaz and sistaz!!
Its Friday!!!! I think thats all i have to say about that, its
implications are already know by all. I am currently producing the last
phase of my project. Being so close to completion is such a good feeling,
and completing is even better. Well, let go on to scripture. continuing on
from yesterday, Romans 13:11-14 says:
11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for
you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now
than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is
almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the
armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in
orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in
dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord
Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the
sinful nature.
And do this, is referring to the the previous passage that spoke about
love, loving you neighbor as yourself. Understanding the present time is
referring to the second coming of Jesus Christ. He will come as a thief in
the night, at an hour no one expects. Verse eleven is reminding us of this
fact and telling us to wake up and realize that the time is near. Everyday
that passes by, the closer and closer we get to God's perfect system. And no
one knows the exact time or hour, therefore we must be prepared at all times.
The passage is says to wake up from our slumber. Slumber is a nice way of
describing the things not of God. When we act in ways not pleasing to God,
is God a part of these actions? Hence we in fact are in slumber for we are
apart from God at that time rather than awake and living by the way, the
truth, and the light. The night that is nearly over is this current system
of things that is filled with the impurities listed in verse 13. The day
that is almost here is when God comes to call those who are of Him, those He
calls sons and daughters. Looking at the world today, many of the items listed
in verse 13 abound. Don't they? Everywhere we look we can see it. Even on
regular tv which is supposed to be censored. As time progressed, man has
become more disensitized about these things and indulge themselves more and
more. What was once deemed special and unique back in the day, today is
nothing more than the value of a penny. The Word however tells us that these
things remain special and unique, priceless but we have come so far from
that. We need to get back. This is where verse 14 kicks in saying "Rather,
clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to
gratify the desires of the sinful nature." In other words, come to a higher
standard, God's standard. This standard is not of this world and is far
superior and beneficial than the standards the world has gone down to. Stand
tall and do not think about how to satisfy fleshy desires. The sinful nature refers
to the Flesh. The flesh loves the things of this world, yet the spirit knows
that these things are transitory, lack substance, and will only bring hurting
and grief. Let not your flesh control your actions, stand tall and stand
firm, listen to the spirit and clothe yourself with the armor of light for
the time is near.
Alright, well, today i have an exit interview. Then they take away my
badge, man, that stinks. Ahh well, gotta do what i gotta do. Have an
excellent Friday and an awesome weekend. See ya later.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 14 - 00
Hello all,
Wassuuuuuupi? Everything is going well here. Its monday morning, my
second to last day of work. This past weekend was pretty fun. I got to spend
quality time with tons of people since i wont be seeing them again, for
awhile, possibley a loooong while. Saturday night and Sunday were especially
quality since i was seeing my friends at DCBC for what could be the last time
in a long time. It was great speaking to each one and getting to know
another one a little better. Alllright, on to Scripture. Today i opened to
James 5:1-6:
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of hte misery that is
coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your
clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will
testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded
wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen
who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the
harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived
on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in
the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men,
who were not opposing you.
Hmmmmm, pretty harsh huh? Is the Bible condemning rich people? all rich
people? Is it saying that it is wrong to be rich? Nope, thats not what its
saying. There is no problem with being rich, having money, etc for God
prospers His children. The kind of people this passage is talking about are
people who have become a slave to money. Their whole purpose in life is to
make money. It doesnt matter how much money, as long as they keep getting
money. They hoard money. In their venture to get money, they also screw all
other people over. The short change, they dont pay what is right and fair.
You see, these people have let money become their god. They are controlled
by their desire for money, and that my friends is wrong. The Bible warns
about becoming slaves to the things in the world, whether it be food, drugs,
alcohol, clothes, moviestars, practically anything. Once you become
controlled by the thing you want, it has become your idol. God commands
against having idols. So anyway, this passage is warning people who love money
in this way. Its telling them to weep and wail cuz they shall reap what they
have sowed. Though here on earth they may amass much wealth, when they die,
will they still have that wealth? Can they take it to the grave with them? At
judgement, can it save them? Can they "BUY" their way into life with the
Father? Nope. Money is a powerful thing, the love of money is the root of
all evil. Hence, beware not to fall into that trap. Keep God as number one
and remember that money and wealth, those are worldly things, yes it would be
nice, but is it necessary? Remember that under God, we live by a higher
standard, if we become wealthy, great, but let it not become you sole
motivation for existence.
Yup yup, thats a rap. Today i give my presentation. I am going to test
my impromptu skills if you know what i mean. Talk to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 22 - 00
Hey Bruthaz and Sistaz!!
It's been a while huh? True true. When i got up here, we went straight
to business. We had room picks, had to move our stuff into our rooms while
other people were moving there stuff out, and work week would begin the very
next day. So far we've worked 5 days straight. It's kool though, the house is
looking better and better (and our chef cooks us some mighty fine meals heh
heh heh). Today is also freshman orientation hee hee hee, so there are going
to be a whole bunch of new people hittin up MIT. I'm glad i am back on track,
i almost didnt start again today (alarm woke me up, but i didnt want to get
up). I was fighting that weakness we all have at times, laziness. You know,
sometimes you're like, this bed is sooooo comfortable, let me stay
another..... 5 mins. hah hah, except that 5 mins turns out to be 20 - 30.
yall know what im talking about =|;?) Alrighty, on to scripture:
Today I read Luke 22:47-53. This passage was about the arrest of Jesus.
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called
Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him,
48 but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Important lesson here, important. Here, we are reminded that in our
human, mortal form, we are existing in the world. In the world there are all
kinds of people, all kinds. Now who is betraying Jesus? Not some rugged
person on the streets, not a ninja with some sick stealth skills, and not some
pharisee. No, it is one of His own Twelve that is betraying Him. Jesus for 3
years walked and taught these 12. He trained them, loved them, feed them, and
more. And yet here, one of them betrays Him. Of course it had to happen to
fulfill the prophesy, but also reminds us that as long as we are here, things
such as this can happen. People are people and emotions and such can drive
them to do all sorts of things. We cannot trust anyone. Don't get me wrong,
you can trust people, but we shouldnt place all, ALL our trust in a fellow
human because we are human and we will make mistakes. If we do not put our
full trust in someone, then when they mess up and lose our trust, we dont go
berzerk and hold a grudge against that person. We wont feel as hurt and
therefore not as liable to strike back, take revenge, or simple hold that
grudge in our heart. So, it is indeed to our mutual benefit to not place ALL
our trust in an individual, cuz we will mess up, there is no doubt. And by
doing so, it will be easier for us to act in love when complications arise.
Trust, however, the Lord your God for He will never leave us nor forsake us.
I hope this finds you well, hope you are chillin heh heh. Take care and
i'll finish up the rest in the next couple days (this is good stuff).
Alright, take care and be well.
God bless,
- patrick
8 - 23 - 00
YO YO YO!!!
Wassuuuuupi!? How are you doing this fine day? Well, its a pretty nice
day over here. Work week is still going on. In fact, freshman orientation
starts today also, so all the little froshlings have come to call. It should
be a funfilled week/weekend. Some of you have already begun classes huh?
Well, good fortune to you and let God lead you in all things. Don't let the
stress get to you. Let's see, i think the rest of today ill be finishing off
painting our backlot basketball court, as well as our pin design at the
entrance of the backlot. And then, we have to finish settin up our rooms so
that they are presentable (rush and all that business). Alrighty, on to
scripture.
Luke 22:49-51, After Judas had betrayed Jesus with a kiss, we come to
another incident in the whole arrestiturechurcher process:
49 When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord,
should we strike with our swords?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of
the high priest, cutting off his right ear. 51 But Jesus answered, "No more
of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
So check it out, Jesus had just been betrayed and there is a gang of soldiers
about to take him away. His followers are like "uh uh, aint NO WAY!, yall
BETTER back off!!!" We can easily relate to such action. Take for instance
big brother lil bro or big bro lil sis relationships. As a big brother
myself, i want to make sure that my lil sis is safe. I dont want anyone
messing with her and I will protect her by any means necessary. Well, its all
noble and all, of course you want to protect your blood, especially because
he/she is younger than you. BUT, the any means necessary part is what gives
the problem. Our any means necessary must also be confined to that which is
Godly. In other words our actions should not compromise our walk with Christ.
Another example would be the white lie vs a lie. Many of us have made these
so-called white lies, and yes they may have proven beneficial. But in
reality, there is no such thing as a white lie, a lie is a lie. There is no
distinction between a big lie and a small lie for the commandment is, thou
shall not lie. Relate this white lie vs any blatant lie to the any means
necessary: there are things you can do that wont compromise, then there are
things that you could do that will compromise yet both ways will prove
beneficial in their respective ways. The question is, do you walk the walk?
Now take this and look at the disciples' situation. Someone is about to take
away their Lord. They want to protect him. They chose to slice of the
enemy's ear. And what was Jesus' reaction? He said "No more of this!"
Therefore, the disciples' means, though with good intentions, compromised
their beliefs. The other awesome thing here is that Jesus healed the man's
ear!!! Why would you take care of an enemy's wounds? After all, he is coming
to do you harm no? This is where Jesus demonstrates the commandment of loving
your enemy. In the face of such danger, He still acted in love. Love is the
greatest command and from love flows many things. Try it, acting in love. It
can also lead to the state of chill.
In this passage we were reminded of the greatest commandment, love, and we
were reminded that in all things walk the walk. Now if acting in love, wont
walking the walk follow? Love is like the pinnacle, the apex. It also by
love that we were given the chance and the choice of eternal life with the
father: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.....
(John 3:16).
I have a question. Now in front this whole gang of soldiers, Jesus
demonstrated compassion and love, discpline and walking the walk. Most of
all, He showed love, he healed the enemy's ear. All the soldiers saw this
take place. Why then, did they not come to realize that this man is something
greater than they every could have imagined? Why then did they not even show
a hint of second thoughts about their course of action? Though they saw with
their own eyes, they did not see, why?
Alright, gots ta get back ta work yo. Take care and I'll check yall
tomorrow.
God bless,
patrick
8 - 26 - 00
Hey Bruthaz and Sistaz,
Today, Rush begins.... 4 days to get as many freshman as possible, quality
freshmen... as well as competition among other frats. Its gonna as much an
adrenaline rush as a freshman rush. Anywho, pray that nothing goes foul and that
this weekend, although stressful on the brothers, will not be overwhelming. Tanks
tanks, on to scripture:
Hebrews 11 talks about faith and provides many examples. Verses 1-6:
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not
see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
> being sure of that which we hope for, being certain of that which we do
> see. being sure and being certain are key in developing a strong faith
> check it, if you are sure, and you are certain though you do not see,
> are you worrying? Are the things around you going to cause you to have
> sleepness nights? anxiety? etc? .... nope, you see, you have entered
> the state of chill
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so
that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel
offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended
as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he
still speaks, even though he is dead.
> two sacrafices were given, one by cain, one by abel. Two human standards
> cain's sacrafice may have seemd better than abel's. Looky here, Abel
> demonstrated great faith. He put faith into what he was doing where as
> Cain did not. Hence to God's eyes, Abel's was better. Why? because Abel
> was SURE of what he hoped for and CERTAIN of what he could not see...
> And God further blessed Abel allowing him to be commended as a righteous
> man. All because Abel had faith.... and still speaks even though he is
> dead. He speaks to us by us observing the way he lived, his attitude
> toward the Lord.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he
was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith, it is impossible to
please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
> First of all, this is just awesome. Imagine, too be taken up by the Lord
> to his place because of our faith in Him. That's what happened to Enoch
> He pleased God, not by merely by works, but by faith. Anyone can do works
> but faith takes something more: being sure, being certain of that which
> we cannot even SEE. Verse 6 makes a point to mention that we cannot
> please God period w/o faith. And it goes on to explain that we must
> believe he exists and earnestly seek him. keywords: believe, earnestly
> Believing He exists requires faith. If someone merely "believes" because
> he/she was told to and wants to "fit in", does not really believe. This
> ties in with the earneslty seeking. For if one earneslty seeks, he/she
> is seeking with the heart, with all their soul, all their mind, and all
> their strength. They yearn to find out the truth. God will reward them.
> They earneslty seek proving they have a desire, they then will find which
> leads them to believe. believing results from having faith. having faith
> ...... pleases God.
> earnestly = all heart, all mind, all soul, all strength
YO YO YO, its time for me to break out, eta 60 minutes and counting. Wish me
good fortune. Take care and peace out.
God bless,
patrick
ps - for those of you whom might not have known, 411 means information, later
9 - 1 - 00
WAazzuuUUUUuUuUUUuP!!!!
How are you doing? It's been awhile I know, i apologize. Rush is
over... finally. It was pretty cool, except of course the severe LACK of
sleep that we get. I never knew Rush was so intricate. We got a good class i
think, 8 pledges. We are still waitin on one of the guys so it may be 9 (like
we want). They each of their own character and they will add to the culture
of the house. What was more exciting to find out was that one of the pledges
is a Christian. I didnt know this until a day after he pledged. As far as
me, i'm chillin now. Sleep is back to normal, and we are now in the middle
of Christian Rush. We are trying to get as many Christians as we find plugged
into some fellowship. As far as the house, i dont know if i told you already,
but I was elected House Manager. I make sure the house doesnt fall apart and
such. It's also an exec comm position. aight, on to scripture.
John 6:16-21
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got
into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark,
and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the
waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,
they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were
terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they
were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the
shore where they were heading.
This passage is about a miracle where Jesus walked on water. In the other
Gospels, there is more detail. But let's look at this record. The disciples
had set off. They were going somewhere. Everyday, we go somewhere, we set
some path, and walk. "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough."
As we go our ways, we come across struggles. Strong winds blow, sometimes we
sway. The waters grow rough, times just get rocky. Sometimes we feel we
cannot bear it any longer. This could be married life, school, social life,
job, relationships, and many more. But then, the disciples saw Jesus, some
figure walking on water, and they were terrified. Walking on water,
BAAAAAAAAAM!!!! Isnt that something? And they were terrified. Of course,
they did not know for certain if it was Jesus, they just saw some kat chillin,
walkin on the water, w/o a worry in the world. Strong winds are blowin, and
the waters are rough, yet this figure walks unwavering. They saw something
with authority, something that was greater than them, or had more power, and
hence were terrified. What was this thing coming their way. Then Jesus said,
"It is I; don't be afraid." At this, they realized, this figure walking
towards them, that terrified them with its mere presence, was none other than
their Lord whose cup overfloweth with Love. This power coming toward them,
was their friend, striking terror it may seem, they need not fear for He is
with them. The demons however, see and tremble. Jesus is great. More
importantly, "It is I; don't be afraid." See, when the winds are strong, and
the waters are rough, look to God, and don't be afraid. He is there, and will
never leave you, nor forsake you. Our Lord, having such greatness, is with us.
"It is I; don't be afraid"
Well, I'm glad im back on again. School starts next week, and the
challenges will begin. It's all good, i like a good challenge. Alrighty
then, take care and i hope classes go well for you, and those of you with
jobs, i hope it goes well too.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 4 - 00
Hey Hey Hey,
How's it going? Chillin over here. I just bought four new Christian
CD's. They are pretty good. Titles are: Cross Movement - House of
Representatives, Knowdaverb - the action figure, Stacie Orrico - genuine,
aaaand Party Mix 2. I'm listening to Knowdaverb right now. Anywho, classes
start wednesday. It's unbelievable how many meetings i have in the next
couple days!!. Ah well, gotta do what i gotta do. On to Scripture.
