Thursday, July 31, 2008

Because she really is beautiful

My small group is just about finished with our current study.

We are reading Jeff Feldhan's "For Men Only." It does a decent enough job trying to demystify the woman brain for confused men like me. This week in particular was interesting.

One of the chapters was devoted singularly to the notion that all women need to be told that they are pretty. Apparently, there is an innate need within them to simply feel beautiful. This doesn't stem from some malfunction with which they are more needy than they ought to be; rather, it is a simple extension of the little princess that [apparently] every girl becomes when they are around 5 years old. Just as when they ask their dad "am I pretty?" and do a little twirl, the same question resonates for the rest of their lives.

The chapter delved as to the weight of a man's words to the woman--specifically the husband/boyfriends. You see, the logic is that women can be told that they are pretty by a myriad of people. However, if they don't hear it from the one person that they want to hear it most from, it will nullify any other compliment she had previously received. In other words, it won't matter if the whole world thinks she's stunning. If she feels boring or ugly to the one man whom she has invested her life into, nothing else will matter.

What I find so curious is that many men (including me) fail to realize the importance of this concept. It seems simple. Reassure and reaffirm the fact that the woman still holds an unequal level of beauty in their eyes and say it with sincerity. But it's startling.

How many men consistently, and frequently, tell their women that they are the most beautiful person on planet earth?

Life is all about the attention to detail. Even small things like telling her she still makes your heart skip a beat.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

I'm back

Well Philadelphia was neat.

I only spent a weekend there, but it was a weekend well spent. Saturday was mostly tourist day. I saw most of the obligatory sights (liberty bell, independence hall, etc) but oddly enough didn't see the rocky steps. It was neat.

The most interesting part of the trip was actually a room. There was nothing really special about the room. It had chairs and windows that were extremely old and such. Rather, it was what happened in the room that was so grand.

The room I'm referring to is the original congressional room in which the first congress of America first met. The reason that it stands out is because this room was where John Adams, the 2nd president of America, first took his oath of office. There's nothing particularly cool about that, but at the time, such an event was extremely radical.

Contextually speaking, you must keep in mind that at the time, the world was dominated with super powers that were headed by kings and queens. Therefore, for someone (George Washington) to relinquish his power willingly (not being assassinated or passing the power on to an heir) was thoroughly groundbreaking. It made the news. It was a big deal. No one thought Washington would do it. But he did. All in the room I was standing in. Now, whenever someone takes their oath of office, no one really cares. Everyone just knows that everything will happen the way it's supposed to go.

Now the reason this is so interesting is because it puts fresh perspective into focus. If Obama/McCain take office, I couldn't care any less. Yet it really is a big deal when you think about it. I suppose I join the throngs of people who likewise have grown apathetic toward the whole ordeal. I'm just used to it. But I shouldn't be. It got me to start thinking about other things, that I have grown apathetic toward, but are really a big deal.

Like Jesus hanging on a cross for example.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday morning thoughts

so I'm sitting here at gate C1 awaiting departure to Philadelphia.

Obviously I passed a myriad of people on the way to my gate. It was somewhere in the sea of people around the security checkpoint when I remembered a quote.

"Everyone you ever lay your eyes on is someone for whom Christ died." -Andy Stanley

In other words, everyone you see in this lifetime is someone who is precious and dearly loved by someone else.
I started feeling very small. I still do really. And, well, it feels good.

Because I understand (again) that everyone is as loved as me. That's just crazy!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Why humans are interesting


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.


Sometimes, when you just stop and think, you discover that we're all children.

what's your status?

There's a church in Orlando that I'm particularly fond of.

It is more aptly named Discovery Church. Aside from their regular sunday services, they have a gathering known as status on sunday evenings. At first, I had very bitter feelings toward status. When you walk in, you immediately observe the fact that many of the gathering are extremely posh. In other words, there's a sort of "cool" vibe that radiates. This isn't really a bad thing, however the danger with this is some people can end up feeling bad about themselves as a result (what if they don't feel like they belong?).

In the end my appreciation for the status community ended up growing more and more. They simply created an environment where my hunger for God increased. Part of this was due to the fantastic musicians that played. Among them being Mr. Cole Nesmith. Tonight, Cole played at buckhead church. I got to know him and his bandmates and discussed discovery, northpoint, and God. It was kinda cool.

The reason any of this is noteworthy is because tonight put something into focus for me. Somewhere along the way when we were singing "Closer" by Charlie Hall, I thought about the fact that we, as humans, are all connected. Whether we live in Georgia or Florida, USA or Iraq, Africa or Asia we are all linked.

