So, this year we moved home and we decided to save money by working a garden with my parents. Good decision? We will see.
Last night I was tilling up the ground with dad (turning up the ground) and it got me to thinking about how we operate.
We always use the analogy of planting that seed so that we can reap the harvest in any type of ministry setting. If we can just plant the seed. We can't have a harvest without planting the seed.
I get it. I do. It's a very relevant analogy for me. I'm not going to have any okra, corn, or squash if I never plant the seeds.
But what good does planting seed do if we don't till the land first? If we never prepare to plant the seed, how many seeds will take? If we never take the time to soften up the ground so we can do the work efficiently, what sense does it make to plant a garden?
Are you seeing what I'm gettin' at? See, what we have to do is prepare for what we are about to do. If we want to reap the harvest, we must understand that the first step is turning up the ground.
See, even gardening can be spiritual....until (if you're like me) you look down and realize you have blisters on your hands.
So I encourage you, when looking for the harvest to make that beginning effort. Prepare for your work. We can't go throwing seeds willy nilly!
Read Matthew 13:1-9. It's relevant. Now get to turnin' your ground!
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Help Me Out
Today is not content. I need you to help me out. Yes, you reading this right now. I need you to do me a favor.
I need you to do one of two things. If you have enjoyed this blog thus far, help me spread the word. I'm going to post a link for the blog or you can go to your favorite posting and use that link.
If you are willing, please help me. Take your favorite post or this link and post to your Facebook account or your Twitter feed. Here it is:
"Like blogs? Check this out from @justintho21. Share with your friends and comment if you like? http://forwardmotiontime.blogspot.com/ "
Copy and paste the above into your status or tweet!
This is an experiment. Will it work? I don't know. You can help though. Is this about self promotion? No. I'm not a self-promoter. This is a stretch and I can almost guarantee this will be a one shot deal here. So help me out. Mention to a friend. Mention to your followers. Let's see what happens.
Thanks in advance! Now back to spiritual ramblings of a fat redneck...yes that's me. I know what you're thinking MJ, and I'm not gonna change the blog name to ramblings of a fat redneck.
I need you to do one of two things. If you have enjoyed this blog thus far, help me spread the word. I'm going to post a link for the blog or you can go to your favorite posting and use that link.
If you are willing, please help me. Take your favorite post or this link and post to your Facebook account or your Twitter feed. Here it is:
"Like blogs? Check this out from @justintho21. Share with your friends and comment if you like? http://forwardmotiontime.blogspot.com/ "
Copy and paste the above into your status or tweet!
This is an experiment. Will it work? I don't know. You can help though. Is this about self promotion? No. I'm not a self-promoter. This is a stretch and I can almost guarantee this will be a one shot deal here. So help me out. Mention to a friend. Mention to your followers. Let's see what happens.
Thanks in advance! Now back to spiritual ramblings of a fat redneck...yes that's me. I know what you're thinking MJ, and I'm not gonna change the blog name to ramblings of a fat redneck.
Post-Easter Sugar High
Somehow I avoid Easter candy better than most things that are bad for me. That usually only lasts until Saturday. This year I got bombarded by jelly beans. I killed me some Starburst jelly beans. Then I devoured some Mounds, and some Reester Eggs (you know the reese eggs). I was on it!
Think about it though. A lot of us get on an Easter high. We buy new clothes, plan dinners, take a million pictures (speaking of which, I dislike you who took 18 mirror pictures for Easter and posted them to FB!) and continue on our way. We get hyped about Easter, and I know I do. I love Easter. Without the Resurrection, we have nothing. Christ then becomes another man. We lose everything that we believe without the events that we just celebrated.
We have to get over Easter being our Christian sugar high. We have to get over our new outfits, our dinners, our everything to realize what the moment truly celebrates. When we realize what the moment is truly about, then we must carry it on with us daily.
Resurrection is celebrated in glorious fashion once a year, but don't let it be a once a year occurrence. We as Christians should celebrate this in glorious fashion every Sunday. Actually, scratch that. We should celebrate it in glorious fashion every single day.
