think the thoughts

"my thoughts become words, my words become actions. with our thoughts we change the world" is the scattered text imprinted on one of my t- shirts (courtesy of Jedidiah). the message of the shirt mimics the old adage, "so a thought, reap an action, etc." in a world of cliches such as 'talk is cheap' and 'don't just talk the talk, walk the walk,' it seems that we underestimate the importance of 'mere' thoughts and words a little too much. although thoughts dont count for much by themselves, they do nee to be in the right place in order for our words and actions to have any effect. lives arent changed (at least in the right way) by random actions and mindless words. to truly serve God our thoughts, mindset, and doctrine need to be right and this only happens by our own reflection and meditation.

zion and babylon

this song's been stuck in my head all week:

oh great mammon of form and function

careless consumerist consumption

dangerous dysfunction disguised as expensive taste

im a people disgraced  by what i claim i need and what i want to waste

i take no account for nothing

if its not mine its a misappropriation of funds

protect my ninety percent with my guns

whose side am i on? well, who's winning?

my kingdom's built with the blood of slaves, orphans, widows, and homeless graves

i sold their souls just to build my private mansion

some people say that my time is coming

kingdom come is the justice running down, down, down on me

im a poor child, im a lost son

i refuse to give my love to anyone, fight for the truth, or help the weaker ones

because i love my babylon

i am a slave, i was never free

i betrayed You for blood money

oh i bought the world, all is vanity

oh my Lord im your enemy

come to Me and find your life

children sing, Zion's in sight

I said don't trade your name for a serial number

priceless lives were born from under graves where I found you

say, My name ain't yours and yours is not Mine

Mine is the Lord and yours is My child

thats how its always been

time to make a change 

leave your home

give to the poor all that you own

lose your life so that you can find it

first will be last when the true world comes

living like a humble fool to overcome

the upside-down wisdom of a dying world

Zion's not built with hands

and in this place God will dwell with man

sick be healed and cripples stand

sing allelu

My Kingdom's built with the Blood of My Son

selfless sacrifice for everyone

faith, hope, love, and harmony

I said let this world know Me by your love

by your love

oh My child, daughters and sons

I made you in Love to overcome

free as a bird, My flowers in the sun

on your way to Mount Zion

all you slaves, be set free

come on out child and come on home to Me

we will dance, we will rejoice

if you can hear Me then follow My voice

-Josh Garrels

ode to a legacy

thanks Jay.

. deviance

when  i look around at people, one aspect that keeps recurring is conformity. whether its a persons personality, attire, or the way they talk, i always feel like ive seen it a hundred times. even people that want to stand out are so commonplace that they eventually just blend. sometimes i think that the only person someone wants to be is someone else. the state of the world is conformity. as Christians, ones distinguished from the world and ones who have casted off our old selves, our aim must be deviation from the norm. by our actions as Christ followers and, specifically, as ones who don't follow the ways of the world, we should stand out and contrast to the background of the world. our ways should not be the same because our goals are not the same. here's some inspiring imagery from Jesus Freak:

separated, i cut myself clean

from a past that comes back in my darkest of dreams

then apprehended by a spiritual force

and a Grace that replaced all the me i divorced...

prayer request

for those of you who are not acquainted with me through mc and have not explored the blog on my sidebar titled 'i am not', i'd like to make a prayer request for my buddy Hunter. you can find out more by clicking on the link, but Hunter and a few other friends from the school are in Botswana, Africa for the semester, working through the International Mission Board. he requests that we pray not only for the work they will be doing but for their own adjustment to the area, among other requests. i would and im sure Hunter would appreciate your prayers on this matter, and be sure to check his blog for updates.

i corinthians 13

my favorite new to me album

with my newly acquired wealth from Christmas checks, i recently went on a kinda itunes spree. among my new awesome albums was Jacaranda by Josh Garrels. if your familiar with Braddigan (and if you're not, you should get that way), this is the cat you can hear on the 'Walk on' track off The Captive. this dude has, what appears to be a dynamite sound, creating a unique fusion of funk, folk, and a tribal rhythm. more significantly, his lyrics are full of scriptural references and shared Truth. he also has an exceptional way of mixing his message with catchy phrases and pleasurable beats, enjoyable for any listener. check it out.

full(yeah, that's right, jay, i stole it!)

one of the biggest mistakes we sometimes make as Christians is this idea of expectation. we get caught up waiting for the next good thing to come our way. we often think that there are simply moments where we experience God at some level that is way above what we experience normally. we leap from mountaintop to mountaintop, rather than running a level(but not low) plane in the atmosphere. the truth is that since God never changes, our connection with Him never changes. sure, we may feel closer to Him sometimes like at a retreat or after hearing a deep sermon (for me personally, its simply when i'm singing one of my favorite worship songs without even the slightest inhibition; i can hear the nonverbal 'amens' already), but our relationship, and more importantly our Salvation with Jesus, have no bearing with our feelings. one of my favorite quotes regarding this idea comes from singer/comedian Mark Lowry, "if I have to feel saved in order to be saved, then i'm not going to be saved most of the time. because Salvation is something that runs deeper than our emotions." we do not have to wait for God because God is here with us; as much now as when we're singing David Crowder songs. speaking of Crowder, he expresses this same difference in his song Obsession, "sometimes You're further than the moon; sometimes You're closer than my skin." it may not be in the way we want it, but we are always connected with God. every aspect of our lives is full of His Presence and He fulfills us in every way. its just like when Jesus said "I have come that they may have life and live it to the fullest." in Christ, we live to the fullest. we rejoice to the fullest. we pray to the fullest. in Him we are full.