“You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” - James 4:14.
I think that could pretty well sum up the entire blog right there, and would say just as much in itself as it would if I filled several pages. However, I feel a bit too contemplative to just let it go at that. I’ve been thinking a good deal lately, today especially, about how we are just what James says; a vapor that appears and vanishes away. Not only do we appear and vanish away quickly, but our lives are so fragile along that short 80-year period. At any instant something could happen that could snuff out our lives before we could really think about it. I was walking in the woods carrying a shot gun earlier. I could have slipped and fell or dropped the gun, which could have discharged into my chest or head, and that would be the end of my life here. Of course I do carry it safely, by the way, with the hammer up (i.e., safety on), but freak accidents do happen.
What really got me to thinking on such morbid topics are the experiences I’ve had driving lately. Within the past two weeks, I’ve come on the very edge of having three very serious car accidents. Today I was on a two-lane road between Forrest and Raleigh on a very open stretch of road. I was starting down a long hill and I noticed an unloaded log truck passing a few cars and another 18-wheeler. I saw that he wasn’t progressing past them very fast, and for some reason I started slowing down. I saw that he probably wasn’t going to make it, so I slowed down to about 20 or 30 mph. I then realized that he definitely wasn’t going to make it, and I had to pull over onto the shoulder just before he flew by. He was just starting to go back into his lane when he passed where I was stopping. It all happened without squealing tires or horns or anything (though I regretted not laying it on him has he passed by), but it easily could have been serious. The road may not have had a wide enough shoulder, like in most of that area. He could have come up like that over a hill or around a curve. So many things could have gone tragically wrong, but God saw that it was good for me to be in that place where I could safely pull over, and for me to have the instinct to slow down far ahead of time. But if any one of those factors weren’t there, it could have again been the end of me. Trucks usually lose in games of chicken with 18-wheelers.
So that’s where my thought process on all this began. I think the scariest part about something like that to me is not getting to say goodbye. There are things I would want to tell people that I wouldn’t have the chance to; many are things that simply can’t be said for now as long as I think I’ll keep on going for a good many more years. Of course I know that my very next experience would be with Jesus, which really makes death nothing to dear at all. The aftermath of death for those who are believers in Jesus Christ is so amazing that I simply cannot understand my human desire to want to finish my “do list” in this life first.
Going back to the original point, our lives are so dependent of God’s sovereign will and his gentle hand. That’s why just a few verses earlier James says (in Southern lingo) “Now don’t say you’re gonna go start you up a business over yonder in Starksville and git you a nice house and how you’re gonna retire early and live comfortable and spoil yer grand-younguns, cuz you ain’t go idea what could happen ‘tween now and then.” James says Lord willing, you will do the things you set out to do, but only if it’s in His will. Again, it’s my challenge that we realize how fragile out lives are, and how easily our work here can come to an end. Our lives rest in the hands of an all-powerful and jealous God, but also in the hands of a God who is infinitely loving to those who are His children. He loved us, He died for us, he forgave us, He called us, and He adopted us. Out frailty in life serves one purpose, and that is to show His infinite love and grace towards us.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Greetings from East Tenneessee
Durn it's been a long time since I updated this thing. Of course it's not like a message to the world, despite the fact that it's available to the whole world, so I realize the vast majority of the world is little concerned about what and when I blog. Of course, the fact the the entire world could read this is they wanted to does bring a little consolation.
All that aside, I've had an interesting day. It's an interesting feeling to take a day to decide what to do with the rest of your life. I realize choosing a college isn't generally considered a life-bearing decision, but in reality it's like setting off a infinite line of upright dominoes (I really don't think that's spelled right, but I had to agree with the Spell Checker or put up with the obnoxious red underline). Choosing one college over another potentially sets the course of your entire life. Think if the people you will meet in the first semester, even the first week. Actually, think back to the first day of the school/job you're currently in. Think of your friends, the times you've had with them, your experiences together, decisions you had made because of them.
