prIde

A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. - Psalms 29:23

God is really teaching me in this season how prideful I am. He is bringing me to a place where He is really letting me know that I cannot do anything apart from Him. I feel so helpless in the situation I am in. I can't just freely speak encouragement or challenge as I would. All I can do is pray and just trust that God has it all under control... cos He does. In the moments where I want to be available, I wonder if I selfishly want to be more than God. That I would want to be The Comforter, Refuge, Strength, etc. God is really speaking into my life saying that any ounce of trust in myself, any belief that I can make something happen is foolish and that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. 

Don't get me wrong I think confidence and believing in yourself is important... but the root should be so soaked in Jesus and what He has done, that the natural overflow is confidence in yourself because of Christ, but I think so many times... so easily we put ourselves at the root... we put the trust in ourselves before God. 

I hope God keeps me humble in the place I am in now. Where everything is so clearly a gift from God, and I have a deeper understanding that I can't do anything. God keep me so desperate for you. Keep me in a place where anything that is given would be such a gift and I can genuinely be in a place to receive in humility, or if not given that I can understand that I still have the God who create everything... even if it is difficult.

Don't even know if anyone reads this blog anymore, cos it's never updated, but I hope there's encouragement in that God is moving in His plan.... and ain't nothing we can do about it, but pray and be faithful with what we have.

thoughts

chase vs. wait
available vs. absent
right vs. wrong
fast vs. slow
speak vs. silence

I guess it all depends on where things lie... completely in the dark. 

TBL - Bigar Waterfall, Romania

This waterfall stands 8 meters tall. It may look like its not that big, but this is actually bigger you would think.... at least I would think. I just wonder it would be like to swim underneath the fall. Just seems like it's right out of a fairytale. 

Risk Reward

I never want to live a life where I wonder what could have...

Complacency brings the stagnant and mundane.
Risk brings hope, potential, and dreams... and sometimes rewards

"un dessin vaut mieux qu'un long discours"

- Napoleon Bonaparte

A Haiku

Many things I want.
One thing in particular.
But done right with God.

Repentance

Repentance is not so much WHAT you are turning FROM, but WHO you turn TO

Mind over Matter

Others can't make you feel small, only you can make yourself small. It's in the way you think... so think big not small

Ghost cat moments

beautiful things don't ask for attention

expectancy

expectancy precedes experience.

Want to. → Have to.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7

Normally I hear this when we're gonna give money to something or when the offering buckets come around... so I always contributed this verse to God wants me to give Him money and be happy about it.

 For some reason I think God cares a lot more about our hearts than our money. Just maybe...

Reluctance is a mind matter. I know I should.... but I don't want to. 
Compulsion is a heart matter. I feel like I should/if I don't I'll feel bad/guilt... but I don't want to.

These are regular feelings and thoughts we have as we go throughout our Christian lives. I know I should read my Bible... but I don't want to. I feel like I need to pray... but I don't want to. Then we begin feeling like we have to... then the guilt begins. 

Even though this verse is somewhat talking about money, I think there's something deeper God wants from our hearts. If I had a wife and she asked me one day "why don't you say 'you love me'" The normal response from a prideful guy like myself would be either

• reluctant or forced 'i love you'
• i don't want to say it
• no
• why..... 

Either way... all of a sudden I don't want to say it... or it feels like there isn't anything behind it.  

This is because "have to" came before "want to". 

Let's revisit the situation and pretend my wife asks the same question, but the whole day I wanted to say "I love you" anyways. My response would be a simple "I love you" with out feeling complused or reluctant. In fact I would probably be excited to tell her.

In the same way, our walk with God we've got to mature into a "want to" mindset before we hit the "have to" moments. If you tell me to read the Bible and I already wanted to... Of course I will read. If you tell me to set up some chairs and I already wanted to serve the church, or ask me to be a counselor and I already wanted to see kids mature in Christ. Of course I will say yes.  The thing is most of us don't get to a "want to" state, because we choose not to, but "want to" has to come before "have to", for the cheerful giver... and God loves cheerful givers.

You a cheerful giver? 

Want to → Have to. 

