Day #30: A Motto Or A Philosophy

We have reached the end.  Whew........ :).  It has been an incredible journey through these past 30 days, and I would not have traded it for anything.  Does it mean since I am at the end of this journey that I will stop posting?  No, instead I am more apt to begin where I left off at completing this journey.  It is all a matter of just doing it.  Nike: "Just do it."

Day #29: Hopes, Dreams, and Plans I Have For the Next 365 Days

My one and only primary hope, plan, and dream this year is to draw ever closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Without Him, I would not even be able to live my life to the fullest potential of what God has in store for me.  He is everything I will ever need, want, hope, and yearn for.  Thank you Lord for the gift of your Son.  

Other plans this year include: continuing to grow into manhood that God has called me too; continuing to love my sisters, mom, grandmas, and aunts as I prepare for loving my future wife; and striving with all excellence in everything I do for the glory of God.  :) 

Day #28: A Scar I Have And Its Story

I have many scars.  Christ was scarred for each of my many scars.  Thank God for that.  The repercussions of these scars though continue to remind me of God's never ending grace and mercy.  I would be nowhere without his grace and mercy on my life.  His grace and mercy was clearly evident when I finally came to realize I was a sinner in desperate need of Him to save me.  This happened at the beginning of my eighth grade year, the first year I was homeschooled.  However, the previous year, my seventh grade year, was the worst year of my life.  If you knew me, you would have wished you never knew me.  I cussed continuously to no end at school, I used God's name as a curse word at school, I lied regularly at home and school, I lusted after the girls at school, I stole from the school, I was a complete wretch.  Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.  My own life was a horrible mess.  If you saw me at my house, you would have thought I was normal.  I was normal around my grandparents, my parents, my friends at Calvary Church, my relatives, etc.  I was not a Christian.  I thought I was, since I won all those memorization contests in Elementary church, but I was not a true believer.  I had never repented of all my sins.

I share these awful memories, because they contributed deep scars.  Scars I will never forget, but scars that are washed in the precious blood of the Lamb.  These scars, specifically the scars in my seventh grade year, are definite tributes to God's grace.  When I recall my own voice cursing His name, I see Him hanging helplessly on that cross paying for the specific sin I just committed, and it makes me want to weep tears of joy.  My sin has been paid for.  Full atonement can it be.  Hallelujah, what a Savior.  That is why I never put light significance on the cross.  He was scarred for my scars.  Thank you Lord!         
                
 

Day #27: A Physical Feature I Love

Eyes.  Hands down by a pretty good margin.  Smiles are definitely second on the list.  But, you can tell a lot about a person through their eyes.  That is why I love eyes.  Eyes show when a person is sick, angry, dishonest, in love, tired, content, sad, etc.  They are also, in my opinion, the most beautiful part of a person's face besides the smile.  Of course, the smile tops the most beautiful part of a person's face big time, but the glimmer in a person's eye can't be defeated by any other physical feature.  It is tough to beat.  :)

           

Day #26: A Childhood Memory

Oh man, I have many childhood memories.  Many!  But, I have to pick one *sigh*.  Hey, maybe I will share two.   Here goes....

I was about seven years old and we were living at our old house on Fern street.  To describe the scene for you all, my neighbors; Nikki, Roy, and Jacob; lived in the next house on our right.  Alex, Amanda, and Kendall lived next door on our left.  These were the kids we used to play with constantly.  Do you all remember when Pokemon was the phase for kids in the late 90s?  We used to play the actual card game, play the video games, and indulge ourselves to no end with Pokemon.  Looking back on it, it was not a good use of my time.  I was also a huge baseball card collector.  I had a magnificent amount of baseball cards ranging from Willie Mays to a Kevin Millwood rookie card.  I would usually spend countless hours in my room reading off the stats each player contributed in his baseball career, and rate them.  I had a massive compulsion for these things, which I now realize was a huge waste of time.  However, this is beside the point of this specific memory.  

Now, I was headed over to Roy and Jacob's house for something.  There was a problem though.  A gigantic rosebush stood between our houses.  Now, I am a young, naive, inexperienced young child.  At seven, I had no idea what a rosebush was.  So without contemplating my footsteps, I ran directly through the rosebush.  (ha)  Now, I know you are all laughing, but it was a horrific experience for me as a child.  Once I found myself on the other side of the rosebush, I was bleeding everywhere.  I did not cry, which was a miracle in those days.  I was actually rather shocked that I had a good portion of thorn piercings all over my body.  Yeah, shocked! :)   I learned after that difficult experience that rosebushes are not a plant you want to mess around with.  Thankfully, I have saved myself more heartache by always walking around rosebushes since that very day.  I will never forget that day.  It will live in infamy until I die.  :)

I will share the other memory some other time.  

