Wednesday, September 2, 2015

For the Brokenhearted


 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. -Psalm 34:18-19

  There are days when I feel like everything around me is grey: like I'm living in greyscale. Nothing during those times is bright...nothing is beautiful...nothing is vibrant. I just feel...nothing and sometimes everything all at once. It's like I have a roller coaswter of emotions and non-emotions. But when these times come, it's important that I tell someone: JESUS. he knows what I go through: He comforts me and lifts up my head because He knows what it's like. He has walked by my side through the vibrant parts of my life as well as the grey parts: He will never ever leave me. That's why I still have hope even when I FEEL hopeless. 

I hope this helps anyone struggling with depression; it's a topic that can be difficult to discuss (and sometimes even embarrassing). 

Cheers. 

Monday, May 18, 2015

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

   I know, I know. You must be thinking "Lame article. Who would write an article about porn?" Well, please feel free to click out of this blog if any of the following describes you; perfect, sinless, pure, etc. However, if you do not fall into any of the categories mentioned, read on and be convicted and encouraged. 


Before you read any further, consider a few surprising statistics: 


  1. 1/8 of searches online are for erotic content.
  2. 51% of young men say they first saw porn before the age of 13.
  3. 83% of boys &57% of girls see group sex online before the age of 18.
  4. 64% of college guys watch porn at least once a week.
  5. 18% of college women spend time online every week for sexual purposes.
  6. Those who identify as "Believers" are 91% more likely to look at porn.
  7. 16% of pastors surveyed said they visited a porn site in the last 30 days. 
  8. 56% of divorce cases involve one party who is obsessed with porn. 

   This should come as no real surprise; many young men in the church watch porn habitually. In fact, Richard, raised in a Christian home, remembers that he encountered pornography when a 10th-grade classmate slipped a photo into his math book. This marked the beginning of a 15-year addiction to pornography for Richard. 
   Now a pastor, Richard still faces temptations and struggles in his relationship with God: "It [porn] has kept me from healthy relationships with women [and] drastically affected my maturity in Christ." 
   Men are not the only ones who struggle with a porn addiction. Christine is a young woman who has come forward about her addiction. Her struggle began when she was 8 years old; she started watching porn after finding a hidden stash of her stepfather's videos. Now 26, Christine has kept silent about her addiction until recently. She says that porn ruined her view on sexual relationships: "Watching porn made it OK to have same-sex attractions, it made it OK to be experimental, it made it OK to have no boundaries," Christine recollects. "It was almost like my validation...'If I do X, Y, and Z, I'll have a satisfied relationship.'" 
   Research shows that the average addict is exposed to porn between the ages of 10 and 12. This accounts for the sex-saturated society that we live in today; relationships are initiated out of a need for carnal "satisfaction," while marriages crumble under the weight of unfulfilled sexual expectations. All because of one thing: pornography. 

But no one is without HOPE...

  • Accountability partner(s)-- This can be a parent, teacher, pastor, friend, or significant other. 
  • NoFap-- This website helps those who find themselves in sexual addictions take back their lives by instituting a comprehensive community-based porn recovery website. 
  • Operation Integrity-- This nonprofit organization dedicates itself to helping those struggling with a sexual addiction to overcome their addictions in a godly way. 
  • Covenant Eyes-- An online security system that filters "bad" sites for your personal use and sends a copy of your web browsing history to an accountability partner. 
  • Constant  Prayer-- Our Heavenly Father "is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13)
Cheers.

Info and photo courtesy of covenanteyes.com, WORLD MAgazine, the occidentalovserver.net, and redeeminggod.com

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Sometimes...


Sometimes you just have to realize it was never meant to be.
In the moment between silence
And the sound of a heart breaking
You realize that you. just. can’t.

Not anymore.
Not ever.

Sometimes you just have to realize that there’s nothing left.
There’s nothing left for you here.
Go home.
Go make new friends.

Do this
For yourself.

You probably thought this poem was meant for you.

Well, you see, you're wrong.

It was meant for someone else.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Hope. Peace. Joy.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! And a Happy New Year. 

Now I don't want to be Johnny Rain-cloud here, but I was thinking: what would it be like to receive the news that you have some sort of terminal illness? What would be your first reaction? Would it be a reaction of sadness, anger, dismay, or even confusion? 

Trust me...I am NOT a morbid person. I was just watching the movie God's Not Dead and there is a character in there who receives this very same news. She is told that she has terminal cancer. Her reaction is one of shock (at first). But then her life takes a twist for the worst and she comes undone: she rages and screams in her room one night against this terrible fate dealt to her.  

I can only imagine what that must feel like--to rage and fight against fate itself...and ultimately against God. This person's reaction seems pretty normal. 

This seems like a frightening experience; to be filled with such uncertainty and hopelessness. The world, as this character view it, is dead: there is nothing to live for and there is nothing to die for. Life is filled with darkness and despair--neither of which seem to have a purpose. 

In some way, I guess you could say that I have been feeling a little under the weather. The subject of death doesn't haunt me; rather, the evil in the world is constantly at the back of my mind. 

I see things that shouldn't be happening; Christians being mercilessly beheaded, lies being spread, bombs detonating, disease spreading, and evil prospering. 

However, this time of year (Christmas) always reminds me that there is HOPE. There is PEACE. And there is JOY to be found. These things can't be found in the world.

In the darkest of hours on earth, a light emerges. 
This light is the reason for Christmas.
This light has a name. 
This light is CHRIST.

Consider the lyrics to the following Christmas carol: O Come O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.


May this song bring you hope, peace, and joy this year and the following year. 
May the hope of Christ take root in your life. 
May the peace of the Father dry your tears. 
May the joy of Christ's birth rejuvenate you. 



Cheers. 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Loving

Heart throbbing
Head pounding
Mind bending
Love. 

Head spinning
Mind racing
Time ending
Love.

Hope soaring
Faith growing
Frame craving
Love.

Knees shaking
Skin sweating
Lips daring
Love.

Gift expecting
Life accepting
Life rejecting
Love.

Soul breaking
Head bowing
Hands clasping
Love. 

No crying
No mourning
No pining
Love.

Time halting
Year stopping
Age growing
Love. 

Sleep silencing
Dream deepening
Night beckoning
Love.


Cheers.

that love



i run the blade across my skin
and hope that death may bear my bones
our love was something that had been
and now that feeling is as stone


that love the sun could not outshine 
the moon itself could not endure
my mind the thought of you outlines
but scarce can take it for a cure


to die in love is not much lost
but life without is not much gain
to feel the bitter bite of frost
is better than false love attained



To earth I give my last goodbye
To you I let my love defy. 



Cheers. 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Sun

I watch her rise above the moon 
With precious warmth so bright, 
That golden lady robed in light 
With flames' surrounding flight 
She stoops to kiss the earth so round. 
The leaves with dew so wet 
Do shimmer in her light 
She looks to Him who did beget 
Her feet dare tread the softest earth, 
Those feet that light the way. 
Her burning flames that light the world 
All man can do is pray. 
Cheers.