Now imagine that you had chosen to work at Wal-Mart instead of McDonalds (though I'm not sure which is better), of chosen different classes, or a different college. You'd have never met many of the people now in your life. Of course, there really is no way to know what lies down either line of dominoes you choose to topple.
For those who are followers of Jesus Christ, this is why prayer is so vital to these decisions. I mean honestly, what wisdom to we have to make such a decision compared to that of an infinite God who knows every nuance of the future, knows us better than we do, every nook and cranny of our hearts. If we claim to be His followers, should that decision not be under His guidance? Now this does bring a new twist into the decision. What does God want for me? I have fretted, and worried, and stayed up all hours of the night (an extra 30 minutes in reality) trying to answer this question. How do I KNOW it's the right choice? God doesn't usually send neon signs (or talking donkeys) to tell us what we need to do. So after all the mental wrestling matches, I ran across a cool section of verses in Proverbs 16.
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
Verse 3 especially caught my eye. To translate, it says that if all we do in our lives is all about Christ, our thoughts, actions, etc., then His plans for us will fall into place. We'll make the right choices because we are already living for Him. Of course the challenge in that is to live for Him in the rest of our lives. That's what makes knowing Christ more than just a religion. It's one-on-one; it's personal. It's walking with Him, not just paying homage to a being that we can't know or doesn't exist. Pretty cool, eh?
So to get back to what's been going on, I checked out Belmont University in Nashville today for the second time. It's given me more of a peace about it to go again and look it all over by myself, just to think and soak it all in and see myself there. So unless God leads me elsewhere, I believe that's where I'll be going in the fall. I met two folks from Massachusetts who were very informative about my major, and enjoyable to talk to. I had no idea there was a soul up there who was politically conservative, but I guess I was proven wrong. The best things about the college are that it has 93% wi-fi coverage, has the tallest rock climbing wall in Tennessee, and the food is awesome. If only I didn't have to deal with the bells ringing out every hour...
All that aside, I've had an interesting day. It's an interesting feeling to take a day to decide what to do with the rest of your life. I realize choosing a college isn't generally considered a life-bearing decision, but in reality it's like setting off a infinite line of upright dominoes (I really don't think that's spelled right, but I had to agree with the Spell Checker or put up with the obnoxious red underline). Choosing one college over another potentially sets the course of your entire life. Think if the people you will meet in the first semester, even the first week. Actually, think back to the first day of the school/job you're currently in. Think of your friends, the times you've had with them, your experiences together, decisions you had made because of them.
Now imagine that you had chosen to work at Wal-Mart instead of McDonalds (though I'm not sure which is better), of chosen different classes, or a different college. You'd have never met many of the people now in your life. Of course, there really is no way to know what lies down either line of dominoes you choose to topple.
For those who are followers of Jesus Christ, this is why prayer is so vital to these decisions. I mean honestly, what wisdom to we have to make such a decision compared to that of an infinite God who knows every nuance of the future, knows us better than we do, every nook and cranny of our hearts. If we claim to be His followers, should that decision not be under His guidance? Now this does bring a new twist into the decision. What does God want for me? I have fretted, and worried, and stayed up all hours of the night (an extra 30 minutes in reality) trying to answer this question. How do I KNOW it's the right choice? God doesn't usually send neon signs (or talking donkeys) to tell us what we need to do. So after all the mental wrestling matches, I ran across a cool section of verses in Proverbs 16.
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.
Verse 3 especially caught my eye. To translate, it says that if all we do in our lives is all about Christ, our thoughts, actions, etc., then His plans for us will fall into place. We'll make the right choices because we are already living for Him. Of course the challenge in that is to live for Him in the rest of our lives. That's what makes knowing Christ more than just a religion. It's one-on-one; it's personal. It's walking with Him, not just paying homage to a being that we can't know or doesn't exist. Pretty cool, eh?
