short but full of meaning.

I have fought with this blog for a while now, and I am finally going to give in and just throw it out there for you guys.  It was roughly 3 weeks ago, maybe longer that I was attending a meeting for church and in the middle of it God threw this idea in my mind.  I was so excited that I told the first person that I encountered which was Leanna in the Library.  You can ask her about this statement and she will tell you that it has been a long time since I first talked about it.  You may look at it and think, "wow... that's it?"  Or you may read this and think, "wow, punch in the face".

I have thought of many different ways that I could possibly tie in a story to go along with this statement like a side dish.  But this is the main course and I don't think there needs to be any stories on the side other than the statement. 

While being amongst many people with different gifts in the meeting 3 weeks ago.  I was thinking about the infinite amount of gifts that God gives us.  While thinking about that, I was also thinking about 1 Corinthians 12.  After reading that, it was confirmed that I needed to share this.  So, here ya go:

"You know how people will say: 'I am trying to find where I belong in the body of Christ?'  Well, I don't think its about them finding where they belong.  Rather, accepting where Christ is using them."

We all have dreams and we all have aspirations.  God knows that, don't for one second think that God doesn't.  But what we need to realize is, God's plans for our lives sometimes doesn't equal our plans for our own lives.  So many times I sit back and watch people get upset because they are not holding a position in the Church, at Work, or just in life as a whole.  As I am asking myself this, let me ask you.  Are you fighting where God wants to use you in the Body of Christ at the moment or are you going to let him shine through you no matter the circumstance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaPMSUYQmo4

Much Love

-JDB

Talking To The Big Man Upstairs ^

I think it is important for me to point this out before I write another blog.  I don't have it all together and I never will.  This shouldn't come as a shock to many of you.  But, I know that there is a lot of people who read this blog across the States and in different countries around the world and have no idea who I am, just the fact that I am presenting "religious thoughts."  I think one of the biggest misconceptions in today's world is the thought that religious leaders (ex: preachers, youth ministers, worship leaders and random Joe's who know the bible back and forth) have it all together and know everything.  The reason why I point this out is because I don't want any of my words belong to me on this blog.  God gets ALL the glory.  Most of the blogs that I write come from experiences where God has shown something to me and the rest God has laid on my heart to share.  I would love to talk to each and every person about my blog but I never want someone thinking that because I write this blog I think I am better than the rest because truth is, I screw up a lot and continue to.  I am human and am learning through this blog also.  You may know but I am now starting to get into the whole twitter ordeal, @jdb407 - follow me.  But I seem to do more reading than I do tweeting.  The other day I skimmed across a tweet from John Piper a preacher from Minneapolis, "No pastor lives up to what he preaches.  If he does, he is preaching too low."  That sums it up right there.  Now on to the blog.

Lately I have found myself asking God for a lot of guidance.  I don't think God has a problem with me asking for that but I began to think a little bit more about it and have come to conclusion that I am sounding very needy.  Which made me think about real life.  One of the things that really irritates me the most is when you only hear from specific people when they have problems.  When things are going good for them they are like a ghost to you but when things are rough and on rocky edges they are by your side asking what they need to do.   You can't help but to ask yourself what your role is in their life.  Which then leads me to ask, whats the role that God has in our lives?  Is he someone that we only talk to when we screw up, need help or a miracle to happen?  Or, is he someone that we talk to as if we are in intimate relationship with him?  Is God someone that we only talk to when things are bad or is God someone that we talk to through the good, the bad and all the time?

"Come near to God and He will come near to you" - James 4:8

You may argue that having a relationship with God is different than having a relationship with anyone else but I will beg to differ with that.  Yes, God knows everything that is going on in our life and he knew it long before we were ever thought of but if he was a God who didn't care about us then he would have sent his son Jesus Christ to this world let him die for our sins and be done with it.  Instead, He calls us his children:

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12

God wants to know every detail about our lives.  From the smallest thing that made you happy today to the biggest concern that we may have.  God is a Father that will never leave nor forsake us, he is the ultimate Father who shows compassionate love to everyone.  God wants to be apart of every aspect in our life and just as important God wants to know all about it with our thoughts and feelings.  A true Father wants to know everything that is going on in their child's life,  they don't just want to know what they can do to help but to know about their day, how it went and what all they did.  So, I challenge you as I challenge myself.  Don't just run to God when you are in need or you messed up.  But talk to God throughout the day about anything and everything, he really does care and he really does listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tj8N5Bj6DE

-Much Love, JDB