Today, i read Psalm 34. Here are verses 1 - 5:
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my
lips. 2 My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and
rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my
fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never
covered with shame.
Verses 1 - 3 remind us of an awesome experience... Worship. You may have
noticed the power of music. Music puts people in a different kind of mood. It
is as if music speaks to the soul. As we sing songs of praise and worship to
the Lord, we enter into a whole other level. I mean, when I singing to my
God, I am joyous. I sing for Him, i sing with mind and spirit. The psalmist
here says that praise will be on his lips always. What better way to allow
the body and soul to remain in constant chill? Awesome ain't it? Then the
pslamist goes to the next level talking about exalting His name together!!
Now some of you have been to a concert, and you know how crazy it gets. Songs
of praise to the Lord edify us as well as give Glory to the Father. So check
this, imagine you in your singing mood. now imagine two people joining you in
song. now imagine 5 more coming. The genuine atmosphere is most awesome.
One can feel the presence of God there!! All glory is given to the one above,
and each person is experiencing satisfaction, joy, growth in both body and
soul. Try it sometime.
Verses 4 - 5 talk about seeking the Lord. If we seek, we will find. The
Lord will answer and He will deliver us from all fears. Once we realize how
awesome He is, our position as his children, we become delivered from our
fears for we have nothing to fear: The Creator is with us. So we who look to
him are radiant. Shame should we have? No way. We have something Great,
something on the next level that the world, lest they seek, cannot understand.
Our news is so good, we share it with them so they too may know and gain this
great thing. After all, everyone has access to it, they only need reach out
and accept it. Shame, not me. I have nothing to be shameful for. In God, my
life is awesome. Fears, relatively few. Problems, yeah they come, but then
they go. My demeanor during times of trouble, relaxed, in the state of chill
for i have God and he watcheth over me. What is there to be ashamed about?
Nothing.
Aight, well, i have to head to a meeting. I hope everyone is doing aight.
Hit me back sometime with how yall are doing. Check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 5 - 00
Hey,
Goooooood Morning! Today is Tuesday Sept. 5th, the day before classes
start. hmmmm, wonder how this day is going to go. I have an advisor meeting
to register for my classes at 11am. This will be the first time i meet this
advisor so hopefully all goes well. Other than that, i've been up since 8
handlin random business, mostly house business. Meetings galore have i today.
At 5:30 i have a meeting with my fellowship, at 8pm i have an exec comm
meeting at the house, and at 9 we have a house meeting (which probably wont
end till 12pm). It's all good though, Fred and I are going to try and get a
work out in between 12 and 5:30, sometime around there. And i also got to hit
the Home Depot to pick up some supplies for the house. Another fun filled
day of adventure. I'm serious, get to bump into new people throughout the
day. Aight, on to Scripture.
Today I read Proverbs 15. I didn't read all of it because there is just soo
much good stuff in each verse. We'll go through the first 6 verses:
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Checkit, when was the last time you got in an argument? Now think about the
cause of the argument... Now, think as to why the situation erupted into an
altercation... More than likely a situation came about and rather than
levelheaded, one of the party members involved blew up. In other words, no
gentle answer came from their lips. From everyday experience we all know that
we would sooner aid someone who spoke with a gentle demeanor than someone who
was harsh and crude. The basic human reaction to harsh words is, as the verse
says, anger. Anger in itself is not bad, it is the actions that follow that
may lead to something undesirable, for instance, a huge billowing argument
over the fact that the desk chair was turned east instead of west. Remember
to act in love, and from love comes gentleness (among other things).
Gentleness leads to a gentle answer which then turns away wrath. I can
remember a time when i was really angry and confronted someone. I wanted to
hear what he was going to say, and then explode. He replied in a gentle
answer. The result, my anger subsided.
2 The tongue that of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of
fool gushes folly.
Here its talking about the wise and the fool. The tongue of the wise
commend knowledge. But the mouth of the fool speaks all kinds of nonsense.
Their thoughts may be incoherent. Their words sooooooo farfetched. Yet, they
do not realize it. Message here is to be like the wise, be wise. Don't act
the fool. Speak truth and knowledge, not folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and
the good.
I was listening to TD Jakes of The Potter's House church in Texas.
Something he said reminds me of this verse. We know that the Lord's eyes are
everywhere, watching over us, good and bad. But do we believe it? Bishop
Jakes was saying that the root of all evil is unbelief. Now if we think about
it a lil more, we can see why. If we really trully believed that Jesus was
right there with us, i mean sittin next to you right now (cuz he is, maybe not
sittin but he is there), would we do the things we know not too? If we truly
truly believed he was right there, looking at what we are looking at, would we
be lookin? If we truly truly believed he was right there while we speak with
our friends, would we have used foul language? would we have spewed a dirty
joke or two? would we have said a "white" lie? Come to think of it, if we
truly truly believed, many of the things we do now, or in "secret", we would
not do. I mean, da MAN is right there with us!! know what im sayin? heh heh.
And it's awesome, not only can we rest secure in the knowledge that he is
there with us, we can also have personal communion with Him, we can chill with
Him, He wont leave or forsake us, He will be there to pick us up, and MORE!!
So believe it truly my bruthaz and sistaz, He is there with us, always as our
Lord, Comforter, King, and Brother.
Hmmm, i was going to write about the next 3 verses, but i'll save them for
tomorrow. This is good stuff. Some people think everything is all about the
New Testament, but the Old and New Testament go hand in hand. By examining
them together, we gain more insight into the Mysteries of God. I hope you
have an excellent day, dont forget to chill and fun. Take care and I'll talk
to you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 6 - 00
Hey,
Well today was the first day of classes. They seem aiiiight thus far.
One of them is maaaad boring though so I'm going to have to switch
recitations. Havent had japanese yet, that will be tomorrow. I'm excited
about this year though. On to scripture.
Proverbs 4 - 6.
4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful
tongue crushes the spirit.
The Word speaks in many places about the tongue. Our ability to speak is
powerful. The things we say can do much good, or much damamge. Here, in the
Old Testament, the Word tells us about the power of the tongue. The tongue
that brings healing. This means a multitude of things. Healing includes
uplifting someone, congratulating people, speaking words of comfort, speaking
gently, speaking truth, greeting someone, and more. When we uplift someone
with our words, their day becomes better, they may rise from a sad mood to a
joyous one, from death to life: a tree of life. It is the same when we speak
the truth to others, we become as a tree of life for we bring healing. In His
word, God calls those whose tongue brings healing a tree of life!! That's
such a great honor. But the tongue that is deceitful crushes the spirit. We
all know this and have probably felt the effects of this. Some talking down
to you, all the time, trying to make you inferior, sometimes that person
succeeds and crushes the other persons spirit. Thats when emotional or
nervous breakdowns occur among a myriad of other things. Satan's deceitful
tongue is all about crushing the spirit for those who fall prey share his
fate. Thats why we must use our tongue to bring healing and become that tree
of life.
5 A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction
shows prudence.
Again, qualities of the wise, and qualities of the unwise. Those who heed
correction end up better themselves as well as those around them. What person
would want to go on doing things incorrectly? It's one thing if we dont know
we are doing something incorrectly, but another if we do know. Discipline is
something to be done in love. Granted, there are those in the world who have
a sick definition of discipline. The discipline this verse is talking about
is the discipline coming with love, the one that our parents gave us so that
we would be raised with high morals, the one that we give to our younger
brothers or sisters, the one we will give to our future sons and daughters.
There is also the discipline we give to our fellow brothers and sisters in
Christ. The fool is the one who heeds not this discpline. It goes in one ear
and out the other. What he/she doesnt realize is that this discipline is not
for the dealers benefit, but his or her own. We discipline so that we grow
spiritually, emotionally, physically. So that we grow in character and in
morality. The one who spurns discipline loses all this, and for what? As my
brothers in Delta Kappa Epsilon say, "Don't be that guy". Show prudence
instead =|;?)
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income
the wicked brings them trouble.
Being a good steward of our income. We should watch the things we purchase
cuz they can either uplift us, or bring us down. Some things we buy can even
tempt us to do things we know we should not. Hence the proverb, the income
of the wicked brings them trouble. No need to mention certain leaders whose
income brought them trouble, i'm sure you all know. But there are also the
many other instances that we dont here about that are occuring all around us.
Maybe even our closest friends. Things they buy causing them to have an
internal struggle with themselves. Inner turmoil. There are some things that
hurt worse but inner turmoil is definitely a big one. Be good stewards with
our cash flow so that our house, meaning house that we live in and the house
that our soul lives in (our bodies), contain great treasure. Treasure is
better than trouble, most def.
Yo, Proverbs is a PHAT book!!! There is sooo much good advice in there
pertinent to our everyday lives. I've written many of them on my webpage back
in january. chickittycheckit out, and better still, open up to Proverbs and
take a look. me webpage, if you not know, is thus: (heh heh)
web.mit.edu/dranem05/www
click on the advice link, and you are there.
Aight, peace out my brethren and sistaz. much love.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 7 - 00
Konban wa!!
Heh heh, that means good evening in Japanese. Yup, i had my first
japanese class today. After all administrata, we began class..... and we were
not allowed to speak englis, period. The FIRST DAY!!! But it was all good.
We got pronunciation down and such. Everybody is started to get settled in,
problem sets are already being assigned, and the whole shebang. I'm glad the
weekend is coming up though, a lil time to relax before the storm. Well, on
to scripture.
Today I read Matthew 19:1-12. It's kinda funny that, while continuing
Bible roulette (as I always do), i opened up to this specific passage. You
see, its about Marriage, more importantly, divorce. Chickitycheckthis out:
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for
a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you
read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male
and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has
joined together, let man not separate."
Before I go on, let's stop here and take a look at what's happening. The
Pharisees are a religious group tryin to find any conceivable wrong that Jesus
could do, and snatch him. Here, they try to test him. And they asked the
divorce question. Jesus, being all calm and collected faith, the state of chill =|;?) > ,
answered them with references from Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Now
let's understand these words, for this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united with his wife. What reason? the reason of marriage.
Looka here, dis brutha meets dis sista and the click. They be chillin, seein
each other, doing things that are wholesome and Godly. Sometime passes and
they believe they have found their mate. So they decide to get wed. So for
this reason, a man will leave his father and mother....... here comes the
important part ....... and be UNITED with his wife. Today, many people don't
really know what marriage really is, they dont understand what getting married
really means. Society has desensitized the concept of marriage and people just
dont understand. Marriage isnt some transitory contract and when one gets
tired of it, its okay to break it. Its marriage is where a man and a woman
become UNITED. Jesus goes on, "and the two will become one flesh". What does
united mean? Coming together to form one. Once someone gets married, the
true meaning is that he is no longer john smith and she is no longer shirley
temple (heh heh heh), they, instead, are some new entity, a union of a man and
a woman, one flesh. It's something very special and unique. The world is
trying to make people forget about that important part, hence the marriages
seen today are frankly pitiful, it's sad. The people just dont know the true
depth of marriage. And here it is, all along, in the very first book of the
Bible (Genesis 2:24 for the curios). Once people again realize the true
meaning, they will ponder the decision in another light and with more
seriousness. And when marriage occurs it will be as God created it, something
special, unique, celestial, beyond words. Let's continue:
7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a
certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses
permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But
it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries
another woman commits adultery."
The grounds for divorce? What are they? Jesus states in verse nine, marital
unfaithfulness. What is marital unfaithfulness? Adultery. What is adultery?
Marital unfaithfulness. In lay mans terms, having an affair. Why this? Why
should marital unfaithfulness be the grounds for divorce and not anything
else? Remember the UNITED bit Jesus spoke about earlier? Remember the one
flesh deal? Having an affair entails sexual relations with someone who is not
your wife, or your husband. What happens to that unity then? What happens to
that one flesh? What happens that that special unique thing that husband and
wife had? It is broken. It is tainted. This leads to another injustice
society is placing on itself. It is teaching that sexual relations before
marriage.... is okay. Yet. what the world does not realize is that sexual
relations is one doorway to unity of a man and woman. The unity that should
not be broken with anyone else hence the command in the Bible that sexual
relations happen in marriage and only in marriage. It's not for His own
benefit God gave this command, but for us. So that we maintain our integrity
and experience that special union He created for us. We share more than just
bodily fluids, there is trust, heart, love, soul, character, and more in the
act said above. Let's keep it sacred. Allow it to be more than what the
world has downgraded it to. Remember how deep the true meaning of marriage
is. And when that day does come, you will have what many do not, something
special, something unique, something on another level. In fact, it will be
something not of this world.
Aight my bruthaz and sistaz, i gots ta jet. keep it real and i'll talk to
you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 12 - 00
Konniti wa!!
Yeah yeah, i've gotta practice my japanese so here and again, i'll blurt
some of it out. Hai. So how are you doing? I'm feeling a lil tired today.
Soooo, i didnt get up and run this morning. That makes two mornings in a row
that i missed my run and ab work. First day because i forgot my class was at
9, not 10. So far this doesnt bode well. I should be back on track though,
i'll let you know tomorrow. Classes are going aight. My first pset is due
tonight at midnight. Just one more q, and then, dekimasita (done, complete).
I am also very excited about tonight's Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship campus
meeting. Many of my friends should be coming, from my frat and from frats
across the river. It's a very exciting time as God continues to move and
work. Faith. On to Scripture.
Today I read Revelation 22:1-6:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear
as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the
river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yield-
ing its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The
throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants
will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on
their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not
need the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever. 6 The angel said to me,
"These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the
spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the
things that must soon take place."
Many of you may know, Revelation is the book of future prophecy. It is very,
very esoteric. There is so much imagery and other styles of writing that make
it even that much harder to understand. And this of course is for a reason.
A lot of Revelations spells doom and harsh times. It speaks about the end of
this system of things and the coming of a new system. This block of
scripture, Rev 22:1-6, is one of those blocks speaking of the new system to
come. It is a light at the end of a tunnel. It's probably no coincidence
that this passage is in the final chapter of Revelation, acting as a light at
the end of a long dangerous tunnel. It is a light. The river of life will
flow from the very throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great
street of this new city. It will not only flow, but be as clear as crystal,
clearer than anything we have ever seen, pure. Its name is the water of life.
What could that mean? Could it mean the very basic fact that we all know,
that water is necessary for life? Or could it mean that this is the water
that all those who came to Christ, walked the walk, talked the talk, all those
who gained salvation, that this water is for those lives, for they have gained
life? Hence it is the water of life? Or is it something else? Whatever it
is, it is as clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God, down the middle
of great street, of the new city.... how awesome is that!! And then, on each
side of this river stood the tree of life. It doesnt say trees of life, it
says the tree of life. How massive must this tree be? It is to be on each
side of this great river, yet be one single tree? Can you contemplate it?
And then, it bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month....
did you hear that? Twelve crops of fruit...... every month.... Every month.
This tree will never cease to bear fruit, unlike the vegetation of today that
has to go through a period where it does not bear fruit. And it is the tree
of LIFE? What does this mean? The number twelve also has some significance.
I am guessing it may symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. But who knows for
certain? Can you contemplate this? And its leaves, its leaves will heal the
nations. How can a leaf heal nations? Are we talking real bonafide leaves
here? or do the leaves symbolize those whom God will "knight" to go and heal?