So to get back to what's been going on, I checked out Belmont University in Nashville today for the second time. It's given me more of a peace about it to go again and look it all over by myself, just to think and soak it all in and see myself there. So unless God leads me elsewhere, I believe that's where I'll be going in the fall. I met two folks from Massachusetts who were very informative about my major, and enjoyable to talk to. I had no idea there was a soul up there who was politically conservative, but I guess I was proven wrong. The best things about the college are that it has 93% wi-fi coverage, has the tallest rock climbing wall in Tennessee, and the food is awesome. If only I didn't have to deal with the bells ringing out every hour...
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lame Joke Award
I had to write a special occasion speech for class, and decided ot have some fun with it.
"Thank you and welcome to the Comedy Awards, brought to you by the Idaho Comedy Commission (ICC). The ICC has long been a promoter of high quality, laughter-inducing humor, and as a result has sponsored tonight’s ceremony. Many awards will be given tonight, from the Wit Award, to the Facial Expressions Award, to the Klutz Award. But for the first time tonight, we will be adding a new award to our selection.
After years of eye-rolling and sighs of despair, the Idaho Comedy Commission felt it necessary to recognize the sincere efforts of comedians who never seem to be able to arouse more than a blank stare from their audience. The Lame Joke Award has come about out of sheer sympathy, in efforts to make the Comedy Awards a less depressing event. Our recipient tonight is a student at ICC (Itawamba Community College). This person was neck and neck with several other candidates, but her joke about the man who had to break into his music store because he had the wrong key, along with her French Cows joke, nailed the lid shut on that coffin. Ladies and gentlemen, my sincerest apologies on bringing those jokes back to your attention. And now, the Idaho Comedy Commission, with moderate pride, presents the Lame Joke Award to none other than Sarah Shields."
"Thank you and welcome to the Comedy Awards, brought to you by the Idaho Comedy Commission (ICC). The ICC has long been a promoter of high quality, laughter-inducing humor, and as a result has sponsored tonight’s ceremony. Many awards will be given tonight, from the Wit Award, to the Facial Expressions Award, to the Klutz Award. But for the first time tonight, we will be adding a new award to our selection.
After years of eye-rolling and sighs of despair, the Idaho Comedy Commission felt it necessary to recognize the sincere efforts of comedians who never seem to be able to arouse more than a blank stare from their audience. The Lame Joke Award has come about out of sheer sympathy, in efforts to make the Comedy Awards a less depressing event. Our recipient tonight is a student at ICC (Itawamba Community College). This person was neck and neck with several other candidates, but her joke about the man who had to break into his music store because he had the wrong key, along with her French Cows joke, nailed the lid shut on that coffin. Ladies and gentlemen, my sincerest apologies on bringing those jokes back to your attention. And now, the Idaho Comedy Commission, with moderate pride, presents the Lame Joke Award to none other than Sarah Shields."
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Some disheartening occurances.
Tonight I went with a close friend of mine to her dad's house. While I do greatly enjoy my friend's company, a big reason I went was to be there for her and give her a friend while with her dad's side of the family. You see, high moral standards are, sadly, the last thing on their mind. They respect my friend's beliefs, but that's about as far as it goes.
The language there is atrocious. It breaks my heart to see her dad's 5-year-old step daughter being raised in such an environment. She's so innocent, so pure in heart, but I know unless God works a miracle how she will most likely grow up to be. The worst part of it all is that they are so sexually loose. This is her dad's fourth wife I believe. They practically encourage promiscuity. My friend's cousin and his friend were there as well, which started said depressing events.
Her cousin has a girlfriend, who was there, but he and his friend had invited two other high school girls there to spend the night. They had just met them that day, maybe the day before. Her cousin had to ask one of the girls's names while we were at supper, but it was obvious what was going to take place later that night. I couldn't help but think of her cousin and friend as the fools Solomon so often speaks of in the book of Proverbs. The way they act and talk is nothing but foolishness, and beyond that immoral. I found myself angry at what they were doing to those girls. I'm sure the girls were far from innocent, and had, so to speak, been around the block a few times. But I couldn't help feeling sorry for them. They were giving themselves away to complete strangers, and completely deceiving their parents. Not to mention the legality issues.