TBL - Iguazu Falls, Argentina

This is Iguazu falls in Argentina. It's one of those falls that just look unrealistic. I feel like this will be one of those trips that would just be so awe-inspiring. I feel like when I see things that are so grand. It puts things into perspective. One day... I'll be staring at this. and it will be breath-taking for sure.

put in = get out

What goes around, comes around. 

What you put in, is what you will get out.  

What have you been storing up in yourself?  
Have you been storing up the fruit of the spirit or have you been storing up negativity. 
What have you been storing up in your house?
Love and relationship or distance and bitterness.
What have you been storing up in God's house?
encouragement and community or gossip and isolation

Most people will not be willing to put into anything, because it takes sacrifice and hard work. Why put something in if others will just take it out? I believe this is the mindset that leads to mediocre churches. It's true only some will "put in" and most will just "get out".
But this is a decision.  Who will you choose to be? "Put in"? or "Get out"?

Because if you dream of a community where everyone loves each other and there is deep relationships where people pray for each other and God is moving... then someone gotta put that in.  

If you want awesome times of free, crazy worship completely surrendered to God. Then... someone's gotta put that in.  

Do you want to part of the most that will just take what is good? OR do want to be an influencer and change-bringer. 

What you put in is what you'll get out.  

Do you want to be a loving person? Do you want to be an encouraging person? Do you want to be the type of person that will uplift people and push them towards their destiny? Then put that stuff into your life. At first it might be weird and it might not even feel genuine. But if you put it in.... it will get out and start changing the world around you.  

I choose to give more than I receive. I choose to put in more, I choose to be a part of the some and not the most. Because I believe this is what God calls us to do. To influence the world around us and shine his light, to bring the God colors into this world. To be the salt and bring God flavors. 

Shipping

Most people are artistic and are creative, but they never let anyone know. There's definitely something about sharing your art that's nerve racking and scary, but if you don't.... it doesn't really do anything... it's almost a waste of art. Most of what I've done this web stuff, isn't all that crazy or extremely good. But I definitely want to share just who I am, and what I'm creating with all of you. So if you are checking this out... I hope you'll ship all your projects, so everyone can see it, and not just sit on an unfinished project forever and let it go to waste.  

TBL - Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina

This is one of the coolest looking places. Its about 100 sq mi of glacial ice. It straight up looks like it's a small island or like a huge castle of ice. Hopefully I can do this when I'm younger so I can try trekking through it.

Repairer & Restorer

If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.  The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. - Isaiah 58

I hope I am spending myself in a way that shines a light. 

tiME

Working... Sleeping... Eating... Waiting.... Driving.... I think these are the things that are taking up most of my day in decreasing order. I'm noticing more and more I need ME time... but there aren't enough hours in a day.  

It's so interesting how I had so much time before, yet I did nothing with it. I'm seeing how precious each day is, and becoming better at managing the time I do have. 

But as I look back in this season, I'm feel as if not having time has really stretch my capacity and is growing me, but there is still just too much to do and not enough time. I think God has been teaching me to Sabbath... or teaching me the need of it. 

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength - Isaiah 30:15

I feel a long to return to the rest that is in God. Not a lazy rest, but a rest that is rooted in quiet trust. There is something to be said about quiet trust; an immovable faith rooted in the depths of the heart and not lifted through lofty intellect or emotions. 

I believe God is maturing me towards this kind of quiet trust. 

Where are you? Busy? Loud? Emotional? Intellectual? or in quiet trust.  

TBL - Mount Roraima – Venezuela

Travel Bucket List

This is a mountain in Venezuela. It looks sooo beautiful when the clouds come out. ​ I would love to try to climb this one day and just enjoy the view.

Refreshment

Sometimes God just overflows your cup...​

all you can do is take in as much as you can and just watch it spill over to others. ​

Grace like Rain

You know... if grace is like rain, then it has no bias as to where it will fall. Rain does not choose to fall one and not the other, it is evenly distributed throughout...

Yet once it hits the ground it will always find its way to the lowest point. ​

The highest places will lose the rain...​

Grace is given to everyone freely and equally. Yet only the lowly hold on to it because the people up high don't see the need for grace.​

keep me humble