Can you contemplate this? No longer will there be any curse, the throne of
God and of the lamb will be in the city. God will be in our midst, face to
face. We will see his face, and his name will be on our foreheads. Just as i
speak to some of you in person, we will speak with God. I mean, He will be
right there visible to our very eyes. Checkit, we can chiiiiiiiill with da
MAN, da King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, just chillin. Not only that, we
will know his very name. Right now, all we know is that he said, "I am that I
am". He is the "I am". But in that glorious day, we will know his name and
it will be written on our foreheads. No nighttime, no need for a lamp, or the
light of the sun. God will give us light. What kind of light can this be?
Can you imagine? If its not the light of the sun, nor the light of a lamp,
then what, electricity? What does God have in store? Can you imagine? Then
the angel said, these words are trustworthy and true and God sent his angel to
show his servants the things that must soon take place. This light at the end
of the tunnel, its a promise. God cannot lie. The things in this passage
will take place when we are with Him. Life, with the Father. Isnt this such
an awesome thing? Now look back and see where i kept asking the question,
"can you contemplate/imagine it?" The wonders and mysteries of God are
endless. That which he has in store for us, we cannot even come to realize
how, what, why, who and all those other questions and methods engineers use to
discover things. These are the things of God.
I also want to bring up something else. This is such an awesome promise...
but how many will share in it? Will our close friends be there? Will our
parents be there? Will our siblings? our cousins? our pen pal? our boss? our
babysitter? our colleagues?
...........
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"
- Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)
Aight bruthaz and sistaz, its that time again. Got ta hit da books.... with
a vengeance heh heh. Remember love your neighbor as you love yourself. From
love, many things flow. Sayonara!!!
God bless,
- patrick
ps - hit me back with the 411 (information) on how yall are doing. Peace
9 - 13 - 00
Ohayoo!!
Hello peeps. How is it goin? Me? I'm doing aight. I didnt run this
morning and all that good stuff cuz i got to bed to late last night. Its no
excuse, heh heh, i got caught up in playing Street Fighter Alpha 3. I was
playin on difficulty level 4 and didnt have to continue once..... untill i got
to Bison. He tore me up. Yo, when i tell you computers can cheat, i aint
lyin. On a certain difficulty level, the game engine allows the artificially
intelligent computer controlled enemies to neglect "charge" time. See, some
moves you have to charge for 2 to 4 seconds before you can pull it off. Not
Bison, im tellin you the computer be cheatiiiiiin. But anway, i finally beat
him after so many continues (i was playin with Charlie) and I must say i
enjoyed the ending. It was longer and more involved than the endings you get
for beating it on levels 1 through 3. Turbo on speed 4 didnt make it any
easier either. Let's see, it was about 3:30am, heh heh. As far as today, i
lost my chill for about 2 hours. Somehow, all my notes that i took for all my
classes dissappeared...AND my problem set that was due at 4pm but i had to
turn in at 3 cuz i had a class from 3-4 dissappeared too. At 2:00pm is when i
realized this. I was lookin and lookin, not finding not finding, meanwhile i
had to deal with the smoke detector people who were because it's part of my
job as House Manager, I about exploded. I wont lie to you, i was pissed. And
i lost my chill, and it didnt feel to good. I just kept gettin more and more
enraged, however i refrained from hittin or breakin anything or anybody. I
had to rewrite my whole pset, turn it in, arrive late to my class, and
meanwhile the thoughts continue to go through my head, and im not chillin.
Class ended and i went to 10-250, the only possible room i thought i could
have lost the notes in, and there it was. I instantly became happy again and
gained back my sense of chill. After re-entering the state of chill, i
realized things that i had done while not in the state of chill and asked for
forgiveness. Man, the state of chill is soooo awesome, you're at a whole
other level. Aight, on to
Scripture:
Kyoo (today), i read Philippians 3:12-14 :
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all
together in perfect unity.
This passage speaks of virtues that we should portray in our lives. When
people see us, they should see compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. Even if one is not Christian, these virtues are excellent to have.
But many do not. As Christians we strive to own these virtues, to be set
apart from the world, and to act as alight. We cant have these virtues if we
hold grudges with each other though. What happens when you hold a grudge?
You continue to think about it, you disposition becomes more bitter, you might
moan, you devise scheming plans to get back at whoever, you become nasty to
the people around you, soon you become volatile, and more. And this is a
process, the longer we hold a grudge, the further along the path of hatred we
crawl... did i say crawl? i meant run. Let's not hold grudges, its better not
only for the person ivolved, but even for our own very health and growth. And
then, holding the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience, and soon owning them, will come much easier, no? The most important
verse here i think is verse 14. Over all of theses virtues, verse 14 says put
on love. And then it says love is what binds them all together. And not just
binds them, but binds them together in p e r f e c t unity. Love is the
greatest command. Ponder on love, true love, not the messed up world's
definition of love, but love as told and lived by Jesus, as defined in the
Word. And then think on what will flow from one who acts in love.
Aight, today was a quickie, i realized i started getting long and i also
realize that people dont have that much time. So, im headin back to my roots,
like i did way back in the beginning of summer, writin a lil somethin somethin
with meaning. Aight, peace out, sayonarra.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 14 - 00
Konniti wa,
Hmm, today is gonna be a busy day. very busy. How about you? It's also
nearing the end of the first full week of school for us here at MIT. For
some, its already been difficult. But its all good. The passage I read today
speaks about difficult times somewhat. Today I read:
Matthew 11: 25 - 30. Here are verses 28-30:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls 30 For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.
First, as we can see, Jesus shows no discrimination. He says "kimasu, all you
who are weary and burdened" (kimasu means come, but in this context, since
Jesus is talking, it means come to me) Notice he says ALL. It's an open
invitation, all we need to do is accept. Accept and ikimasu (go). For he
will give us reast, not only physically but spiritually, emotionally, and any
other -allies you can think of. Mind, body, and spirit. How can he do this?
For he is gentle and humble. there are plenty of other reasons, but he gives
these two. Gentle and humble. Society is not gentle, nor humble. Granted,
there are the exceptions but they are relatively few. You look at the
business world, and its cut throat: companies buying up small companies,
bigger companies driving their prices low than the little man (some small time
competitor) so that the little man is driven out of business by the rules of
economics, blackmail, covet operations, stress, pressure, and the list goes
on. The yoke of the world is hard, and its burden is heavy. Jesus invites us
to come tohim, to take his yoke, for his yoke is easy, and his burden is
light. For us who are in college, we are probably already feeling the effects
of pressure, grades, problem sets, social life, and more; for those in the
work place, you may be at crunch time, tempers rising, emotions raging, or
simply have become a mechanical "human"; Why wage this battle alone? Let's
remember that God is there with us, always. He has given the invitation, we
need only accept, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
Aight, time to rip through my last two remaining psets, check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 18 - 00
Konnitiwa,
Totemo ii desu ka (is everything all good)? Ii desu yo (im aight). Kyoo
(today) was a nice day up here in MA. I was actually up since 7am. I had to
learn how to write some japanese characters, 12 of 'em. Is all good. My
first class was at 9, artificial intelligence. It's such and awesome class.
It's gettin harder though, quick. Besides that, not to much has been going
on... except some stuff i've been observing in some of my friends. It's not a
bad thing, but its kinda funny. Many of my friends are all of a sudden gettin
girlfriends or have had them for awhile now. But, as time progresses, they
are becoming more and more, what do you call it, whupped. heh heh. What the
lady says they do.... w/o hesitation (okay, maybe a lil but it doesnt last).
And, heh heh, a couple of these guys, at the beginning of the term, said they
wanted to work out with me so they can get stronger. They like my workouts
cuz they are hard and they work. But the woman came along, aaaaand it aint
happenin. Even my Jiu Jitsu partner. We had a plan to be like Ken and Ryu (2
characters in Street Fighter who were childhood training partners and even
now, awesome awesome fighters). To train and reach optimal fighting potential
and conditioning edge. It aint happenin. heh heh. it's all good though, i'm
used to training on my own, the lone warrior. I'll just have to become like
Drizzt, a character from the Dark Elf Trilogy and one who rejected the way of
his people (dark elves were an evil race) and sought the ways of justice and
good. He also happened to be the apex of weapons masters in this society all
through training. After he escaped his heritage, he survived in the "wild"
known as the underdark where he had to hone his skills to utmost perfection in
order to survive. He finally got to the surface and lived to protect, a lone
warrior.
On to scripture.
Kyoo I read Matthew 7:7-8
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
We all have questions, we all have things we wish to find. Here, Jesus says
to ask, and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock, and the door will
open. In the next verse, he sort of repeats what he said, except he emphasize
who is doing the asking. He says for EVERYONE who asks, who seeks, and who
knocks. See, there is a distinct difference, we can ask, but if we dont
expect and answer, will we get one? If you ask, and not believe, what does
that show? It shows a doubt, a little lack of faith. If you seek, and not
truly seek, will you find? Nope. When was the last time you sought for
something that had meaning. Did you do it half-heartedly? Probably not,
especially if it was important to you. Awhile ago i spoke about a verse that
said something about earnestly seeking. Those who seek, not just seek but
earnestly seek, will find. Why? Because they truly wish to find, they truly
wish to realize the truth, their heart is in it, their soul even, they
earnestly and genuinely want to know. To those who seek in this manner, they
will find, its a promise Jesus gave. After asking, and after seeking, knock.
Finish the job, push thru to the end, never let up, never go down, knock and
the door will be opened. This passage is used a lot in speaking to
non-believers, or people on the verge of believing. And it seems that it is
most important that they know this, that if they do ask, earnestly seek, and
knock, they will receive an answer, find, and the door will be opened. Jesus
welcomes all, he only waits for you to knock and he will open the door with
open arms. It's a powerful passage. But it also has significance in the
lives of those who are already believers. It is a reassurance that He is
there, always. We need only ask, seek, and knock. As we continue to examine
the scriptures and encounter real life situations, we will most definitely
have questions to ask, things to seek, and doors to knock on. And if we
believe and do not doubt, we will be answered, we will find, and the door will
be opened.
I hope the rest of your day goes well. I'm a be chillin for a lil bit,
then i have to do a massive amount of work. I want to make today as productive
as possible. Check you later.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 19 - 00
Konnitiwa!!
Kyoo omosirokatta desu ka? (Was today interesting or fun?) Kyoo tottemo
omosirokatta desu yo. (My day was very interesting). I was operating on 4
hours sleep (actually, a tad less) and i went to japanese class. Had a quiz,
i beat it like a red-headed step child, then we spoke japanese the rest of the
period. Well, my mind couldnt really function and i was messing up as far as
the tiny important details are concerned when speaking, such as ka and yo. You
say ka at the end of asking a question, and yo if you are supplying new
information. There isn't supposed to be a pause between blahblabh and yo or
blahblah and ka. Yeah, you guessed it, i kept pausing, and other such stuff.
Then we move along to 6.002 (circuits and electronics). I love this class cuz
the lecturer is maaad tight. At first, the whole staff came in, they were all
black suits and shades. Then, at the end of class, the lecturer said they had
a lil demonstration to give. They walk out, and the music starts. MIB was
being blasted from the speakers in the lecture hall (Men In Black). And the
staff scattered around the room stood up, lookin all stiff, Men in Black.
Then 3 of them enter the room at the front - the lecturer and two other guys -
shades and everything. Movin to the music, they were also carryin chain saws.
Then they did some more crazy stuff, and the main lecturer attempted to saw
through some electronics - a laptop. It was pretty funny, the whole thing
seeing grown guys just chillin and havin fun with what they were doin. On to
Scripture.
Kyoo, I read Matthew 21:14-16
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the
wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area,
"Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear
what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied
Jesus, "have you never read,
"'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'?"
Today I'm taking a lil twist from the previous emails. This one is about the
person of Jesus. Verse 14 and the beginning of 15 sets us up showing the great
things Jesus is doing. It talks about healing and compassion, joy and
peace... except for the chief priests and teachers of the law. They saw this
and were indignant. Probably very pissed off. If you notice it says teachers
of the Law. So these guys know the law. And they asked Jesus, do you hear
what they are saying. What were the children in fact saying? They were saying
Hosanna to the Son of David. Seems pretty innocent right. If you look even
deeper, they are actually praising Jesus. And even deeper, they are praising
and Worshipping this Son of David. And Jesus did not rebuke them. The
teachers of the Law, at this point, are shocked beyond belief. How is this
man accepting praise from men? If this man were truly a man of God, he would
rebuke them.... for the law says "Thou shalt not have any other gods besides
me", we are to "worship the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and
strength". So these teachers were pissed. They come up to da man and say,
"who do you think your are G? You think your da bomb or somethin!? All
accepting "PRAISE" and such?" If Jesus was not God, these children would be
breaking God's command, Jesus would be breaking God's command. Yet, the Bible
teaches that Jesus was without sin, else he would not have been a worthy
sacrifice. Since the Bible says he was a worthy sacrifice and he was and
still is w/o sin, then his accepting of praise and worship from the children
was not sin. Follow me closely now, here comes the clincher. Now if the law
says not to have any other gods besides me (me being God, the One and Only,
the I AM that I AM), and Jesus came to fulfill the law not abolish it, what
does that say about the person of Jesus? Who was he? He was without sin, so
this situation did not result in Him sinning. He was accepting praise, and
only God the One and Only can accept praise. Who is this "man" that accepts
praise and yet does not break the law but fulfills it when he does accept
praise? Who else can it be, but God. Ponder this intently, its one of many
major proofs in the Bible of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Over the Summer i
was doing a study on the Person of Jesus and God, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus,
and God. I found some totemo omosiroi desu (very interesting) stuff. This
passage is just one of many.
Aiiiiiight, time to bounce. Peace be to all my peeps, especially my family
and friends in Florida where that severe storm was passin through. God is
with you always. take care.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 20 - 00
Konban wa!!
Yup, new greeting. You know why? Cuz its 10pm. It means good evening.
So how has you day been? its almost over. And tomorrow starts a new day.
aaaaaand a major japanese quiz for me. Sooo, i have a request. Can yall pray
that i gain a better understanding of the language as i study tonight please?
Totemo arigatoo gozaimasu!! (Thank you veeery much). On to Scripture
Today i read Acts 10:24-48. It was a about Peter, a jew, going over to
Cornelius' House, a gentile. Peter went to his crib cuz Cornelius servents
went to Peter's crib asking him to come over. Apparently, an angel appeared
to Cornelius as he was praying and told him to send for one named Simon who is
called Peter. So Peter goes to this place, enter's and says although it is
against the law of the jews to associate with gentiles, he came for God has
shown him he should not call any man impure or unclean. Here is the part I
wanna concentrate on:
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God
does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who
fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to
the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout
Judea ...."
This is a big big big event in this time period for Jews did not associate
with Gentiles, and Gentiles were not people who knew God. Yet here is this
Gentile (non-Jew) who knew the true God. What's going on? Something awesome,
something big, the very news Jesus was spreading: God is there for all, no
matter what race, color, stature, status, past, etc. He came for Jew, and for
Gentile, all creation. Peter is now realizing how true this is and its going
to cuz a huge commotion in that time period. And it is still true even
today!!! Poor, rich, happy, sad, crippled, healthy, young, old, it doesnt
matter, God loves and cherishes all and waits with open arms for you to come.