I'm not a female, so I'm left to wonder what makes a girl give away the most special and precious part of herself like that. Is it to feel accepted? Beautiful? Loved? I could look into their eyes and see that they didn't know what real love is, for it seemed they had never experienced it. I could see the emptiness there, especially in one of them. It makes me wonder, did I fail? Could I have done something to stop what took place? Did I miss a chance to share the gospel? Who else has failed to share it with them as well, or have they rebelled against it? To the ladies out there, please save yourselves for the man God has set apart for you. The man you will spend the rest of your life with, who you will bear and raise your children with. No other man (or boy) deserves what you have to offer until you are united as one in Christ through marriage. It is too special, too amazing, too mind-blowing a gift to be given away at a whim.
The language there is atrocious. It breaks my heart to see her dad's 5-year-old step daughter being raised in such an environment. She's so innocent, so pure in heart, but I know unless God works a miracle how she will most likely grow up to be. The worst part of it all is that they are so sexually loose. This is her dad's fourth wife I believe. They practically encourage promiscuity. My friend's cousin and his friend were there as well, which started said depressing events.
Her cousin has a girlfriend, who was there, but he and his friend had invited two other high school girls there to spend the night. They had just met them that day, maybe the day before. Her cousin had to ask one of the girls's names while we were at supper, but it was obvious what was going to take place later that night. I couldn't help but think of her cousin and friend as the fools Solomon so often speaks of in the book of Proverbs. The way they act and talk is nothing but foolishness, and beyond that immoral. I found myself angry at what they were doing to those girls. I'm sure the girls were far from innocent, and had, so to speak, been around the block a few times. But I couldn't help feeling sorry for them. They were giving themselves away to complete strangers, and completely deceiving their parents. Not to mention the legality issues.
I'm not a female, so I'm left to wonder what makes a girl give away the most special and precious part of herself like that. Is it to feel accepted? Beautiful? Loved? I could look into their eyes and see that they didn't know what real love is, for it seemed they had never experienced it. I could see the emptiness there, especially in one of them. It makes me wonder, did I fail? Could I have done something to stop what took place? Did I miss a chance to share the gospel? Who else has failed to share it with them as well, or have they rebelled against it? To the ladies out there, please save yourselves for the man God has set apart for you. The man you will spend the rest of your life with, who you will bear and raise your children with. No other man (or boy) deserves what you have to offer until you are united as one in Christ through marriage. It is too special, too amazing, too mind-blowing a gift to be given away at a whim.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Intolerance or Correction?
Suppose you and I are on a plane in Denver, heading to New York. The only problem is, your intentions were to go to Seattle. Would you want me to tolerate the fact that you think you're going to going to Seattle and let you fly to New York, or had you rather me inform you that you're on the wrong plane? We both know that it would actually be very kind and respectful of me to correct you.
Let's suppose that you and I are going through life, considering what will happen after we die. I know that there is Heaven, and also that there is a Hell. I have no doubts about this. Would you want me to tolerate the fact that you are on your way to eternal suffering and just let you go there? Or had you rather me inform you of the way to eternal life? Without Jesus, we are doomed to an eternity in hell, but through Jesus, God offers us forgiveness and eternal life. Please accept Him.
1 John 2:22-23. "Who is the liar the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son had the Father also."
Romans 10:8-11. "The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart- that is, the word of faith that we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'"
Let's suppose that you and I are going through life, considering what will happen after we die. I know that there is Heaven, and also that there is a Hell. I have no doubts about this. Would you want me to tolerate the fact that you are on your way to eternal suffering and just let you go there? Or had you rather me inform you of the way to eternal life? Without Jesus, we are doomed to an eternity in hell, but through Jesus, God offers us forgiveness and eternal life. Please accept Him.