Humanity is an incredible link in and of itself, but there's something indescribable when one considers how we are linked in Christ. Proper perspective of our unity in Christ is necessary to facilitate proper understanding of our place here on earth.

You see, it is only when we view each other on equal footing in reverence to Christ that we begin to discover the God is doing marvelous things in everyone all the time. It's a pretty big concept to wrap one's mind around. But man does it blow you away.

But with that said...here's some shots that I took from my spy box.




Friday, July 18, 2008

annoyed

Frustration.

You will not get the best of me.
Your presence is evident, but it's not overwhelming.

Patience trumps you.


Focus fred. Focus.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

No I'm not dead

I know it's been a while since I've been here.

Things haven't been completely dark. But, I feel like I'm dead. There's a verse I heard today that kinda sums up how I'm feeling.

"These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." - Revelation 3:1

Cryptic huh? It's stuff like this that makes me wish people read their bible more. Anyway, the last part of that verse is so key. You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. To put things in context, John is doing his best to transcribe what he's heard from the angel specifically over the of Sardis. So, the verse I quoted is actually directed toward the group of believers in Sardis.

I feel like I'm part of that group.

You see I have this sterling (or is it?) reputation of being this wonderful person. This small person who leads and discusses and essentially showcases what a Christian is supposed to look like. But right now, I couldn't feel any more dirty.

I don't act in a specific manner in an attempt to gain favor by anyone. Honestly, if someone sees anything worth noting within me, all that they are merely witnessing is the life change that has occurred because of my relationship with Jesus. That is what it is.

However, of late I feel like my relationship with Christ has been waning. I don't really read my bible as much as I did before. I feel like I've massed this wealth of knowledge already; and, in comparison to a vast majority of other christians, I frankly hold my own quite well.

But the truth is, and I know this to be truth, is that I don't know very much at all. The modicum of knowledge I've attained is merely a taste of what could be in store (if I take seriously Jesus' invitation to live life to the fullest). The problem is, I am also aware that accepting this invitation would also mean losing myself.

Which, of late, seems like a high price. Sacrificial even.

I suppose I'm in another desert period. Another storm if you will. I just hope I don't lose sight of God. I hope that I become more pure. I desire to be changed (for the better). I want life change to be radical in me. And I want it to be beautiful.

But I don't want to put in the effort and be intentional about it. It's as if I want to lavish in my sin for an extended period of time.

Worst of all, I don't know where this came from either.


Life is hard.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Delayed Friday Night Thoughts

I was up until past 4:00 AM.

My mind was spinning in circles.
Event after event running on painful slow motion replay.
Tears fell.
Heart shattered.


No. There was no peace at all.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Shock

I heard that one of my friends says they will no longer call themselves Christian.

I was crushed. She's a pretty dear friend to me but I didn't know the extent of what she was going through. It's like I saw it coming. Growing more and more distant. Until finally there was disconnect.

Set aside all of the theological arguments as to whether one can "lose salvation", it's evident that what was once believed is no longer the case. What makes that so? How can one be so sure of what they believe in, yet so unsure at the same time? Where does one run to when these feelings start to arise?

It's pretty clear to me that one's faith is directly proportional to their foundational beliefs. That is, the stronger one believes in a particular idea or ideal, the more that they will have faith to persevere (even when logic seems to dictate otherwise). As it pertains to Christianity, the challenge of the entire concept of the Story is that the premise of the religion is fixated on faith. It's repeated throughout the bible.

"By grace you have been saved, through faith..." Eph 2
"through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for..." Proverbs 16
"This righteousness from God comes from God through faith..." Romans 3

Essentially, with Christianity, one is forced to rely on faith because, logically, the story doesn't make sense. In Christianity, Jesus gets what we deserve (death); while we get what we don't deserve (life). What a poor exchange.

Anyway, relating this back to Sil, I can only wonder what has pushed her away. If it really is true, and after all this is only hearsay from the lobster, then something must have influenced Sil to think otherwise.

Which is kind of what's bothering me in the first place. My belief was that it was something insider the current church culture that did it. Somewhere along the way, the community of Christ has abandoned a sister. Instead of nurture, there was neglect. This should never be. If we are to live as a community the way it was described in the bible (see: Acts), then something like this should've never happened. Certainly there are explanations in that she may have been considering other options for some time now (and that it could have nothing to do with the church), but it disturbs me all the same.

I've settled upon the fact that the best thing I can do is simply be a friend to her. To love her in much the same way that I always have. Do the small things that often never get the credit that they deserve. Tell her how much she's valued. Be intentional about spending time with her and just hanging out/having fun. Discuss life on the many crazy layers that only a college person goes through.