All can have that peace, the good news of peace through Jesus Christ.
tighter than tight huh!!!! And it's so simple.
Aight, be chill my people, be chill. Aint no thang but a chicken wang.
And remember this:
"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."
- Proverbs 10:12
Peace, Love, and Honor
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 21 - 00
Waassuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupi!!
Believe it or not, that's japanese. It's actually a japanese hot sauce,
very hot stuff i hear. But anyway, as far as my quiz today, yokatta desu yo
(I did well). Thanks for the prayers. 2 down, 1 more to go. My last quiz in
japanese... for this week ...is asita (tomorrow). I just have to learn about
15-20 more japanese words. Other than that, i have two psets due tomorrow
that i need to crack down on. And then, im hoooome free, for a day or so. On
to Scripture.
Today I read Ezekiel 18:30-32. In this passage, Israel was being told
about how they will be judged as declared by the Sovereign Lord, and other
such things. Verse 32 especially caught my attention:
"32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the
Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!"
Some people have a misconception about who God is, what He does, how He deals
out punishment. Some people see Him as some domineering being that is going
to kill you if you dont do this this this and that. Some people think He is
some dictator bearing down on us with eyes like steel, cold and lifeless. So,
inevitably, some people do not wish to come to know who He is because they
have this misconception. I mean, all they need is some other being ordering
them around. It's too bad, cuz its a false misconception leading people
astray. Verse 32 says a lot. It says that God takes no pleasure in the death
of anyone... anyone. After all, we are His creation, His son's and
daughter's. If you had a son or daughter, this being came from a you and your
spouse, grew inside the momma for 9 months, and enters the world. This is
your offspring. Would you take plesure in his or her death? Would you take
pleasure in the death of you niece or nephew? your cousin? grandma? Maybe you
might be mad at one of them and be like, "yeah!", but it all honesty, if it
did actually happen, grief would come. It's the same way with God, he created
us and doesnt want to see one of us perish. So he tells us how not to perish.
He tells us to repent, cast off our old dark ways and turn toward the light,
and live. Repent, and life shall come our way, eternal life. He wants us to
live. One reason why people believe the misconception above is because when
we dont repent, whose side are we on? There is no middle road, its either one
or the other. Those who do not repent voluntarily move farther from God. And
what can God do? He isnt going to force you to come to him, his offer is on
the table, and we just need to take it. But if we voluntarily walk away, we
walk towards the world. Towards the master of this system of things. The
lies, the immorality, and the hatred that characterizes Satan. So in effect,
the misconception that God is this cold being is in fact our own fault. God
is loving and waiting, we walk away and enter Satan's realm. So death, we
bring it upon ourselves. By walking away, we walk toward's things unGodly, by
walking towards (repenting) we come closer to God and the things that are
Godly and the promises He has for us.
Its that time again, gotta wreak havoc on the psets. Peace out, Sayonarra!!
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 22 - 00
HEY HEY HEY!!!
DA week is finally OVER!!!! WOOOHOOOOO. Breath of relief believe you
me. Now i get to relax, and chill out for the rest of today (ive resigned to
doing absolutely no work on fridays after my last class). This reminds me of
a song that used to be sung at my old high school, it goes a lil somethin like
this:
Friday... OOOOOhh friiiiiday. Friday is my faaavorite daaaay. Monday is a
bummer, but tuesday's okay. Wednesday is here and thursday is on its way but
Friday... oooooOoOoOoohh friIIIIday.. Friday is my favorite, friday is my
favorite, friday is my faaaavoriiiiiiiiiiiite daaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
It was pretty kool, the whole school knew that song and when friday came, one
of the funniest guys in the senior class (this is when i was a freshmen) sang
it on the morning announcements. ahhhhh, the memories, heh heh. Okay, on to
Scripture.
Today I read 2 Kings 4:42-44. An interesting story, tell me if your
recognize it from somewhere else:
42 A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loves
of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads
of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said. 43 "How
can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha
answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord
says: 'They will eat and have some left over.'" 44 Then he set it before
them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of
the Lord.
Familiar eh? Jesus miraculously fed 5000 men at one point during his ministry
sometime between 30 and 33 AD. Now this book, 2 Kings, was waaaaaaaay back in
the day. I mean, this is the time of the prophet Elisha. I wish I had a date
so that we could see just how far back we are talking about. But Checkit, 2
Kings is the 12 book in the Bible, there are 66 and for the most part in
Chronological order. What does this go to show? That the God who was back
then is the same even now. He is what he was back then and as he was in the
middle even today and in the future. One and the same, the I AM. Back to the
story, Elisha was a prophet of God, one of his right hand men. Its like he
was God's special agent on earth with that people at this time. Imagine,
being God's special agent. That would be awesome. Anyway, Elisha told this
cat to give these twenty loves of bread to these hundred hungry people. The
guy was like, "saaaaay WHAT!?!? Elisha, have you been smokin crack dawg!?
There is a hundred people here. How do you expect 20 measly loves to feed
them? And if they are anything like Patrick who is alive in September 22,
2000 (heh heh) 20 loaes aint gonna cut it for even one man." See, what this
man did not know was what Elisha knew, and what Elisha knew is this: "Nothing
is impossible with God." Elisha told his servent, "man, be chill, God is da
man and he isnt going to let his people go hunngry. 20 loaves, one loaf,
whatever, if da MAN says its going to feed 100, its going to feed 100. In fact,
da MAN SAYS THIS 'Its going to feed the 100, AND there will be some left over'"
You see what im seein my bruthaz and sistaz? Are you reading the same thing I'm
reading. Not only will 20 feed 100, but there is going to be some left over!!!
And so the Lord said, and so it was. Nothing is impossible with God my friends.
absolutely nooothing (heh, from the song, "WAR, ha, hoo, what is it good for,
absolutely noooothing"). Just remember that as life progresses, nothing is
impossible with Him whom we believe in, and that is God, the I AM, the Almighty,
the Creator, the Alpha and Omega. What a Mighty God we serve.
Aight, its time for me to get ta chillin, if ya know what i mean. Peace out.
Sayonarra (yeah i had to get some japanese in there somewhere =|;?)
God bless,
- patrick
ps - hit me back with the 411
9 - 26 - 00
Konniti wa!!
Ii desu ka? (are things aight?) Ii desu yo. (i'm chillin). Kyoo, it has
been raining consistently. But, tukurimasu (makes it) cool outside and
inside. Work is inevitable as always. The day off kinoo desita (yesterday
was) pretty good but, work still had to be dekimasita (completed). Aight,
Scripture desu time. (It's Scripture)
Kyoo I read Isaiah 40. Totemo omosirokatta desu (it was very interesting).
However, one such verse that popped out was 11:
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have
young.
The whole of Chapter 40 is about God and his awesomeness. This stuck out like
gold because amongst everything else that depicted God as awesome,
indestructible, unmatched in power, the most Holy and Glorious being, etc,
this verse depicted him as humble, compassionate, caring. Some may say, like
a big teddy bear. Yes, he far surpasses what our minds can contemplate, yet,
he is gentle and compassionate. He tends His flock. In other words, He
watches over us every minute of everyday, grooming us, feeding us, cleaning
us. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Not
one is left on his/her own. All are gathered and all are held close to his
heart showing his love equal to us all. No favoritism is shown for we all are
his creation and he cares for everyone. And then, he gently leads those that
have young. Young can be defined in the literal sense as well as in the
figurative sense. In the literal, it could mean those who have children -
sons and daughters. God leads the parents so that they can train the child in
the way that he or she should go. Figuratively, it can mean the person you
are investing quality time with, sharing the Word of God to, leading him or
her to the truth. In the figurative sense, this person is your young. You
care for him or her, nourish him or her, and try to raise them up by investing
time and friendship. God gently leads you so that the young can be raised in
the way that he or she should go, towards the Lord and his promises.
Well, that was an uplifting passage. Just knowing that He holds us close
to His heart, each and every one, you and I.
God bless,
- patrick
9 - 27 - 00
Hey
How's it going? Pretty good over here. I gotta apologize. Yesterday,
about 11:22pm (after i got back from jiu-jitsu), i started writin up that
Scripture email for wednesday. Well, it was two verses, but there was soo
much info about them. I typed it up all good and such, and then i hit
send..... Therein lay my error. I didnt put any addresses in the to: and cc:
In other words, it got sent to no one. MAAAAAAn, it was tight to. I give
you all a lil recap about it later. But i do wanna mention that this weekend
I'll be going on a Chi Alpha retreat (Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship), in
Connecticut. It should be fun and relaxing (compared to the nonstop work im
doing now). It'll be a blast, especially if everybody goes .... Jessie and
Stacia ...ahem... heh heh. Hmmm, let me know if im wrong, but i guess i
should have told my parents about it already huh? Man, the things i do...
tsk tsk. Aight, check you all later. God bless,
- patrick
9 - 28 - 00
Konban wa (good evening),
Weeeell, its been a loooooooong day... and its still not over, not by a
long shot. It's about 10:30 right now, i got back from the 6.002 lab at about
9:30. 6.002 is circuits and electronics... methinks... But anyway, that lab
took a good 6 hours to do. Learned a lot, but still thats a massive chunk of
time, especially cuz i still have two more psets to do and study for a
japanese characters test (hiragana). Well, let me get to the Word.
The recap: The email i sent out yesterday to nobody on accident was on the
passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15:33,34:
33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come
back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are
some who are ignorant of God -- I say this to your shame.
Paul is talking to the Corinthians. He applauds some of the things they do,
and others he frowns on. This is one of the latter. First he says, do not be
misled because bad company DOES corrupt good character. Sometimes people tend
to think that they wont change period, no matter the company around them.
Paul knows this and warns not to be misled by this false sense of security.
Check it, say you have some friends. Now say these friends recently learned
how to cuss and are experimenting. Now say that they begin to speak and cuss,
not a lot but they do. Now they've done it soo much that every sentence that
comes out of their mouths is joined with some cuss word. Now these are your
friends with whom you chill with 24/7. You've been around them so long that
their cussing doesnt bother you as much as it did in the beginning. And then,
its around you all the time that it doesnt even phase you anymore. And then,
a cuss word slips into your everday speech, rarely so, but it does. Here is
the kicker, you dont even realize you said a cuss word. It just came out, and
it seemed natural. Hence, good character was corrupted. It's very subtle and
it happens ev e r s o s l o w l y
that you dont even notice it. This is what Paul is warning about, dont be
misled, the evil is smart, he can be subtle, or he can be loud. He then
shifts and talks about something different (not that different cuz the two
verses are related). And Paul says, come back to your senses. What sense
does it make not to be in one's own senses? It doesnt make sense to be
senseless. Its complete nonsense. Come back to your senses. It makes sense
no? Common sense..... sense. So you come back, in otherwords, realize whats
going on around you. screeeeeaaaaaach!!!! hold up, back up a lil bit. I
wanna mention somethin else about the first verse. Didnt Jesus hang around
bad company? Most def, he hung around maaaad bad company: false teachers,
hypocrites, liars, idolaters, prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors,
demon-possessed, murderers, lawyers... (heh heh heh, jk about the lawyer bit,
heh heh). He was around them alot, but doing what? He was bringing them the
Word, he was teaching them the way to Life. And after he did that, he spent
time with his 12, the disciples. He lived with them, ate with them, and more.
He taught them and had relationship, close relationship and he helped them to
grow in their faith and knowledge of the Lord. See the big difference? He
spent time with the bad company to show them the light, but then he also spent
QT (quality time) with his 12. See, this 12 was practically a fellowship.
They were important. In Jesus' case, mainly the disciples did the growing and
Jesus the teaching. But in our case, a fellowship is a well from which we
draw energy after engaging in full fledged combat with the world victorious.
We re-energize, and then head out to the next chivalrous battle. See, a
fellowship is there to keep us on our feet, to bring comfort and affirmation.
After doing battle, you need something to re-vitalize you. And that, my
friends, is the fellowship. Together, you and them both grow in knowledge,
faith, and strength. Plus it keeps the good character within you gushing
forever more. Aight, back to verse 34. So he says come back to your senses
and realize these subtle things around you. "and stop sinning; for there are
some who are ignorant of God -- I say this to your shame." Here is how 33 and
34 relate. The Corinthians were allowing the bad company to corrupt the good
character. In other words, instead of impacting the bad company, they allowed
the bad company to influence them. Instead of making God's Word known, and
bringing truth, they allowed the bad company to turn them around and move away
from God. How does this relate to us? Well, we can learn from the
Corinthians' mistake. When we are around bad company, remain strong in the
faith, uphold the Word. Remember, as believers, we hold ourselves to a higher
standard. Instead, bring them the Word. Some of them may be ignorant of who
God is. You are there to show them. In essence, "corrupt" them, instead of
being corrupted. See, the "corruption" you bring is eternal Life through
Jesus Christ. and after doing battle in the world, seek your fellowship, share
the news, and grow in the Lord... re-energize baby. Be like the energizer
bunny... he keeps going and going. heh heh, .
Aight, peace my brothers and sistas. Time to .... not go to sleep tonight
whoooooohooooo. Tomorrow should be fun though, and the next day, and the next.
God bless,
- Patrick
10 - 3 - 00
Koniti wa!!
Ii desu ka? Daizyobu desu ka (all good)? The retreat totemo
omosirokatta desu yo. (very awesome). College students from 5 campuses came
together to worship and enjoy fellowship with God and with each other. And
what was even more awesome was that fact that as far as i could tell, everyone
was worshiping God as the Bible says worship should be... in spirit and in
truth. It was tiiiiiiiiiiiight. Anywho, i'll tell ya mo latah, on to
Scripture:
At the retreat i decided to start makin songs out of Bible verses. I
started with this one.
1 John 5:11
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.
What is the Testimony? Eternal life through the Son. How can we gain eternal
life? In the Son. How can we get the Son? Simple. He is a gift, we merely
need to accept. This is such an awesome testimony, and it is clear and to the
point. And you can make up a song to it, heh heh. But, the Bible is clear,
God has given us eternal life. He gave it to us. We don't have to earn it,
work work and work and win it, pay money for it, be slave to some
false-minister (ie cultish leaders). God gave it to us, free of charge, a
gift, a genuine genuine gift. All that is left to do is for us to accept it.
Who is the Son? Jesus Christ.
Aight, its about 12:40am, thank you for reading e-scripture courtesy of
dranem05 e-lines. I hope your ride has been comfortable and fulfilling.
Please do come again. (alright, its late, i had to do somethin). You know, i
started writing this at 6 somethin pm. Right smack dab in the middle, my
i-net connection just cutoff, just like that, ---------- flatlined. So, my
apologies. Gotta go study for 14.01 now, exam later today. Peace out.
God bless,
- patrick
10 - 4 - 00
Konban Wa!!!
Yup yup, its night time again. Soo, how you? heh heh. I just got out
of my fraternity's Bible study. It went very well. It was tiiiiight. heh
heh. But tonight is gonna be a long night. I have to learn 16 new japanese
characters for a quiz tomorrow ( i know 8 of them), and then i have some psets
to bust out. Aint no thang though. It was raining today like no other, and i
was far away from my house, but i needed to get to my house. I had no
umbrella, so i said, "aight, let me tie my shoes, pull on the straps of my
backpack, and when the light turns red.... run" So i did. It was great, it
brought back memories of cross country when, while running in wooded, hilly,
and grassy areas, sometimes near some body of water, it rained like no other.