1 John 2:22-23. "Who is the liar the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son had the Father also."
Romans 10:8-11. "The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart- that is, the word of faith that we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'"
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Confusion
The time is 11:22. I just woke up. I went to bed at 8. 8 A.M. Like this morning 8 A.M. What, you might ask, the heck did I go to bed that late for? It's quite an interesting story. I don't think I've ever been to an even with the times mixed up so badly. I was asked to play bass for the worship service at a lock in at the Church of God of Prophesy somewhere way off on the other side of the state. I'd have bet my right pinkie toe that I was told we were playing on Saturday. Thursday I found out from my drummer/friend/failed organizer (Nick, if you're reading this, I love you) that we play Friday night. No problem! I just rearranged the other 17.3 things I had to do this weekend and I'm set to go. We leave at 4. Nick called are 2:30 and said we leave at 3. No problem. I just fly home from town, throw all my gear in the car, and rush back to Nick's house. When we got there we found out that Nick wasn't asked to leave at 3, but at 4. As we were rushing to set up for the service which started at 7:30, we found out that it started at 8:30. During that time I also found out that we were staying at the lock in. All. Night. Long. When Nick said we would be home around 9 or 10, I thought he meant 9 or 10 P.M. He meant A.M. Of course we also found out the lock in ended at 5, not 9 (thank goodness). And of course my phone died during the worship service. But, all in all, I had a pretty decent night. The theme and the message were on unity. To be honest, I've never been a big fan of talking about unity. Just seems like something that should be a given within churches, and not something people have to fight for, and ironically, over. How about we all just get in God's Word, study it, know it, know HIM? If we did that we couldn't help but be united! All the divisions and issues, big and small, could be peacefully resolved. There's a shocker, eh? I think my mind would fry if a disagreement in the church were peacefully resolved.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Let's Get This Straight
Hello, all. I would like to announce that I am OUT of school. No more. Zippo. I am through. Till August at least. We clear on that? Good. The good news for you folks is that I'll, in theory, be able to blog a bit more since I'm not spending all my writing time discussing why an appeasement policy towards Hitler caused WWII on the school message boards. It didn't cause WWII on the message boards by the way, I meant it caused the real WWII. The English language just made it difficult to put that last prepositional phrase somewhere that made sense. Now that that's behind us, you have to be wondering what I did today. Go ahead, ask! Fine, I'll tell you anyway. Take a deep breath, and prepare for bluntness.
I went to a memorial service. Exciting eh? Actually, a good portion of it made me want to puke. I had no idea church events could be so un-Biblical. It also seemed a bit dead, which I found ironic considering the occasion, but that seems to be a common church problem. First of all everything was done out of routine, as in they did it just because they had always done it, and I honestly didn't catch a bit of worshipful attitude about it. Even prayers were said just because it was time to, like some sort of ritual. I guess that sounds familiar to many of you though, so I'll start on the part that got me to thinking. As we were about to go into "Victory in Jesus", the lady leading the singing said something along the lines of "My momma loves this song, now y'all sing loud so she can hear it. I know she doesn't even need a book." Considering the song-leading lady was headed for 75 afwul fast, I figure it's safe to assume that her mother has been deceased for quite some time. I didn't see any 100-year old deaf ladies in the congregation, though a few had to be shouted at to carry on much of a conversation. I have to admit though I had a hard time keeping quiet when I realized that singer lady actually believed her mother was looking down from heaven and singing with us. While thats a nice sweet though, it just ain't the case.
When it comes to heaven, we make things so dumbed down and so much worse than they really are. The truth is, IF her momma is in heaven, she is likely so busy worshipping God that she couldn't care beans about what's going on down here. So why is it we like to think our deceased loved ones are sitting there taking care of us? Frankly, I much prefer God to do that Himself. He does a much better job.
Some of you may have been shocked to see that I said "IF her momma is in heaven". I hate to break it to you, but that's definitely an "if". We seem to get the notion that all those who have died are, to steal the funeral cliche, in a better place. Why do we lie to ourselves? Why do we allow ourselves to believe that those who never placed their faith in God are now residing with Him? Are we too afraid of pain to admit that most of the people who's empty shell lies in each cemetery you drive by are likely suffering, burning, continually dying in a God-forsaken BLEEP? It's so much more comforting to believe that maybe they accepted Jesus at the last second. Is that possible? You bet. Likely? Sorry, but no.