See, my mom instilled my love for Easter at an early age. Me and my brother never really got the Easter baskets or anything like that. (No, I'm not knocking that tradition. It's just something we never really did. We did have those dagum Easter marshmallow eggs like they were goin' outta style though.) Mom really helped us see the meaning of Easter. I remember her and dad taking us to Woodward's Passion Play. I was like 9, but yet I understood the love that was meant for me. The play was so powerful. I'll never forget what it felt like to see something that to a 9 year old boy seemed so real.
Through that teaching by mom through example and exposure to Christ's love, I got it. I got the meaning of Easter without a doubt.
The thing that is hard for me, as is most Christians, is is the fact that we get caught up in the celebratory mess that we have created. We ought to celebrate this fact every day. We have to come down from our sugar high and realize that through Him we are free.
So take a minute. Realize that without the resurrection, we wouldn't gather like we do. We wouldn't celebrate Easter the way we do. We wouldn't have the love of Christ like we do. BUT because of the resurrection we have the love, we have life, and we have the ability to celebrate, not just one day, but everyday!
Jesus slapped #yolo (you only live once) in the face. That circulated on Twitter. I love it. Enjoy Easter. Enjoy your family. Enjoy what you do, but I encourage you to remember that when the sugar high ends, the candy is gone, the clothes are used, and the church isn't as decorated that we still celebrate because HE lives.
Think about it though. A lot of us get on an Easter high. We buy new clothes, plan dinners, take a million pictures (speaking of which, I dislike you who took 18 mirror pictures for Easter and posted them to FB!) and continue on our way. We get hyped about Easter, and I know I do. I love Easter. Without the Resurrection, we have nothing. Christ then becomes another man. We lose everything that we believe without the events that we just celebrated.
We have to get over Easter being our Christian sugar high. We have to get over our new outfits, our dinners, our everything to realize what the moment truly celebrates. When we realize what the moment is truly about, then we must carry it on with us daily.
Resurrection is celebrated in glorious fashion once a year, but don't let it be a once a year occurrence. We as Christians should celebrate this in glorious fashion every Sunday. Actually, scratch that. We should celebrate it in glorious fashion every single day.
See, my mom instilled my love for Easter at an early age. Me and my brother never really got the Easter baskets or anything like that. (No, I'm not knocking that tradition. It's just something we never really did. We did have those dagum Easter marshmallow eggs like they were goin' outta style though.) Mom really helped us see the meaning of Easter. I remember her and dad taking us to Woodward's Passion Play. I was like 9, but yet I understood the love that was meant for me. The play was so powerful. I'll never forget what it felt like to see something that to a 9 year old boy seemed so real.
Through that teaching by mom through example and exposure to Christ's love, I got it. I got the meaning of Easter without a doubt.
The thing that is hard for me, as is most Christians, is is the fact that we get caught up in the celebratory mess that we have created. We ought to celebrate this fact every day. We have to come down from our sugar high and realize that through Him we are free.
So take a minute. Realize that without the resurrection, we wouldn't gather like we do. We wouldn't celebrate Easter the way we do. We wouldn't have the love of Christ like we do. BUT because of the resurrection we have the love, we have life, and we have the ability to celebrate, not just one day, but everyday!
Jesus slapped #yolo (you only live once) in the face. That circulated on Twitter. I love it. Enjoy Easter. Enjoy your family. Enjoy what you do, but I encourage you to remember that when the sugar high ends, the candy is gone, the clothes are used, and the church isn't as decorated that we still celebrate because HE lives.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Remembrance
As the observance of Holy week draws closer to ending, I encourage you to remember what we are celebrating.
We celebrate that Christ died for our sins. We celebrate that Christ rose to justify us. We celebrate that He has the keys to death, hell, and the grave. We celebrate that He conquered death. We celebrate that He reigns forevermore. We celebrate the fact that through Him we are free.