I mean just poured, right smack dab in the middle of a 3 mile race. But it
was awesome. Aight, on to Scripture:
Today I read Matthew 5:43-48:
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than
others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as
your heavenly Father is perfect.
Uhhhh huh.... be "PERFECT" ey? How in the world can we be perfect? We are
only human right? Interesting no? The Bible says be perfect, therefore, as
you heavenly Father is perfect. So we can be perfect, just like da Man up
there is!! Isn't that awesome. But you gotta realize, its not talking perfect
in everything like He is, its talking about this certain aspect. Recall at
the beginning where Jesus says the world tells you to love your neighbor but
hate your enemies, but He tells you to love both neighbor and enemy. Das
right my peeps, love the enemies too. Why? Why not? They are human just
like you, and not one of us is holy for we have all sinned and fallen short of
the Glory of God. But, there is a way. And that way is through Jesus Christ.
Thats the only thing that makes us different from our enemies. And that is
that we have Jesus Christ. So dont enemy-hate, they just dont know what they
missin. And that is Jesus Christ. Instead, love them, and show them who
Jesus Christ is. Show them the way to the Father. The Scripture goes on to
show how God loves all, he causes the Sun to rise on both the good and the
evil. He doesnt say, "aight, you little bad mamajamas, you dont get no sun,
but these guys who have accepted my Son, get Sun, have at it!!!" Nope, He
allows the Sun to shine on both, he allows rain to rain on both. In other
words He loves those who dont love him as well as those who do. So how can we
be perfect like God in this Aspect? By also loving our enemies. And guess
what? WE can be perfect like our heavenly Father is perfect in the aspect of
lovin friend and foe. Verses 46 and 47 make a clear point. For if we love
only those who love us, how does that separate us from the tax collectors
(these guys were bad dudes back in the day). Another example more relevant to
our day is, if we greet only our brothers, how does that make us different
from the pagans whom also only greet their brothers? Basically, verse 46 and
47 is saying rise above the world. Be like God who is timeless and
everlasting. Separate yourselves from the customs of this world that lead not
to God, and instead spread the way to the Father among the world. Rise above
my friends. Rise above and be like God.
Aight, its that time again. You know what time ( i can't believe i have to
miss jiu jitsu tonight because its that time again). ahh well, gotta do what
ya gotta do right? peace. Hit me back with the 411 if you have a chance.
God bless,
- patrick
10 - 5 - 00
Ohayoo,
Hey all, how's it goin? Although its friday cuz its 4am right now, this is
thursdays Scripture email. Everything is going pretty well. My body shut
down for about 6 hours today. I laid down on the couch in my room and didnt
wake up until 6 hours later. If that didnt happen, i'd be sleepin right now.
But ah well, you win some, and you lose some. On to Scripture.
Today I read Mark 13:32-37
This passage is about the Day and the Hour being unknown. That not even
the angels nor the Son knows that day or that hour. Only the Father. Then it
says be on guard like a man whose master has left the house and left you in
charge with specific tasks. And to watch for him when he comes back, it could
be he comes back in the morning, or at night, or in the afternoon. verses 36
and 37 really caught my attention:
36 If he comes suddenly, don not let him catch you sleeping. 37 What
I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'
This day and hour being discussed is the second coming. When this system of
things and the evil will be swept away and God's kingdom will reign. It's
when the rest of the promises will be fulfilled, no more death, no more pain,
no more night, and the list goes on. But no one knows when this day or our
will be. Ever seen the usual suspects? U know how they keep saying in that
movie, "and he's gone, just like that" Well just like that, that hour will be
upon us and so "Watch!". Do not let this hour come and find you sleeping. In
otherwords, continue in the way God is leading you. Walk the walk, and talk
the talk. Don't fall asleep, and miss it. Jesus left, and gave us each one
specific tasks. Let's perform them to the fullest, after all, they are what
actually matter, they will continue to exist even after this system of things
passes. And let's work to awaken those who are sleeping, who dont know about
this day and hour, who dont know the gift God has given them, Jesus Christ.
Watch, for the day is near.
Alright, im going to finish up a pset and study a lil japanese for my quiz
friday morning. Take care and be chill. This weekend is going to be awesome,
4 days of semi-freedom. heh heh. Cya
God bless
- patrick
10 - 6 - 00
YO Yo YO YO YOOOOOO!!!
It's Friday again.... and you KNOW what that means. Friday, oooohhh
friiiiday. Friday is my favorite day. Monday is a bummer, tuesday's okay,
wednesday is here and thursday is on its way but Friday, ooohohohhoh
friiiiday, friday is my favorite, friday is my favorite, friday is my
faaaavorite daaaaay!!! Hey, one big announcement. Someone on this list is
turning the big two one ---===>>> 21 ... this
weekend. Jessica, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! 21 years on this earth God has
granted you, thank Him for this day and celebrate. uh huh. Yo im maaaad
happy its a FOUR DAY weekend. Finally get to rest a little and chiiiiiiiill.
I ripped through my last Japanese Quiz for the week today and i almost stumped
one of my professors with a question. Now i gotta do it before the term is
over. Just gotta stump the prof. That will be tight. This weekend is going
to be much maxin and relaxin. Other than that, i don't know, whatever pops
up. Yall here at MIT, hit me up with what you all are going to be doin.
Meanwhile, on to Scripture:
Today I read many things. But there is something else out there that needs
to be addressed. And that, my friends, is the issue of Love.
Song of Songs 8:6,7 are very powerful. It's also Old Testament, yet again
showing the awesomeness of God's word. Here it go:
6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the
grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it
would be utterly scorned.
Song of Songs is a song, a love song between a married couple. And it speaks
of true love, not the world's definition, but as God created it.
"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm." What is a
seal? Its something permanent at times no? It could be a seal of honor. It
could be something you sealed away for future use. It may be an agreement
between you and somebody else, and you both made a seal so that it would last.
What is the significance of seal? It infers something long lasting,
something serious. "for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding
as the grave". Wow, is love so strong? Indeed it is. It is like death.
When death comes around, there is no escaping, it will suck they dying person
in and will not let go. Her love is said to also be this strong. When it
comes around, there is no escaping, it captures you in its warm embrace, and
it will never let go. God showed this love by giving up his only Son that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life (John
3:16).
The couple in this song had this love. Does this love still exist today? YES,
it does. Where? ah, that is the question. The world has contorted the
concept of love soooo much, it is not considered something real anymore. It's
almost like its some fairytale. It's as if such love can never be attained
anymore. Society has been desensitized. But I tell you the truth, this love
continues to exist. In fact, it is the greatest command. Love, Love the Lord
your God with all your heart, mind strength and soul; love your neighbor as
you love yourself. What kind of love is this? None other than love as God
created it in the first place. Now take this love and bring between two
people, male and female. Such an awesome love is it not? That it grasps you
both, and does not let go, "It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame".
Its huge, its warm, its celestial, its unique. Is there such love today, i
tell you the truth, it exists. Its the message the Bible pours out. Love.
God has given us all eternal life, and this life is through his Son. Why?
Because he loves us. We are his creation. He does not want to see one of us
perish. So he gave us the gift of his Son. Then He commands us to also show
this love to our friends and foes, and to our wives and husbands, to the one
who captures our heart. When you have true love, true love, " Many waters
cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away." It cannot be destroyed. not
only that but "If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it
would be utterly scorned." Huh say you? Thats right, this love cannot be
attained through material wealth. This love is not fading like material
things, but eternal and not bound by the limits of this world. To try and
sell all one's wealth to attain it would be utterly scorned because love is
not some object. You may be wondering, why did i choose to share this passage
of scripture with you. Simple, in the past couple weeks, and especially days,
i've seen many struggle with this. They need someone, they want someone.
Yet, they are following blindly some path that well lead to some kind of
"love". But once they get it, it wont be what they wished. It may be
something transitory, it may even be abusive. Be patient and seek ye out the
kingdom of God, and everything else will be provided. When seeking that one,
seek not just to fill a void, seek to find that love which is as strong as
death, like a great flame, that can't be washed away, and cant be bought. And
also, use this kind of love in your own lives in your everyday dealings with
society. Show what it really means to love, and love your neighbor as
yourself. From love flows all things that are good, true love that is, true
love.
God bless my bruthaz and sistaz. I'm still waitin for the 411 on how you
all are doing. Peace.
- patrick
10 - 9 - 00
Ohayoo Gozaimasu!!!
Wow, that's the first time in a long time that I've said good morning to
you all. It's always been good afternoon, or good evening, but this time, its
morning. The sun isn't out, there are just thin clouds covering the sky.
It's a bit cool too (I went outside this morning after doing a run around the
house to make sure all fire safety equipment is in place, and I could see my
breath... i was in shorts and a t-shirt too, brrrr) I've extended my music
collection yet again, There are some awesome Christian CD's out there, lots
of genres, and awesome messages. Aight, on to Scripture.
Today I read lots of parts of the Bible trying to find what to write here.
I ended up reading most in John, about the life of Christ nearing the end of
His ministry on earth. Then I got to death and ressurection, and his
appearances to his disciples. Then I got to the end of John, John 21:22-25.
Verses 22 and 23 say the following:
22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what
is that to you? You must follow me." 23 Because of this, the rumor
spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus
did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to
remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
Two very important things. Before that, I would just like to comment about
the last passage of John (verses 15-25 to be specific). Jesus finished his
ministry, died, ressurected, visited disciples, and now he is talking to Peter
(it seems John was there at this time, John is the witness writing this book).
Yet this conversation between Peter and Jesus is... different. I can't
really find the words to describe it. It's as if everything just slowed down.
Jesus is about to ascend, but he is having a one on one with one of his
disciples. They are just chillin, and talking. The action is slow, it's
quiet. Jesus asked Peter three times do you love me, and Peter replied three
times yes, and Jesus replied "Feed my Lambs," "Take care of my sheep," "Feed
my sheep," respectively. The conversation was on another level. It wasn't
objects in this world that would soon be gone anyway. It was about things
everlasting, things that are real, things that actually matter. And it
continues that way. Maybe that's why I can't really describe the mood this
passage put me in while reading it. It was awesome. Now to the verses I
wrote out above. Two very important things. First Jesus says, "If I want him
to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
See, Peter had asked, "What about Him?", referring to the other disciple who
was with them. So jesus replied as he did. What does it matter if Jesus
allowed this other disciple to live forever. This other disciple was not
Peter. What Jesus is saying is pay attention to your walk, to your goal, to
the will of God in your life. Don't compare it to another brother's or
sister's. Do that which God has given you. To every man his own. To every
man God's will is unique. And each path is just as important as any other God
has revealed. In other words, so what, Fred gets to live forever now. God
did not grant me that at this time, He wants me to do this, and thats what I'm
gonna do to my utmost ability. For the prize still remains, eternal life with
the Father at the appointed day. And I already have this prize through the
Son. So let me perform to my upmost ability with what God has given me. Fred
can have his long life now, and Praise God that he gave this to Fred and Fred
to will use this gift to the utmost of his ability. We are still one and the
same, brothers in Christ, following God. The second thing was the second
verse. Rumors spread, because of this statement, that this disciple would not
die!!! Were the rumors true? No, they were not. As John points out, Jesus
only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to
you?" Rumors are dangerous. In fact, many rumors fly around right now about
a myriad of things. What's even worse is that there are many rumors spreading
about the teachings of Bible. Rumors that bear false witness but people
believe because they do not examine the scriptures on their own. Cults start
like this too. So what is John saying? Don't believe a rumor, especially
about things dealing with the Word of God. Go and examine the scriptures,
examine the evidence, and discern whether the rumor is true or not. But seek
the scriptures and examine them to find truth.
Aiiiiiiight, I gots ta bounce. I have today and tomorrow to bust out as
many assignments as possible, then classes begin again on wednesday. Hey
everybody, I've done lots of editing to my webpage. Chickittycheck it out at
web.mit.edu/dranem05/www
Almost my whole collection of music is described in there, with pics and
such, the scripture page is up to snuff (including this one), and I've got a
counter now!!!! heh heh, always wanted a counter, and now I got one, I got
one, I got one =|;?) heh heh. So go, have fun, check it out. And feel free
to link to it from your webpages if you like, or refer a friend or what not.
Peace out.
God bless,
- patrick
10 - 10 - 00
Hey hey heY,
Ii desu ka? Daizyoobu desu yo. Hontoo hontoo. (are you all right? im
chillin. tru tru) Everything is going pretty smoothly. Although I must be
ultra productive today. I've got an exam tomorrow from 7:30-9:30pm. So first
thing after write this, is going to study that, and so on and so forth. Today
is yet another day off, its awesome, heh heh. Classes do start again tomorrow
though, but its only a three day week (which doesnt mean squat, probably have
the same amount of work as previous weeks, maybe even more). Well, the suns
out this morning. But its gettin a bit cold. Ii desu yo. On to Scripture.
Today I read Isaiah 55. Verses 1 and 2 are pretty kool. Check it:
1"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who
have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without
cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread and you labor on what
does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and
your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
If thirsty, come; if hungry, come; if broke, broker than hibernating polar
bear, come. To whom? To the Father. Everything He has for you is free.
Truly free, it is there, all you gots ta do is come... and get it. Just move
them legs and walk. The implications? You will no longer thirst anymore, you
11 - 08 - 00
Konban wa otomodati,
How's it going? I hope yall aren't stressin over the politics.
Stressin to the point where it's driving you crazy that is. Granted it is a
mess though. I wonder why there is such confusion. Ah well, in any case,
tomorrow is our last day of school for this week. But it doesnt end till
after our 6.002 exam that starts at 7:30pm. It's gonna be killer. But hey, i
guess that means we gotta be ruthless to eh? Shonuff. Aight, on to Scripture.
Today, I read Luke 4:1-13. This is about the temptation of Jesus Christ.
A lil background for ya. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and then
went off fasting for 40 days before he began his ministry. During this time,
he was tempted by the Devil. The temptations that are written in the Bible
are 3:
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to
become bread."
6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor,
for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
Before going on to the third temptation, let's take a look at these two
first. In the first one, the evil one simple wants Jesus to perform a
miracle. Turn the stone into bread. What's wrong with that? Well, recall
Jesus is fasting for 40 days, that means no food. Why would Jesus then change
stone to bread. For to change stone to bread would be to eat the bread. Since
Jesus is not eating there is no reason to perform such a miracle. How does
Jesus reply?
Like so:
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
And that was that. Jesus spoke, used the word, and that was the bottom line.
He didn't go into some huge debate with the evil one. The evil one would only
try to twist the words and find some devious way by which to trick Jesus. So,
Jesus didn't waste time. In essence, what he did was put his hand up and said
"Poof be gone." In other words, he didnt toy around with the temptation, he
put it in its place, beneath him, and away from him.
For the second temptation, Satan is offering Jesus the kingdoms of the
world. ALL the KINGDOMS of the world and their authority. Now for man, that
is something huh. You would be King of the world, world domination. But
Jesus knows of something greater. Compared to the father, the world's
authority is but dust. Check his response:
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve
him only.'"
BAAAAAAAM. He did it again! He said, "PSHHt, man be gone, i ain't got time
to chat with the likes of you" He does not even for a second toy with the
temptation. He dismisses it immediately. If the temptation is gone, can it
bother you anymore? And again, Jesus uses the Word. He's wielding the sword
quite efficiently no? shonuuuuff.