My only hope is that somewhere along the way, she will see Jesus again; whether it's on her own or (gasp) even in me. Scary.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Early AM excess

I love my church.

To be clear, what I mean by church is the organization (Northpoint Community Church) that creates environments that promote a closer and growing relationship with God. As an aside, this is different from the biblical definition of the church (which is nothing more than the gathering of believers in Jesus). Anywho, one of the environments I find so rich is this thing called summer gathering.

It's a monday night event that usually involves the organized arriving at Buckhead Church in the 7:30 time frame. The general age tends to be early 20s with fair deviation both ways. Further, there's usually a band that facilitates the singing of praises to God and a gentleman by the name of Brad who usually shares something profound. There's even time for students to respond to God by breaking out into discussion groups at the conclusion of the night. Conversations are usually hilarious but often delve into really rich spiritual avenues as well.

Anyway, the whole reason I bring this up is because while I love every single part of this, there is one part of the night that I usually get pretty depressed with. When everyone is hanging out after small groups, most people talk and form these small little circles. It's a normal, human kind of behavior (group of people want to talk together? form a circle). Yet the reason this is problematic for me, is because I often find myself drifting from one circle to another.

I get bored easily. And I love variety. I suppose that's why I've always been quick to avoid having a "clique" or a group of people that I could call "my boys" because I saw very little value in it. I wanted to be me to everyone--why would I limit myself to a select few? At least that's the thought.

So, I often end up making a lot of friends. The caveat is that for purposes like human circle talking, I find myself circle-less. And, well, it sucks. Pretty badly.

It's hard to describe. It's not like I don't know a lot of people at the gathering (which I do), and it's not like not a lot of people like me (which a lot of people do). Rather, because of my lack of depth with many of these friends, I don't really have a circle to go to.

Driving home made this thought sink in. And it also gave light to the fact that Glorie, in so many ways, was my best friend. Not because she always made me feel welcome or whatever (which she did), but because our closeness was a fruit of our friendship.

I wish I could have that with a lot of people.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Friday Night Thoughts

Nothing worth sharing tonight. Really.

The only thing on my mind is that no one really beats Disney when it comes to fireworks. Everyone tries hard, but there's just something about the "magic."

Friday, July 04, 2008

unChristian?



Apparently, when people aged 19-29 were asked what some of their perceptions about Christians were, those were among the most prevalent.

After seeing it myself, it became evident that in order to change these false perceptions, I didn't have to envision some grand movement or revival among Christians in this nation (or city for that matter). Rather, culture change starts with individuals willing to stand distinguished for what they believe in.

My goal? Compassion.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Why humility matters

Today was a semi-important day for me.

You see, I am what you call a technology connoisseur. Much in the same way that there are wine connoisseurs who take delight in only the most spectacular of wines, I find joy in gadgets and all things related to technology.

The problem with this is purchasing my gadgets. Many electronics retailers have likened their business model to be somewhat akin to the car industry. Build a big store to carry a whole lot of inventory. Hire a bunch of sales associates to get rid of inventory. Sales associates get a percentage of sale because they helped sell [x] item.

I despise this system. I don't like sales people who want to butter me up to get my sale. I'm all for people earning their money, but don't pressure me in order to do so. Further, don't talk to me like I'm an idiot and try to showcase your knowledge in a vain attempt to impress me.

As I made my purchase today, I had the experience I expected (and didn't want to happen). I walk in ready to buy. No one greets me. After 10 mins, someone finally checks on me. I ask a few questions then get passed around left and right to other associates. No one takes me seriously because I'm young. The only person who does take me seriously isn't half as informed as I am about the products that he's selling.

It all compounded and bothered me. I could do their job 10x better than they could, and yet they would make commission off me simply because that's the way that the system would work. It's tragic. Yet, somewhere on the way home I stumbled across something extremely disturbing:

Where, in the 45 minutes I spent at the store, did I reflect Christ?

When did I ever greet someone with a simple smile?
When did I show gentleness and reserve judgment?


I walked into the store completely convinced that I was going to have a miserable experience. I walked out with the misery because I didn't do anything to avoid it.

What I failed to realize was that, although it's probably a good thing for me to be thoroughly researched/educated for something as nerdy as technology, it is not ok for me to think that that knowledge makes me better than any one else. In other words, just because I know better doesn't mean I am better. If I am to walk in with some elitist attitude thinking that I know everything (and setting up "exercises" that I want my sales person to go through), I will only end up getting a big head filled with a ton of pride.

Instead, I missed an opportunity to perhaps share something useful to another person such that they may perform better at their job as a result. And I missed this opportunity for what...? Because they didn't strike me as intelligent enough? What a pity.

Proper perspective changes everything.