I know this is nothing elaborate, but take some time this weekend as you are conducting Easter egg hunts, fellowship gatherings, morning breakfasts, etc., and remember why we are where we are.
Just take a moment. Thank God for stepping in for us. Thank Him for becoming the way.
We celebrate that Christ died for our sins. We celebrate that Christ rose to justify us. We celebrate that He has the keys to death, hell, and the grave. We celebrate that He conquered death. We celebrate that He reigns forevermore. We celebrate the fact that through Him we are free.
I know this is nothing elaborate, but take some time this weekend as you are conducting Easter egg hunts, fellowship gatherings, morning breakfasts, etc., and remember why we are where we are.
Just take a moment. Thank God for stepping in for us. Thank Him for becoming the way.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Do It Yourself
I have great friends in Kentucky. Hard to believe since it is Kentucky.
My good friend's, MJ, dad is an artist, author, pastor, etc. Heck, he is a lot of things.
He has a book titled "Like a Tree". Good book. Find it. Read it. "Like a Tree" by Mitchell Tolle.
From this book I have a million favorite quotes, but one of my top favorites is this:
"When you think you become powerful. When you refuse to think or let someone else do it for you, you have surrendered everything."
Think about it. You're probably wondering to yourself why is this important. You are probably thinking that this is obvious, but I argue that it isn't.
Thinking about church in general, when was the last time you took your bible in to ponder on the Word while the pastor read it? When was the last time you double checked when you got home, since you probably didn't bring your bible, to see if pastor was teaching his passage correctly?
See, we as the the church are notorious for letting people think for us. We surrender our whole knowledge base to what one person is teaching us on Sundays. We have surrendered everything because we won't think on our own.
Like this quote says, we must make ourselves powerful by thinking on our own. Am I saying to abandon the teaching of the man of God? Heck no. We should respect them and learn from them, but we should always have the mind to think for ourselves and make sure what we are receiving is truth. Nothing wrong in that!
I encourage you to think for yourself. It can be hard at times to get motivated in a world where everything is handed to us and spoon fed directly, but we must take the Word of God in for ourselves and think to become powerful.
My good friend's, MJ, dad is an artist, author, pastor, etc. Heck, he is a lot of things.
He has a book titled "Like a Tree". Good book. Find it. Read it. "Like a Tree" by Mitchell Tolle.
From this book I have a million favorite quotes, but one of my top favorites is this:
"When you think you become powerful. When you refuse to think or let someone else do it for you, you have surrendered everything."
Think about it. You're probably wondering to yourself why is this important. You are probably thinking that this is obvious, but I argue that it isn't.
Thinking about church in general, when was the last time you took your bible in to ponder on the Word while the pastor read it? When was the last time you double checked when you got home, since you probably didn't bring your bible, to see if pastor was teaching his passage correctly?
See, we as the the church are notorious for letting people think for us. We surrender our whole knowledge base to what one person is teaching us on Sundays. We have surrendered everything because we won't think on our own.
Like this quote says, we must make ourselves powerful by thinking on our own. Am I saying to abandon the teaching of the man of God? Heck no. We should respect them and learn from them, but we should always have the mind to think for ourselves and make sure what we are receiving is truth. Nothing wrong in that!
I encourage you to think for yourself. It can be hard at times to get motivated in a world where everything is handed to us and spoon fed directly, but we must take the Word of God in for ourselves and think to become powerful.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Growing Up
I know. Some of you all that are a bit older than me are shaking your head thinking, "What does this kid know about growing up?" I get it. I get it.
Anyways, let me share with you what I shared a few weeks ago at Reach service which is somewhat college and career class at Englewood Church of God.
See, I loved church camp. In my family you didn't go to 4-H camp (one because it was too expensive & two because church camp was better) but you went to church camp. I was camp. I felt like if you mentioned camp and you knew me that my face associated with your thoughts. I was always excited come April because that's when sign up started. Mom would pay my 5 dollar deposit and I'd work my tail off to earn the other money by doing extra odd jobs around the house. (No not mowing or anything normal. Extra jobs. Builds character, right dad?)