                  

Day #25: A Recipe

We had this last night for dinner and it tasted awfully good.  It is called a seven layered salad or 24 hour salad.  You can change things up a bit with the recipe by exchanging the bacon for ham/turkey or the mayonnaise for dressing.  Whatever floats your boat with this recipe, it is fairly flexible for the most part.  Enjoy!

  Ingredients

• 6 cups chopped lettuce
• salt and pepper
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 8 to 16 ounces bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion with tops
• paprika

Preparation:

Place 3 cups of the lettuce in bottom of large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer egg slices over lettuce in bowl and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Continue to layer vegetables in this order: peas, remaining lettuce, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese, along with light sprinklings of salt and pepper. Combine mayonnaise and sugar; spread over top, spreading to edge of bowl to cover entire salad. Cover and chill 24 hours or overnight. Garnish with green onion and a little paprika. Toss before serving.
This salad serves 12 to 15.

Day #24: A Movie No One Would Expect You to Love

Of course, no one would expect a guy to love the lovey-dovey, kissing type romantic movies.  As a matter of fact, though,  I have watched quite a few of those in my lifetime, since I have a sister, who is absolutely enthralled with those movies.  That is not to say I am completely thrilled to watch them.  However, I don't think anyone would expect a guy like me to be nearly drop down thrilled to watch the Love Comes Softly series.  I am not overly goo-goo, gaa-gaa over it, but let's say the series is not that bad compared to other romantic type movies.  The structure and storyline of each movie makes it worth watching.  It is also Christian based, so that helps tremendously.  Therefore, the Love Comes Softly series is an excellent tribute to Christ and I can say, in a small whisper, that I like the series.  Not love it, like it.  :)

  

Day #23: A Way In Which I Want to Be Remembered

When I die, I want people to remember me as a man who.....


devoted himself fully to God's Word.   
served others with constant abandon no matter the cost.
stood solely (alone if need be) for truth that is found in Christ alone.
sought the Gospel as my one and only theme.
finished the race of life strong. 
loved his wife as Christ loved the church.
died to self constantly.
never gave up in the midst of constant temptation and reckless persecution.
was an incessant prayer warrior on the behalf of many. 
worshiped Christ alone with his all.
strove to accomplish all for the glory of God.
studied the Word of God inside and out.
devoted himself exclusively to Christ and His Church.
sought Christ alone and His Gospel as the only treasure in life.
loved the Lord, his God, with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.

I want to be remembered for nothing else, but the statements mentioned above.  Christ is my all, and I would want nothing else than to please him with my whole life until I breathe my last breath.  May God be glorified in me.  

Sola Deo Gloria!!!! 

Day #22: A Website

This website has been very helpful to me in regards to searching for the actual biblical meaning of some Greek or Hebrew word.  It is called Blue Letter Bible.  You can not only use Blue Letter Bible for finding the meanings to Greek or Hebrew words.  It is not solely used for that purpose.  You can find certain commentaries written by Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, Henry, etc. on that website; you can find devotionals; you can find study tools, maps, and free web tools; and you can search Strong's concordance.  The value of this website is absolutely limitless.  I love it!  :)  

Day #21: Something I Know I Do Differently Than Most People

Bear with me in my thought process here.  The world consists of many unbelievers and I am not an unbeliever.  I believe that Jesus Christ is my only Lord and Savior, the one who bore all my shame, guilt, and suffering on a cross to save me.  If I am a believer in Christ and the world contains a majority of unbelievers, then through logical conclusive reasoning I can conclude that I effectively do something different than most people through Christ.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  (Romans 12:2)

I am effectively not conforming any longer to the pattern of this world and I am beginning to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.  That is what I am doing differently than most people.   

Day #20: A Hobby of Mine

Blogging is my hobby.  It has literally become my hobby in the past month, since I have been posting nearly everyday.  The blog challenge has had a lot to do with that.  However, I am still planning on posting as often as I can once the the blog challenge is in the past.  So, stay tuned......

Day #19: A Talent of Mine

Running......... No questions asked.  I run fairly fast for a college guy my age.  :) 

Day #18: A Time When I Felt Passionate and Alive

The time when I felt most passionate and alive is when my sister and I were reciting a slew of verses in front of our church.  These verses included Isaiah 52:13,14; Matthew 27:27-31; Isaiah 53:1-6; and Matthew 27:45-54.  When you are gripped by the Word of God especially consisting of Christ and His cross, the all-glorious Gospel, nothing is going to stop you.   That is what happened to Rachel and I.  I cannot say for sure that it happened to her (I take that back.  It was very evident in her :), but as I was reciting those verses, God's all-consuming joy and passion was clearly evident in me at that moment.  I nearly broke out into tears one time during the recitation in front of the whole church.  Amazingly, I somehow kept my composure, because God was filling up my heart with unspeakable and incomprehensible joy.  I cannot even begin to explain what happened on that day, but I do know one thing and one thing only........ Jesus Christ died for me and I will passionately scream, if I have too, to pronounce, proclaim His truth to all people--- the astounding and significant truths of the Gospel.  

