CHRIST, rhymes, & Life

" When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" - Psalm 8:3-4 There are times when I just think, "Who am I?" When I spend time with God in prayer and I'm about to ask for something for myself, I think about how much I don't deserve anything. Too often, I think I'm important or want attention or think what I've done deserves something.  But in reality, I'm just a sinful man. I fall and turn my back on God every day when I disobey Him. And the conviction from the Spirit weighs pretty heavily on me. Yet, " neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38) . Through it all, He loves me the same. God is ...

" Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 I am at peace. I would say that I'm a pretty stress free person compared to most. I don't worry too much about things that people usually do and even with all that I have on my plate, such as school and ministry, I don't ever really feel overwhelmed. For example, throughout the college admissions process, I wasn't really worried about where I was going to go and even as I was about to begin at UCSD I wasn't nervous. Some people called me crazy for this but I just knew that God was in control of things and still is. He's going to put me where He wants me and do what He wants with me. I trust Him with my life. " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, ...

Prelude to a Kiss by Alicia Keys

In a commercial, Michael Jordan thinks about the question, "What if?" I know it's not good to dwell on the past, but who doesn't think this? I do it so much. Our past experiences have shaped us to be who we are today. But what if they were different, what if we could change them? Then life would be perfect right? Of course, it's easy to see the mistake after we make it. A wise man once told me that hindsight is always 20/20. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. It's tough for me when I look back on my past. There's so much that I don't like about it. I can easily laugh at how dumb and immature I used to be. But I'm disgusted by it. There are so many things I would I could change or just never happened. But what good would that be? It's easy to recognize flaws. Negatives often overshadow positives. But in reality, what I've been blessed with far outweighs the crap in my life and I'm sure this is true for most, if not all, of us. After all, I hav...

" I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10 Everyone says they want to live life to the fullest. A lot of people say they are doing it. But for so many people this consists of things such as partying, drinking, drugs, sex, and other things of this world. That lifestyle is all empty! Although I was never a part of that lifestyle, I've seen it all too much. The value you put into things like that is a waste. It gets you nowhere. Sure, you can enjoy it for the time but it's all temporary. Things of this world are temporary. You can be the biggest baller but " what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Matthew 16:26) Of course, people say that you only live one life so you might as well enjoy it as much as you can. However, as I heard Pastor Barry of Community Bible Church say, we are not human beings living a temporary spiritual experience but spiritual beings living a temporary human experien...

" 'Woe to me!'...For I am a man of unclean lips..." - Isaiah 6:5 Every day I remind myself how unworthy I am of God's love. Even last night, as I was reflecting on my past, I was disgusted. It's so crazy what God has done in my life and is still doing. I am blessed beyond belief. Now, I'm about to take a big step. I've been blessed with such a great opportunity to do His work. I'm humbled by it because I know I am so undeserving of it. I just graduated high school, barely starting college, and only 17. Yet, God has put me in such a position of leadership. This is a huge commitment, but I'm ready for it. Not by myself, but by the Spirit. That's the only way I'll be able to do this. I know He will continue to work in my heart and prepare it so that I'm able to do this. I don't know what He sees in me, but I trust Him. I'm excited and I look forward to being a part of what He's doing. It's time to step it up. As high ...