So I would go to camp and then all of a sudden it was over and I'd come home exhausted trying to find a way to go back and work the next week of camp, because I loved it.
Well, during college I couldn't go and then I got a job as a 4-H agent. They said oh by the way, your first full week on the job is going to be at camp. I was like, "BOOYAH, I got this!" I was excited see because I was camp.
When I got there things changed. I realized that everyone depended on me. It was like this: "Justin, I'm hot. Justin, I miss my mom. Justin, I hate this place. Justin, I don't wanna do that."
Yeah you can picture it. See what happened to me is that I was just like everyone of us in the church. We come expecting it to be about us. We come in with this idea that we are the ones that should be entertained all the time when really we should be doing the work.
In 1 Corinthians 13:11 it says that when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
See we get stuck in our "baby Christian" mentality. Where I come from it's bad because we are raised in youth groups where there is always something for us and then all of a sudden when you become "an adult" you are on your own to figure it out.
We have to get over the mentality that it's okay to go out and experiment then come back to the house of God when we have kids that need to be there or when we feel like it's time to settle down. We are called to live a holy and acceptable life. It's our reasonable service.
I like how Solomon progresses. See he took over after David, his father. David was the great king who we know was a man after God's own heart. Solomon was young and understood he was young. That's what I love the most is that he didn't let his young pride in the way, but yet that he acknowledges that he is young.
In 1 Kings 3 we see God appear in a dream and ask him what he wants. I love Solomon's response: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David, my father, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; You have continued this great kindness for him and You have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made your servant king instead of my father, David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in....therefore give to your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern between good and evil..."
I love that he acknowledges that he knows nothing. I believe in that moment he grew up to become what he was called to be.
I like this quote and how it sums up growing up.
"Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what their parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday but what you are doing for me today. The past and future are meaningless. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future."
It's almost opposite of what seems to be the collective idea of church. People come to hear a word from God. When it's not what they want they get mad. They don't care that you brought a word from God in the past, and could care less if it's coming in the future. They want to hear what they want to hear now.
We've got to get past the "ME" attitude. We must come to the realization that we are called to be the church and it seems that when we read about the church in scripture somewhere close either in front or behind it's mentioning is an action word such as: go, love, be, do, etc. We are the church so we must love like the church is supposed to love.
I encourage you to push the "ME" mentality and be like Solomon. Ask for wisdom. Ask for what you lack. Love people. Grow in Christ.
You may think change is hard, but change only occurs when the pain to change is less than the pain to stay the same.
Anyways, let me share with you what I shared a few weeks ago at Reach service which is somewhat college and career class at Englewood Church of God.
See, I loved church camp. In my family you didn't go to 4-H camp (one because it was too expensive & two because church camp was better) but you went to church camp. I was camp. I felt like if you mentioned camp and you knew me that my face associated with your thoughts. I was always excited come April because that's when sign up started. Mom would pay my 5 dollar deposit and I'd work my tail off to earn the other money by doing extra odd jobs around the house. (No not mowing or anything normal. Extra jobs. Builds character, right dad?)
So I would go to camp and then all of a sudden it was over and I'd come home exhausted trying to find a way to go back and work the next week of camp, because I loved it.
Well, during college I couldn't go and then I got a job as a 4-H agent. They said oh by the way, your first full week on the job is going to be at camp. I was like, "BOOYAH, I got this!" I was excited see because I was camp.
When I got there things changed. I realized that everyone depended on me. It was like this: "Justin, I'm hot. Justin, I miss my mom. Justin, I hate this place. Justin, I don't wanna do that."
Yeah you can picture it. See what happened to me is that I was just like everyone of us in the church. We come expecting it to be about us. We come in with this idea that we are the ones that should be entertained all the time when really we should be doing the work.