On to the final temptation:
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point
of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself
down from here. 10 For it is written: "'He will command his angels
concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in
their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'""
Sneaky guy huh? Conniving and intelligent. The best deceivers aren't stupid,
they must know their prey and act accordingly. Satan knows his prey, and
hence is playing his cards accordingly. So he is probably thinking, "Jesus has
been dismissing me with the Word, so why don't I use the Word to bait him hee
hee hee ...." So he goes and uses the Word!!! What is Jesus to say now? The
Word does say this, and Jesus cannot refute it. But there lies the loop whole
in Satan's plan. Observe Jesus' response:
12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Bling bling, every time the devil try to win, bling bling, it never seems to
happen all the way, bling bling, he's got no chance forever, bling bling.
YOOOO, Jesus did it again!!! He said, "BAAAAAAAAAAAM! Pleazzzzzz. Pathetic."
Although Satan used the tried to use the Word to bait Jesus, Jesus used the
word to dismiss the temptation. Yes, angels would be on call to protect BUT
though shalt not test.... When God says he is gonna do somethin, He's gonna
do somethin. His yes means yes and no means no. Da Man, is hardcore. Hence
there is no need to test Him. He is not going to lie, He cannot lie. It's
His very character. So, Jesus used the sword again. Satan thought he could
wield the sword, but failed miserably. So what does this mean for you and me?
Well, lets review, first Jesus used the Word to dismiss temptation. Second
Jesus dismissed it immediately, he didnt toy around with it for a second.
Third, though the sword was trying to be used against him, Jesus saw a flaw in
the way the enemy tried to wield the sword. So for us, it's simple. Use your
sword. There is soooo much truth in the Word. A while ago I shared with you a
verse that spoke about the impact of the Word in Teaching, Training, Rebuking,
Learning, Growing, etc etc etc. That sword, my friends, is mighty powerful.
Secondly, let us not for a second toy with temptation. Once it rears
ugliness, dismiss it immediately. Dont let it stick around causing decay and
a horrid horrid stench (its like leaving a dirty pair of socks full of filth
in your room for weeks and weeks and.... you get my picture). Dismiss it even
as it shows up. Third, realize that temptation can come in all forms. The
one tempting you is smart and will utilize anything he can to his advantage,
even things personal to you. He can even use the Word yo!!! But you must be
wise and rely on God to refute such things that may seem right. The Holy
Spirit is there to guide you, use him.
Aight, its that time again. Gotta learn some japanese right quick for that
quiz tomorrow, then study for 6.002 the rest of the night. Peace.
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 09 - 00
Hey,
Howdy doody? Chillin? It's becoming increasingly difficult to chill up
here. It'll pass though, shonuff. Today is thursday but we have no class
tomorrow, friday, thus.... HOOOOME FREEEEE!!!! ...at least for a little while.
But seriously though, I haven't heard from some of you in a while, how's it
going? Hit me up with a re..ply know what im sayiin. Aight, on to scripture:
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I
forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven
times."
Some days you are chillin with your posse right? And a couple times one of
'em will really start to irritate you. And then, to make it worse, he/she
does you wrong. What do you do? Well, two options, forgive or retaliate.
Retaliation can make ya feel good, yeaaaaaah. But it may also end a
friendship, put serious dents in a relationship, or worse. Forgiving, when
its from the heart, allows you to forget about the incident and not dwell on
it as well as make the offender think more about the incident. Hence both
parties benifit and both are uplifted. A better way to go eh? Jesus explains
this through a parable. Its about a master and a servant. The master is
coming to collect, the servant is in debt. So the master says to sell the
servant, his wife, and belongings so that the debt can be repaid. But the
servat begs for forgiveness... Forgivaness please ... And the master shows
mercy and and canceled the debt. So now the servant is all happy go lucky,
and he sees another servant. What does he do? "BAAAM, yo!!! Yeah you!! Don't
you owe me some money? Yeah you do, give it up!!! OOH so you dont have it
huh? You want mercy? Pleaaase, (choking him at this point). I'm having you
sent to prison!!!" Yeah, some guy huh. He was just showed mercy, and now he
has the chance to show mercy but he does not. In fact he goes completely
opposite of mercy and goes so far as to have this other servant thrown in
jail!! What is up wit DAT!!! Well, what goes around comes around. Other
servants saw this act and told the master. The master called the servant in.
32 "...'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours
because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your
fellow servant just as I had on you?"
So the master had him put in jail until he should pay back all he owed. Here
lies again the golden rule, "Treat others as you would like to be treated"
or, in other words, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself". If someone
forgives you from the heart, you too should forgive. Mercy was shown to you,
also show mercy then. Jesus used the number 77 as some ridiculously large
number to show that we should always forgive, just as God forgives us. But
forgiving should be real, not just words. From the heart. Don't deceive
yourself and your friend, be honest, and forgive. Man its so awesome cuz then
you don't dwell on the incident. It doesn't fester and boil within you to
this diabolical rage that explodes and destroys. It goes, and peace remains.
Aight peeps, gots ta go. Check yall later... and im waitin for that 411 ;D
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 13 - 00
Otomodati.... konniti wa!!!
Wassup wassup, wassup wassup wassup? chillin over here, chillin
chillin. Today is a pretty nice day. Well, there's no sun and lots of clouds
but its cool. People are in jackets in such, but I'm in "sweatpants" and a
short-sleeve shirt. All the leaves are many colors: red, light brown, medium
brown, scarlet, pinkish, orange. It's pretty kool. In any case, this week is
kinda out of wack, problem sets are due on days they are not usually due,
other things keep gettin changed around, and more. But it doesn't phase me,
cuz I'm chillin and takin it as it comes. aight, on to S C R I P T U R E....
Kyoo, I read Matthew 23. Jesus is speaking to the crowds and his
disciples. I tell you what, I wouldn't want to be a Pharisee during this
speech. Here, Jesus unveils the nature of the Pharisees and urges his
listeners not to do as the Pharisees do, but to be REAL.
5 "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their
phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the
place of honor at the banquets and the most important seats in the
synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men
call them 'Rabbi'"
ooo ooo, that's got ta hurt.... especially because it was true. But to be
told what you already know, man. That's to the heart yo. So what exactly is
Jesus saying about the character of the Pharisees? Basically that they were
full of themselves. They "PUFFED" themselves up. They like to be lifted
above the rabble, they like to be seen as "Holier than thou", and they basked
in it. Tell me somethin, do you truly like someone who acts superior to you
all the time, and they flaunt it in you face? And what if they are superior
to you in some areas, and you know this to be true, does it still make it feel
right when he she makes it known themselves and bask in it? Now let me ask
you this, how do you feel about someone affirms you, who does not exude that
"holier than thou" demeanor? who puts himself on the level with everyone so
that all are equal? How do you feel around such an individual, and how do you
feel about that individual? Chickittycheck it out:
11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
WOW, how true does that ring? I mean, think about those you admire, those who
you respect, and those whom you wish to emulate. Are they humble or
self-exalting? Think about Jesus, he served the people. He healed them, lead
them, taught them, feed them. He wore regular clothes, maybe less than
regular. He gave to the poor. Everything he did was for the people so that
they may come to know the truth and have Life. And not just have life, but
have it more abundantly. So Jesus continued to talk to the people, urging
them to humble themselves. In doing so, they will be exalted in the eyes of
God and the eyes of men. Jesus goes on with another awesome awesome analogy,
check this:
26 "Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then
the outside also will be clean."
BAAAAAM, its makes perfect sense. How else to make better the outside than to
clean the inside. See, the Pharisees put on a facade, on the outside they
tried to show they were righteous. But on the inside, it was a whole other
matter. Many people walk around today with this facade. They are not who
they portray. For some reason, they cant be REAL. Be real, Jesus is tellin
them. Clean what is inside, be transformed not conformed. If what is insided
is new, clean, and good, then it will show on the outside and be permanent,
not transitory. Anyone can put on a facade and say they are this way. But if
the inside is not clean, not truly clean and transformed, it will not last but
collapse, "like whitewahsed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on
the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean" (verse 27).
Who would not be like that? Clean on the outside, but messed up on the
inside? Instead, strive to be pure inside and out, to be REAL, not fake. Be
humble, and love your brothers and sisters, love them as you love yourself, be
humble and you will be exalted in the eyes of God, and the eyes of men.
Aight, time for me ta boucne. I'm having problems with my laptop at home
thus i am at the student center. And i forgot my sword at home so i had to
use the sword via internet (www.bible.com). Man, gotta be armed at all times.
Some of it is in our heads though, so we be semi-armed no? heh heh, aight,
take care. OHH, don't forget to hit me up with the 411 on how yall are doing.
peace
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 14 - 00
WassuuuuuuUup!!
How's it going otomodati? Its pretty cool up here, and drizzlin. It
doesnt feel to cold though (although some would beg to differ). Some bad news
today, I got to Japanese class late today. So I missed the 10 minute quiz at
the beginning of class, but I figured i can just take it at the end of class,
like others did when they came late to class. So I'm chillin there, talkin
japanese, wowing the class with my expert skiiillzz (heh heh, jk). And the
end of class comes along, and i ask the sensei for the quiz. She hooks me up,
i take that bad boy, i think i missed one little tiny thing, otherwise that
quiz had no chance against me. I turn it in, and the sensei says thanks.
Then she asks me why was i late. And i said, oh, i overslept lil bit (i've
had about 8-10 hours of sleep in the past 48, i didnt tell her that though).
And then she got the expression on her face, an expression of compassion and
pity. Then she broke the news to me, that the quiz cannot be counted because I
was late for reasons other than academic conflict. Of course i was stood
there shocked and speechless (all kinds of thoughts going through my head).
Meanwhile I can see she is still feelin for me, and she says she can still
grade it to see what i would have gotten, but she would have to talk it over
with the other senseis if it can be counted. Now I thought i knew the policy,
i understood it to be if you missed class, you had no chance to make any of it
up. But if you are late, i thought you could (cuz everyone who had been late
thus far has been takin the quiz at the end of class). So, I don't know
what's to happen, and I wonder if being late also makes you lose your in class
grade as well...... On to Scripture:
Kyoo, I read Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village
where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister
called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be
made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister
has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, you are worried and upset
about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen
what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
soo desu nee. Does this situation bring back memories? Someone special or
important is coming over, and you decide you wanna impress the person. So you
begin to prepare and prepare and prepare on an on, with good intention of
course. I mean come on, this person is importantay and you want to make
him/her feel that way. Meanwhile.... mr or ms important can't wait to see
you, and just you and could really careless how da place looks. He/she hasn't
seen you in a long time and wants to chill with you. Back to the current
situation, you are still preparing and preparing, he/she is going to be here
in 2 hours.... 1 hour.... 30 mins "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH im not finished yet!!! I
still have to ....... AND TAKE A SHOWER!!!!" Frustration sets in, throughout
the whole process it was building up, you're demeanor is no longer normal, you
might have a headache, probably irritated those around you like friends,
family, probably neglected hygiene and health....... in other words, you are a
mess. To make things worse, at eta = 5 mins, he/she calls, "I can't make it.
Such and such came up. I'm so sorry, blah blah blah." Then what? Worked and
slaved and for what? Then you become angry. This is Martha situation.
Except of course, Jesus had indeed come. Though the guest was present, Martha
continued to prepare. Say, for instance, Mary had not been there, Martha
would be preparin still, and stressin, meanwhile Jesus would have been
neglected and left to sit and wait. What is more important? Being with the
guest? or trying to make everything perfect for the guest? It depends on
where you place your value. If you place value on material things, then the
preparing seems more important... shame too. If you place value on the person
him or herself, something real, active and living, the merely being with that
person is more important (and probably more important that person also). PLUS,
you never have all that negative energy build up in you from preparing and
preparing. Mary chose what was more important, and it was only one thing.
Martha was distracted by many things, all of which were petty. Let not petty
things worry you and cause you to become angry, unhappy, grouchy, etc. Sure,
prepare, it's nice to want to do something for someone, but if somthing goes
wrong and ya can't do what you wanted, don't let it phase you, cuz the person
coming will be more interested in you than the inanimate thing being prepared.
In other words, chiiiiiiill.
Aiiiiiight, i've got maaaad homework to do, maaaaad homework, but still
gotta chill. Thus, peace out my bruthaz, peace out my sistaz.
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 20 - 00
Yo yo yO,
Wassup wassup, motownphilly is back again. First, I'd like to apologize
for missing 3 days last week. The combination of my laptop messin up and the
week being killer re-organized my timetable not to my likin. Soo here it
goes, Sumimasen otomodati (sorry friends). And for a lil update, thanksgiving
is comin up and its gonna be tiiight, a nice nice NICE break. 4 days baby.
I'll be headin to NY to see my cousins, beat 'em up a lil bit, then a lil
more heh heh heh. Later today, one of the friends i made in Dallas, TX is
coming down from cornell with a friend to visit Boston. On me 6.002 exam, i
got a pretty good grade. But I was thankful for friday night. Got ta chill
with bunch of peeps from BC, BU, Northeastern, NEC, Mass Art, MIT, and one
other school at Chi Alpha citywide meeting. It was a comedy show, pretty
funny. Afterwards, some people went to Maine to witness the meteor shower.
Aight, on to Scripture.
Kyoo, I read many proverbs from the book of Proverbs. For each one, take time
to ponder their meanings. It's deep stuff yo. Chickitty check it out:
Proverbs 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings
of silver."
hmmmmmm... interesting...
This next one talks about going to someone's crib....
Proverbs 25:17 "Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house-- to much of
you, and he will hate you"
soo desu nee.... ever get sick of seein somebody? Does this ring true? Of
course, it depends on the friend or acquaintance. Some of my friends, i could
go to their crib every couple o' days, or 2 days in a row, let a week go by,
then 2 days in a row, and so forth. But i'm pretty sure if i went everyday 7
days a week for hours on end, we'd probably get sick of seein each other. So
this problem is sharing a lil secret. Seldom set foot in a friend's crib, ie
to avoid gettin sick of each other, don't see each other 24/7. Does this ring
tru for relationships too? Beats me, gotta ask someone whose been in a
relationship, or one where they could spend 24/7 with the other. Or, you could
ask your 'rents,
Dealing with flattery
Proverbs 28:23 "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue."
Proverbs 29:5 "Whoever flatters his neigbor is spreading a net for
his own feet."
Flattery.... sometimes it's good, sometimes it's too much, sometimes it's
dangerous. When is it good? When it's truthful no doubt. Makes both parties
feel good. The one who speaks it, speaks it from the heart, and the one who
receives it, is at a loss for words. When is it too much? Well, when the one
who gives it overflatters. ie, everyday, every hour, every second. Then it
just gets annoying, and the one who receives it begins to wonder whether or
not he/she is speaking truthfully. In fact, it might just cause tension to
arise.... When is it dangerous? None other than when the one who speaks it
is stretchin the truth. Yeah, its great to let someone feel good, but if
you're lying... wait my bad... "stretching the truth" to do so, and you
continue too, it sets up the person receiving it for a fall. Probably a big
one. When the truth needs to come out, tell it. Rebuke is often better than
praise if it will help someone to realize something about themselves or the
road they are heading down. There's lots more to this, think on it some.