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!    

 

Day #17: An Art Piece

I am really not much of an art person, but two art pieces definitely strike my fancy.  One of them is the Last Supper by: Leonardo DaVinci ,and the other is Number One by: Jackson Pollock.  The latter is more of a random art piece, but it looks rather cool from my perspective.  For the Last Supper, I have no comment, because it is one of the greatest pieces of art ever created.  So without further ado, here are the pics of my two favorite art pieces:

Last Supper

Number One

 

Day #16: A Song(s) that Makes Me Cry

Guys cry.  It is the truth.  I don't cry often, but when I do it is probably because I am touched by how much God loves me.  How much he loves me through his Son!  The Cross of Christ is one truth that I do not take lightly.  He gave up his life to save me, to save me a wretched, vile sinner.  I was running a race led by the devil.  I was hell bound.  But, instead of leaving me as a hell bound sinner, He lavishly poured out His never ending love on me by giving me the greatest gift I could ever even fathom.  He gave me His Son.  He gave you His Son.  He gave us His Son by brutally destroying Him in order that He may free us from our slavery to sin and give us life everlasting.  There is no one who is more worthy, no one who is more lovely, no one who is more beautiful, no one who is more magnificent, no one who is more gracious, no one who is more kind than our God.  So, what songs make me cry?

1. Worthy is the Lamb (Hillsong)

2. This Fathomless Love (Sovereign Grace Music)

3. Jesus Thank You (Sovereign Grace Music)

4. The Power of the Cross (Keith/Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend)

   

Day #15: A Person I Admire

The one person I admire the most would have to be my dad..... He is a hard working leader.


He leads by example.
He can literally fix anything.
He is a God fearing man. 
He treats Mom with utmost respect and devotion.
He treats his children lovingly.
He disciplines his children when called upon.
He is a master at working with rubber.
He enjoys life to the fullest.
He teaches us Biblical truth.
He has taught me many things.
He has an amazing sense of humor.
He is a great father.
He is my dad and I am so thankful for him.
Love you Dad.

Day #14: A Vacation I Would Like To Take

I would love to take a vacation to Israel.  To be able to trek across a country that was tread upon by the Son of God, Jesus Christ himself would be an amazing experience.  The capability of seeing and hearing those sights and sounds.....  to imagine Jesus talking to his disciples during the Last Supper and being able to see the Upper Room where that moment happened 2000 years ago.  All I can say is that it would be astounding to visit that place!

 

Day #13: A Guilty Pleasure

My guilty pleasure would have to be ice cream.  Mint chocolate chip ice cream to be exact.  I love ice cream.   If ice cream was my bride, I would marry it.  The sweet chocolatey taste and mint combined into one flavor dynamically creates a beautiful collision.  Hmmm.... Hmmmmm..... Yum, so good.  :)

 

Day #12: A Song I Want Played At My Wedding

I thought the bride plans the wedding.  Of course, the groom agrees on certain factors, but the bride plays the primary role in planning the wedding with her mother.   In that case, the groom is out of luck, right.  However, if I was given the opportunity to choose a song for my bride's happiest day, it would be Beloved.  Beloved, written and played by Tenth Avenue North, is a song about God's children being the bridegrooms Beloved, but the song has interesting twist to it.  It contains many wedding vow overtones in it that it would fit in wonderfully as a wedding song.  As we (my future bride and I) repeat our vows to each other, we will be repeating them as one in Christ.  We commit to Christ as we commit ourselves to each other.  Christ is my Beloved and vice versa, and the same goes for the husband and wife.  She is my beloved and he is mine.  

Day #11: A Photo(s) of Me Taken Recently

Yes, it is the morning here on the twelfth day of January.  I had jury duty yesterday, and my family had our relatives over from Florida when I was done with my day at jury duty.  Thus, the reasons why I did not post yesterday.  So anywho, here is the expected post and pics from yesterday early in the morning.  

Christmas Photo 2010 - My Sister Rachel and I (sorry it's sideways)

 

This pic is upright for some reason. :)

This one is too. :)

The four kids - Back (Lto R) - Me, Rachel.  Front (L to R) - Abbey (1 year), Elizabeth (3 years)

Expect Day 12 later in the day sometime.