In 1 Corinthians 13:11 it says that when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
See we get stuck in our "baby Christian" mentality. Where I come from it's bad because we are raised in youth groups where there is always something for us and then all of a sudden when you become "an adult" you are on your own to figure it out.
We have to get over the mentality that it's okay to go out and experiment then come back to the house of God when we have kids that need to be there or when we feel like it's time to settle down. We are called to live a holy and acceptable life. It's our reasonable service.
I like how Solomon progresses. See he took over after David, his father. David was the great king who we know was a man after God's own heart. Solomon was young and understood he was young. That's what I love the most is that he didn't let his young pride in the way, but yet that he acknowledges that he is young.
In 1 Kings 3 we see God appear in a dream and ask him what he wants. I love Solomon's response: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David, my father, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you; You have continued this great kindness for him and You have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made your servant king instead of my father, David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in....therefore give to your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people that I may discern between good and evil..."
I love that he acknowledges that he knows nothing. I believe in that moment he grew up to become what he was called to be.
I like this quote and how it sums up growing up.
"Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what their parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday but what you are doing for me today. The past and future are meaningless. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future."
It's almost opposite of what seems to be the collective idea of church. People come to hear a word from God. When it's not what they want they get mad. They don't care that you brought a word from God in the past, and could care less if it's coming in the future. They want to hear what they want to hear now.
We've got to get past the "ME" attitude. We must come to the realization that we are called to be the church and it seems that when we read about the church in scripture somewhere close either in front or behind it's mentioning is an action word such as: go, love, be, do, etc. We are the church so we must love like the church is supposed to love.
I encourage you to push the "ME" mentality and be like Solomon. Ask for wisdom. Ask for what you lack. Love people. Grow in Christ.
You may think change is hard, but change only occurs when the pain to change is less than the pain to stay the same.
Monday, April 2, 2012
How Bout Eggs?
Baby, I'm back! I've been out of town on business and I'm too cheap to pay 10 bucks a night for internet. Thus, today I am making my way back to the blogger!
Anyways, it is the week of Resurrection Sunday, or as the world refers to it Easter. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. To me it has the most meaning of any of em. How did we deviate so far from what Easter is to what it is now? I love Jim Gaffigan's take on it:
How bout eggs? Exactly.
The reason I love Easter so much is because of what it means to us as Christians. See sometimes we get caught up on the fact that Christ died for us, but what would His death have meant without the Resurrection? It was proof that He is the Savior. Not only did He die, but He rose again. I love what it says in Acts 2:24.
"God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it."
Because of the impossibility of death to hold Him, WE have the possibility of life eternal with Him.
Because He conquered the grave, WE can become new again.
Because of His stripes, WE are healed.
Because of His blood, OUR sins are washed away.
Because of His cross, OUR debt is paid.
Enjoy the chocolate marshmallows, the cadbury eggs, the chocolate bunnies, because my goodness they are delicious, but remember that Christ paid the way for us.
You don't have to worship just this Sunday. He did it for you, why not start today?
Anyways, it is the week of Resurrection Sunday, or as the world refers to it Easter. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. To me it has the most meaning of any of em. How did we deviate so far from what Easter is to what it is now? I love Jim Gaffigan's take on it:
How bout eggs? Exactly.
The reason I love Easter so much is because of what it means to us as Christians. See sometimes we get caught up on the fact that Christ died for us, but what would His death have meant without the Resurrection? It was proof that He is the Savior. Not only did He die, but He rose again. I love what it says in Acts 2:24.
"God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it."
Because of the impossibility of death to hold Him, WE have the possibility of life eternal with Him.
Because He conquered the grave, WE can become new again.
Because of His stripes, WE are healed.
Because of His blood, OUR sins are washed away.
Because of His cross, OUR debt is paid.
Enjoy the chocolate marshmallows, the cadbury eggs, the chocolate bunnies, because my goodness they are delicious, but remember that Christ paid the way for us.
You don't have to worship just this Sunday. He did it for you, why not start today?
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