Dealing with Love
Proverbs 24:26 "An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips."
Proverbs 27:5 "Better is open rebuke than hidden love."
hmmm, the first one could apply to many things. But here is da dilly on love.
I was watching a movie on satuday at noon whose theme also ran along these
lines. Being honest. In the movie, near the end, a line was said, "When you
talk to her, don't be nice, be honest. Because this is not just you, or just
now. But you are dealing with the rest of someone's life, 2 people. Yours
and hers." Granted, it was a lil different situation because it was dealing
with getting married. And it was the day of the marriage. But as u can see,
being honest is so important. The rest of someone's life you could be dealing
with. Or the next several months. What you feel isn't real, best be honest
and not prolong the hurt, or allow for the hurt to be much greater just
because of waiting, or just because you wanted to be nice. This being honest
goes handin hand with "Better is open rebuke than hidden love". If what you
feel is real, but you keep it hidden, maaaan. Soo much could be lost just
because one or the other could not be honest. That's why the proverb is
saying better is open rebuke. Cuz, man, you can take rebuke and it won't cut
so deep into the heart and into the soul. But hidden love, and you find out
that what could have been did not occur because neither could be honest and
throw away fear, man... that's hurt, I know. Better is open rebuke than
hidden love, an honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
Aight, its dat time. Hit me back with things you thought of after
pondering the proverbs on your own. peace out bruthaz and sistaz.
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 21 - 00
Wassup wassup!!
Yo, last day before i leave to go to NY. Man oh man, can't wait for da
break!! Classes seem to be going well. I just have two assignments in one
class two start and finish tonight, and then I'm home free. Gotta do laundry,
and pack, and what not. On a sad note, a super senior here at MIT committed
suicide this past sunday, jumping off her Westgate dorm. I didnt know her
personally, but her family might be a lil devastated. Keep them in your
prayers. Also pray for students to realize that school is not a reason to
throw one's life away. For all its worth, the things worrying people at school
don't really matter all that much. You're still gonna get a job. Just live,
life is an awesome thing. Aight, on to scripture:
Today, kyoo, i read Mark 6:8-11
8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except
a staff -- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals
but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there
until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you
or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a
testimony against them."
Jesus just hooked up is crew with the authority to drive out demons and is
sending out 2 by 2. As such, he gave them those instructions. It seems that
he told them to go with what they were wearing, and that's it. And they did,
that's what's awesome. They had the faith to simply go and know, KNOW, that
God would provide for them. All they had to do was go and spread the word,
and concentrate on that effort. But what I really want to point out is verse
11 where Jesus told them if anyone rejected them to shake the dust off of
their feet when they left. Why would Jesus say that? Doesn't he want all to
hear the good news? Yup, you are right. By the disciples going their, that
person heard the good news. But, he/she rejected it and the disciples. The
disciples could continue to speak to the person, but there's a point where all
the talking in the world won't make anyone budge. This is where the shaking
the dust off of your feet comes in. You can't force anyone into believing the
good news. It is something they must openly acknowledge and believe to be
true from their own heart. In this way, that person is transformed, not
conformed. They willingly changed, not forcefully. And when you willingly
set on a path, you are more certain to remain on that path, than if forced to
against your will. So if ya chitchattin to someone, and its like talking to a
brick wall, and its been like that for awhile, maybe its time to shake the
dust off of your feet. This applies to many things. Say you and your friend
are chillin in your crib. You got some food in the fridge, but its 25 days
old (why would it still be in your fridge, i do not know and do not want to
know, hopefully you just forgot it was there). So your friend is like, "hey
yo, ya got somethin ta eat up in this mug?" And you say, "Shonuff, hit up da
fridge." Your friend opens the fridge door and sees this magnificent,
scrumptious looking piece of food. His mouth is watering and ooooooo. So he's
like," Yo, i'ma have me some o' dis right here aight?" And you take a look
and you say, "noooooooooo, don't eat that man. That's my bacteria growing
project. Been there for 25 days yo. Unless you wanna die, to stick that
junk, in yo mouth." But he's like,"Man stop lyin, look how ripe this looks
man, and if it was here for 25 days, there'd be some green stuff growin on it,
and it would be rankin too!!" And you say, "Dawg (or dawgette), im tellin ya,
it aint good yo." and this goes on and on, and homeboy doesnt want to listen.
Well,its about that time then, shake the dust off of your feet,and let him
have his way. He'll learn soon afterwards. But there's nothing you could do.
He let is heart remain hard. So homeboy eats it, man oh man, he aint never
been so sick in his entire life. 7 days later, after waking up, he says, "man,
you was right dawg. I shouldnt have kept my heart so hard" This was a light
example, just to crack yall up a lil bit. But some things get very serious.
And you want so bad for your friend to hear you cuz you know what lies ahead.
But his or her heart remains hard, and sometimes you gotta shake the dust, and
let him/her go and find out. Hopefully they figure it out before its too
late, or before they find out the hard way (like bra man who ate the 25 day
old piece of food). But what this means for you, is to not hold yourself
guilty if you friend keeps a hard heart. Yeah, you might feel bad, but hey,
it wasn't your fault, you spoke and you spoke and you tried and tried. But
wants you shake the dust, its like washing your hands. The matter is no
longer your problem, and shaking the dust was your testimony that you tried.
aight peeps, still continue to forgive 77*7 times a day uhh huhh. Peace,
and if i dont writeth you tomorroweth, have an excellent Thanksgiving (and
send some leftovers up my way, heh heh heh)
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 27 - 00
Yo yo yO,
Wassup!! I hope everyone had a nice break, a good thanksgiving, some
PHAT turkey, but most of all that yall thanked da one above for we are able to
have. Some people would think a can of spaghettieos for a meal would be
thanksgiving. Aight, school has started up again, so gettin back into the
groove o' things. But looks like we have a couple weeks left, and then exams.
This last weeks, whooooweeee, gonna be trying, but hey "with God i can do all
things." uh huh, shonuff, checkit, on to Scripture:
Kyoo, I read many things. But finally rested on Galatians 5: 4-6,
4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from
Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly
await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
The law, what is the law. The law they speak of is that which was given to
Moses waaaay back when. Much of the law is in the Old Testament (the New
Testament is still being written). Before Christ, people tried to live by the
law. But after Christ, he became the gift through which we could speak to God
and be saved. Paul is talking now about those who still are trying to be
justified by the law. I don't know these peeps felt they could be justified
by law, there are sooo many commands and being human, it was inevitable
they'ld break a dozen of em a day (just guestimatin by the way). It also
seems absurd because even Abraham was not justified by the Law, and Abraham
was their forefather. Abraham was justified by Faith. As Paul continues, he
says those who try to be justified from law have self-alienated themselves
from Christ, in other words, they fell away from grace. Grace is a gift, and
it is by grace that we can mess up. We can mess up and ask for forgiveness
because Christ paid the ultimate price. "God made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2
Corinthians 5:21). Thus, my bruthaz and sistaz, the price has been paid, and
by grace of God we can be saved. Hence, as Paul goes on, by faith we can
eagerly await for the righteousness for which we hope. Why? It's a gift,
plain and simple. Paul goes on to talk about circumcision and
uncircumblahblah (don't think about it too much). See, circumcision was part
of the Law, if you were a Jew back then, according to the Law, you were to be
circumcised. But since Jesus came and died and was risen, being circ or uncirc
has no value, instead, it is faith that has value. And what comes up again?
Yup, that word love. Faith expressing itself through love. Love is sooo
powerful, tru luv that is, not the world's perverted definition. So what da
dilly yo? Simple, tryin to justify yourself through the law, man, that will
just drive you crazy. Cuz ya can't do it, ya cant, ya bound to mess up
sometime or another. And to be justified by law, ya can't mess up once, not
even ONCE yo!! But by grace of God, we can be justified through faith. Ya
mess up, ya know ya ain't condemned because of the gift. Ask for forgiveness
and continue in faith expressing itself in love and continue to live in love.
Aight sistaz and bruthaz, its dat time. Take care and Peace out, give drop
a brutha an email or somethin. latah
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 28 - 00
Konniti wa watasi no tomodati!!
Yeahhh, today is tuesday. Not too excitin, but it ain't cold for some
odd reason... Beats me, i don't what the dilly is yo. But anyway, on to
Scripture:
Kyoo, i read John 17. Here are some key verses:
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you
protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as
I am not of it. .... 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also
for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of
them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May
they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
So homeboy, Jesus Christ, is chitchattin wit pops, da Almighty God. He's
prayin. First he's talkin about some cats who are livin in the world, but
somehow are not of the world. He wants pops to protect them from the evil one.
So who is he talkin about? Verse 20 kinda gives you a hint that in the verses
befo' 20, Jesus is praying on behalf of the believers. And what does homeboy
ask? He asks the Father not that he takes them, the believers, out of the
world, but that pops protects them from the evil one. It'd be phat if pops
could just claim da believers now right? I mean, da believers would be outa
here and livin it up wit the Creator, maaaaan that'd be tight. But no, Jesus
didnt ask pops to do this, instead, homeboy axed (yeah, i said axed heh heh)
pops if he could protect them from the evil one. Cuz why? Cuz da believers
are not of this world. INstead, they are of God, and since God is not of this
world, neither are they. Hence the things that hold the world captive cannot
hold the believers captive for the believers are not of the world. And what
is holding the world captive? None other than the evil one and his wicked
ways. Not only that, but basic things like money hold the world captive,
drugs, alcohol, pain killers, TV (oh yeah, tv), FOOD even!! But yo, those
believers, hah hah, they don't have to worry about none o' that, because they
are not of the world so that which holds the world captive has no power of
them!! Are you a believer? If ya are, welcome to the state of chill, you are
in God's hands, and what safer place to be than in the arms of the Creator?
Why else would Jesus pray this prayer, that we not be taken out of the world,
but be protected? Well, there's plenty of folks who havent heard the good
news, many who do not know. Don't you think they may want the state of chill
too? To be free!!! Awesoem huh? So Jesus also prayed this prayer so that
the believers now could share this awesome news to the rest of the world so
that they too can be free. verse 20 confirms this by saying, "My prayer is
not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their
message" Homeboy is forever thinkin about everyone, EVERYONE, for not one does
the Father wish to be lost. So homeboy is prayin for those who don't yet
know, but who will believe through who's message? through the message the
believers bring, the good news which comes from da one above. And to what
end? The ultimate one man, checkit: "that all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you" To be one yo!! one, no fighting,
bickering, jealousy, and all that crapish, but to be one, united, show love
and not hate, and to be with the Father at the appointed date. Not that one
would be with Pops, but all o' us, as ONE, to be with Pops, and chillin with
Him, the Creator, forever and ever, with no more death, no more pain, just Da
Pops, Jesus, your dawgs, my dawgs, and the dawgs from waaaaaay back, old
testament badmammajammas know what i'm sayin. See, it is the Father's wish
that not one is lost, but all are saved and free from the chains that bind
this world, and to be not of the world, but of God.
Aight my dawgs and dawgettes, i gots ta break out..... If you had any
trouble reading this email because of my laid back approach, you can order
EBONICS on tape, it will teach all you need to know about the world of
EBONICS, how to speak, how to relate, and all that stuff for the keen price
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aight, im just kiddin, that got away from me there. Aight, gotta go, hit me
back with the 411. Ketch ya later.
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 29 - 00
Hey hey heY,
My laptop is back online so I'm again writin up these things in my room
at da house (instead of the student center).. AAAnd i can see what it looks
like outside. It's 3:36pm here and the sun is beginning to set. I can't see
the sun, but i can see the hue on the sparse clouds in the sky. The colors
are so awesome, i lack the words to describe them. Well, today was same old
same old. But today i have to get crackin on the load i have for this and
next week before finals. How are you all doing? Life treating you well? Get
any new toy? I gotta new toy, its the miniture phone that is maaad tight.
It's not a cell, its just the super small phone with a lil head set. So could
call someone up and chit chat but not have to hold a receiver in my hand.
It's mad tight, mad tight. Aight, on to Scripture:
Kyoo, I read Isaiah 1:23
23 Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love
bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of
the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.
Isaiah, one of the old testament badmammajammas, was speakin to the tribe of
Judah. Well well well, Judah had been prosperin quite nicely, economically,
physically, and otherallies. But as they were prospering, they forgot
somethin. They forgot about the widows and the poor. So Pops (BruthaMan
upstairs) spoke to Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet so when God wanted to speak
to the people, He spoke to them through a prophet (Jesus hadn't died and
ressurected yet so that there curtain in the temple had yet been torn
symbolizing personal relationship with the Father could now be had). And
thus, Isaiah relayed the message you see in verse 23... and then some. This
one caught my attention, especially cuz it reminds me of America. Before we
hit up America, let's look at ourselves. Before we look at ourselves, lets
look at the people of Juday. mad prosperin right, then they forgot. The
rulers began to be companions of thieves. They began loving bribes and
gifts.... material things. In other words they were prospering at the expense
of the less fortunate. So they, in essence, became thieves. Now lets look at
us. We got maaaaad stuff. Like what i said up above about my new toy, its
maad tight. But, even though its mad tight, i can't let that get in the way
of my helping the less fortunate. I gotta remember that there are some who
would be sayin, "man, if i had kernel of corn, that would be maaad tight" So
I gotta remember the brethren around me who do not have and help to build them
up so that both parties benefit, and not one at the expense of another. Also,
in so doing, I won't become a thief like the rulers of judah became. This
goes hand in hand with loving your neighbor as you love yourself, one of the
golden rules. If ya luv your neighbor, will you let them go hungry? go cold?
be without water? be without clothes? naw man, not if love is what you wish
to express, and which also is a characteristic of God. Remember the less
fortunate. Now lets look at America. Man this country is tight right? If we
look outside of it, people are living hard lives, but here, in general people
live comfortable free lives. And, we continue to prosper, and prosper big,
nice economy. But now we gotta look deep within, how are we prospering? Are
we prospering tat the expense of the less fortunate? Are we just stepping on
the widows, fatherless, and poor so that we can be elevated? I dont know how
exactly da US is helpin the less fortunate within, but I do know that we send
mass quantities of food and aid to the less fortunate outside of the US.
Hopefully those in leadership also remember the the less fortunate within, and
do not become as "thieves" cuz man, that would suck. As far as you and I,
let's remember our bruthaz and sistaz who need help, and not just give them
stares but actually do somethin, show the love that Christ had for us.
Aight peeps, peace out. Oh yeah, and by the way.... 411 411 411 411, hit
me up with a 411, an update, or simply a "yo wassup pat!!". Aight, im out.
God bless,
- patrick
11 - 30 - 00
Konban wa watasi no tomdati!!
Yup, its evening. Man today has been so packed with stuff i've had to
do! Woke up, went to two classes, had lunch, then went to do community service
at the homeless shelter for 4 hours, then had to meet up with the Chi Alpha
Christian Fellowship Chaplain, then had some late dinner, then finally got to
chill a lil bit and watch the Simpsons (oh yeah, most def), then i went to jiu
jitsu, and now I'm back. Shoooo, and the night is still young my friends.