The reason I'm bringing out the harshness is for those who are alive but dead spiritually. If we realized where most of the people we love and care about are going, we wouldn't let anyone else go there without clearly understanding that there is a way of salvation. If you had taken the chance to talk with your grandfather, your aunt, your friend's cousin's fiance, or the person you didn't really know that God laid on your heart, they might not be separated from God for the rest of eternity. But no, we let ourselves believe that they are in heaven havin' a good time feastin' with Jesus (hallelujah, glory be)! After all, they did attend church their whole life, they have to be there. Plus if we believe that, it saves us from having to ask that awkward question, "Do you KNOW where you are going?" And we would hate to do anything so uncomfortable. The cause of Christ just isn't quite worth the psychological discomfort that question might cause us or the other person, and we all know it's politically incorrect to psychologically discomfort someone. How about this: quit being a pansy and realize that BLEEP exists and people are going there way faster than you are telling them, and then DO something about it.
P.S. I speak to myself here too.
I went to a memorial service. Exciting eh? Actually, a good portion of it made me want to puke. I had no idea church events could be so un-Biblical. It also seemed a bit dead, which I found ironic considering the occasion, but that seems to be a common church problem. First of all everything was done out of routine, as in they did it just because they had always done it, and I honestly didn't catch a bit of worshipful attitude about it. Even prayers were said just because it was time to, like some sort of ritual. I guess that sounds familiar to many of you though, so I'll start on the part that got me to thinking. As we were about to go into "Victory in Jesus", the lady leading the singing said something along the lines of "My momma loves this song, now y'all sing loud so she can hear it. I know she doesn't even need a book." Considering the song-leading lady was headed for 75 afwul fast, I figure it's safe to assume that her mother has been deceased for quite some time. I didn't see any 100-year old deaf ladies in the congregation, though a few had to be shouted at to carry on much of a conversation. I have to admit though I had a hard time keeping quiet when I realized that singer lady actually believed her mother was looking down from heaven and singing with us. While thats a nice sweet though, it just ain't the case.
When it comes to heaven, we make things so dumbed down and so much worse than they really are. The truth is, IF her momma is in heaven, she is likely so busy worshipping God that she couldn't care beans about what's going on down here. So why is it we like to think our deceased loved ones are sitting there taking care of us? Frankly, I much prefer God to do that Himself. He does a much better job.
Some of you may have been shocked to see that I said "IF her momma is in heaven". I hate to break it to you, but that's definitely an "if". We seem to get the notion that all those who have died are, to steal the funeral cliche, in a better place. Why do we lie to ourselves? Why do we allow ourselves to believe that those who never placed their faith in God are now residing with Him? Are we too afraid of pain to admit that most of the people who's empty shell lies in each cemetery you drive by are likely suffering, burning, continually dying in a God-forsaken BLEEP? It's so much more comforting to believe that maybe they accepted Jesus at the last second. Is that possible? You bet. Likely? Sorry, but no.
The reason I'm bringing out the harshness is for those who are alive but dead spiritually. If we realized where most of the people we love and care about are going, we wouldn't let anyone else go there without clearly understanding that there is a way of salvation. If you had taken the chance to talk with your grandfather, your aunt, your friend's cousin's fiance, or the person you didn't really know that God laid on your heart, they might not be separated from God for the rest of eternity. But no, we let ourselves believe that they are in heaven havin' a good time feastin' with Jesus (hallelujah, glory be)! After all, they did attend church their whole life, they have to be there. Plus if we believe that, it saves us from having to ask that awkward question, "Do you KNOW where you are going?" And we would hate to do anything so uncomfortable. The cause of Christ just isn't quite worth the psychological discomfort that question might cause us or the other person, and we all know it's politically incorrect to psychologically discomfort someone. How about this: quit being a pansy and realize that BLEEP exists and people are going there way faster than you are telling them, and then DO something about it.
P.S. I speak to myself here too.
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