Aight, on to Scripture:
Kyoo, I read Acts 23:1-11. Man, Paul was a bad dawg man (bad dawg meaning
hardcore, meaning da man). This passage talks about Paul when he was before
the Sanhedrin. Apparently, some "commander wanted to find out exactly why
Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief
priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him
stand before them" (22:30) The Sanhedrin was like the religious political
thingamijigger. Apparently, according to the passage, the Pharisees and
Sadducees were among their ranks. So anyway, Paul is being questioned, and my
man "looked at the Sanhedrin and said, 'My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty
to God in all good conscience to this day" (23:1). The high priest ordered
that people near Paul strike him on the mouth for speaking. So Paul replies,
"God will stike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me
according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be
struck!" Now Paul didnt know but they guy he just bashed was a high priest,
but look at what Paul does when he finds out:
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high
priest?" 5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the
high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of
your people.'"
hmmm, interesting, though Paul may have been in the right for what he had
said, he still humbled himself when he found out the person he was speaking to
was one of the "rulers". Why? Cuz the Word says 'Do not speak evil about the
ruler of your people.' See, Paul wasnt one of these so called followers of
Christ who talked the talk but didnt walk the walk. Naw, my man Paul, he was
bonafide real stuff. He spoke, talked the talk, and he walked the walk. He
practiced what he preached. And when he realizes he does something wrong, he
humbles himself and asks forgiveness. Wow, if people nowadays could do that,
so many confrontations could be avoided. And if people practiced what they
preached, man, the confusion that exists now would not be so rampant. How
will one believe what you say, if you go and do the exact opposite? He will
think you a fool, a hypocrite, or , in today's terminology, "full of it".
This is not good, especially because it bears false testimony about the
kingdom of God. Not only talk the talk man, walk the walk as well. And here
some more about my man Paul. Realizing that the Sadducees and Pharisees were
among them, he used there fundamental differences against them. In other
words, he divided and conquered. See, my man was in ultimate chill, he knew
God was with him wherever he went. Even though it seemed he was one man
against the world in that seen, he knew that cuz he had God, the advantage was
his all the way. So Paul simply said, "I stand on trial because of my hope in
the resurrection of the dead." As Jesus had promised, so Paul spoke. At
this, the assembly flipped. "8 (The Sadducees say that there is no
resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees
acknowledge them all)." And so, they were divided amongst themselves, and
there Paul stood, right in the middle, not even flinchin, fully Chill, not
phased at all. All around him was maaaad uproar, screaming, vehement
argument, and "10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid
Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and
take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks." hmmm, a
commander yo, a commander was afraid, but Paul, pshhhh, he was chillin in the
knowledge that God is with him, always. And the next verse confirms it:
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage!
As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in
Rome."
Man, ya see that? Paul is just doing the will of God. He knows what's up,
and his faith is true. Hence, just as Jesus slept while a huge storm was
rockin the boat he was on (he and his apostles) as if nothing was happening,
so Paul stood, fearless, in the state of chill with full knowledge and faith
in Pops, da Man upstairs. Strive to achieve this faith and rest assured that
God is with you Always.
Peace out my bruthaz and sistaz.
God bless,
- Patrick (the LW)
12 - 05 - 00
Konban wa otomodati,
How is it going out there? For many of us the term is winding down,
and that means crunch time. I know for me, this week is especially tough.
But anyway, let's go on to Scripture.
Kyoo, I thumbed through and I read Matthew 5:21-26. Here are 23-26:
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your
gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to
your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 "Settle matters
quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it
while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over
to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and
you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will
not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Man, this passage is soo important to keepin a smile on your face at all
times. Man, sometimes you see people right, and they are happy all the time,
always smilin and such. Well, what do you think one of the reasons for that
is? Quite possibly what this passage here is talkin about, not holding a
grudge. Holding a grudge is one of the worst things we could do. Not only
does it strain relations with that person (or persons), but it puts us in a
bad mood. Grumpy, angry, hissing, matter of fact, lookin like gleock or
hyena. Yeah, im serious yo. You're whole demeanor and attitude becomes this
poor wretched and haggard thing, and people in general won't want to be around
you. And why? Just cuz ya hold a grudge. And yet, the person you may be
holding a grudge against, might not even know it, or may know it but is just
chillin cuz he/she isnt even thinking about it. So whats the result? A
messed up grudger, a happy grudgee. Why hold a grudge, as you can see, it
produces only negative affects. Happy is healthy, angry is just dangerous.
When you're relaxed and happy, man you feel like you can do anything. But
when you're tense and uptight, man you can't see straight, think straight, or
even poke someone in the belly just to hear that giggle (or see them flinch
heh heh). What does the Word say? It says, stop, dont even offer your gift on
the altar, but go and make peace with your brother first!! It's like saying,
before you offer up anything to God, man, go make peace with your sister, your
brother, family, friends, wife, significant other. In other words, clear your
heart, make it joyous. "Settle matters quickly". Now i know what some people
might be thinkin... "oh yeah, i can settle it quickly, i'll tickle him to
death until he says sorry" or "oooh yeah, wait till he comes back.. naa,
forget it, i can do this right now quickly, let me go knock him out". No no
no, settling matters quickly doesnt mean brutality, maming, destroying, or in
some cases killing. It means make peace, and do it quickly and sincerely.
Cuz if not, this thing could drag and drag, involve people it doenst need to
involve, go even to the law and government, and then jail. And notice what
Jesus says, "I tell you the truth", whoooooaaaaa, wait a minute. Whenever
Jesus says that man, watchout. It's obvious He is tellin the truth, for he
will not lie, yet he says it anyway, "I tell you the truth". You know you
know you know something powerful is comin, and he finishes "you will not get
out until you have paid the last penny." So if ya led it drag out and drag
out, tempers being pent up festering and growing, when it explodes, that's it
yo. It's take something great, and a long time, to re-establish good
connections, wholesome and happy, healthy. Please please Please, don't hold
grudges or harber contempt, its not worth it man, its not worth it, it makes
you lose your cool, and the essence of chill.
Aight my bruthaz and sistaz, peace out. Take care.
God bless,
- patrick
12 - 08 - 00
Hey hey heY,
WaaZzzuUUuUUuUP!!! Yeah yeah, i'm pretty happy. This week is OVER!!
Man was it trying, but alas, I beat it. Uh huh, and not only that, but now im
only 2 weeks and a day from going back home ohhh yeah. I'm feelin it, i'm
feelin it. It snowed today peeps. Yuuuup. Now its only a matter of time
before a snowball war erupts heh heh heh. Aight, on to Scripture:
Kyoo, I read some of John 12 and 13. Verses 42-46 of chapter 12 stuck out
in my eyes.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.
But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for
fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise
from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, "When
a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one
who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no
one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Apparently, Jesus was talking to Jews again and perform miracles and such.
But they still would not believe him (according to verse 37). Yet, we come to
verse 42, and it says that at the same time many even among the believers
believed. So man did not believe, and many did. But something held them
back. What was it? One, they feared they would be put out of the synagogue,
and two they loved praise from men. Who doesnt like praise from men? I mean,
when someone compliments you, it makes you feel good and brightens your day.
So whats wrong with that? Well, nothing. In fact, its part of loving your
neighbor as you love yourself. But the mistake that does happen is what these
fellas did. They loved praised from men.... more than praise from God.
yoooooooooooo, come on now!! God, and man, who is greater? Yet these guys
loved the praise from the men more!?!? Sounds ridiculous huh? but its true.
The thing holding them back from fully going to the Father was their love of
praise from men. In other words, they were trying to serve two masters. They
put something that was within the world above he that is not of the world,
heck, He that had no beginning: God. How do you do that, i dont know. But,
as it says in the word, a man connot serve two masters, he will either like
the one or despise the other. One cannot follow the desires of God as well as
the desires of the flesh. They just dont mix yo. The flesh wishes to indulge,
God wishes for to bring you in, so that you can have Life and more abundantly.
The flesh wants to rebel, cheat, and more, God wants you to become more than
mere man, wants you to become of Him, wants you to be not of this world and
above its chains. Does it look like the desires of the flesh and that of God
mix? heeeeeeck naww. And as you can see, the desires of God reaps one a good
harvest, aka phaaaaaat results yo!!!! So Jesus speaks again saying that when
a man believes in him, he believes also in the one who sent him, da Father.
But you must believe, not think you believe (as the jews and leaders had, but
loved man's praise more than God's). If they truly believed, they would have
contemplated the proportion of Praise from God to praise from man. But they
didnt. And Jesus continues by saying he came as a light so that whoever
believes would not be left in the dark. Oops, my bad, there is a difference
actually. He actually said so that not one would be left in dark, not one yo.
That's why he came as he so states. Thus believe wholeheartedly and rest not
on the pleasures of this world, for what God has for you is many times better
(orders of magnitude better). I mean, seriously, that's God. He takes care
of the birds and ensures they live, and they are wild. How much more will he
take care of you, you whom He has made in His own image.
Aight peeps, bruthaz and sistaz, time for me ta bounce. Checkittycheck
yall later. Peace.
God bless,
- patrick
12 - 11 - 00
Konniti wa!!
Sukuulu wa weeku huta-tu dake desu. (There is just two weeks of school
left). Watasi wa final tesuto yot-tu arimasu kedo.. (I at least have 4 final
tests, but [i dont know about others]). Otherwise, we be chillin. I know
some of you already had finals or are having them right now, good fortune to
you and do well. This week is going to consist of organizing stuff and
studying, sore kara (after that), i take them finals and go HOME!!!! yeah
yeah yeah. When and how long are yall going to go home? Hope ya have a
daizyoobu bureku (a good break). Aight, on to Scripture (Sukuriputuu desu nee)
Kyoo, watasi read 2 Timothy 2. Verses 22-26 jumped out at me. Checkit:
22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because
you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not
quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not
resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope
that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the
truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the
trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
The first verse that caught me was verse 23 (take a quick peak at it). Then i
read the stuff around it more closely, and "waBAAAAM" that passage hit me, so
i had ta write about it. Checkit, first it advises to "flee from the evil
desires of youth, and pursue.." pursue what? and what are these evil desires
of youth? In answer to the first question it says to pursue "righteousness,
faith, love and peace." So what are the evil desires of youth? I'm sure you
take a stab at them. But basically they are those which breed
unrighteousness, unfaithfullness, pseudolove or hate, trouble and destruction.
Who do righteousness, peace, faith, and love characterize? Yup, da Man, God.
These are but a few of His characteristics. Imagine if you pursue just these
few!!! We become more like our Father in heaven, in other words, we continue
to become of Him and not of this World (which verse 26 describes somewhat).
And whats more that caught my eye is that it says to pursue these things along
with those "who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." See, it doesnt say to
purse these along with just anybody, but with those who pursue out of a pure
heart. In other words, with those whose desire is not a false pretense merely
to "fit in". Seriously, would you like someone working for you, in yo crib or
in your place o' business whose heart is not in it? How will they share you
vision? How will their work output reflect their demeanor? Oh yeah, it shows
yo. But if you're workin with someone of pure heart, maan, production sky
rockets. Not only that, you gotta ensure a phat atmosphere, one where they
feel like da bomb, like they matter. See the comparison? The Father wishes
you to be more like him, you who He made in His own image, and he has great
things in store fore you if you seek after Him. And not just seek, but seek
with a pure heart. Cuz if your heart is in it, then you yourself know you are
not lying to yourself and will be determined in your search.
And then verse 23 comes into play saying, "Don't have anything to do with
foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." Man,
how true is that? The verse doesnt ive conjecture about it, it plainly and
simpley says that you know, and you know that you know. Foolish and stupid
arguments, man, they abound everywhere. Some people will fight over a
paperclip, a seat save (when you sit somewhere, before you get up you say
"SEAT SAVE!!!!", that way no one can sit in yo seat heh heh ;) tru tru), if a
picture frame is a centimeter to the left or to the right. Why? That's a
question for the ages eh? It happens all the time, I've done it, and i know
my brothers and sister have done it (man when we was little, whoooooweeee, we
use to fight over the littlest things like burping in my room, but we was kids
so it was all good heh heh) Yet it still happens even today, although with
less frequency. Man, its not worth it, cuz we know that having anything to do
with foolish or stupid arguments produces quarrels. So why indulge in them
eh? That's right, its pointless to. And then it just gets us all uptight and
fidgety and we can't sit in one place and then your little son or daughter,
baby bro or sis, or the baby you are babysittin looks up at you with big round
curious eyes... and you know what they are thinking "Man, what's wrong with
this guy? His face looks like my baby food." They they start laughin and
smilin and you loosen up a lil bit and joy re-enters your heart for a minute.
(okay okay, I went a lil overboard, but you know what I mean). So how does
this verse relate to the first verse about pursuing after Godly things? Ahh,
that's a question for tomorrow (this has gotten quite long so let break dis up
into a 2 part series my bruthaz and sistaz).
Aight, time to bounce. Man, da sword is so full of truth and strength,
wield that bad boy, and not just wield it, but wield it with skill. Aight,
peace.
God bless,
- patrick
12 - 12 - 00
Yo wassup!!
Hey, its been a pretty good day. Really cold wind a blowin but otherwise
nice. Basically its its smooth sailin for about a day. Most people have
started the onslaught of printing everything they need for their exams
(including me, i just got a head start). So, as i wait for my print jobs to
end, here comes part II, the continuation of yesterday's Scripture:
Here are the verses again to refresh ya memory:
22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because
you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not
quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not
resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope
that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the
truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the
trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
From the verse two verses we saw that the word advises us to flee from evil
desires and seek after the God and His character. It also warned against
having anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments. Why? Cuz we know it
just be leadin to bickering and fightin and cat fights and the like, heh heh
heh. So why bother having anything to do with em in the first place? Then i
left you with this question, "So how does this verse relate to the first verse
about pursing after Godly things?" Well, to answer that, let's look at the
next verse, verse 24 "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he
must be kind ot everyone, able to teach, not resentful" BAAAAAAm, there it go
yo!! How does it relate? Cuz if you are quick to anger, easily annoyed, etc,
then ya ain't exhibitin the character of God. The true servant will not
quarrel, cuz he will know it leads to nothing, but he will instead be kind to
everyone (lovin yo neighbor as you love yo self). See, from love, all these
things flow. It's like water: flowing, unified, strong, life giving, and
more. So intead of quarrelin, da tru brutha will instead be kind, and able to
teach!! Cuz if you can teach instead of yell, people are more apt to hear
instead of fight. And most of all, da brutha or sista wont be resentful.
Resent remains in the heart yo, having a resentful heart is not having a
loving heart. A resentful heart instead yields bitterness and contempt, a
dent in your state of chill. And then it goes on, saying in laymans terms,
cuz if this brutha be chillin, he can gently instruct those who fight against
him and rest assured in the hope and Faith that Pops upstairs will open their
eyes, ears, and soften their hearts. Why? So that they may be lead to the
knowledge of the truth. See, you remain always in the state of chill, chillin
wit da Pops, full in Faith of His Mighty hand. Man, if you know Pops, he's
gonna take maaaad care of ya. Ain't nothin to fear, and hence his servant
need not quarrel but teach and hold fast to faith and hope. Cuz if they do,
da brutha or sista they are teachin will come to their senses man, and be
FREED. Freed from the clutches of that sly fox known as the devil. He
dresses up many a thing in this world to look sooooooo Good and sooo tempting
man, that many fall. But when ya got Pops, you're eyes will be opened, and
you will see, and no longer fall prey. Free yo, and in the state of chill.
Aight padnas, time for me to jet. Peace out, and keep it real.
God bless,
- patrick
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